ashersdad
Well-known member
Well I'm glad Moosie was nice enough to leave a "little" one for me.
My hunt opened on Monday but work committments kept me from going until Thursday. My brother and I knew where we wanted to be at first light so we got an early start. Where we hunt the elk are low at night but then move up into the timber at first light. The trick is to figure which canyon/ridge they will use to get up to the thick timber.
As my brother and I were hiking up in the dark we heard bugling from below us. Not wanting to spook anything, we decided to sit tight until light to see if we could see any elk below us.
When it got almost light enough to see, I started glassing. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was a herd of at least 200 elk about a half mile below us. They were starting to work there way up and at first it looked like we had chosen the right canyon. Unfortunately, they changed direction and it now looked like they were going to go to the next canyon over.
So we hightailed it up to where they couldn't see us and ran across the top to the next canyon. When we came to the ridge we could see the first of the herd starting to go up the far side of the canyon. We ranged them and they were 425 yards.
Now we started looking over the herd in detail. There must have been at least two or three dozen bulls. Most were raghorns or smaller. Then at the bottom of the herd we heard a loud bugle and looked down and saw a bull that looked pretty good. We quickly determined this was the best in the herd.
As he came up the hill I got ready and when he turned broadside I let one fly. At the shot the herd took off straight up the hill but the bull started side hilling. My brother said hit him again and I fired and he started rolling end over end down the hill. It was so cool. He must have rolled and slid close to 100 yards.
This is the hill he rolled down. Notice the good blood trail.
As he lay.
Turned out the first shot hit him right through the heart and the second hit him in the spine.
It was a great hunt especially having my brother there.
My hunt opened on Monday but work committments kept me from going until Thursday. My brother and I knew where we wanted to be at first light so we got an early start. Where we hunt the elk are low at night but then move up into the timber at first light. The trick is to figure which canyon/ridge they will use to get up to the thick timber.
As my brother and I were hiking up in the dark we heard bugling from below us. Not wanting to spook anything, we decided to sit tight until light to see if we could see any elk below us.
When it got almost light enough to see, I started glassing. I couldn't believe my eyes. There was a herd of at least 200 elk about a half mile below us. They were starting to work there way up and at first it looked like we had chosen the right canyon. Unfortunately, they changed direction and it now looked like they were going to go to the next canyon over.
So we hightailed it up to where they couldn't see us and ran across the top to the next canyon. When we came to the ridge we could see the first of the herd starting to go up the far side of the canyon. We ranged them and they were 425 yards.
Now we started looking over the herd in detail. There must have been at least two or three dozen bulls. Most were raghorns or smaller. Then at the bottom of the herd we heard a loud bugle and looked down and saw a bull that looked pretty good. We quickly determined this was the best in the herd.
As he came up the hill I got ready and when he turned broadside I let one fly. At the shot the herd took off straight up the hill but the bull started side hilling. My brother said hit him again and I fired and he started rolling end over end down the hill. It was so cool. He must have rolled and slid close to 100 yards.
This is the hill he rolled down. Notice the good blood trail.
As he lay.
Turned out the first shot hit him right through the heart and the second hit him in the spine.
It was a great hunt especially having my brother there.
