An Elk Hunt

[recoil junky]

Cut short

After missing the first four days of 3rd season this year I decided to  give 'er 'ell the last five days and did very well in the seeing and even sneaking departments. Please forgive the quality of some of the photos. They were shot through binoculars and under low light conditions.

Wed, 5 November, up at 04:00 ready to go. I drove south of town and I was almost to the gate onto the property and had stopped to chain up. In the semi darkness all was quiet after I shut the Powerstroke off and opened the door. In the distance I could hear a few song dogs tuning up and I thought I could hear a few elk talking back and forth. I proceeded (noisily) with the chains when a fellow hunter pulled up and shut his truck off too.

"Didja see them elk over thar?"

"Heard 'em"

"Looks to be quite a bunch"

Well, knowing this other feller, "quite a bunch" could be anywhere from 5 to 1,000. He watched as I finished chaining up.

"Nice chains"



"Yep"

"Don't look heavy enough for that big diesel"

"Well, Bullwinkle, we'll find out won't we"

"Bullwinkle??!"

"Yep, yer kinda a bloody know-it-all wally ain't cha?"

"WELL, I NEVER"

"I'll bet you haven't either."

"Hey did you just call me Wally?"

I'm getting kind of fed up with "Wally" by this time as I have to spend a good bit of time riding to and from the change room to our trucks with him and I've gotten pretty tired of his expertise on anything and everything.

He fires up his truck, spins his tires and leaves in a huff leaving me alone on the upper ends of County Road 35 in the dark listening to the coyotes and elk by my lonesome. Old Wally ought to know by now that when the frozen mud starts to thaw later the roads are going to be slicker than cow slobbers on a tile floor and hopefully we won't be anywhere near each other so I don't have to pull him out of where ever it is he got stuck this time.

As I got in my ute I happened to look out in the meadow and saw that indeed there was "quite a bunch" of elk crossing the road about a 1/4 mile in front of me. Huh, whaddaya know, they'll be crossing right below my place of choice in about half an hour and if I don't get a move on they'll get there a way before I do!! I waited for the stragglers to cross and get well up into the oak brush before I started up and took off. A 2 second exposure time is very hard to hold but I think you can make out the elk in a line in the center of the picture above the fence.



When I got to the gate I found it unlocked and realized "Wally" had left it open for me. He's such a nice guy. I closed the gate and locked it behind me. I forgot to "sign in" the book and meandered up the road noticing what had to be Bullwinkle's tail lights bouncing up the road in front of me. Huh, I bet he misses the new turn off. Hope he doesn't get stuck.

 I made the "new" turn and proceeded to my "secret" parking spot. I was in such a hurry to get hunting, I had to make three trips back to the truck to get my binoculars, shooting sticks and lunch. I got to my favorite rock in time to see the elk making their way into the oaks on the far side of the draw a good 500 yards away.

RATS!!! Still not light enough to shoot!!! I thought I spotted a few horns in the bunch as they filtered unhurried to another big bowl where they would "camp" for the day. Now it was my estimation that there were at least 200 head in that bunch that crossed in front of me while chaining up and knowing an elk can hide behind a toothpick if he/she doesn't move I set out on locating elk in the scrub oaks, alders and service berry bushes. Now the sun isn't up yet behind me so spotting isn't easy. I know that if I were to start sneaking now I'll blunder into a bunch and spook the whole herd. My best bet is to wait for the sun to start peaking up over the horizon behind me and casting its rays upon the ridge tops to the west. I was intent on my search and failed to notice orange making its way in from the south until it was within 300 yards or so from the elk.

RATS!!!! I shifted my binos, WALLY YOU BLOODY NUMBTARD. I got my cell out and called him . . . . . . . . . ."leave a message at the beep" .  "Hey Outlaw, this is RJ, STOP WALKING!! (hoarsely whispered) I kept my eyes on him as he took another couple steps after I hung up, then stopped and fumbled in his pocket got out his phone. Bzzzt bzzzzt bzzzt . . .

Me, "Yeah"

Wally, "What?"

"Those elk? Yeah they are right in front of you. Sit right there and wait."

"I don't see them"

"They are down towards the pond, not 200 yards (now) in front of you!"  In the picture the elk are just too left of the open area on this side of the ridge in the center. Wally is just out of frame, center left.



 "Where the ---- are you!!?"

"Look east over by the rocks, you know where I always sit?" He ups with his rifle and "glasses" in my direction as I take cover behind a sandstone boulder. RATS!! Now I'm all covered with snow again and I dropped my phone. No, wait there it is, on my blanket. I reached out a tentative hand and nabbed it . . .

"I don't see you."  What a maroon, what a nincowpoop.

I hung up. He texted me "Where are you?" I texted back "Dnt ever look at people thru yer durn riflescope"  Now he's trying to call me, repeatedly. I don't care because he's still looking for me through his riflescope. OK, in Colorado is the "law" that you have to wear 144 (I think) square inches of hunter orange evenly distributed front and back and a hunter orange cap or some such with 360 degrees visible at all times, or something like that. Well I had on enough orange to meet the requirement no matter what state I was in. It's also the law that you can't/don't/won't look at people through your rifle scope. I felt like putting my hat on my gun barrel and raising it up. I texted him back "See my ute. Just N of it about a qtr mile.  And stop looking through your scope at me"

I called him. "Stop there. The elk are right in front of you" More hoarse whispering

"I see them now. I can't get a clear shot"

"OK, hold tight, they are bedded down and some are feeding." How he got as close as he did without the elk busting him I'll never know, but then the good Lord takes pitty on numbtards I guess.



He sat/stood there for another 10 minutes or so then turned around and left. The elk heard him now and most of them were looking in his direction, but remained unalarmed. It's getting lighter now and I can see the elk with my naked eye. I glassed them intently looking for a nice bull to put the sneak on, but sadly I couldn't see one. I sat there till well after sun up, but due to the overcast conditions, the gray light made it even harder to spot antlers, so the sneak was on.
I walked back to my truck, stowed some gear, then hiked back to where Wally had parked and followed his tracks in. I got to where he was standing undetected as the scrub oaks at this point where too thick to see any farther than 30-40 yards. Climbing slowly up to a high point I could see elk bedded down with one spindly 5 point looking back at me.



I could hear/see other elk, but all were cows and calves or too obscured by the oak brush to identify. I stood there until most of the elk had drifted over the ridge unalarmed by my stillness. There is no way I could get closer without getting winded by them or them hearing me so I opted to meander back to the truck. On the way back I spotted a really nice 28-30 inch muley buck chasing a doe. Man, what I'd give for a deer tag right about now!! Huh, Wally has one. Ah well tough luck for Wally.

I sat in the truck glassing the bowl and after deciding they would still be here tomorrow I headed home armed with a new attack plan to be implemented in the dark in the morning. I texted Wally of my plan and he said he was going "som'eres else" in the morning


Day Two, 6 Nov. I remembered to sign in this morning, leaving my approximate location in the "hunt area" portion of the sign in sheet and noticing I was first in. I drove to my "spot" and got ready. Dang the wind, it must be blowing 15-20 mph but in the right direction.


This would be work for the 45-70 today. In close in the oak brush. I skirted the edge of the oaks, uphill and down wind from where the elk were yesterday, I found the opening of a game trail remembered from a couple years ago and entered the brush. I was nearing the high point from yesterday and started glassing. Seeing nothing I made my way down to a "road" proceeding as quietly as crusted snow permitted. I reached another vantage point and began glassing again. Not 50 yards in front of me I spotted a cow bedded down. I glassed further and spotted more elk, this time a "nice" 5X that was partially screened behind some oaks with 6 to 8 inch trunks maybe 75 yards away. A worthy trophy for the 45-70's first elk kill, but no shot. I hunkered down to wait for them to get up and stretch. The wind had masked my sounds as no elk were even looking at me. I spread my blanket after clearing the snow away and sat down glassing.

All of a sudden all the elk bolted! What in tarnation??! They didn't hear or smell me, they couldn't have!!! It was then I heard a 4 wheeler. :cry: It had parked on a ridge top to the east and had evidently come in from "Oak Draw" and it's rider was standing beside it as a few of the elk for what ever reason ran 30 yards in front of him. At least 60 head now ran under the brow of the ridge between me and the guy on the 4 wheeler where he couldn't see them. Up and over another ridge full tilt, heads up and mouths open. As I stood up another 4 wheeler made its way down the road from Oak Draw toward me.

"See anything?" This is a guy we call Big'un. 6' 8" of the nicest guy you'd ever meet. Looks like a sasquatch riding a kid sized 4 wheeler.

"Yeah, you busted about 75 head out of that draw yonder."

"Oh no! I'm sorry man, I didn't see you in here, oh I'm so sorry! Wally said you were going some where else today or I wouldn't have come in this way." Big'un kept apologizing profusely. I told him of the plan I'd told Wally about and wondered aloud who the other guy on the 4 wheeler was.

"Oh that's Wally. He said you were going some where else today."

We sat/stood there for a few minutes talking about things. "Hey, you want a ride back to your truck?" What a pal!

"Naw, I'll hoof it back."

"OK, see ya."

I made my way back to the truck carefully negotiating the 6-8 inches of snow with mud underneath. I was about halfway back when WHAM I was on my left side with pain shooting through my left knee. Thinking I'd smacked it on a rock I used the 45-70 for a crutch and slowly got up. Good thing I was only 200 yards from the truck and it was all down hill or I'd have had to use my phone-a-friend. I needed to get home and get ice on this thing ASAP.

With the missus "fretting" over me like an old mother hen I "couched up" with my knee welled iced as I nursed a Shiner Bock.

Day 3, 8 Nov. Kinda the same as the last two days, but today with a knee brace on my left knee. It feels pretty good all things considered so after parking in my usual "spot" I made my way down the trail, this time to a different vantage point. There was a lot of snow melt yesterday as the temperatures soared into the low 50's. Mud everywhere as it didn't freeze last night making the road in a quagmire. Oh well, I'll just sit here for a while and see what pops up. As the sun came up



I watched the chickadees and wee chipmunks dart through the sarvice berry bushes and wondered why they are called sarvice berries, I've never seen any berries on them. I glassed the bowl not seeing a single elk only a few deer. Next thing I know as I wake up, it's lunch time and dad burn it I've left my lunch in the truck. Ah well I'll be that much hungrier when I get back, I'd better leave now. I quickly glassed the bowl again before I left. No sign of people or elk, just the sound of dozers, a loader and those Komatsu 830E haul trucks uncovering coal so we can have cheap electricity.

Day 4, 9 Nov. I'm typing this. Maybe if'n the old knee feels better I'll go out tomorrow. If I don't oh well, I went hunting and a bad day hunting is always better than a good day at work.

And "Wally" has a new nickname.

RJ

[gitano]

Great story, RJ. Too bad about the knotheads. Seems a fact of life these days, even in places like Alaska. Sure hope you can get out tomorrow!
 
Paul

[recoil junky]

I had a great time regardless of knothead/s. I found out later that "Wally" wounded a couple calves. Big'un said he (Wally) did a good job of feeding the coyotes.

I hope the winter is a "mild" one. With elk numbers on the rise and given the numbers of small bulls and spikes, next year should be a good year for finding a nice bull.

RJ

[Vermonster]

Sorry to hear about "Wally".  Every place seems to have their own "Wally", or some version of him.  
 
Like they say, there's always next year......

[Hunterbug]

I'm glad that you had fun anyway. Better luck next year.

[davidlt89]

sounds like a good time!!! I certainly like reading about it, I don't get to stalk anything up here!!! God Bless.