blake_mhoona
New member
- Sep 26, 2017
- 10
CONTEST!
- Thread starter DTP
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blake_mhoona
New member
- Sep 26, 2017
- 10
Story of the hunt: 2nd night there a mountain lion came into camp and we scared it away. Later it got to 25 degrees and I had to make multiple trips to handle my "mountainhouse business" in my long johns. Ended up getting sick and unable to carry on and pulled out early. Next time I'll bundle up for every trip outside.
Tell us a Story
I came up on a clearing on a meadow we were trying to circle to have the wind in our favor in case we found some Elk.... started walking in to the clearing and stepped on a twig.. Heard some crashing in the dense forest off to my left, so I blew a few mews hoping I didn't scare away a bull. About 40 years ahead of me a Bull... Moose stepped out of the trees and just stood there looking at me. There was no cover so I jammed it in startled short dude reverse and got behind a few trees - you know just in case the moose decided he wanted a hood ornament. Called my buddy up so he could see the moose and another bull moose wandered out to join him. We were kind of pinned by a steep mountain side to our left or we could backtrack through a marsh the way we came to get further away. We decided to get back further in to tree cover and watch. Glad we did, the moose started play fighting with each other on and off and every so often stopping and trying to wind us (we were upwind) I got some great video of it and it was an amazing experience. Eventually we circled up the steep mountain and around them to the meadow we originally set out for. We saw them about an hour later wandering through the meadow about 1,000 yards away.
Wish I would have had a moose tag, I saw 4 moose this year and 0 elk
. Lots of signs but no dice. Still is all worth it getting out in the mountains and being away from the day to day grind!
I came up on a clearing on a meadow we were trying to circle to have the wind in our favor in case we found some Elk.... started walking in to the clearing and stepped on a twig.. Heard some crashing in the dense forest off to my left, so I blew a few mews hoping I didn't scare away a bull. About 40 years ahead of me a Bull... Moose stepped out of the trees and just stood there looking at me. There was no cover so I jammed it in startled short dude reverse and got behind a few trees - you know just in case the moose decided he wanted a hood ornament. Called my buddy up so he could see the moose and another bull moose wandered out to join him. We were kind of pinned by a steep mountain side to our left or we could backtrack through a marsh the way we came to get further away. We decided to get back further in to tree cover and watch. Glad we did, the moose started play fighting with each other on and off and every so often stopping and trying to wind us (we were upwind) I got some great video of it and it was an amazing experience. Eventually we circled up the steep mountain and around them to the meadow we originally set out for. We saw them about an hour later wandering through the meadow about 1,000 yards away.
Wish I would have had a moose tag, I saw 4 moose this year and 0 elk
. Lots of signs but no dice. Still is all worth it getting out in the mountains and being away from the day to day grind!BrentLaBere
New member
- Jan 7, 2013
- 358
Camp life picture. Coldest night ive spent on the mountain only due to the fact I forgot my sleeping bag.....didnt get very much sleep
BrentLaBere
New member
- Jan 7, 2013
- 358
Picture from the field. Trying to cut fresh tracks.
publichunter1
New member
- Jan 27, 2016
- 97
My camp was set around 10k feet in central Colorado! I was only there at night but it sure was beautiful!
All packed up the next day.
All packed up the next day.
publichunter1
New member
- Jan 27, 2016
- 97
I ran across this spike while chasing my bull.
publichunter1
New member
- Jan 27, 2016
- 97
Proud to say I used the lessons learned through much research(including Corey's Elk101 Course) to bring the old herd bull in. Shot him at 35 yards with my bow.
publichunter1
New member
- Jan 27, 2016
- 97
One of the lessons learned on this trip was how difficult it is to haul an elk out by yourself especially when your last load is too wide to get through the forest. I wouldn't have had it any other way though.
publichunter1
New member
- Jan 27, 2016
- 97
I arrived late Friday afternoon but had enough time to walk the ridge I had been image scouting for months to see if I could get anything to bugle. There was plenty of fresh elk sign but after walking a couple miles down the ridge bugling and cow calling every now and then with no response, my mind kept going back to a group of elk that I had spotted on some private land driving in that day. When I arrived back at the truck I scoured my maps realizing that there was a strip of public land that came into the upper end of the meadow they were in. I rode back around to the that area and immediately in the headlights stood a good bull and two cows. I went back up the road a ways and set up my camp with plans to be at the new area at daylight.
The next morning arrived and I parked my truck as the first signs of daylight arrived. I climbed the ridge up to some open parks up near the top of the mountain with no responses to my location bugles. I continued deeper until I reached the other end of the ridge and just as I crested it I thought I heard thunder. It was 10-15 elk just around the end on the knoll from me that were headed to the timber below. A smaller 4x4 stopped at 30 yards to look back and took off again as I drew my bow. I cow called a few times and the rumbling of hooves stopped. Just then the valley in front of me lit up with bugles. I worked my way down wind of all the elk and dropped down in the timber. I heard a bugle a few hundred yards below me and I cut him off with my own bugle. I came across a cow and a spike dropping down the ridge. Just as I began to see the meadow in the bottom the rumbling started again and I stopped as I watched a 7x7 heard his cows into a huddle in the meadow. I bugled and they stopped.
I couldn't get him to close the distance so I let them go up and over the ridge as I didn't want to push them out of the area considering this was my first morning. I heard another bugle on closer to private ground and I headed that direction. When I got within a few hundred yards I cut off his old raspy bugle with one of my own and you could instantly hear his tone change. I worked my way up to the knoll he was on constantly checking where I was in respect to the private land with my Onx maps. I got in shooting range of three different satellite bulls but the thicktimber impeded any shot. Then I heard the raspy bugle again just over the knoll and I cut him off again which made him bugle again. I checked the wind and eased around the knoll to spot his cows. I slid in front of a spruce tree on the edge of a small opening just in time to see his head at around 80 yards. I cow called and he began his bugle. When he did I cut him off again and he stormed up the hill to around 40 yards and then stopped. He turned his head and I bugled again. This time he charged another 5 or six yards while I drew my bow. He stopped and began looking for me and decided to turn back toward his cows. As he was turning I estimated his distance and shot through the only opening I had.Everything broke loose so I cow called and everything went quite. I could still see several of the cows but no bull. I knew if I pushed him he would go on to the very nearby private land and he would be gone. I slowly eased to where he was standing and there was no blood but also no arrow. I followed his tracks and 30 yards later the blood began. I stopped as I again saw his cows so I just lay on the ground doing a lot of praying and replaying the sequence of events over and over.
After 45 minutes I left my pack and eased down the blood trail as slowly and quietly as I could. The blood circled around the end of the knoll and started making me nervous as it began to go up hill after 100 yards or so. Then all of a sudden the blood took a sharp turn down the knoll into the thickest stuff I've ever seen. Judging by the fact he had started making his own trail at this point my hopes increased and peaked soon after as I found him dead 20 yards later. I had hit exactly where I aimed and stuck him through his last rib on a hard quartering away shot.
I still can't put into words how ecstatic I was to be looking at my first elk, never mind it was with a bow too. I then realized I had dropped my game bags getting out of the truck that morning. I then headed the 4.5 miles back to the truck to get them and drop a little weight. I found another road that brought me within 2.5 miles of the elk and was mighty thankful for it. I went back in and quartered him up and began packing out. I finished my last of the three trips it took me to get him out just after dark that night. I went back to camp and cooked the tenderloins over the fire and then hit the bed.
The next morning arrived and I parked my truck as the first signs of daylight arrived. I climbed the ridge up to some open parks up near the top of the mountain with no responses to my location bugles. I continued deeper until I reached the other end of the ridge and just as I crested it I thought I heard thunder. It was 10-15 elk just around the end on the knoll from me that were headed to the timber below. A smaller 4x4 stopped at 30 yards to look back and took off again as I drew my bow. I cow called a few times and the rumbling of hooves stopped. Just then the valley in front of me lit up with bugles. I worked my way down wind of all the elk and dropped down in the timber. I heard a bugle a few hundred yards below me and I cut him off with my own bugle. I came across a cow and a spike dropping down the ridge. Just as I began to see the meadow in the bottom the rumbling started again and I stopped as I watched a 7x7 heard his cows into a huddle in the meadow. I bugled and they stopped.
I couldn't get him to close the distance so I let them go up and over the ridge as I didn't want to push them out of the area considering this was my first morning. I heard another bugle on closer to private ground and I headed that direction. When I got within a few hundred yards I cut off his old raspy bugle with one of my own and you could instantly hear his tone change. I worked my way up to the knoll he was on constantly checking where I was in respect to the private land with my Onx maps. I got in shooting range of three different satellite bulls but the thicktimber impeded any shot. Then I heard the raspy bugle again just over the knoll and I cut him off again which made him bugle again. I checked the wind and eased around the knoll to spot his cows. I slid in front of a spruce tree on the edge of a small opening just in time to see his head at around 80 yards. I cow called and he began his bugle. When he did I cut him off again and he stormed up the hill to around 40 yards and then stopped. He turned his head and I bugled again. This time he charged another 5 or six yards while I drew my bow. He stopped and began looking for me and decided to turn back toward his cows. As he was turning I estimated his distance and shot through the only opening I had.Everything broke loose so I cow called and everything went quite. I could still see several of the cows but no bull. I knew if I pushed him he would go on to the very nearby private land and he would be gone. I slowly eased to where he was standing and there was no blood but also no arrow. I followed his tracks and 30 yards later the blood began. I stopped as I again saw his cows so I just lay on the ground doing a lot of praying and replaying the sequence of events over and over.
After 45 minutes I left my pack and eased down the blood trail as slowly and quietly as I could. The blood circled around the end of the knoll and started making me nervous as it began to go up hill after 100 yards or so. Then all of a sudden the blood took a sharp turn down the knoll into the thickest stuff I've ever seen. Judging by the fact he had started making his own trail at this point my hopes increased and peaked soon after as I found him dead 20 yards later. I had hit exactly where I aimed and stuck him through his last rib on a hard quartering away shot.
I still can't put into words how ecstatic I was to be looking at my first elk, never mind it was with a bow too. I then realized I had dropped my game bags getting out of the truck that morning. I then headed the 4.5 miles back to the truck to get them and drop a little weight. I found another road that brought me within 2.5 miles of the elk and was mighty thankful for it. I went back in and quartered him up and began packing out. I finished my last of the three trips it took me to get him out just after dark that night. I went back to camp and cooked the tenderloins over the fire and then hit the bed.
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