- Joined
- Aug 1, 2011
- Messages
- 762
We're currently on our 22 hour drive home from our 3rd attempt at a DIY, public land elk hunt.
We arrived a day and a half early to scout. I had 4 new spots picked out via e-scouting and 3 spots where we saw elk last year that I wanted to lay eyes on. All but 2 had elk in them!
Opening day, my dad was able to harvest his first elk! He shot a cow at 350 yards and dropped her in her tracks! Getting him a shot at an elk was my number 1 goal!
Day 2, my buddy Sam shot his first elk on a great 5x5! He shot his bull 100 yards from where my dad shot his cow.
Day 3, I missed a bull in the same spot as they shot their elk. Turns out my scope got bumper after 2 pack outs. It was 14 inches off at 100 yards. Later that day a deer hunter informed us of an area where he saw 100 elk that morning. We headed on over and my buddy Landon shot his first bull at 400 yards!
Day 4, close call with another bull but could not make it happen.
Day 5, we went in deep to a spot I had e-scouted. It was 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts. A very nice bull steps out about an hour before dark. I settled in and took a 360 yard shot. He mule kicked and ran into the thick stuff. We just knew I had smoked him! It took us an hour to get down there as it was much steeper than it appeared from up above. We tracked blood for 200 yards and it started to get thin. We backed out and decided to come back the next morning. We then proceeded to get 10 inches of snow that night. The next day, 3 of us put 10 miles on the boots grid searching for him. We never found him!
Although I did not bring home an elk, it was an unreal week with family and friends! I can't wait to go back next year!
We arrived a day and a half early to scout. I had 4 new spots picked out via e-scouting and 3 spots where we saw elk last year that I wanted to lay eyes on. All but 2 had elk in them!
Opening day, my dad was able to harvest his first elk! He shot a cow at 350 yards and dropped her in her tracks! Getting him a shot at an elk was my number 1 goal!
Day 2, my buddy Sam shot his first elk on a great 5x5! He shot his bull 100 yards from where my dad shot his cow.
Day 3, I missed a bull in the same spot as they shot their elk. Turns out my scope got bumper after 2 pack outs. It was 14 inches off at 100 yards. Later that day a deer hunter informed us of an area where he saw 100 elk that morning. We headed on over and my buddy Landon shot his first bull at 400 yards!
Day 4, close call with another bull but could not make it happen.
Day 5, we went in deep to a spot I had e-scouted. It was 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts. A very nice bull steps out about an hour before dark. I settled in and took a 360 yard shot. He mule kicked and ran into the thick stuff. We just knew I had smoked him! It took us an hour to get down there as it was much steeper than it appeared from up above. We tracked blood for 200 yards and it started to get thin. We backed out and decided to come back the next morning. We then proceeded to get 10 inches of snow that night. The next day, 3 of us put 10 miles on the boots grid searching for him. We never found him!
Although I did not bring home an elk, it was an unreal week with family and friends! I can't wait to go back next year!
