Markleo21377

Heck yeah!!! Awesome!

Our friends from Texas traveled here last week for their 11 year old daughters first elk hunt in 3A/3C. Opening morning was the type of experience you hope a first time elk hunter gets to be a part of. Multiple bulls screaming leading you into a herd. Unfortunately, the fog rolled in so thick that we could not ever get a good opportunity but knew where they bedded. That afternoon we hiked down a ridge that allowed us to look south into the canyon they were in. Not 30 minutes in and the bull had them up and moving giving Isla a 294 yard shot with her 6.5 creedmore. One well placed shot through the shoulder and she had her first elk. Man these youth hunts are so fun to help on!

This year continues to be one for the books. My 12 year old son Max drew a muzzleloader bull tag in a unit many consider to be sub par for elk. I have assisted on 3 archery bull kills in the unit, so I knew that although trophy elk were tough to find they were there. The opener found us calling our way into a major dark timber bedding area that I had seen multiple large bulls on previous hunts. It was dead quiet. No bugles and after one calling sequence a satellite 5 point came sneaking in but never game Max an ethical shot. Yesterday, day 2, I decided to slip in to the edge of the bedding just after first light and wait. No bugles at all, so I decided to do a few soft cow calls. Less than a minute later this giant snuck in silent 52 yards below us and Max made a perfect shot. We had no idea how truly magnificent he was until we walked up on him 30 minutes later. Bull is an 8 by 7 with a 14” flyer point. Didn’t get to fully score him but a few quick measurements indicate 370-380”. 42” inside spread and total width with flyer 58”. Best hunting day of my life and one I will never forget!

Thx buddy, it was pretty special for sure!

She used the Hornady 143 eldx. Bullet went through shoulder and devestated the organs.

Sounds like it has been a good hunt so far! Good luck tomorrow….luck can change in a moments notice 👊

If you are still in the peaks message me. Here is my boys and buddies from up there we killed Friday and Saturday. I can tell you where at least 3 good bulls are at.

The measurements we did grab. beams were 49” and 50”. Inside spread 42”. 13 tine measurements totaling 168”. This was 309” without 8 mass measurements. Mass appeared to be 60-63” but may be a touch less so I may be a little on high side.

This is the camp information for this year. Good luck!

I have a Vortex strike fire made by traditions. We were using 80 grains by volume of Blackhorn 209 with 250 grain Hornady SST’s. It is about 10 years old and shoots pretty good but no where close to some of the new ones. It groups about 3” at 100 yards and 6” at 200. That’s pretty much our max range with it. Recoil is a bit stiff but my boy is about 100 lbs and doesn’t mind it. He says it feels like his 20 gauge with 3” turkey loads. Good luck on your boys hunts this fall!

No doubt..it’s funny I forgot his hunting pants, so I told him how grandpa used to kill all kinds of big stuff in his blue jeans and carhartt jacket. Not sure if he’ll ever wear anything but blue jeans hunting again 🤣

I have had great luck with kuiu for my boy. Here is my system for buying that makes it affordable. I buy full outfit on my birthday code for my boy at 15% discount plus free shipping. Then every two years when he has grown out of it I buy again on same discount. I sell used gear for 20% discount off retail so I only pay 5% plus whatever increase is over 2 years. This keeps him in great gear for years at minimal cost after initial investment.

Chef, I will post more pictures and story hopefully soon. Just got home and crazy busy. I will be putting together a video as well as I have about 4 hrs of video to edit.

It was hike in only…all flying was closed. I went with a local guide

Surprisingly my feet did great. Rotated 3 pairs of darn tough socks to keep feet dry. Knees took a real beating with heavy load at the end though

Incredible!!! Great job amigo 👊

Awesome bro!!!!

JackJ, 6A is an incredible unit for elk and you are hunting the rut!!!! I am not sure how many bulls you have on your wall but i would enjoy the experience and shoot whatever bull gets your blood pumping and provides you the experience your looking for. My buddy owns one of the biggest taxidermy shops in the valley and I can tell you with certainty that most bulls, including the trophy units that come through his door are between 280 and 320. That said I have helped 4 hunters since 2017 gets shots at great bulls during that hunt including a 340ish bull. Get familiar with the unit and as it gets close key in on water that is heavily tracked up. With how early the dates are cows will not be in estrus yet and bulls will still be wallowing heavy. Here’s a couple of my favor trail cam pictures in my scouting. Good luck

Great tag! Let me know if you need any help. Have had that tag twice and helped a guy from Wyoming kill a 366 in there in 2019.

I hope you can take both weeks off but if not definitely focus on later rather than earlier. The last week moon will be waning and rut activity will increase, especially daytime. Keep us posted on your progress with scouting and when hunt rolls around I’ll throw you a 🦴. Focus on locating cow elk and the bulls will come. Water is the source of life so locate that and then work away from it and find elevated dark timbered northern facing slopes for bedding areas. Use for maps to find topography lines that have consistent line spacing with areas 2/3 up slopes that the lines widen creating benches the elk love to bed on. First light thermals will be drawing down still and mid morning they switch and pull up hill. Never disregard the wind to chase elk. Work perpendicular to it when you can and if wind goes bad back out and regroup. Once you educate them your odds of success drop tremendously. Good luck, Mark

Looks incredible bro!!! Brought back incredible memories surrounding the harvest!

2 of us will be there also.

It’s on boys….just got a hit 🙌🙌🙌

Funny how sideways these threads go 🤣Congrats on the cow tags you and your crew drew 👍 Bulls or Cows, man we are blessed to be able to be in the woods!!! Never had a bad steak from either. Look forward to hearing the story and seeing the pictures in a few months!