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let me start by saying I now know why everyone is so crazy about chasin elk in the early season! I thought my wife drew the cow tag she was after but ended up being me. I was excited to say the least.. first elk tag ever drawn! Got my bow restrung and Junior @ Archery Headquarters aka (Maverick 351) got me all squared away and started shooting. Made a few scouting trips with some primo tips from another member on here! Thanks Gary aka (elkaholic) your info was a huge help! My brother in-law said he'd go up with me ... without his help I'm not so sure I'd have gotten it done... yet another member here Scott aka (couesfinder) Thanks Brother! Also thanks to my wife for putting up with my 1 track mind since I found out I drew. She came along and helped out at camp and kept everything tidy for us at camp, a huge help! I couldn't take opening day off.. so couesfinder went up Thursday night to secure us a camp spot and we showed up Friday night. Next morning we were off. Didn't have a set plan just wanted to hear some bugles! Went to a spot we wanted to start from and nothing bugled back. We went on to a spot we could hike a flat next to a draw and right away we bumped some elk that were already beaded. Kept on moving thru and come to a great spot were several trails cam together. Couesfinder said we should sit this trail. Wasn't no time at all he says here they come.... cow cow cow 4x4.. he says don't shoot... laughing he says if you draw back I'll bump your arm... LOL! A few minutes go by and another little group comes thru.. cow cow cow 2x2 spike cow... these elk went by at about 5yds.... I'm thinking these things are blind... we're not brushed in just sitting on a log near the trail. Nothing like deer!!! We head out and make a big loop back to the truck and run into another heard that had a decent 6x6 but the wind got us and we couldn't get in front of them. Went and grabbed some lunch and then headed back out... ran into a couple hunters on the mountain. 1 of the guys had a bad cut from gutting a cow elk.. Neither of us had a med kit.... guy asks if we can help him drag it out...says he can give us info on how to go after the bulls that were with the heard he was on "it's not that far from the road" we follow him to the spot and proceed to walk and walk and walk.. now I'm like yeah that's too far to drag a cow elk. Guy had a small pack and we wanted to go hunt so we tell him to quarter it and we'll take out the hind quarters and throw em in the back of your truck. LIKE HURRY UP! We took the quarters and threw em in his truck and off we went to a spot where I had my cams with some good travel. Pass some elk on the way to it. Rather than booger em up we went on to our spot. Get set up, was kinda hard to get it right as the wind blows 4-6 different directions. Couesfinder hits a bugle and wasn't long the cows started filing thru. A couple spikes and a rag 4pt, then a decent 6x6... he stays out of range with no shot. Wind swirls and then they were gone. Next day we head up to where the cow hunter said they were coming thru in the mornings. Get in a ways and couesfinder rips a bugle and it seamed all heck broke loose! Bugle in front of us to both sides of where those were coming from... We are talking 100yds, but it's thick with cedars. Bugles were loud... we get a glimpse of a huge bull as he slips behind the cedars. Next thing we know horns were crackin together... sounded like 4 Goldie home runs all at the same time. The bull starts grunting at us like a deep bark and we thought we were busted. I can't stand it so I try to cross an opening and the cows appeared from nowhere and got nervous and broke up the fight and thay all went there separate ways. We were able to close the distance on the big heard to 30yds and just glimpsed the body of the bull and again the wind got us and they boogied. I was so excited when it all went down and when it didn't work out I was sooo low.. couesfinder said that's what this hunt is all about.. the highs and the lows. I just wanted to cry! That bull was really big... like 350+. Everyday we were on elk and bugles. Not really fired up but some of them were. On Monday The wind was like 30 mph all day we get back to camp after some good chances at some bugles. and my wife said they were bugling across the meadow we were camped by. Sounded like 3 diff bulls. The cows were chirping and bulls kept screaming! We sat and listened for what seamed like an hour, the the horns started crackin together! What a sound show! Next day just seamed a blur same wind hard to hear the bugles but they were screaming. Sit the cam spot again and had some bugles from down in the draw in front of us and he was challenging us too but couldn't get him to come out of there. Wednesday we had planned to go up where we seen the big bull but the wind was still whippin so I said lets sit that trail we sat the first day. I had gave myself til Wednesday to hold out for a bruiser, being my first tag I did NOT want tag soup and was losing confidence while couefinder was still positive. The highs and lows were takin their toll on me and I just wanted to shoot a bull! Off we go, right away we bump a cow and a calf and we continue on to the spot. Get set up at the log and wasn't long before we hear a screamin bugle. With the wind it sounded far away and we wern't even sure it was an elk as it kinda sounded like a yote. Next thing I kbnow couesfinder says " get ready here they come." Grab my bow and the cows start filing thru and the wind is swirling. Couesfinder says here comes a shooter, he's at 80 yds... I draw, no shot yet. All of a sudden... you guessed it, wind swirled and the cows freaked and circled back around. We get up and tried to get in front of them but to no avail. Back to the log. Jokingly I said there ain't nothing but squirrels left around here....(the lows are harsh) . Another 15-20 minutes pass and he says "get ready... here come 2 bulls! " Sitting on the log I grab my bow and next thing I know 2 small twin 5x5 came up the trail.. he says the yardage but I couldn't hear he says in a clear voice "30yds" I put my pin behind the shoulder and let it rip..... POP! The bull whirls around and stumbles a bit and trots off while the other bull stands there wondering what just happened... he stood there for like 2 minutes and then circled back and trotted off. High fives and I go to find the arrow... I watched the arrow hit the mark a bit low but looked good. He was quartering to me but not too much. Get the arrow and there's blood.. a complete pass thru. Smell the arrow and oh no... a little stomach.. Instant worries start in. We can see the tracks where he stumbled but no blood! I get on my hands and knees and I find a nail head size drop. We track his prints and continue to look for blood. Couesfinder found another drop and stayed on his tracks! They started to get harder to follow but he stayed right on them! I had thought he circled to the right so I went off trying to find anything. I drop down the draw to see if he went to the water but nothing. Climb back out and am checking tracks that look fresh and all of a sudden Couesfinder starts whooping.... woooohoo, I look his way and see him and I start whooping!!! Couesfinder gets started skinning and quartering... I can't thank him enough for all his help! We find a road closer and decide he's gonna get the truck closer than the mile and a half we are! I mark the road and start to meet him. My pos gps is telling me to go up and over a hill that I know is wrong! I thought I marked the wrong wroad so I mark another rd and start out... big mistake!! I some how ended up where we started with couesfinder long gone! Get out to the main rd and hitch a ride back to camp to get my truck and pick up my wife... wife gone... truck keys gone.... Send a frantic text to no avail. He continued to pack out the meat the 300yds to the rd and when I was nowhere around they started to worry! Honkin the horn peta style driving the loop back to where we were.... Finally came back to camp and all was good! Sorry for the long read.,.. left lots of stuff out.... like when we were driving running late his camper shell flew off... didn't even break a window... LOL! One of my best experiences ever! James

Our goal for this hunt was for my son to shoot the first bull we saw since he could only hunt Friday and Saturday.We got to our location before first light and around 745am this bull was feeding about 100 yards below us. One shot from the 300 win mag and he fell in his tracks. It is my son's first elk!

I just got home lastnight from my first elk hunt. It was a fun time hunting these great animals. My brother inlaw, his friend, and I all drew our first elk tag this year. I can't help but think how crazy this whole thing turned out. First of all we drew the tags. Then I find out in August that I lost my job which could have jeopardized the hunt if i didn't have a job by Nov 30th. Well, I found a job and started two weeks before the hunt and they are going to give me the time off to hunt unpaid of course. So everything is set to go and I get all my stuff ready and leave as soon as I can Thursday before the hunt. Opening day saw some mule deer that was it. Second day we all start walking in to this area before sunrise where we saw a spike during scouting. I got real impatient has it was getting lighter and lighter and decided I would walk over here alittle bit or over there. I ended up making a big circle without kicking up a thing. So now I separated from the others and I decide to walk down this thick, steep ravine and out the bottom of it to this bigger ravine. So I finally hit a road and decide to turn east and just keep walking. I figured the further i got from the main road the better chance i had to jump something in the thick forest. I am walking along and bam another road dang it. So I walk that road for awhile till i came to a junction, i turned and followed that road for about half mile. I am thinking man I am really far from the Jeep and i have no idea where the others are. I see to my right and grassy clearing so i beeline torward that. I find a nice little meadow. By this time i am thinking i could use a break and snack. I walk to the edge of this drop off and take my backpack off and sit and glass this hill far off. I don't see anything over there and don't really like this spot for a lunch break so i stand up and get my gear and head up to the top of this ridge to chill out a bit. As soon as i start walking and turn around this tree this bull just comes trotting out of no where. I kneel down and get my rifle. I already chambered a round earlier and set my scope to 3 in case i jumped something. This elk stops right behind a small pine tree as if he knew i was standing there. There is another small tree right in front of him so i had a perfect gap to take a shot. He slowly made his way to the tree and I settled the crosshair on the shoulder and squeezed...BOOM. He dropped right behind that next tree. He struggled for a minute and I took my time getting over to him and he was dead. Man I had some much adrenalin pumping and I trying to think what do I do now. I am at least a mile and half from the jeep and the others. So, I marked my GPS, put my tag on him and started calling and texting my bro inlaw and can't get through. I figured the best thing to do it to let somebody know where I was. I picked up my stuff and started walking to get cell service. I called my wife told her the news she was excited sent some message to friends. I ended up walking all the way to the Jeep in hope to find my team. Nobody was there. I started thinking i should have dressed him out before i left dang it! So i start heading back to the bull after leaving a note. I was worried we were all going to be separated without cell service all afternoon. I really started freaking out about the idea and luckily i ran to one of my team Rick. So I decided to get the hidda key and take the Jeep to the bull and he would come back and wait for the others. We take off and get to the bottom of the canyon and who do we see walking back up the road Ron and Mike. It was so great to see them. I tell Ron the news and he couldn't believe it at first then we loaded up and headed back to get my bull. It was just amazing how it all worked out. We got to him and quartered him up and hualed him out of there. It turned out to be about an 80 yard shot and 10:20am. In all this excitment I realized I somehow lost my sunglasses. I went back to the shot location and there they were. It was just an unbelievable lucky day. Also, i found my first shed 10 ft from where my bull dropped 2 days later. We hunted hard the next 3 days to get my brother inlaw a bull but just could not catch a break. We saw a ton of sign but just was not locating any bulls. My guess is because of the pressure all weekend, full moon, and christmas tree cutting folks the elk were just hiding most of the day. The frustrating thing was we were hearing shots close, so someone was seeing something. One last thing. Were walking this little canyon area on a windy morning and I caught the smell of elk. I didn't know if it was my mind playing games with me or what but later we see these guys roll in on a quad and drive straight up the hill. We head their direction and find them cutting up a bull one of them killed the night before. It was a nice bull too, perfect 6x6. I guess my nose wasn't lying. Here he is. My bull is a 5x4. He probably would have split next year to make him a 5x5. I would just like to Thank Ron, Mike and Rick for all their help. Good luck to those still out hunting!