COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Howdy folks, i'm home again but I leave again tomorrow and finally get to switch gears to Coues!!! Last Friday I was able to squeeze in a short hunt with my Bro-n-law "Jimmy". Jimmy drew one of the Limited Opportunity hunts that started last Friday and has been scouting all summer! The unit we hunted is filled with amazing country that you would think hold tons of elk....but there's not! It blows me away that there aren't more elk in these areas, but after hiking miles and miles and glassing even more miles you soon realize how tough these L.O. hunt areas really are! Our first day was grueling as we hiked up several of the biggest mountains around to gain the vantage necessary to hopefully find one of these ghosts that supposedly inhabit the area. I was amazed at how much ground you can cover and not even see the remnants of an old elk track, much less a fresh one! Jimmy assured me the elk were there, somewhere, but they move long distances and we just needed to find where they went! Late in the afternoon on opening day, a phone call from one of our friends came with a tan colored critter spotted 3 miles from where Jimmy and I were so we bailed off a giant mountain that we had just spent an hour climbing up! A death defying quad ride and 30 minutes later we were close to where the critter was spotted but only could find tracks and not enough light to follow them. I will say that snake chaps or snake proof boots are a definite MUST HAVE on these hunts and we experienced numerous reasons for why that is! One incident we won't soon forget was when neither of us had a light and right at dark a snake started buzzing! I yelled at Jimmy to stop, ran back to him as he froze in his tracks to try an locate where the snake was at and soon realized Jimmy was standing on the front half of a rattlesnake!! To make it worse, as we tip-toed back to the quads we had another close encounter with 2 more snakes.....with no lights!!! So now with opening day done I was supposed to be home that night but was talked into staying for the next mornings hunt. It didn't take much to talk me into it 'cause I was not wanting to leave without seeing a dang elk! The next morning had us in close to the area where the elk were seen the night before and right at light we got into the herd! The elk were scattered in the flat cedars and moving fast into the higher and deeper canyons. Only one bull would bugle very sparingly, but it was enough to get the blood pumping! Jimmy and I ran as fast as we could across the flats, up and over ridges and finally over a mountain before finally getting in close to the herd bull. The canyon was very steep and super thick and the elk were on the same side as us, but with the wind right we slowly followed the tracks. Soon we came to a small ravine that gave us a veiw of the opposite side and there stood a gorgeous mature bull! Jimmy snuck down to a fallen tree, took a solid rest and finally my favorite noise came ringing out........BOOM...WHOP! The bull fell instantly and Jimmy was up and about tackled me to the ground he was so excited! Jimmy had been scouting every weekend and had been up there for several days prior to the hunt so he had alot of time, expense and energy invested in this hunt and his reward finally lay motionless 200 yards away! The bull slid up against a tree on the edge of a small cliff and we were about 2 miles from the truck, so I knew Jimmy and our friends were in for a long day of skinning and packing.....I on the other hand, was late for a date with the ol' lady and I sadly had to leave I did feel kinda guilty for leaving.....well, at least for a minute or two Several more snakes were found, even one right next to the bull when the skinners and packers arrived.....one more reason I'm glad I missed out on that part! I didn't have my camera with me, but I did have my new phone which surprisingly takes good pic's.......here's those pic's! Congrats Jimmy on a very hard earned, well deserved bull! JIM> Here's a pic taken before I realized my new phone had a "time-delay" feature And here's a pic of a nice Muley buck we glassed up, don't know the cause of death, probably a lost archery buck? I would guess less than 2 weeks old, I lost my breakfast while taking the cell phone pics and the head is still laying where we found it! Even if it were legal, I still wouldn't have touched that nasty thing!!! Through the 15's...... Up close and stinky........ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Awesome! nice job! That is one heck of a nice bull! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Wow!! Excellent story and congrats on that bull!! Hard-earned for sure! Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllBoutHuntn Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Great job finding and putting that bull down!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cramerhunts Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Awesome job guys on a great bull on what sounds like a tough hunt. What phone is that Jim? The pictures came out really good for a phone. Phil Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Thanks guys! The phone I just got is insanely cool, way expensive, but I can manage all my photos and videos on it. It's the new LG Dare and is supposedly designed to beat the iPhone, the camera is 3.2 megapixel and even has editing capabilities for the photos and video! I'm still learning how to use it, but it's pretty cool to whip it out anytime and show people videos of my hunts or a slide show of my portfolio! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Sniper Report post Posted October 6, 2008 You made it happen again Jimmy! You guys are the man when it comes to killing big bulls Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Way to go Jim tell Jimmy I said big congrats on a well earned bull Now get those elk outta your head and start looking for deer Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flash Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Just came in for a restock on supplies from the same hunt. I definitly congratulate the hunter. It is really difficut out there. I haven't seen a bull yet and have hunted hard and scouted even harder! Many miles on foot and vehicle with nothing to show for it but some sore feet and a few rattlers. The deer picture is cool. I have been smelling something dead on my way in to an area and have been thinking of taking a look. It looks like lion country and is probably a kill in there somewhere. Good work and hopefully I can get a little luck my way and share a picture too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parothead Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Congratulations!!! Thanks for sharing the pictures and the story....I for one love to see the success of other hunters. It gets me pumping!!!! PH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parothead Report post Posted October 6, 2008 Just came in for a restock on supplies from the same hunt. I definitly congratulate the hunter. It is really difficut out there. I haven't seen a bull yet and have hunted hard and scouted even harder! Many miles on foot and vehicle with nothing to show for it but some sore feet and a few rattlers. The deer picture is cool. I have been smelling something dead on my way in to an area and have been thinking of taking a look. It looks like lion country and is probably a kill in there somewhere. Good work and hopefully I can get a little luck my way and share a picture too. Good luck on your hunt! PH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
izquik72 Report post Posted October 8, 2008 Sounds like a tough hunt good job getting in there and going to work. them snakes give me the willy's also Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
125coues Report post Posted October 8, 2008 Great pic's Jim..congrats to Jimmy...No thanks on the snakes, that will keep me outta there!! Mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JLG Report post Posted October 9, 2008 Nice bull and great pictures. I have a LO hunt myself for cows. We were out last weekend and heard some bugling bulls, heard branches break and twigs snap, but couldn't lay eyes on any elk. Your right about the LO's, the elk that live in these units, don't like open spaces. When you find sign they are in 100% canopy cover, oaks, junipers and manazinta. I had this same hunt two years ago and glassing did me no good, it was only when I switched to still hunting through the really thick stuff that I got a couple of opportunities, from what we saw last weekend nothing has changed, they love the thick stuff and stay away from the wide open country. I say they got their BS at MIT, Masters at Yale and Dr. at Harvard, smart critters. We have 3 days this weekend to get it done. Got a plan, will see if it pays off, Take Care, JLG. PS. Did see a 30" 4 x 4 mule, ranged him at 590 yards could have got to 300, if we had a tag. He was a nice buck, for the weekend we saw 10 mulie bucks. 6 glassin and 4 driving. The weather was awesome as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COUESAZ Report post Posted October 9, 2008 Hey JLG do they spend as much money on Optics as we do. And what kind of truck were they drivin. And I quote :we saw 10 mulie bucks. 6 glassin and 4 driving. OK it has been a long day for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
