A 2022 6A elk hunting saga

[trphyhntr]

On 9/17/2022 at 11:15 AM, Neverdrawn37A said:

Yeah, so have a rangefinder, I think what happened on the first shot was it was all fogged up and I must have had bull fever and shakily ranged something behind him because I just got done practicing at the range behind my house and I am dead on still at 62 yards so sights didn't get bumped.  

Looking at the target on the range, I am thinking the first shot I was off using the rangefinder, then the 2nd shot I missed I totally misjudged the range thinking he was 60 yards, I think now he was probably more like 45-50 yards and I didn't take time to range him with the range finder.  

So on the 2nd bull I should have taken ta quick second to verify my range with the rangefinder and prob would have had him.  Very frustrating, mad at myself.  I guess the worst part of it is I feel like its gonna be another 6-8 years before I can draw this tag again unless I get real lucky.  Trying to stay positive and be thankful for the nonstop encounters with elk I had.  

Right on dude. If you didn’t get excited it wouldn’t be much fun. 

[Yuma Outdoorsman]

Thanks for the write up. That sounds like a fun time. Missing is part of the game. If you ever lose buck/bull fever, then your hunting days are over. Nothing beats the adrenaline rush of getting a chance to harvest a big game animal. 

[bigbuckclub]

Thanks for sharing. At least you were in the mix every day. That's all you can really ask for. 

I had a buddy tell me to never ever leave your pack anywhere. It's almost always a giant inconvenience to go back and get it. I practiced with mine on and I was really comfortable. I killed my bull this year with my pack on my back. Didn't even notice it. 

[Neverdrawn37A]

16 hours ago, bigbuckclub said:

Thanks for sharing. At least you were in the mix every day. That's all you can really ask for. 

I had a buddy tell me to never ever leave your pack anywhere. It's almost always a giant inconvenience to go back and get it. I practiced with mine on and I was really comfortable. I killed my bull this year with my pack on my back. Didn't even notice it. 

Yeah learned a hard lesson on that one this time, about 3 extra miles of hiking back away from that big herd!  Going to always practice with the pack on now and need to buy a nicer, quieter more comfortable one.  Was using an old green standard army issue frame pack.  

[Devil Diver Down]

Good writeup and thanks for sharing. At least you had a good time being in elk every day - opposite of my hunt in 11M, where it was hot and they were extremely quiet and we saw very few animals. You're doing the right things (except the taking off and leaving behind of your pack) and it will pay off for you at some point.

Been a while since I hunted 6A. I'm hoping they're still active and calling in the 3rd week of October. I'm helping my dad on his CHAMP hunt but only have the first 2 days to get it done before coming back to start a new job. He is moving really slowly these days. Probably his last elk hunt.