Deserve2beworked Report post Posted April 12, 2015 Was going to start a new thread, Rubs, but still feel remiss because I never got back to the people on this site that helped me last season. I feel like a welfare e-scouter! So, I'll start Rubs as a separate thread and deal with my remiss here. First, thanks to, and a sincere thanks it is to; 6ANut, stanley, cmbbulldog, ruthunter, azelkhunter69, cutthem, and wildwoody for your help on this site last season for my archery bull elk hunt in 6A. Everything you said was true. And more truthful after I actually experienced the Unit. Thanks again. I think with sites like this, and advice from people like you, there really is no such thing as a completely "unguided" hunt! Here is a reprint of our 6A hunt for 2014. Some of you have seen it. Went to 6A in August and came home on Sept. 26th. We had a good trip, with lots of grand experiences, but even at my age, I sort of expect to harvest, and when I don't, I guess my ego still brings in a negative slant. I am trying to stop it, but with even the best trip, I still want to eat game in the winter months. We spent two days in the north part of the unit scouting, ie Morman Mt. Then, two days looking for a good camp spot in the south part of the unit. Too big a Unit IMHO. Way too big. Plus, as old folks we set a permanent camp. Takes two days to set up and two days to strike the camp. We settled into Rd 229 just before the second cattle guard, right before the roads turns nasty. We scouted every possible area from there, ie all the mountain peaks, ie Horse Knoll, Rds. 83, 214, 213, 305, 229, 230, etc. etc. etc. ten full days of scouting. We saw elk, antelope!- in the pines?, deer-some great bucks, tons of turkeys, and javelina. We found a waterhole with no blind on it! So we put up a tree stand and set two cameras on it. It was a small waterhole. From my tree stand I could shoot the whole waterhole, longest shot = 35 yards. Trail camera before the season loaded with elk photos. One sweet bull. Will post a photo of him if I can figure out how to do it. Then, came Labor Day Weekend and the end of the world as we know it. It is hard to articulate just how many people drove past our camp in every kind of off highway vehicle you can think of. The natural animal world vanished from the Earth. The day before the season, Houndsman pulled into the junction of 229 and 305. Four horses, 13 dogs, road all day in the search of cats. Also, the day before the season a giant fifth wheel plus three trucks and campers pulled in on an old beat up road and set a big camp with a huge generator 100 yards from the waterhole. On a road closed to vehicles. Obviously less than the 1/4 mile from a waterhole, and on a road closed to camping. I talked with the guys, nice guys, I left the cameras up, and throughout the entire season not one animal visited that pond again. Duh. The road closure, designated camping area, map is a total joke! I was the only person who followed the rules there. The token citizen! Even forest service personnel just laughed at the situation about the waterhole campers! By the last week I just ignored the road closure map. So tired of walking up a closed road as people drove past me. The first week of season, no elk sighted. No bugles heard. None. Never heard one bugle at our camp all night long. EVERY area was crawling with hunters, Every area. We befriended some great locals. They had hunted the area for years. They had two tags for bulls, so we communicated daily. Their season turned out to be the worst on record. They never shot once. They had two to three people helping and their season was so bad they packed up their camp the day before the last day of the season. I talked with most people in the area and got the same report from them. All residents. One morning I did the 3am drive around. Only bugle I could raise up was on the Highway and he was in Unit 5. Only bull I saw was a road kill and F&G cut his head off. Some positives. The last tens days to week of the season the wildflower bloom was off the charts. Hard to describe such beauty. A beautiful area to camp and hunt. I hunted the first 6 days of the season, then took one day off, and then hunted the last 7 days. Hiked many miles. Lost 5 pounds. With 6 days left in the season people started to leave. ? ? ? The last 4 days of the season the switch flipped! The elk just caught fire. Bugle on bugle. I "chased bugles" for 4 days. 6miles, 7miles, 8.5miles, and finally 4 miles. I knocked an arrow for 62, 72, 50, and 50 yard shots. I never loosed an arrow. Each time a great bull, 6x6 or better, each time I was just not comfortable with the shot. My range max is 50 yards. I still shoot fingers, make my own arrows, etc. One 50 yarder was broadside, but sooooooooo intense. 12 cows and calves and him just going crazy. Just couldn't get closer. One time I had rags and spikes close but the 6x6 was too big to loose an arrow at a rag horn at 20 yards. The last day was my best opportunity, and I made an error, a serious wind error. I wanted to stay the next week after the season was closed. I spent so much time and so much money, I thought, stay the next week, hunt, shoot a nice bull, tag it, and on ward. But, that dang conscience. So, now I have the same tag for 2015 and a lot more knowledge about the area. I could tell you to go hunt a specific spot, but knowing an area like the elk know it, is the key to the harvest, plus some good old lady luck. 6A isn't "paved in elk" like Unit 1, but you would be hard pressed to find an area devoid of elk! And, yes I changed my photo, to a turkey I shot this spring. They deserve to be worked! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6ANut Report post Posted April 12, 2015 Glad I could help. Good luck this year, my father in law got drawn for the late season bull tag in 6a. Just fun to walk around and know exactly what it looks like ahead. Stay mobile as I said last year and concentrate on that area u were chasing Bulls the last few days. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted April 12, 2015 You are a lucky man to have that tag in back to back years. Good luck and we can't wait to see how you do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yotebuster Report post Posted April 13, 2015 Did you buy a release? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capoeirajosh Report post Posted April 13, 2015 Way to hunt it hard last year and good for you with pulling that tag 2 years in a row. Personally, I love 6A and would be thrilled to have that tag. It does get a lot of pressure, but it is mostly near or on the roads, from what I have seen at least. Good luck on your hunt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cmbbulldog Report post Posted April 13, 2015 Thanks for the recap. And even more congrats on drawing again! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
218buck Report post Posted April 15, 2015 Hopefully all that time you spent on your hunt last year should help you out this year good luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas11 Report post Posted April 15, 2015 No excuses this yr! lol. Well I have the same tag as well this yr. I hope I can get away from ppl and not run into some of the issues you had early in your hunt. Congrats on getting the tag two years in a row! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deserve2beworked Report post Posted April 15, 2015 It is a good Unit. But, when people say "get away from the roads" that can't be emphasized enough! So many folks I ran into said the road closures are a bunch of %$#@^&*(. But, without some closures I found myself walking from the road to "get away" only to walk into another road. And it is amazing how far vehicle sound travels out there on a windless day. My best encounters animals were in areas where the name of the place ended in "canyon". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas11 Report post Posted April 15, 2015 Yea there looks to be lots or rds everywhere. Literally every square mile looks to have some kinda rd or trail. I feel that will be the secret to the hunt is finding un pressured pockets of elk, if that's possible Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6ANut Report post Posted April 15, 2015 Google Maps are your friend, I have found many small pockets that gets little to no traffic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thomas11 Report post Posted April 15, 2015 I've studied Google earth quite a bit, I have the hunting GPS maps and it shows rds everywhere. A lot that don't even show up on GE. I'm sure alot of these are trails or atv trails that aren't main rds which are red on hunting GPS maps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
8OWHUNT247 Report post Posted April 15, 2015 Jealous!!! Good Luck again!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwoOneEight Photography Report post Posted May 7, 2015 Congrats on your TAGS ! I also got a 6A early Archery tag but need to learn a lot about this unit to escape road hunters:( Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Deserve2beworked Report post Posted May 7, 2015 If people followed the MVUM roads open/roads closed, problem solved for you. Or if the MVUM was actually enforced, problem solved for you and many others. With so many tags and so many roads, and such a great place to off road for non hunters, isolation is an issue. This just ain't a wilderness hunt. Elk adjust and we need to do that to be successful on a great bull there. There are great bulls there. IMHO Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
