Unit 10 Bull Elk

[Campnichols]

Saw the same situation in 5b. Great pictures from cams until 1st snowfall. After that it all changed. Most bulls being harvested down low in the junipers.

Good Luck!

[Perkele!]

And here is the final write up.

 

Arrived at unit on Wednesday, set up the light camp before my buddy Scott brought his wall tent.

 

 

Went out glassing for late light at one of the promising spots I have found. Only a young bull and a very young cow walked by, still, spirits up, looking forward.

Very cold night and the little tent was not such a good idea. After dinner and a glass of Scotch (to keep me warm of course), I hit the sack.

 

Up at 5:00 AM, light breakfast, strong coffee aand off to another glassing spot. No action none whatsoever.

Back to camp around noon. Texting back and forth with Scott, I'm glad he's on his way.

3:00 PM another message from Scott, he's lost. Cell service is good at the camp site but spotty where he's at. After a frustrating 45 minutes of jumbled talks and messages, I have an idea where he's at, I tell him to stop and I'm on the road to find him.

 

4:30 PM, we are back at the camp. Setting up the wall tent and the wood burning stove goes without a hitch.

 

 

Clouds moving in, is that hail I hear outside ?

Light hail turns in to even lighter snow, nothing to worry about though.

 

Time for the late sit at location #3.

 

Nothing but a few donkeys.

 

Time to get back to camp for dinner.

 

 

Ahh the comfort of a wall tent and a stove.

 

Opening morning.

 

Good breakfast, strong coffee. We're off with plenty of enthusiasm and hope. At the spot before sunrise, we're glassing 100 yards apart from eachother, covering almost 210 degrees.

 

2 hours in, first sign of trouble. Roadhunters in a brand spanking new black Ram 1500 with Minnesota plates, they dont see us, we see and hear them loud and clear. Angry and disappointed we head back to camp a few hours later.

 

Lunch and restratigizing, we will go to the spot #2.

 

Well that turns out to be an exercise in futility.

 

Day 2, repeat of day 1. Andy messages to let us know that he's on his way. As it became the norm, I drive down from the camp to meet him on FR7.

 

Finally all three members of the hunting party are back together.

 

 

Day 3

 

Light breakfast, heavy coffee, good attitude and high hopes.

We have a three pronged approach planned for the day. Andy and I are heading up to the most remote and promissing spot we have plotted, kinda like a spot you'd hate to drag an elk from while Scott is gonna cover another spot 2 miles away.

 

Radio check, we're in good shape.

 

 

Andy spots a bedded elk, adrenaline level peaks. I move to his location to verify. Looks small, under a tree, i range it at 664 yds. I circle around to get a better view. It's a cow. Not disappointed, hoping she has a boyfriend or a male relative around.

 

Nope, we named her the EmoCow. She sat there all by herself the whole day, must be a depressed loner.

 

Back to camp.

 

Next morning, after the early sit Andy had to go back.

 

Every day was the repeat of the day before. With one exception, woke up at 3:30 AM freezing. First i thought Scott forgot to put logs in the stove but my burning eyes told a different story. The juniper we were burning has clogged up the spark arrestor of the chimney. Knocking it off with a broom stick solved the problem. Carbon monoxide and smoke inhalation is not a good idea.

 

I was disappointed, mad, slightly disheartened.

 

On the first of December we broke camp after the early sit and left the place as if we were never there.

 

 

On the drive back i saw movement to my left. Stopped the truck, jumped out and put a bead on it. Good size muley, if I had a muley tag, I'd shoot it without hesitation.

 

I spent the night with my son who was my scouting partner for the hunt and was asking me how come i didn't get him one of the many bulls we have spotted together. Try explaining it to a three and a half year old.

 

Nest morning I dropped him off at his mom's and headed back to the unit.

 

Not a single bull. Just a bunch of donkeys.

 

 

Stayed till last light and drove back home.

 

It wasn't my year to get an elk.

 

Yesterday i was talking to a friend who's son is there with a cow tag. All he sees are bulls. Exactly where I was !!!