Opening morning found me sitting at the rim of hell's hole 2 1/2 miles from camp 1 hour before shooting time. It was nice to sit there and enjoy the stars. Seen a few shooting stars (space junk reentering) and 3 satelites scream across the sky.
The wind was not good it was blowing from left to right and once it got across the ridge it would go down hill. No where else to go since I walked here so I decided to try and fight the wind going down after deer/elk. After the 3rd time of blowing out the deer before I could get a shot and 800' down into the hole I made the decision to climb out the other side and go back up the next ridge before the wind changed on me.
Getting to the top I ran into 3 other hunters that were bugling for elk (2nd season, 1030am...yes I had to giggle to myself).
They saw me and started up the ridgeline, so I decided to use those three for my own purpose. I knew the deer would be bedded about 100 yards off the ridgeline and when the hunters walked past them thier scent would blow out the deer. The deer would run down hill and angle around back towards me. So I let the three guys get about 150-200 yards ahead of me and then I paraelled them. Sure enough about 5 minutes later, they scared this buck out of his bed and he ran right past me. Finally on the 3rd shot going through the open timber I connected and he droppd 5 yards later.
The next day, I took it easy and was the drop-off/pickup man for my dad while he walked different areas but all he seen was does/fawns.
Monday I took dad back into an area where I knew there was deer, we put on a lot of miles and ended up seeing 40-45 deer but only 3 potential bucks (just couldn't tell at a distance in the timber).
Tuesday, wednesday and thursday I came back to work. While I was gone it snowed a few inches up there so I was stoked! Time to get on a bull track and fill my tag
Friday morning we headed out, I cut two elk tracks about a mile in but they weren't fresh enough for me so I continued on, 4 hours later and no elk tracks I headed back to the orginal two and picked them up. At about the 2nd mile of trailing them 3 other hunter tracks cut them and started trailing them :-( Problem was the elk were headed straight up. I didn't think those three guys would stick with them due to the difficulty so I kept following. Sure enough 1 hunter peels off, 300 yards later #2 bails, another 400 yards and the 3rd guys calls it quits. Now I am alone with the elk again. About 30 minutes later a elk jumps up out a clump of fir trees 30 yards in front of me, but its head is in the branches, can't tell if its a bull. Then it was gone. I followed for another 1/4 mile but it got into a very thick north slope and there was NO WAY I would get close in there so I quit too.
On my way back I pop over a little lip and by goly there is an elk 70 yards away bedded. It's head is behind a big aspen so can't tell if there is a rack. I side step to the right and it see's me, it's head snaps around, I see it's a small bull. I squeeze the trigger but NOTHING???? my tirgger has ice behind it from walking through all the snow all day! I knew he was going to bust any second so I put the cross hairs back on him and jerk the trigger hoping to break the ice. Sure enough it fires but my gun jerks high and I just barely clip his back bone :-( had to do a follow up shot but bull down!
I shot my bull at 1:55 on Friday, my dad shot this buck at 1:55 on the same day 1 1/2 miles away We both shot two times and we both shot our buck/bull in their beds at 70 yards! We even got a pic of dad's buck 2 weeks prior to season 300 yards from where he shot him.
Taxidermist thinks my buck was past his prime, very well could have been his body was huge!
Another great year and it was with my favorite hunting partner (Dad).
Here are a couple of misc. pics from the hunt.
Mntman
"Hunting is where you prove yourself"
Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?
The wind was not good it was blowing from left to right and once it got across the ridge it would go down hill. No where else to go since I walked here so I decided to try and fight the wind going down after deer/elk. After the 3rd time of blowing out the deer before I could get a shot and 800' down into the hole I made the decision to climb out the other side and go back up the next ridge before the wind changed on me.
Getting to the top I ran into 3 other hunters that were bugling for elk (2nd season, 1030am...yes I had to giggle to myself).
They saw me and started up the ridgeline, so I decided to use those three for my own purpose. I knew the deer would be bedded about 100 yards off the ridgeline and when the hunters walked past them thier scent would blow out the deer. The deer would run down hill and angle around back towards me. So I let the three guys get about 150-200 yards ahead of me and then I paraelled them. Sure enough about 5 minutes later, they scared this buck out of his bed and he ran right past me. Finally on the 3rd shot going through the open timber I connected and he droppd 5 yards later.
The next day, I took it easy and was the drop-off/pickup man for my dad while he walked different areas but all he seen was does/fawns.
Monday I took dad back into an area where I knew there was deer, we put on a lot of miles and ended up seeing 40-45 deer but only 3 potential bucks (just couldn't tell at a distance in the timber).
Tuesday, wednesday and thursday I came back to work. While I was gone it snowed a few inches up there so I was stoked! Time to get on a bull track and fill my tag
Friday morning we headed out, I cut two elk tracks about a mile in but they weren't fresh enough for me so I continued on, 4 hours later and no elk tracks I headed back to the orginal two and picked them up. At about the 2nd mile of trailing them 3 other hunter tracks cut them and started trailing them :-( Problem was the elk were headed straight up. I didn't think those three guys would stick with them due to the difficulty so I kept following. Sure enough 1 hunter peels off, 300 yards later #2 bails, another 400 yards and the 3rd guys calls it quits. Now I am alone with the elk again. About 30 minutes later a elk jumps up out a clump of fir trees 30 yards in front of me, but its head is in the branches, can't tell if its a bull. Then it was gone. I followed for another 1/4 mile but it got into a very thick north slope and there was NO WAY I would get close in there so I quit too.
On my way back I pop over a little lip and by goly there is an elk 70 yards away bedded. It's head is behind a big aspen so can't tell if there is a rack. I side step to the right and it see's me, it's head snaps around, I see it's a small bull. I squeeze the trigger but NOTHING???? my tirgger has ice behind it from walking through all the snow all day! I knew he was going to bust any second so I put the cross hairs back on him and jerk the trigger hoping to break the ice. Sure enough it fires but my gun jerks high and I just barely clip his back bone :-( had to do a follow up shot but bull down!
I shot my bull at 1:55 on Friday, my dad shot this buck at 1:55 on the same day 1 1/2 miles away
We both shot two times and we both shot our buck/bull in their beds at 70 yards! We even got a pic of dad's buck 2 weeks prior to season 300 yards from where he shot him.
Taxidermist thinks my buck was past his prime, very well could have been his body was huge!
Another great year and it was with my favorite hunting partner (Dad).
Here are a couple of misc. pics from the hunt.
Mntman
"Hunting is where you prove yourself"
Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?
