CHWino_1
Active Member
- Messages
- 353
I'm back home in AZ after an unsuccessful 7 day hunt with Allout Outfitting. The crew at Allout ran a very good camp and worked very hard the entire time. Generally the rut just seemed to be uneven or delayed and hadn't really kicked into gear.
There were 3 hunters in camp and only one filled. He was a celebrity hunter with a cameraman and shot a 358 bull on the evening of the first day.
Once he filled I had two guides working for me most days. These guys were awesome in their knowledge of the area and deciphering what the elk activity was by listening to them.
Most activity was on the private ground. The bull that was killed was called of the private, jumped the fence and was taken at 35 yards. On day 3 we called a three year old 5 point over the fence to within 5 yards. He hung around us for a minute or two within 20-30 yards.
Unfortunately that would be my only opportunity to kill an elk. Most activity was in the early mornings until about 8:00-9:00. We were up at 4:00, out of camp at 4:45 with a 45-90 minute drive to various hunting areas.
There were two things I wasn't prepared for: 1. How thick the oak brush was. I had a heckofa time following my guy in the woods in the predawn light without our headlamps on. We also had numerous bulls willing to play with us that we just couldn't see. 2. Dealing with the 5-6 hours of downtime in the middle of the day. In most all cases we were so far hiked in, and far from camp that it made no sense to return to camp. We'd find a shady spot with soft ground and have lunch and nap. It was hard to pass that much time. The guys didn't want to speak without whispering which made talking frustrating.
The guides think the first and second rifle seasons are going to be huge.
There were 3 hunters in camp and only one filled. He was a celebrity hunter with a cameraman and shot a 358 bull on the evening of the first day.
Once he filled I had two guides working for me most days. These guys were awesome in their knowledge of the area and deciphering what the elk activity was by listening to them.
Most activity was on the private ground. The bull that was killed was called of the private, jumped the fence and was taken at 35 yards. On day 3 we called a three year old 5 point over the fence to within 5 yards. He hung around us for a minute or two within 20-30 yards.
Unfortunately that would be my only opportunity to kill an elk. Most activity was in the early mornings until about 8:00-9:00. We were up at 4:00, out of camp at 4:45 with a 45-90 minute drive to various hunting areas.
There were two things I wasn't prepared for: 1. How thick the oak brush was. I had a heckofa time following my guy in the woods in the predawn light without our headlamps on. We also had numerous bulls willing to play with us that we just couldn't see. 2. Dealing with the 5-6 hours of downtime in the middle of the day. In most all cases we were so far hiked in, and far from camp that it made no sense to return to camp. We'd find a shady spot with soft ground and have lunch and nap. It was hard to pass that much time. The guys didn't want to speak without whispering which made talking frustrating.
The guides think the first and second rifle seasons are going to be huge.
