mlchaser
Member
- Messages
- 82
First, I apologize for not posting sooner - just been a busy fall. but earlier this year, I posted, asking about questions on elk habits for unit 100. Several of you helped out with some great info on this unique desert opportunity both here and through PM. We even were able to meet up with a past tagholder that took several days to scout with us and show us the ropes - invaulable in this huge unit. Thanks to all that offered up some tips - they all came together and made some great new friends.
Even with all that prep, it still was very different than we expected. It was a great hunt for two of us (drew as buddies and both ended with mature bulls). It is just different than any other elk hunt you will go on.
We spent a week out there during archery, and had a blast. We went mid-Sept and hit the rut. The difference was these bulls were the opposite of mountain bulls. They bugled the best on 82 degree afternoons, in full sun, on south facing slopes, on areas that were as bald as sheep country....not the deep tall sage we had scouted them on and hoped to stalk them in. There were no shortage of bulls - in a week, we saw over 100 bulls, and at least 50 of them were mature 300-class 6's. Saw maybe two 320-325s...but nothing bigger. We knew of a 360 bull others had seen with a huge pile of cows, but we were always 15 min late to catch him. We also knew of some "ghost" bulls that stayed on unhuntable ground for the most part. The cool thing was taht you had so much ground to yourself. We did see a few other hunters, but not much.
So the first learning was that, we needed to be satisfied with a mature bull...they all seemed to top out at 300. Lots of them, but mostly that size. And then getting under 100 yards in that terrain was challenging to say the least. It was neat to be in them so often - they woudl let you walk by at 300 yards at times and just bugle at you...as long as you were on foot they didnt care. But it was tough to make a play with little to no cover. We spent one afternoon in eth middle of 5 screaming bulls less than 100 yards...just only had the smaller ones close enough to shoot so held off. We were starting to wonder if we coudl clsoe the deal and at least fill one tag in archery.
On day 4 we split up and sat waterholes in the same canyon with a few hundred elk around us...two hours later my buddy came and got me holding a bloody arrow. Had a nice 6 come splashing into the water right in front of him. That took up that day and part of the next. In a new areas, I got close to a big bull but close was only 103 yds. Then our last day we got rained/mudded out.
We came back for rifle, and as many of you said, bulls woudl be broken up. On taht first morning, we spotted a 350 main frame but he was clean broke both sides for 3rds on down. Then we arrived to what we thought was an out-of the-way spot only to find camper compounds every mile along the road. We started hunting and we saw elk...lots of them...but every one we saw already had a Razr, Ranger or truck dogging them. we saw some pretty interesting behavior in running these elk...we did spy one worth going after, but as easy as they should be in antelope country, got swallowed up by the desert and disappeared on us. Day 2 and 3 were pretty much the same - another spotted but disappeared on us.
Finally, late on one day, we went way out on a flat, hoping to find some elk pushed out there to safety from the traffic. We spotted a lone small bull and then through the 15s saw what looked like narrow, tall antlers poking outta the sage. I was concerned on the width, but my buddy assured me that with the distance and heatwaves, he might be the best we had seen with our eyes. We only had a few feet of terrain, before a couple mile flat, but used it to close quite a bit of distance...then when we ran out of terrain and cover, we were at 430yds...farther than I woudl have liked, but rang a gong a few times at that range the week prior so settled in and took the shot when he turned. When we ran up for a needed finishing shot, it was the opposiet of ground shrinkage. The fact that his main beams tips are only 13" apart made him weird to judge, but I was more than happy!
I don't know how to post pics, so if someone wants to see them, let me know, and I will email them.
Key learnings:
1. Lot of country in this unit - do not underestmate how much fuel you will burn here.
2. Elk are everywhere and nowhere at the same time - like needled in a haystack, in a very large haystack
3. They don't act like mountain elk
4. Hunt them like antelope
5. Expect a FUN hunt, where if you put the miles and glass on, you will see more bulls than most units.
6. Do not expect multiple 350+ bulls running around. Any unit in WY can likely offer up the same amount of 350+ hiding somewhere.
7. Wet weather makes roads impassable
8. Bring a quad or prepare to beat your truck very slow on washed out rough trails....very few smooth BLM trails.
9. Give the archery hunt a try - neat time to be among that many elk in a lot of country to yourself. But leave some time for that rifle comeback.
10. Be prepared for the opening few days to be "busy" and also 50 cow hunters in the north part of the unit.
Would love to hunt it again, but as a non-res, my WY options will start to shift to general.
Thanks again for all the help!
Mark
Even with all that prep, it still was very different than we expected. It was a great hunt for two of us (drew as buddies and both ended with mature bulls). It is just different than any other elk hunt you will go on.
We spent a week out there during archery, and had a blast. We went mid-Sept and hit the rut. The difference was these bulls were the opposite of mountain bulls. They bugled the best on 82 degree afternoons, in full sun, on south facing slopes, on areas that were as bald as sheep country....not the deep tall sage we had scouted them on and hoped to stalk them in. There were no shortage of bulls - in a week, we saw over 100 bulls, and at least 50 of them were mature 300-class 6's. Saw maybe two 320-325s...but nothing bigger. We knew of a 360 bull others had seen with a huge pile of cows, but we were always 15 min late to catch him. We also knew of some "ghost" bulls that stayed on unhuntable ground for the most part. The cool thing was taht you had so much ground to yourself. We did see a few other hunters, but not much.
So the first learning was that, we needed to be satisfied with a mature bull...they all seemed to top out at 300. Lots of them, but mostly that size. And then getting under 100 yards in that terrain was challenging to say the least. It was neat to be in them so often - they woudl let you walk by at 300 yards at times and just bugle at you...as long as you were on foot they didnt care. But it was tough to make a play with little to no cover. We spent one afternoon in eth middle of 5 screaming bulls less than 100 yards...just only had the smaller ones close enough to shoot so held off. We were starting to wonder if we coudl clsoe the deal and at least fill one tag in archery.
On day 4 we split up and sat waterholes in the same canyon with a few hundred elk around us...two hours later my buddy came and got me holding a bloody arrow. Had a nice 6 come splashing into the water right in front of him. That took up that day and part of the next. In a new areas, I got close to a big bull but close was only 103 yds. Then our last day we got rained/mudded out.
We came back for rifle, and as many of you said, bulls woudl be broken up. On taht first morning, we spotted a 350 main frame but he was clean broke both sides for 3rds on down. Then we arrived to what we thought was an out-of the-way spot only to find camper compounds every mile along the road. We started hunting and we saw elk...lots of them...but every one we saw already had a Razr, Ranger or truck dogging them. we saw some pretty interesting behavior in running these elk...we did spy one worth going after, but as easy as they should be in antelope country, got swallowed up by the desert and disappeared on us. Day 2 and 3 were pretty much the same - another spotted but disappeared on us.
Finally, late on one day, we went way out on a flat, hoping to find some elk pushed out there to safety from the traffic. We spotted a lone small bull and then through the 15s saw what looked like narrow, tall antlers poking outta the sage. I was concerned on the width, but my buddy assured me that with the distance and heatwaves, he might be the best we had seen with our eyes. We only had a few feet of terrain, before a couple mile flat, but used it to close quite a bit of distance...then when we ran out of terrain and cover, we were at 430yds...farther than I woudl have liked, but rang a gong a few times at that range the week prior so settled in and took the shot when he turned. When we ran up for a needed finishing shot, it was the opposiet of ground shrinkage. The fact that his main beams tips are only 13" apart made him weird to judge, but I was more than happy!
I don't know how to post pics, so if someone wants to see them, let me know, and I will email them.
Key learnings:
1. Lot of country in this unit - do not underestmate how much fuel you will burn here.
2. Elk are everywhere and nowhere at the same time - like needled in a haystack, in a very large haystack
3. They don't act like mountain elk
4. Hunt them like antelope
5. Expect a FUN hunt, where if you put the miles and glass on, you will see more bulls than most units.
6. Do not expect multiple 350+ bulls running around. Any unit in WY can likely offer up the same amount of 350+ hiding somewhere.
7. Wet weather makes roads impassable
8. Bring a quad or prepare to beat your truck very slow on washed out rough trails....very few smooth BLM trails.
9. Give the archery hunt a try - neat time to be among that many elk in a lot of country to yourself. But leave some time for that rifle comeback.
10. Be prepared for the opening few days to be "busy" and also 50 cow hunters in the north part of the unit.
Would love to hunt it again, but as a non-res, my WY options will start to shift to general.
Thanks again for all the help!
Mark
