LRH Group Elk Hunt 2014 - 2
On Monday morning the lights came on in our tent around 3 am and we dressed, packed our gear and headed to the mess tent for a hot breakfast. Robb and his guides gave our group some instruction and advice on what to expect and how to work with our guides. He also suggested that, because of the warm weather and what they had seen the week before, we should expect to work very hard for our opportunities and probably shouldn't pass up any opportunity for a mature bull that comes our way. We all agreed on how the group would be split up into two-man teams and decided to leave it up to each team to decide who would shoot first each day. Then our guides got us loaded onto our horses and we headed off in different directions in the dark.
The plan had been for my dad and me to hunt together with Robb as our guide, but Robb had an extra guide available for a couple days because two members of our group had to cancel. This meant that my dad would hunt with Robb for the first two days and I would hunt with guide Cal. Cal and I rode for a little while and then dismounted so we could lead our horses down some switch-backs. At the bottom of the valley we mounted back up and rode for an hour or so in the starry darkness. We crossed a stream several times and climbed the other side of the valley. I was glad to be on a horse! We arrived at the bottom of a short, steep valley and tied our horses up, slow-hunting up into the valley glassing for elk feeding out in the openings in the timber on both sides. We didn't see anything so we climbed up to a ridge where we could glass tons of beautiful country. The area that Non-Typical hunts are absolutely some of the most beautiful country on earth and I had that Rocky Mountain high feeling to be up there! It was a slow morning as we only glassed up one 5x5 bull over in the area that my dad and Robb were hunting but it really didn't matter. To be up in the mountains glassing such epic country is really what it's all about. We hung out on the ridge all day and took a mid-day nap.
In the evening the plan was to move up the ridge a bit and focus on the opposite side of the small valley. It was heavily timbered, but there were several grassy openings we hoped to see some elk feed out into. Sure enough at about 4:00 some cows and calves began feeding out. I spent some time dry-firing and getting ready in case a bull appeared. Soon after, a mature 5x5 bull did feed out and after a quick look in Cal's spotting scope I decided to take him wanting to get our group off to a good start knowing the hunting might be hard because of the warm weather. I hit the bull hard and he piled up against an aspen tree. We knew I needed to get another shot in him to finish him off, but it didn't look like he was able to move so we decided to move to get a more clear shot since he was partially blocked by the tree. As I was beginning to set up for the finishing shot, the bull wiggled himself a few feet to the side and was now behind an evergreen tree and there was no shot. It took us 20 minutes or so to climb up above him and ease our way towards where we had last seen him. We heard some rustling but never saw him. We worked our way down the mountain looking for the bull or a blood trail, but did not find either by the time it got dark. We headed back to camp in the dark sort of in shock that we had not found him. We were confident that we would find him in the morning.
Len's Bull Elk
By the time all the other hunters and guides made it back to camp that evening we found out that the hunting had been anything but slow that first day. My dad had killed a great 6x6 bull in the first 15 minutes of daylight with a 540 yard shot from his 7mm Dakota. Robb was leading dad to the spot they planned to glass from when he said, "Hurry up Len - I've got your bull!" He had to quickly get into position and make the shot. His first shot was good and the bull went down. Robb instructed Dad to wait but be ready in case he got up. Sure enough he did and Dad hit him again for the last time. Man those bulls are tough.
A bit later that morning, miles away in a different drainage, Alex and John's guide James spotted a large herd working its way into the timber including several bulls. James hurried Alex down into the timber after them and Alex found himself in the middle of the herd! A nice bull ripped a bugle from 60 yards away as Alex took aim off-hand with his .308 Win. The run down to the timber and the chaos of being in the herd with a bull screaming at him caused Alex's heart to just about beat out of his chest as he tried to steady himself for the shot. His first shot missed, and although his second shot was a good hit, the bull didn't react at all so Alex put a third and final shot in him. Alex and John reported that while James cut up the bull, he started a fire on a flat rock and when the work was done and the fire had burned down to coals, he cleaned off the rock and used the hot rock to fry up some of the best tenderloin the guys have ever had! That evening they saw a bunch more elk including a shooter bull but couldn't get on it before dark. What an incredible first day for those guys!
Mark's Bull Elk
That same evening, Jim and Todd were hunting with guide Brandon. They had seen a great bull head into the timber in the morning and had waited it out all day. Todd had been gracious enough to offer Jim the chance to kill this great bull since Todd could tell that Jim's bad hip was going to make hunting in this rugged terrain tough for an extended period of time. The bull appeared out of the timber to feed in the mid afternoon and Jim worked his way to a spot where he was able to set up using the exact technique we had practiced on the side of the mountain the afternoon before. Jim killed the great 6x6 with a single shot form his 7mm Rogue at 623 yards - his first bull and a beauty!
Jim's Bull Elk
The next morning my dad, guide Cal and I went back to collect my bull. Cal climbed back to the spot I had shot from to make sure we had not missed any important details the evening before when we were unsuccessful in finding the bull while dad and I climbed to the opening we had last seen the bull. When Cal joined us, we set up a grid and searched the mountain. There was only about a 100 yard wide area that the bull could be in because of a steep creek-bottom on one side and impenetrable dead-fall on the other side. We slowly worked our way down the mountain expecting to find him at any moment. When we got all the way to the bottom it was obvious that the bull must have made it onto his feet and climbed out of there which seemed hard to imagine, but was the only answer. We were very disappointed and I had a sick feeling in my stomach about wounding the bull. The next day I asked Robb if I could go back to the area and hunt for the wounded bull just in case the once-in-a-million chance happened and he showed himself again. We gave it a go and he didn't show, but Robb and my Dad glassed up another beautiful 6x6 bull that he hoped to get Frank on the next morning. My hunt was over and I was disappointed to have wounded a bull, but it was an easy decision to end my hunt rather than try to go after another bull.
The plan had been for my dad and me to hunt together with Robb as our guide, but Robb had an extra guide available for a couple days because two members of our group had to cancel. This meant that my dad would hunt with Robb for the first two days and I would hunt with guide Cal. Cal and I rode for a little while and then dismounted so we could lead our horses down some switch-backs. At the bottom of the valley we mounted back up and rode for an hour or so in the starry darkness. We crossed a stream several times and climbed the other side of the valley. I was glad to be on a horse! We arrived at the bottom of a short, steep valley and tied our horses up, slow-hunting up into the valley glassing for elk feeding out in the openings in the timber on both sides. We didn't see anything so we climbed up to a ridge where we could glass tons of beautiful country. The area that Non-Typical hunts are absolutely some of the most beautiful country on earth and I had that Rocky Mountain high feeling to be up there! It was a slow morning as we only glassed up one 5x5 bull over in the area that my dad and Robb were hunting but it really didn't matter. To be up in the mountains glassing such epic country is really what it's all about. We hung out on the ridge all day and took a mid-day nap.
In the evening the plan was to move up the ridge a bit and focus on the opposite side of the small valley. It was heavily timbered, but there were several grassy openings we hoped to see some elk feed out into. Sure enough at about 4:00 some cows and calves began feeding out. I spent some time dry-firing and getting ready in case a bull appeared. Soon after, a mature 5x5 bull did feed out and after a quick look in Cal's spotting scope I decided to take him wanting to get our group off to a good start knowing the hunting might be hard because of the warm weather. I hit the bull hard and he piled up against an aspen tree. We knew I needed to get another shot in him to finish him off, but it didn't look like he was able to move so we decided to move to get a more clear shot since he was partially blocked by the tree. As I was beginning to set up for the finishing shot, the bull wiggled himself a few feet to the side and was now behind an evergreen tree and there was no shot. It took us 20 minutes or so to climb up above him and ease our way towards where we had last seen him. We heard some rustling but never saw him. We worked our way down the mountain looking for the bull or a blood trail, but did not find either by the time it got dark. We headed back to camp in the dark sort of in shock that we had not found him. We were confident that we would find him in the morning.
Len's Bull Elk
By the time all the other hunters and guides made it back to camp that evening we found out that the hunting had been anything but slow that first day. My dad had killed a great 6x6 bull in the first 15 minutes of daylight with a 540 yard shot from his 7mm Dakota. Robb was leading dad to the spot they planned to glass from when he said, "Hurry up Len - I've got your bull!" He had to quickly get into position and make the shot. His first shot was good and the bull went down. Robb instructed Dad to wait but be ready in case he got up. Sure enough he did and Dad hit him again for the last time. Man those bulls are tough.
A bit later that morning, miles away in a different drainage, Alex and John's guide James spotted a large herd working its way into the timber including several bulls. James hurried Alex down into the timber after them and Alex found himself in the middle of the herd! A nice bull ripped a bugle from 60 yards away as Alex took aim off-hand with his .308 Win. The run down to the timber and the chaos of being in the herd with a bull screaming at him caused Alex's heart to just about beat out of his chest as he tried to steady himself for the shot. His first shot missed, and although his second shot was a good hit, the bull didn't react at all so Alex put a third and final shot in him. Alex and John reported that while James cut up the bull, he started a fire on a flat rock and when the work was done and the fire had burned down to coals, he cleaned off the rock and used the hot rock to fry up some of the best tenderloin the guys have ever had! That evening they saw a bunch more elk including a shooter bull but couldn't get on it before dark. What an incredible first day for those guys!
Mark's Bull Elk
That same evening, Jim and Todd were hunting with guide Brandon. They had seen a great bull head into the timber in the morning and had waited it out all day. Todd had been gracious enough to offer Jim the chance to kill this great bull since Todd could tell that Jim's bad hip was going to make hunting in this rugged terrain tough for an extended period of time. The bull appeared out of the timber to feed in the mid afternoon and Jim worked his way to a spot where he was able to set up using the exact technique we had practiced on the side of the mountain the afternoon before. Jim killed the great 6x6 with a single shot form his 7mm Rogue at 623 yards - his first bull and a beauty!
Jim's Bull Elk
The next morning my dad, guide Cal and I went back to collect my bull. Cal climbed back to the spot I had shot from to make sure we had not missed any important details the evening before when we were unsuccessful in finding the bull while dad and I climbed to the opening we had last seen the bull. When Cal joined us, we set up a grid and searched the mountain. There was only about a 100 yard wide area that the bull could be in because of a steep creek-bottom on one side and impenetrable dead-fall on the other side. We slowly worked our way down the mountain expecting to find him at any moment. When we got all the way to the bottom it was obvious that the bull must have made it onto his feet and climbed out of there which seemed hard to imagine, but was the only answer. We were very disappointed and I had a sick feeling in my stomach about wounding the bull. The next day I asked Robb if I could go back to the area and hunt for the wounded bull just in case the once-in-a-million chance happened and he showed himself again. We gave it a go and he didn't show, but Robb and my Dad glassed up another beautiful 6x6 bull that he hoped to get Frank on the next morning. My hunt was over and I was disappointed to have wounded a bull, but it was an easy decision to end my hunt rather than try to go after another bull.
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