Troutslayer
Well-Known Member
Two friends and myself started hiking well before sunlight on opening day. We covered about two miles and set up on a spot that offered good views across a ravine where there are a lot of open meadows that my friends have found to be good spots to catch elk moving around on opening day. I was ranging all the meadows in what light there was from a sliver of moon and trying to glass but it was too dark to make anything out. Across the ravine an elk bugled. Shortly after an elk up above us in the timber started making all kinds of commotion. We were spread apart about 20 yards and both now very interested in what was just up the hill above us because it sounded real loud, raspy and throaty. I assumed it was the huge bull sighted in there the week before.
While we were looking up at the timber we both watched and had in our crosshairs a raghorn that either of us could have crumpled in the moonlight but it was not shooting light yet. When he got up to where the other bull was he did a swift 180 and took off like he had winded us but that wasn't possible. This only made me think more that there was a huge bull up there. It got to be shooting light and we gave it about 15 minutes and the bull quieted down a bit. We decided to go different directions and see if we could get a look. I walked down an old road grade and found a good shooting lane up the mountain that I figured he could well meander into and got set up.
After a while I lost interest and started glassing across the ravine again thinking that I could just as easily see elk over there and then I heard some shots. It was my friend Nick who was quite a ways from me. Then I heard hoofs coming at me fast. I was tracking them through the woods with my barrel and they popped out about 15 yards from me at a dead run. I screamed hoping to stop the two bulls but they just kept on going. They were now at a dead run through a clearcut, they were both raghorns, one was taller and the other one had more points and I decided to try and take the more pointed one. He was about 70 yards and my barrel was tracking like I was shooting a grouse, he was moving that fast. I touched one off and crumpled him. He rolled all the way to the bottom of the ravine as usual. I walked down in there and put another one in him to finish him off. I looked at my gps, 2.9 miles from the truck. Time to get to work. Three of us managed to get three quarters and the head out all that way with NO PACKS. Ever hump a hind quarter on your shoulders for a great distance? I don't recommend it. Tried the gutless method for the first time and it was pretty slick saving the hassle of carrying out the pelvic bone.
My elk season lasted for all of 20 minutes. I had lugged my new Sendero in there all prepared to make a long shot and I ended up with a shot I would have been better off making with my handgun. Go figure. Anyway, I am stoked. I don't have the time this year to be out there searching for a trophy and any elk is a trophy in my book. Now that the freezer is filled I can focus on whiteys and ducks. The elk I took was the same one my friend was shooting at as evidenced by the pass through wound on both hind quarters. I can be extra happy in the fact that he probably wouldn't have survived that injury even though he was getting along just fine at the time I shot him. I gave my buddy one of the hind quarters for helping me get it out and for scaring them my way.
While we were looking up at the timber we both watched and had in our crosshairs a raghorn that either of us could have crumpled in the moonlight but it was not shooting light yet. When he got up to where the other bull was he did a swift 180 and took off like he had winded us but that wasn't possible. This only made me think more that there was a huge bull up there. It got to be shooting light and we gave it about 15 minutes and the bull quieted down a bit. We decided to go different directions and see if we could get a look. I walked down an old road grade and found a good shooting lane up the mountain that I figured he could well meander into and got set up.
After a while I lost interest and started glassing across the ravine again thinking that I could just as easily see elk over there and then I heard some shots. It was my friend Nick who was quite a ways from me. Then I heard hoofs coming at me fast. I was tracking them through the woods with my barrel and they popped out about 15 yards from me at a dead run. I screamed hoping to stop the two bulls but they just kept on going. They were now at a dead run through a clearcut, they were both raghorns, one was taller and the other one had more points and I decided to try and take the more pointed one. He was about 70 yards and my barrel was tracking like I was shooting a grouse, he was moving that fast. I touched one off and crumpled him. He rolled all the way to the bottom of the ravine as usual. I walked down in there and put another one in him to finish him off. I looked at my gps, 2.9 miles from the truck. Time to get to work. Three of us managed to get three quarters and the head out all that way with NO PACKS. Ever hump a hind quarter on your shoulders for a great distance? I don't recommend it. Tried the gutless method for the first time and it was pretty slick saving the hassle of carrying out the pelvic bone.
My elk season lasted for all of 20 minutes. I had lugged my new Sendero in there all prepared to make a long shot and I ended up with a shot I would have been better off making with my handgun. Go figure. Anyway, I am stoked. I don't have the time this year to be out there searching for a trophy and any elk is a trophy in my book. Now that the freezer is filled I can focus on whiteys and ducks. The elk I took was the same one my friend was shooting at as evidenced by the pass through wound on both hind quarters. I can be extra happy in the fact that he probably wouldn't have survived that injury even though he was getting along just fine at the time I shot him. I gave my buddy one of the hind quarters for helping me get it out and for scaring them my way.
