Any Bull - Muzzleloader
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derekp1999
- 4 point
- Posts: 646
- Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 2:09 pm
- Location: Clinton, UT
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Any Bull - Muzzleloader
Well, after talking with my hunting buddies about doing the general any bull muzzleloader for 4 or 5 years... we are finally going to take the plunge. A couple of us bought tags this morning. Not really sure what to do next though, I've never gone after bulls before & since it's a late hunt the possibility of weather makes me a bit nervous. Scouting time is already scarce and the elk will be pushed around plenty between now & then so I'm not overly concerned about that. I have other friends doing the rifle hunt in potentially the same area, so hopefully they can pass on some useful info. But otherwise, it looks like we're flying blind!
We're likely going to double down & get a control permit to increase our chances of shooting something. I've been in the South Slope, Yellowstone unit quite a bit fishing before so that's likely where we'll end up. I've heard to watch out for the Reservation boundaries and that we could see hundreds of elk... or we could see nothing at all.
We're likely going to double down & get a control permit to increase our chances of shooting something. I've been in the South Slope, Yellowstone unit quite a bit fishing before so that's likely where we'll end up. I've heard to watch out for the Reservation boundaries and that we could see hundreds of elk... or we could see nothing at all.
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
-Albus Dumbledore
-Albus Dumbledore
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
I have absolutely no experience with the any bull hunt, but it sounds like a fun time either way! I hope you're able to bag one!
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
Good luck Derek. I've never done the anybull hunt.
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derekp1999
- 4 point
- Posts: 646
- Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 2:09 pm
- Location: Clinton, UT
- Contact:
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
I'm excited, I've never taken a bull (and haven't hunted for one since I was a senior in high school). The 3 guys that I'm going with are all in New Mexico so they are "letting" me decide where to go. No pressure, right?
To tell you the honest truth I might pass on the whole Yellowstone thing and hunt up at the family cabin and chase after the handfull of bulls that have shown up on my trail cams (I know, they're duplicates from my post over in trail cameras... but I'm hoping to have more on Friday).
To tell you the honest truth I might pass on the whole Yellowstone thing and hunt up at the family cabin and chase after the handfull of bulls that have shown up on my trail cams (I know, they're duplicates from my post over in trail cameras... but I'm hoping to have more on Friday).
Last edited by derekp1999 on Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
-Albus Dumbledore
-Albus Dumbledore
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
Absolutely no pressure! haha . By the looks of your trail cam pics, I'd say you might have a pretty good spot to try out. Hopefully they'll still be around for your hunt!derekp1999 wrote:I'm excited, I've never taken a bull (and haven't hunted for one since I was a senior in high school). The 3 guys that I'm going with are all in New Mexico so they are "letting" me decide where to go. No pressure, right?
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
We hunted the Yellowstone Drainage, ended up being a nice camping trip, there wasn't much shooting going on anywhere, we didn't see much sign and rode horses all day long. If you decide to go there stay clear of the reservation. We were definately not prepared for that area so make sure you have an idea where the elk are.derekp1999 wrote:Well, after talking with my hunting buddies about doing the general any bull muzzleloader for 4 or 5 years... we are finally going to take the plunge. A couple of us bought tags this morning. Not really sure what to do next though, I've never gone after bulls before & since it's a late hunt the possibility of weather makes me a bit nervous. Scouting time is already scarce and the elk will be pushed around plenty between now & then so I'm not overly concerned about that. I have other friends doing the rifle hunt in potentially the same area, so hopefully they can pass on some useful info. But otherwise, it looks like we're flying blind!
We're likely going to double down & get a control permit to increase our chances of shooting something. I've been in the South Slope, Yellowstone unit quite a bit fishing before so that's likely where we'll end up. I've heard to watch out for the Reservation boundaries and that we could see hundreds of elk... or we could see nothing at all.
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derekp1999
- 4 point
- Posts: 646
- Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 2:09 pm
- Location: Clinton, UT
- Contact:
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
My buddies schedule has changed a bit so we'll be cut short by one day. Once I found that out we decided to head to my family cabin. I'm seeing several bulls and things are looking good... although that will all certainly change through the rut as the elk move around.
No Yellowstone this year, if we had more time maybe... but I'd rather not burn an entire half day setting up a camp & then having to learn a brand new area while I've seen lots of elk in another Any Bull unit. Here's some additional pictures:
No Yellowstone this year, if we had more time maybe... but I'd rather not burn an entire half day setting up a camp & then having to learn a brand new area while I've seen lots of elk in another Any Bull unit. Here's some additional pictures:
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
-Albus Dumbledore
-Albus Dumbledore
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
I don't know the area at all, but I think you have to right idea. In my opinion( which isn't worth a bucket of......) Knowing an area can "TRUMP" going MAYBE into a better area.
If you don't get lucky and find the right area to be in, You could potentially kill a good chunk of your hunt learning the area instead of trying to kill a bull.
I'd say your best bet would be to kill a bull by your cabin, then spend a day or two learning the other area for next year.
good luck and if you guys kill a bull, don't forget to share
If you don't get lucky and find the right area to be in, You could potentially kill a good chunk of your hunt learning the area instead of trying to kill a bull.
I'd say your best bet would be to kill a bull by your cabin, then spend a day or two learning the other area for next year.
good luck and if you guys kill a bull, don't forget to share
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derekp1999
- 4 point
- Posts: 646
- Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 2:09 pm
- Location: Clinton, UT
- Contact:
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
Even though there are still SEVERAL days left in the hunt... here's how it all went down for my little hunting party and what ended up to be about a 2 day hunt.
Thursday
My friend Cody & I left Thursday morning and arrived just before first light at the cabin. We rushed to unload ATVs and gear then headed to the top of the mountain to get an early start. I drove as far as I dared in my fathers truck and we hiked the rest of the way into a large south facing bowl (we had received 3 feet of snow in the area the week prior) because I figured that's where we would find bare hillside and hopefully lots of animals. We arrived to find moose covering the whole bowl... 12 different moose in small groups, several bulls still sparring and the cows not really paying them much attention. Way down at the bottom of the bowl I could see a couple animals out in the open... binos revealed an absolute TOAD of a buck trailing a doe. He looked all swollen, like a pigs body but longer legs. Being nearly 800 yards away, we were treated to a small glimpse of rutting behavior that I typically had only seen in hunting videos. We were admiring the buck when a group of 3 hunters on horseback came over the east ridge into the bowl. The bowl came alive with deer running everywhere. That caused a chain reaction as moose then scattered and we caught a glimpse of 2 tan bodies that ran quickly over the ridge (the toad buck didn't care at all what was going on). Minutes later another tan body jetted out the bottom and over the saddle on the west. We were able to get glass on him and saw a nice set of 5x5 antlers. At this point all my expectations had been exceeded. My goal for this hunt was not to kill an elk... it was to see one. See this was my first serious bull elk hunt and very much a learning experience... so mission accomplished on the morning of day 1. Cody & I looked at each other surprised and both smiled. The bull was over 600 yards away and running fast so we had no shot at even catching up to this guy. We decided to hike back to the truck along the bottom of the adjacent canyon staying a couple hundred yards or so above the creek to have a good view of the opposite hillside. Out of the bottom of one of the feeder canyons another nice buck busted up the hillside in front of us. At just under 100 yards the 4x4 turned to look at us before going over the ridge.
We had to head back to meet Jeremy & Joe at the gates to let them in. In the middle of the road was a ruffed grouse... and I just happened to pack the 12 gauge for this occasion. I bailed out of the truck and pumped one shell into the chamber. Cody yelled, "You gonna put in another few shells?" I took 2 steps towards the unsuspecting fowl, aimed at the head and fired... I looked back and said, "Nope." Redemption, since I had missed 2 on the deer hunt a couple weeks back.
For the evening we hiked into my little secret spot ("Plan A" from the deer hunt) where I had gotten lots of elk pics on my trail cameras all summer. There were no tracks in the snow and we didn't see anything.
Friday
We hiked into the same bowl as the previous morning and were again treated to a variety of wildlife. While hiking in we bumped a nice 4x4 with his group of 5 does and when we got to the bowl I immediately spotted a couple of does and stared searching the surrounding area for the buck that I figured had to be there. Sure enough, laying in the brush staring at us was a beautiful 4x4 with eyeguards and an old white face. We watched him for several minutes and Cody took some pictures of him with his phone thru my spotter.
At the same time we could hear antlers hitting together & found two bull moose sparring again. One of the bulls was the biggest bull I have seen in years. I would consider the bull he was tangling with as representative for the unit, and he looked pathetic trying to physically match this brute. I managed to snap some awful cell phone pics (my wife took the camera out of my pack for Halloween and I forgot to get it back before I left).
While I was entertained watching the moose (wishing that I could draw the moose tag sooner rather than NEVER), Jeremy spotted a herd of 8 elk across the canyon. We tried like crazy to find one with antlers, but all were cows and calves. A while later we spotted another group of deer, the first several were does followed by a small spike and a 2 point. Then appeared yet another really nice 4x4 and he laid down in the shade of a large pine tree. We hiked over to the saddle where the 5x5 bull quickly vacated the area and found a very "elky area" (as Cody called it). There was scat everywhere and sign was heavy. We started to scan the area and right in front of me I saw something strange... all at once it hit me what I was seeing. This, my friends, is the first shed I have ever found.
I underestimated how heavy it was... but the 2 mile hike back out the bottom was brutal! I looked for a while for the other one and found most of the little cedar trees had been brutalized by one species of antlered critter or another.
After a late lunch we rode up to another vantage point and glassed a large area. We picked out the little herd of 8 cows & calves again along with several more moose and a little hand full of deer.
Saturday
We had about 2 hours available to hunting before Jeremy & Joe needed to be heading back to the airport. We headed to the same vantage point as the night before. We again picked up the little herd of 8 cows... but they had added 2 elk to their ranks. Unfortunately, both were cows. We saw another nice 4x4 buck trailing a doe and raking small aspens and brush as he followed her... I couldn't tell if she was impressed, but I was.
Like I said, this was my first serious bull elk hunt and realistically my expectations were low. My plan was for this to be a modified scouting trip for the deer hunt next year, and maybe hopefully potentially see an elk. I had an absolute blast (without ever pulling the trigger... except for the grouse) and given the opportunity to do this again I would make sure everyone can allot a few more days to try and find a bull.
Thursday
My friend Cody & I left Thursday morning and arrived just before first light at the cabin. We rushed to unload ATVs and gear then headed to the top of the mountain to get an early start. I drove as far as I dared in my fathers truck and we hiked the rest of the way into a large south facing bowl (we had received 3 feet of snow in the area the week prior) because I figured that's where we would find bare hillside and hopefully lots of animals. We arrived to find moose covering the whole bowl... 12 different moose in small groups, several bulls still sparring and the cows not really paying them much attention. Way down at the bottom of the bowl I could see a couple animals out in the open... binos revealed an absolute TOAD of a buck trailing a doe. He looked all swollen, like a pigs body but longer legs. Being nearly 800 yards away, we were treated to a small glimpse of rutting behavior that I typically had only seen in hunting videos. We were admiring the buck when a group of 3 hunters on horseback came over the east ridge into the bowl. The bowl came alive with deer running everywhere. That caused a chain reaction as moose then scattered and we caught a glimpse of 2 tan bodies that ran quickly over the ridge (the toad buck didn't care at all what was going on). Minutes later another tan body jetted out the bottom and over the saddle on the west. We were able to get glass on him and saw a nice set of 5x5 antlers. At this point all my expectations had been exceeded. My goal for this hunt was not to kill an elk... it was to see one. See this was my first serious bull elk hunt and very much a learning experience... so mission accomplished on the morning of day 1. Cody & I looked at each other surprised and both smiled. The bull was over 600 yards away and running fast so we had no shot at even catching up to this guy. We decided to hike back to the truck along the bottom of the adjacent canyon staying a couple hundred yards or so above the creek to have a good view of the opposite hillside. Out of the bottom of one of the feeder canyons another nice buck busted up the hillside in front of us. At just under 100 yards the 4x4 turned to look at us before going over the ridge.
We had to head back to meet Jeremy & Joe at the gates to let them in. In the middle of the road was a ruffed grouse... and I just happened to pack the 12 gauge for this occasion. I bailed out of the truck and pumped one shell into the chamber. Cody yelled, "You gonna put in another few shells?" I took 2 steps towards the unsuspecting fowl, aimed at the head and fired... I looked back and said, "Nope." Redemption, since I had missed 2 on the deer hunt a couple weeks back.
For the evening we hiked into my little secret spot ("Plan A" from the deer hunt) where I had gotten lots of elk pics on my trail cameras all summer. There were no tracks in the snow and we didn't see anything.
Friday
We hiked into the same bowl as the previous morning and were again treated to a variety of wildlife. While hiking in we bumped a nice 4x4 with his group of 5 does and when we got to the bowl I immediately spotted a couple of does and stared searching the surrounding area for the buck that I figured had to be there. Sure enough, laying in the brush staring at us was a beautiful 4x4 with eyeguards and an old white face. We watched him for several minutes and Cody took some pictures of him with his phone thru my spotter.
At the same time we could hear antlers hitting together & found two bull moose sparring again. One of the bulls was the biggest bull I have seen in years. I would consider the bull he was tangling with as representative for the unit, and he looked pathetic trying to physically match this brute. I managed to snap some awful cell phone pics (my wife took the camera out of my pack for Halloween and I forgot to get it back before I left).
While I was entertained watching the moose (wishing that I could draw the moose tag sooner rather than NEVER), Jeremy spotted a herd of 8 elk across the canyon. We tried like crazy to find one with antlers, but all were cows and calves. A while later we spotted another group of deer, the first several were does followed by a small spike and a 2 point. Then appeared yet another really nice 4x4 and he laid down in the shade of a large pine tree. We hiked over to the saddle where the 5x5 bull quickly vacated the area and found a very "elky area" (as Cody called it). There was scat everywhere and sign was heavy. We started to scan the area and right in front of me I saw something strange... all at once it hit me what I was seeing. This, my friends, is the first shed I have ever found.
I underestimated how heavy it was... but the 2 mile hike back out the bottom was brutal! I looked for a while for the other one and found most of the little cedar trees had been brutalized by one species of antlered critter or another.After a late lunch we rode up to another vantage point and glassed a large area. We picked out the little herd of 8 cows & calves again along with several more moose and a little hand full of deer.
Saturday
We had about 2 hours available to hunting before Jeremy & Joe needed to be heading back to the airport. We headed to the same vantage point as the night before. We again picked up the little herd of 8 cows... but they had added 2 elk to their ranks. Unfortunately, both were cows. We saw another nice 4x4 buck trailing a doe and raking small aspens and brush as he followed her... I couldn't tell if she was impressed, but I was.
Like I said, this was my first serious bull elk hunt and realistically my expectations were low. My plan was for this to be a modified scouting trip for the deer hunt next year, and maybe hopefully potentially see an elk. I had an absolute blast (without ever pulling the trigger... except for the grouse) and given the opportunity to do this again I would make sure everyone can allot a few more days to try and find a bull.
Last edited by derekp1999 on Mon Nov 05, 2012 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
“The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
-Albus Dumbledore
-Albus Dumbledore
Re: Any Bull - Muzzleloader
Derek- I've been waiting to hear about how the hunt went for you! I'm sorry to hear that a bull didn't hit the ground... That's awesome that you got into them and hopefully that will pan out in future hunts. The muzzy elk hunt in general has been pretty tough for a lot of guys- I haven't heard of anyone bagging one yet ( in the cache area). Sounds like you had a great time though!