Back from the elk hunt and there's meat in the freezer.

ridgetop, Congrats! I'm looking forward to the stories of the hunt.

congrats! looking forward to the pics and story

I wanna see and hear also. :) Congrats on the success whatever it was.

Here's the story. On the night before the opener, I couldn't get away from work until 5:30. Then by the time I got home, packed and on my way it was well after dark and raining very,very hard. I was going to drive straight to my hunting spot but it was almost midnight by time I reached Cedar City, so I stopped and stayed at my in-laws. At 4:30 a.m. I was on my way again and met my father in-law on the mountain about 6:00. We decided to hunt high, were he had heard some bulls bugling the week before. At first light I found myself looking over a meadow with a pond in the middle of it. Their was a coyote hunting mice in the high grass and it was mighty tempting to shoot but not this early on the first day. After about two hours of sitting by this meadow, my father in-law showed up and we decided to hike to the top and then slowly hunt our way back to camp and look for tracks. Since it rained hard the night before it should be easy to find fresh sign. I hiked two or three miles with no sigh at all. The elk had completly moved out off this area. I did find one fresh rub that looked newer than 48 hours. So I had some hope. That evening I hiked to a high rocky point and glassed until dark with no sign of anything. Day 1, 0 elk seen. ??? Day 2, I took the family for a hike and we set up a trail cam and a few scent wicks. Again no elk spotted but did hear a bugle in the distant. Day 3, to be continued.....

DANGIT!!!!!! i want more!!!!!!

Sounds intriguing!

Are you trying to kill us? ???

Ok, I've got a few minutes. Day 3, I went to were I put out the scent the day before and did some cow calling and a few bugles but no responses. After an hour a big storm started to move in. So I headed back for the truck and with about 300 yards left to the truck the sky unloaded with hail and lightning. I covered that 300 yards in less than 2 minutes. With no elk yet to be seen, that evening I decided to go back up on the rocky point from day 1 but approach it from the back side this time. As I was hiking up through the thick oak I stopped about 30 yards from the top edge of a bench that was about 150 long and 60 yard wide. While catching my breath from the steep hike I noticed branches in the oak above me that looked like an elk rack. I looked though my 10x42s and HOLY CRAP! There was a 300+ bull staring at me only 30 yards away. I put my crosshairs on its face and I could only see about 3 inches below his chin over the brush. As I was trying to decide if I should take the head shot. The bull flipped his head back and turned broadside to run away. At that point I lowered by crosshairs and fired through the brush at his vitals. I ran to the top to see the bull running through the flat and weaving in and out of 6 to 8 foot aspens. I shot two more times only the hit branches I'm sure. I tracked the bull for about a 1/2 mile with no blood found at all but what I did find was the bull had run 100 yards below two hunters on atvs and then realized the hunters were there and back tracked about 50 feet to some really thick oak, then turned and went down
hill through the thick stuff to the bottom then up through some taller aspen and into the pines. The hunters never saw the bull and never even heard my shots over there running machines, I'm sure. I can't believe I just blew a chance at the biggest bull I've ever had in my sites. Well, time for day 4. Tommorow....

Bummer, but sounds WAY exciting! :thumb

](*,) :222 i want more :)

Day 4. I went back high around were I was on day 1 and saw nothing. That afternoon I met up with my wifes uncle and he had seen a lone elk walk into some thick oak but could not tell what it was. I thought if it was a loner, then maybe it was a bull. So I headed over there and about an hour later. My uncle called on the radio and said the elk had come out of the brush, then turned back into it and bedded down. It was a really good bull. My uncle was able to guide me to about 150 yards above it but I couldn't see it. I tried to cow call to get it to stand up but not luck. It was starting to get dark, so I made a move to get closer. I finally was able to see his head and rack looking straight at me. As I was taking aim for a head shot. He stood up and all I could see was his rump at that point. After moving down a little more I was able to see his vital area and just as I was pulling the trigger the bull backed up and started to walk. A clean miss again. He then ran down hill and out off sight. I can't believe I just missed two 6 points during back to back days. #-o

ohh now whats the rest of the story. yerr killin me

Day 5. Me, Uncle Russ and his brother tried some agressive calling to simulate a heard and maybe bring something in. After an hour of this I got inpatient and moved to a high point were I could do some glassing. At about 9:30 am I saw 3 coyotes about 600 yards away and when one of them did come closer. Ranged at 285 yards, I took the shot :222 and now there will be a few more fawns this spring. Direct hit. That evening I was lower on the mnt. when saw a huge heard of elk on some property that we could not hunt on but they were moving in a direction that should take them up the canyon that my truck was parked in but would be well after dark. So I called my uncle and he picked me up further down canyon so not to disturb the elks path of travel. I have to go get ready for tomorrows rifle deer hunt and back to work. I'll let you know if this plan worked on day 6 when I get back from the deer hunt. Happy hunting. :)

Well, when we went back that morning were my truck was left the herd was just outside of our hunting boundry and two bulls were bedded only about fifty yards off the boundry. I tried cow calling but with no luck and they finally got up and slowly wonder off further away. My uncle had spotted a lone spike and a couple small raghorns a little further up the hill from the spot I missed the big one on day 3. So I headed off after them and circled around in the thick oak where they were last seen but no luck finding them. The ground was frozen and with all the new falling leaves it was hard to see fresh tracks. I went back to camp and asked my daughter if she wanted to go with me on the evening hunt.

Keep it coming! :thumb

come on just give us the rest of the story jeeze. your killing me

Ok, here's some more of the story. That afternoon me and my daughter drove up a small canyon where my uncle had shot a big 5 point about 5 years ago. We worked our way through some pines that looked real promissing but no sign at all. Then we headed up through a big saddle and up on a high point. The same spot I was at the night before, only this time we approached it from the back side. We instantly spotted the big herd that was across the boundry, so we sat down and watched them through my spotting scope. She thought that was pretty cool. There were a couple of 5 points fighting. After watching them for a while I decided to move around the hill to watch a small valley by the road. As we came around the edge of the hill there was a small pond next to the road and there was about 10 to 12 cow elk in it swimming around. A car then came and the elk scattered, then two guys got out wearing camo but no guns and walked in the direction of the elk, pushing them further away. :>/ We sat there wondering what to do next, it was getting dark very soon. What would you do at this point....?

hmm... :-k

More of the story.... The two guys in camo came back and drove off. So we sat there wondering what to do when I heard some water splashing but not from the pond we were watching. I did remember that there was another water catchment pond about 1/2 mile away that had a little water from the rains this week. I had to walk uphill about 50' and a little more around the hill to see it but what I saw was three small bulls splashing around in it. I ran back down to my daughter and told her about the bulls and we needed to hurry because of only 20 minutes or less of shooting time left. As we got down towards the bottom it was getting very hard to see and the brush was getting thicker. I saw an opening up higher, so we went for it and I ranged the bulls at 520 yards. Too far, so we headed for the bottom again. We finally found a small shooting lane and the bulls were starring right at us. I ranged them again. This time it was 255 yards. Good enough, so I set up my shooting sticks and took aim. The bulls were clumped together and I took aim on the biggest bodied one. All the antlers were about the same size. As I was taking aim, I touched off on the trigger a little sooner than I was ready to. I was sure I had a good steady fix on his vitals but after the shot all three bulls ran off into the thick oak. I can't believe I just missed again. ](*,) But it did sound like a loud thud [-o< after I shot or did the bullet hit the mud on the pond bank. :-k to be cont.....

Man Ridgetop, you're killin' me! Between your rolling story and Brett's in the Mule Deer forum I can't keep off the site! I keep goin' back and refreshing, hoping for the next "chapter"! Keep 'em comin'!

GGGGGGGGG'ZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEED TO HEAR THE REST OF THE STORY OR IM GONNA GO INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ](*,) :222 :tz

Finally, the rest of the story. As we walked down to the pond area. Two of the bulls ran out of the top end of the oak but the third was nowhere to be seen. I told my daughter not move or make a sound. Then I heard thrashing in the trees and knew then it was a good hit. We found the bull about 50 yards into the oak with a good trail leading from it to an old dirt road about 100 yards away. Sweet! Here is a picture of my two daughters and son with it.

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Congrats on a successful HUNT, very tall spike it looks to be. :thumb

Ridgetop, great story and congrats!!!!! Love it when the kids get involved too!

ridgetop, Congrats to you and your daughter and thanks for the story.

congrats!!!!!