Colorado Elk
huntingal
12/17/12 7:25am
After getting lots of pics on the trail camera of elk and bulls, one real big one on our land, I had the delima of deciding which season would be the best to hunt. I could buy a leftover either sex license for the first rifle season, or wait and get a general season tag. The first was private land only, the second I could hunt public too.
I decided on an either sex first season tag, hoping I could get the drop on them. They had very limited pressure during the archery and muzzleloader seasons.
I made my plan to set up near the water (where we had been getting all the pics), and wait all day if I had to. The water was in a sagebrush draw, pinion and cedar trees on each side. To the west just a bit was a cut wheat field. We had a rare rain shower the afternoon and night before, so the ground was super quiet and the air still. I slipped onto my big rock lookout point and let out a few cow calls before the sun came up, then shut up. Our local bulls are super parinoide when it comes to calling. At good light, but before the sun was up I saw him, 400 yards down crossing the sagebrush draw.
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Pic of the bull back in Sep.
My heart raced and I thought "wow this might really happen". I did not have a good shot and he was coming up the draw my way anyhow, so I waited. He never popped back into view.
Five minutes later a spike came off the hill at 200 yards, crossed the draw and headed right my way. I said to myself "if there is a legal bull behind him, I'm going to try and take him". A few minutes behind the spike a 5 x4 came down the trail, he crossed the draw and followed the spike my way. At 100 yards and almost broadside I shot, he went down. 7:30 opening morning I was done. I called my husband, crawled off the rock and headed to the bull. This whole time the spike was watching me from 50 yards away, I got to within 25 of him before he trotted off.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h22/Huntingal/christyselk.jpg " alt="" />
Sure I would have liked to take the big boy, and I might have if I had waited, but a bull in the sights is worth two in the bush. Besides, I haven't shot an elk in almost 10 years and I don't think this bull was over 3 years old (he is very tender) and, best of all we could drive right to where he fell!
I decided on an either sex first season tag, hoping I could get the drop on them. They had very limited pressure during the archery and muzzleloader seasons.
I made my plan to set up near the water (where we had been getting all the pics), and wait all day if I had to. The water was in a sagebrush draw, pinion and cedar trees on each side. To the west just a bit was a cut wheat field. We had a rare rain shower the afternoon and night before, so the ground was super quiet and the air still. I slipped onto my big rock lookout point and let out a few cow calls before the sun came up, then shut up. Our local bulls are super parinoide when it comes to calling. At good light, but before the sun was up I saw him, 400 yards down crossing the sagebrush draw.
Pic of the bull back in Sep.
My heart raced and I thought "wow this might really happen". I did not have a good shot and he was coming up the draw my way anyhow, so I waited. He never popped back into view.
Five minutes later a spike came off the hill at 200 yards, crossed the draw and headed right my way. I said to myself "if there is a legal bull behind him, I'm going to try and take him". A few minutes behind the spike a 5 x4 came down the trail, he crossed the draw and followed the spike my way. At 100 yards and almost broadside I shot, he went down. 7:30 opening morning I was done. I called my husband, crawled off the rock and headed to the bull. This whole time the spike was watching me from 50 yards away, I got to within 25 of him before he trotted off.
Sure I would have liked to take the big boy, and I might have if I had waited, but a bull in the sights is worth two in the bush. Besides, I haven't shot an elk in almost 10 years and I don't think this bull was over 3 years old (he is very tender) and, best of all we could drive right to where he fell!
5,886
Snake River Marksman
12/17/12 8:35am
Nice story and a nice bull as well. Great pictures.
10
ABert
12/17/12 6:20pm
Congrats on a well planned hunt and the work involved to achieve success! Too many folks are concerned with antler envy these days and forget about what gets us all out in the woods to begin with. I'm sure you'll be eating well for more than a few months as will I from the cow I took last year and don't regret the tag soup from this year!
10
Hiker
1/26/13 5:47am
That went down as planned. Good job! :thumb I have had many of those plans over the years but very few seem to pan out. ](*,)
10
hound_hunter
1/26/13 11:31am
Nice! Congrats, and thanks for sharing. That's a great bull for a general hunt! Especially as a first hunt after 10 years off, I hope I can connect on a bull like that this year!
10