First Bull Elk (Long Post)
droptine
2/13/07 1:50pm
It's kinda long. Hope it don't bore you all out of your minds.
This hunt starts back in July with filling out applications for the Reservation hunts. I didn’t initially apply for the bull elk hunt but I did apply for antelope and what I thought was turkey. When the drawing was complete a week later, it turns out I had drawn a bear tag because I had mistakenly circled bear. So I was debating on whether or not to go hunting for bear when one of my co-workers came by and told me that his uncle had drawn one of the five bull tags allotted to tribal members but wanted to give it up so he could go for cow elk instead. I immediately jumped at the chance to go bull elk hunting during the rut with rifle (the tag was also good for all units of the reservation) but I had to get to the natural resource office before any one else could purchase this tag. I made it before the office closed and beat three or four other hunters, paid for the tag and gave up my bear tag (since we are only allowed one big game tag).
Now that I knew I had the tag, I began my scouting. My scouting time was limited to after work because I was busy on the weekends with soccer and football games. My scouting in the beginning didn’t produce very much as far as elk sign. I was checking all the places I had seen elk before or where I had gotten elk before. This went on routinely thru the month of August. The month of September began about the same as August. Only difference now was we had been getting rain off and on for approximately two weeks but it was still not enough to help with the dry conditions that we have been suffering through the last couple of years. There was water in the dirt tanks but no sign of elk but there was a lot of sign of deer. After checking different areas for a couple of weeks, I decided to check another area close to home where I had seen elk sign a couple years before. I headed up to the top of the mesa and turned off the main dirt road onto a two-track road. I was driving slow looking for possible sign when I came across tracks that were crossing the road and heading into the cedar. I pulled off the two-track road and followed the tracks into the cedar trees. Although I didn’t see any elk that day, I did find lot of fresh elk tracks and beds. Talk about lifting my spirits. The following day I headed back into the same area with high hopes of finding the elk that left the tracks from the day before. It was raining on this particular day and I drove to the end of the two-track and started heading into the general area from the day before. I slowly walked around in the cedars looking for sign of elk and after about 20 to 30 minutes, I tried a few cow chirps. Not hearing any response for a couple of minutes I had just started to take a step when I heard what sounded like a bugle and cow talk. I started walking in that direction and continued to call every couple of minutes. I had gone approximately 40 yards when to my left I caught movement. I stopped and looked and saw a cow elk looking directly at me. We had a staring contest for a few minutes until she had enough of me. She began to trot off when to the left of her further back in the cedars I got more movement. Out came another cow and right behind her, a small rag horn 4X4. That made my day, seeing elk so close to home. I continued looking around the area without seeing any more elk.
The following day at work (Wednesday) I was telling a co-worker about how the scouting was going. He mentioned to me that over the weekend while wood cutting/hauling that the bulls were beginning to rut and bugle like crazy on the northwestern most part of the reservation. So at quitting time, I headed straight for the mountains. I was not out of the truck more than a few minutes when I heard the one of the sweetest sounds of the mountains. Elk, bugling and grunting. I immediately started in the direction of the biggest and meanest sounding bugle. I crept over the rise and down the other side approximately one third of the way down to where I could see across the valley. That’s when I caught a glimpse of the bull making his way down the opposite slope serenading the ladies. He was one of the largest 5X5’s I had ever seen. He had tine length, mass all the way to the tips. I watched him for over an hour before darkness started to set in. I snuck back to the truck with 4 to 5 other bulls bugling around me. I told myself, this is my starting point and I’m not going to take the chance of running the bulls out of the area. I won’t return until the start of the hunt which was on Monday.
The day didn’t start out very good. My alarm didn’t go off and I woke up almost two hours later than I wanted to. It was a good thing I had everything I needed for the hunt loaded and packed in the truck. So after the initial shock of not getting up on time wore off, I got dressed and took off for the hills.
I headed to what was going to be my starting point for the day. I pulled into my usual parking spot about 7:45 A.M. and got my pack, rifle and other gear ready while letting things quiet back down. I started up the ridge trying to be as quiet as possible considering how dry everything was. I was heading to the fence line (the rez/state boundary) where I had a good view of the valley and across to the other ridge. I had not been gone from the truck more than 10 minutes when I caught movement through the cedars. I immediately stopped and tried to see where the elk was headed. I slowly moved toward where the elk had headed, he saw me before I even saw him and he took off for the fence line. I walked up towards the fence and set up. I let out a few cow chirps and waited for a response. Nothing. I let out a few more cow chirps and this time he responded but only with a few grunts and chuckles. I was not being overly aggressive with the calling, mostly letting him know that there was a ‘cow’ near. He would move my direction but he would not come out to give me a look. We played this game for about an hour, he was interested but not enough to make a mistake. He eventually got tired of the game and moved on.
I moved on through the valley and onto the ridge to the west. Lots of sign but no elk to be seen or heard. By now the heat of the day is starting to creep in and its only 10 in the morning!!! I slowly moved along the top of the ridge and down to the south towards the main road. I find a lot of rubs, a lot of meadows that are being used to court the ladies. I still-hunt trying to locate bedded elk but they always seem to have the best hiding spots. I’m starting to think that I’m the only one crazy enough to be out in this heat. I continue south, pass the main road and into the ‘flat’ areas where there is a lot of sign of elk activity in the cedars and pines. I moved towards a dirt water tank to see how active the elk are on this particular tank. Talk about hitting the mother lode. Tracks galore coming from every direction imaginable. More tracks than the week before so I decide to sneak out and come back to sit in one of the natural blinds later in the afternoon. I continue through the ‘flats’ and on up to the point of another slope so I can look down into the canyon and have a bite to eat.
After having lunch and not spotting any elk, I decide to move back around to the head of the canyon. As I started making my way back to the head of the canyon, I could hear the buzz of a chain saw. I eventually found the wood cutters and they told me about some elk they had seen a couple hours before. I made my way in the direction they had seen the elk, which happened to be in the ‘flats’ and thick cedars. I still-hunted through the cedars and pine, glassing every few steps hoping to catch a glimpse of bedded elk. I had gone about 100 yards into the cedars when below a little rock outcropping, the elk exploded out busting up the trees in their way. Talk about leaving me in the dust, literally. I was unable to follow them due to the fact that there was so many tracks in this area. I continued on my way back to the water hole that I planned to sit at.
I reached the water hole around 4 that afternoon and crawled into one of the natural blinds on the downwind side of the water. I cleared all pine needles, pine cones and whatever else might make more noise than necessary. When that was all done, I took a short 30 minute nap to rejuvenate for the afternoon/evening hunt. I woke because I was dreaming of the big boy coming in. Too bad it was only a dream.
I figured it was about time to try some calling, I would do intermittent calls with no response. Finally, about 6 pm or so, I heard a faint bugle to the north of me but he sounded like he was way up in the canyon. I waited for a few minutes and let out a few cow chirps and got no response. I waited another 5 minutes or so to try calling again. Just as I was going to let out a few cow chirps a bull bugled about 150 yards to the east of me. I let out a few cow chirps with no response. Next time he bugled he was closer, approximately 100 yards. Since he was coming in, I got set up and comfortable. I couldn’t see him moving in because of how thick the trees were. I cow chirped again, again with no response. He finally bugled and he was about 75 yards out. I chirped again. No bugle. I waited for any kind of sign he was still moving in, a bugle, some kind of movement. Finally, to my left I heard the branches breaking. I got set, waiting for him to come out into view. I finally caught his movement through the trees but I couldn’t see his rack. He stopped about 60 yards away behind some trees. I could see him looking for the cow and that’s when I finally got a glimpse of his rack through the trees with my binoculars. I cow chirp to see if I could bring him out into a shooting lane that was 10 yards in front of him and 50 yards away from me. He didn’t initially move, and then he moved across the shooting lane a little faster than I was anticipating. He stopped with his head behind a pine tree and his vitals behind a small dead pine. I cow chirped again to see if he would turn enough to expose his vitals. He did not move at all so I looked through my binoculars to see if I could get a shot through the dead pine. The tree was thin enough that I wouldn’t hit anything other than the bull. I pulled my Winchester model 70 .270 up, put my elbows across my lap, got a good sight picture through my scope, clicked the safety off, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled. BOOM!!! I immediately heard the ‘WHAP’ of the round hitting the bull. I looked and the bull was still standing there. I loaded another 150 grain nosler partition into the chamber so I could get another shot off. Just as I was going to shoot again, he turned and started to slowly walk directly away from me not giving me a shot. I watched him as he “staggered” and turned into the trees, so I decided to give him some time.
I start gathering my water, calls and all my other junk that I have scattered around me. I start putting them back into my pack when I hear him kicking rocks and shuffling trying to keep his feet. Then I hear what we all like to hear, I hear him fall into the trees. I wait for another 5 minutes or so before I crawl out of the blind. I slowly make my way to where he was standing when I took the shot. As I near the spot, I catch movement through the trees. I pull up my binoculars to see him walking away and I don’t have a shot. I know I should have waited longer but I guess it was the excitement of getting my first bull. As I watch him move through the trees I can tell that his walk is getting very deliberate, like its taking every ounce of energy for him to move. I stay put where I’m at so I don’t push him any further than I already have. I give him another 20 minutes before I get to where he was standing when I shot. I immediately see the frothy blood of a lung shot. I start following the blood trail that ends up petering out after about 15-20 yards. The blood stops almost right from where he fell. I can still see his tracks so I follow them until I come up on him lying under a tree 30-40 yards from where he initially fell.
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Talk about elation at seeing that bull on the ground. I tried moving the ‘big guy’ out from under the tree but couldn’t do it by myself. I ended up coming down off the mountain to get help. By the time I get home to make some calls for help, its 8 pm. I gather up the help and we get back up to the downed bull around 11 P.M. We get started dressing him out and lucky for us he’s only 100 yards or so off the main road. We drag him to the road and eventually get him loaded into the back of my truck. We finally get home about 1 that morning.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e280/doubledroptine/bull-home3-2.jpg " alt="" />
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Sorry about the long story and the size of the pix. I tried to get the pix smaller but couldnt.
Hope I didn't bore you all.
Droptine
This hunt starts back in July with filling out applications for the Reservation hunts. I didn’t initially apply for the bull elk hunt but I did apply for antelope and what I thought was turkey. When the drawing was complete a week later, it turns out I had drawn a bear tag because I had mistakenly circled bear. So I was debating on whether or not to go hunting for bear when one of my co-workers came by and told me that his uncle had drawn one of the five bull tags allotted to tribal members but wanted to give it up so he could go for cow elk instead. I immediately jumped at the chance to go bull elk hunting during the rut with rifle (the tag was also good for all units of the reservation) but I had to get to the natural resource office before any one else could purchase this tag. I made it before the office closed and beat three or four other hunters, paid for the tag and gave up my bear tag (since we are only allowed one big game tag).
Now that I knew I had the tag, I began my scouting. My scouting time was limited to after work because I was busy on the weekends with soccer and football games. My scouting in the beginning didn’t produce very much as far as elk sign. I was checking all the places I had seen elk before or where I had gotten elk before. This went on routinely thru the month of August. The month of September began about the same as August. Only difference now was we had been getting rain off and on for approximately two weeks but it was still not enough to help with the dry conditions that we have been suffering through the last couple of years. There was water in the dirt tanks but no sign of elk but there was a lot of sign of deer. After checking different areas for a couple of weeks, I decided to check another area close to home where I had seen elk sign a couple years before. I headed up to the top of the mesa and turned off the main dirt road onto a two-track road. I was driving slow looking for possible sign when I came across tracks that were crossing the road and heading into the cedar. I pulled off the two-track road and followed the tracks into the cedar trees. Although I didn’t see any elk that day, I did find lot of fresh elk tracks and beds. Talk about lifting my spirits. The following day I headed back into the same area with high hopes of finding the elk that left the tracks from the day before. It was raining on this particular day and I drove to the end of the two-track and started heading into the general area from the day before. I slowly walked around in the cedars looking for sign of elk and after about 20 to 30 minutes, I tried a few cow chirps. Not hearing any response for a couple of minutes I had just started to take a step when I heard what sounded like a bugle and cow talk. I started walking in that direction and continued to call every couple of minutes. I had gone approximately 40 yards when to my left I caught movement. I stopped and looked and saw a cow elk looking directly at me. We had a staring contest for a few minutes until she had enough of me. She began to trot off when to the left of her further back in the cedars I got more movement. Out came another cow and right behind her, a small rag horn 4X4. That made my day, seeing elk so close to home. I continued looking around the area without seeing any more elk.
The following day at work (Wednesday) I was telling a co-worker about how the scouting was going. He mentioned to me that over the weekend while wood cutting/hauling that the bulls were beginning to rut and bugle like crazy on the northwestern most part of the reservation. So at quitting time, I headed straight for the mountains. I was not out of the truck more than a few minutes when I heard the one of the sweetest sounds of the mountains. Elk, bugling and grunting. I immediately started in the direction of the biggest and meanest sounding bugle. I crept over the rise and down the other side approximately one third of the way down to where I could see across the valley. That’s when I caught a glimpse of the bull making his way down the opposite slope serenading the ladies. He was one of the largest 5X5’s I had ever seen. He had tine length, mass all the way to the tips. I watched him for over an hour before darkness started to set in. I snuck back to the truck with 4 to 5 other bulls bugling around me. I told myself, this is my starting point and I’m not going to take the chance of running the bulls out of the area. I won’t return until the start of the hunt which was on Monday.
The day didn’t start out very good. My alarm didn’t go off and I woke up almost two hours later than I wanted to. It was a good thing I had everything I needed for the hunt loaded and packed in the truck. So after the initial shock of not getting up on time wore off, I got dressed and took off for the hills.
I headed to what was going to be my starting point for the day. I pulled into my usual parking spot about 7:45 A.M. and got my pack, rifle and other gear ready while letting things quiet back down. I started up the ridge trying to be as quiet as possible considering how dry everything was. I was heading to the fence line (the rez/state boundary) where I had a good view of the valley and across to the other ridge. I had not been gone from the truck more than 10 minutes when I caught movement through the cedars. I immediately stopped and tried to see where the elk was headed. I slowly moved toward where the elk had headed, he saw me before I even saw him and he took off for the fence line. I walked up towards the fence and set up. I let out a few cow chirps and waited for a response. Nothing. I let out a few more cow chirps and this time he responded but only with a few grunts and chuckles. I was not being overly aggressive with the calling, mostly letting him know that there was a ‘cow’ near. He would move my direction but he would not come out to give me a look. We played this game for about an hour, he was interested but not enough to make a mistake. He eventually got tired of the game and moved on.
I moved on through the valley and onto the ridge to the west. Lots of sign but no elk to be seen or heard. By now the heat of the day is starting to creep in and its only 10 in the morning!!! I slowly moved along the top of the ridge and down to the south towards the main road. I find a lot of rubs, a lot of meadows that are being used to court the ladies. I still-hunt trying to locate bedded elk but they always seem to have the best hiding spots. I’m starting to think that I’m the only one crazy enough to be out in this heat. I continue south, pass the main road and into the ‘flat’ areas where there is a lot of sign of elk activity in the cedars and pines. I moved towards a dirt water tank to see how active the elk are on this particular tank. Talk about hitting the mother lode. Tracks galore coming from every direction imaginable. More tracks than the week before so I decide to sneak out and come back to sit in one of the natural blinds later in the afternoon. I continue through the ‘flats’ and on up to the point of another slope so I can look down into the canyon and have a bite to eat.
After having lunch and not spotting any elk, I decide to move back around to the head of the canyon. As I started making my way back to the head of the canyon, I could hear the buzz of a chain saw. I eventually found the wood cutters and they told me about some elk they had seen a couple hours before. I made my way in the direction they had seen the elk, which happened to be in the ‘flats’ and thick cedars. I still-hunted through the cedars and pine, glassing every few steps hoping to catch a glimpse of bedded elk. I had gone about 100 yards into the cedars when below a little rock outcropping, the elk exploded out busting up the trees in their way. Talk about leaving me in the dust, literally. I was unable to follow them due to the fact that there was so many tracks in this area. I continued on my way back to the water hole that I planned to sit at.
I reached the water hole around 4 that afternoon and crawled into one of the natural blinds on the downwind side of the water. I cleared all pine needles, pine cones and whatever else might make more noise than necessary. When that was all done, I took a short 30 minute nap to rejuvenate for the afternoon/evening hunt. I woke because I was dreaming of the big boy coming in. Too bad it was only a dream.
I figured it was about time to try some calling, I would do intermittent calls with no response. Finally, about 6 pm or so, I heard a faint bugle to the north of me but he sounded like he was way up in the canyon. I waited for a few minutes and let out a few cow chirps and got no response. I waited another 5 minutes or so to try calling again. Just as I was going to let out a few cow chirps a bull bugled about 150 yards to the east of me. I let out a few cow chirps with no response. Next time he bugled he was closer, approximately 100 yards. Since he was coming in, I got set up and comfortable. I couldn’t see him moving in because of how thick the trees were. I cow chirped again, again with no response. He finally bugled and he was about 75 yards out. I chirped again. No bugle. I waited for any kind of sign he was still moving in, a bugle, some kind of movement. Finally, to my left I heard the branches breaking. I got set, waiting for him to come out into view. I finally caught his movement through the trees but I couldn’t see his rack. He stopped about 60 yards away behind some trees. I could see him looking for the cow and that’s when I finally got a glimpse of his rack through the trees with my binoculars. I cow chirp to see if I could bring him out into a shooting lane that was 10 yards in front of him and 50 yards away from me. He didn’t initially move, and then he moved across the shooting lane a little faster than I was anticipating. He stopped with his head behind a pine tree and his vitals behind a small dead pine. I cow chirped again to see if he would turn enough to expose his vitals. He did not move at all so I looked through my binoculars to see if I could get a shot through the dead pine. The tree was thin enough that I wouldn’t hit anything other than the bull. I pulled my Winchester model 70 .270 up, put my elbows across my lap, got a good sight picture through my scope, clicked the safety off, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled. BOOM!!! I immediately heard the ‘WHAP’ of the round hitting the bull. I looked and the bull was still standing there. I loaded another 150 grain nosler partition into the chamber so I could get another shot off. Just as I was going to shoot again, he turned and started to slowly walk directly away from me not giving me a shot. I watched him as he “staggered” and turned into the trees, so I decided to give him some time.
I start gathering my water, calls and all my other junk that I have scattered around me. I start putting them back into my pack when I hear him kicking rocks and shuffling trying to keep his feet. Then I hear what we all like to hear, I hear him fall into the trees. I wait for another 5 minutes or so before I crawl out of the blind. I slowly make my way to where he was standing when I took the shot. As I near the spot, I catch movement through the trees. I pull up my binoculars to see him walking away and I don’t have a shot. I know I should have waited longer but I guess it was the excitement of getting my first bull. As I watch him move through the trees I can tell that his walk is getting very deliberate, like its taking every ounce of energy for him to move. I stay put where I’m at so I don’t push him any further than I already have. I give him another 20 minutes before I get to where he was standing when I shot. I immediately see the frothy blood of a lung shot. I start following the blood trail that ends up petering out after about 15-20 yards. The blood stops almost right from where he fell. I can still see his tracks so I follow them until I come up on him lying under a tree 30-40 yards from where he initially fell.
Talk about elation at seeing that bull on the ground. I tried moving the ‘big guy’ out from under the tree but couldn’t do it by myself. I ended up coming down off the mountain to get help. By the time I get home to make some calls for help, its 8 pm. I gather up the help and we get back up to the downed bull around 11 P.M. We get started dressing him out and lucky for us he’s only 100 yards or so off the main road. We drag him to the road and eventually get him loaded into the back of my truck. We finally get home about 1 that morning.
Sorry about the long story and the size of the pix. I tried to get the pix smaller but couldnt.
Hope I didn't bore you all.
Droptine
5,173
Man, I bet you were on cloud nine when you walked up to that bull!!!
Again, CONGRATS!
Love to hear the stories about a hunt, thats what it's all about CONGRATS!
Thanks for posting and taking the time to share.