2019 Live Hunt Elk-Ibex-Deer-Antelope

[TheCougar]

Day 6

Boom. What a day. I’ll write the rest up tomorrow, but long story short, I was unable to shoot the herd bull after getting to within 70 yards. I called in a satellite and tagged out! Not the big bull I was hoping for, but this bull was earned and I am glad to have more meat for the freezer!

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[Jmort1754]

Yesss congrats

 

[Shrek]

Congratulations !

 

[RichP]

Congrads!

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Good job, Great bull!Looking forward to your write up.

 

[RCL]

Congratulations and thanks for taking us along.

 

[TheCougar]

Day 6 continued:

We (Jeff and I) slogged our way back up the trail in the dark. The rain had stopped the previous evening, but everything was still wet and nasty. I’m not going to lie, I’m starting to hate that hike in. The area we are hunting is a 2 1/2 mile hike back and about 1000’ climb. There’s no singularly bad about it, it just generally sucks from start to finish. Kinda like a Nicholas Cage movie. I hereby dub this hike the Nick Cage hike.

We will now pause for an editorial break that will tie in with the end of the story. The previous 5 days, I had carried my bow but I chose to call and help bring in bulls for Jeff. Jeff can make a passable cow call, but most of his his bugles sounds like Rosie O’Donnell talking about Trump - Lots of spit and high pitch unintelligible shrieking... This morning however, I had decided to try and get on a bull if the opportunity came up. I decided before season to be patient and shoot a mature bull only, as I had leave blocked off to come back out for the general rifle season in November. Over the last few days, I had come to the realization of the following: 1. Being the only caller in the group left me at a distinct disadvantage, in so far as I had called in a number of bulls for everyone else and not even seen most of them based on my position, 2. Talking to the guys who live out here, General season is a mess of people, snow, and tough hunting with a low chance at a nice bull unless I was on private or in horseback, and 3. I’d rather shoot a smaller bull with my bow in the backcountry than a shooting a big one with my rifle, while the bull is feeding in a hayfield.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program: We got to the top at 7am and I let out a locator bugle and the hillside started going crazy. We were surrounded by bulls! It was crazy - we had probably 6-8 bulls within 300 yards and they were all screaming. The wind was swirling and unpredictable, but we picked the closest bull with the best wind and worked our way to him. We were unsuccessful calling him in as it sounded like he was bedding down. We switched our efforts and dropped down a couple hundred yards and started working a bull in the bottom of the drainage. We managed to call him up out of the bottom, and I heard his footsteps through the trees as he circled further downwind than I had anticipated. I had setup 40 yards downwind and he circled at 90-100 yards. I heard him, but never saw him through the trees. With that plan failed, we went back to working other bulls for the rest of the morning, but were unable to pull them from the herd. I was hesitant to move into their bedding area and push them out of our drainage for the rest of the hunt. They continued to bugle incessantly from their beds all morning and afternoon, as we casually ate our food, had coffee, and discussed potential attack strategies. Eventually I decided to go all in and stalk into their bedding area. The bulls were all bugling from their beds and I had good wind, so I started in and passed on a rag horn 4 point raking a tree. I bumped a 5x5 and saw several other bulls through the trees before I backed out. I let the area calm down a bit and tried a different avenue of approach since the thermals had shifted. I came in from above and went for what sounded like the badass of the bunch. Jeff and I snuck into the herd and got close to the herd bull before being pinned by his cows. He was a nice 6x6, probably around 320 or so, and surrounded by cows. I was in front and Jeff was 40 yards behind me. This is where an experienced elk caller would have helped. Jeff was too close to rake and when he called all the elk could see where the call was coming from. They started to meander away and I had no choice but to bugle and try and bring the bull back. At this point I was 70 yards or so, and I could only bugle when they were turned away. It just wasn’t a good enough setup to make it work. Jeff was too close and he couldn’t do the calls needed to get the herd bull to come defend his harem. They slowly wandered off and we regrouped. I gave Jeff some thoughts on reading the “mood” of the bull and being more aggressive with calling when a bull shows interest. The herd started moving away and there was one straggler bull left in the area within 200 yards. At that point, we had tried every calling strategy except for one - trying to piss off a satellite bull. We had tried that earlier in the week, but it instantly shut down every bull we tried it on. However, I was pissed and I turned to Jeff and told him we were going to get that bull riled up and ready to fight and if he came in with 5 points on his head, I was going to shoot him. He went back and cow called and started going full Ike Turner on a tree 60 yards behind me. As soon as the bull bugled, I cut him off with a moderate intensity bugle. We did this three more times, each time I cut him off and mimicked the call he made with more intensity. I could tell he was headed towards us when he grunted and I screamed over top of him, then he broke into a trot through the trees. He angled uphill (downwind) and when he passed through a thicker area, I moved position to get a better angle on his approach. He was coming in fast on a hard quarter-to shot when he was approaching the window. If he kept going the same path, he was going to give me a broadside shot right as he approached my scent. I drew as he passed a tree, and he paused just prior to my shot window. I thought he had seen me, but instead he held for just enough time for me to see 5 points and get a good anchor, when he turned full broadside and slowly stepped into the window. I shot as soon as he took that step and immediately started the party in my brain when I saw the arrow hit. It was a 20 yard shot right in the pocket and I knew that bull would be down in seconds. He crashed shortly thereafter and didn’t require a tracking job. It was around 2pm when I shot him. We got to work breaking down the bull and Jeff called Cain to come help. Jeff, the hyper-athletic destroyer of mountain trails and Snickers bars, shuttled a hindquarter 3 miles to the truck while I finished the hard part! Cain and his fiancée (both of whom I had met only a few days earlier) had come up the mountain to get the meat out. They were total rockstars. Without their help, we would still be getting the bull off the mountain. We got to the truck around 9pm and drove into town and went right to bed. Talk about a team effort! I wouldn’t have a shot at that bull without Jeff in the back calling and the packout would have lasted two days, if not for the new friends and Jeff shuttling and extra load. What great people to help out and work so hard. The bull was a 5x? As he has broken off the left antler just last the G3. He was a fighter for sure, as he was the only bull this week to not run from a challenge bugle.

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[SLDMTN]

Nice work man!

 

[TheCougar]

Day 7

7 hours after getting out of Nick Cage Canyon with meat on our backs, we were right back marching uphill. I was hoping that we hadn’t ruined the entire area by killing a bull in the bedding area. Unfortunately, hope isn’t a plan. Hiking, however, is a plan if you’re hunting with us. We got to the top at sunrise and we heard a faint chuckle up the canyon. And hour later, we are on the side of a steep talus slope, trying to intercept a small silent herd of elk drifting through the trees on their way to bed. We got to within 150 yards and set up to Intercept them, but they disappeared into the timber. I think they either saw us crossing the opposite face or they winded us momentarily. We started a circle of the drainage hitting all the other places we had heard or seen bulls, but were unsuccessful. We heard a distant bugle and got all the way to the private border and couldn’t get it to come in. We called it quits and hiked 3 miles back to the truck, defeated. We stopped in town and for some groceries, pressure washed the mud off the truck, and washed the bloody clothes. Jeff told me we were going to take the night off, fly fish, have a real dinner, and regroup a bit. He lied. Against my better judgement, I let Jeff convince me to head back up Big Scary Bear Gulch also known as the hike up Urinate Blood Mountain. It is an area of many names, most of which have been bestowed by me while trying to block out the numerous fresh grizzly tracks, piles of bear crap and elk kills, and the knowledge that we have to come back down in the dark. I coped by eating an entire pint of coffee toffee ice cream. If I have to hike up that drainage, I’m going to do it with 1200 calories of sugar and fat coursing through my bloodstream.

We got to the top at 6pm and heard nothing. In order to fight the sinking feeling that we had hiked our faces off for nothing, we played bugle tube baseball, took some pictures, and wisecracked. Around 7pm, we heard a bugle on our ridge, about 1/2 mile up the canyon and 200’ up in elevation. The race was on. We got on the bull with about 15 minutes of shooting light left. It turned out to be a herd bull with a bunch of cows. Jake got set up within 100 yards and I dropped back to call and take. Ultimately I was unable to bring the bull into shooting range before the light faded. We got down the canyon and out of the drainage on high alert, like some kind of forest SWAT team ready for a grizzly to pop out of the bushes and maul us. I felt like it was an “easy day” until I went back and checked the mileage and we were somewhere around 11-12 miles for the day. Jeff has recalibrated my pain scale this week when I think an 11 mile day is an easy day. That dude doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him; tenacity, perseverance, grit, stamina - he’s got it in spades. I just do my best not to slow him down.

This is my favorite pic, snapped at the exact moment Jeff got a whiff of his own flatulence. The look says it all my friends. Always stay upwind of Jeff.

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[TheCougar]

Day 8 in progress. It’s been slow. Neither of us wanted to get out of bed. Separate beds. Felt like I needed to clarify that. I swear my body hurts less than the first few days. It’s like my physical limits have capitulated and just given up on the idea of rest. We hiked up the same drainage again (Nick Cage) to the ridge top where we had (past tense) been in the best action and where I shot my bull two days ago. It has been quiet since then. It was terrible this morning. We heard two distant chuckles, saw no elk, and generally had a demoralizing morning. Just another 6 mile roundtrip to start the morning.... We were back at the truck by 1030, our tail between our legs and trying to figure out the best plan to get on elk in the remaining 24 hours. Somehow I get the feeling he wants to hike up Grizz Assault Canyon again. Sweet.

We went to the place we are staying and storing our gear and did some chores - washing bloody packs, game bags, etc. we made elk tenderloin steaks, grouse, cheesy cornbread, and broccoli for dinner before we were supposed to head back out the Grizzly Gulch. Then Jeff all of a sudden realized that he knows people out near Butte who have a 11,000 acre ranch in the mountains. On day 8, he all of a sudden realized this. After 8 days and 80+ miles of hiking on public. On day 8, people! I didn’t know whether to be excited or pissed. Maybe a little bit of both. He cold called them and got permission and we had 15 minutes to throw everything in the bed of the truck and hit the road so we could be there for the evening hunt. Two hours later the land manager meets us and drives us up the breathtaking ranch into the mountains where we have miles and miles to explore. There’s a cabin with couches. And ATVs. And elk. And holy crap, is that a hot tub I see?!?

We did a 30 minute walkabout checking the area. Good sign, no bugles, lots of wind. Then I sat on a leather couch and ate chips and salsa and finally went to bed early... and I don’t have to wake up at 4am in the morning!!! Too bad I have to leave tomorrow.


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[TheCougar]

Day Niner:

0815, called in a bull. Jeff put two arrows in it. Backing out, now comes the long wait. Sounds like first shot almost broadside, maybe slightly quartering to. Probably liver and guts, possibly back of frontside (left) lung. Second arrow was quartering away, not sure where that one went. Bull was acting sick when the second arrow hit.

1006, on our way back to the bull. Should be on the trail by 1020.


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[Texasbuckeye]

Any updates?

 

[TheCougar]

It was a tough blood trail. Jeff was able to stay on the trail and we found the bull bedded, but I bumped him 3 hours after the shot. Backed out for 7 more hours. Grid searching. Very little blood in the bed. We have 4 guys searching the area. I’m praying that we find the bull tonight or tomorrow morning.


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[Shrek]

I sure hope you’re packing a bull off the mountain !

 

[TheCougar]

Hunting isn’t like a Disney movie where there is a happy ending. We had several guys out looking for the bull for hours and came up empty. We gridded and searched within a mile or so of the last location of the bull and never found him. All we can hope for is the hit wasn’t fatal and the bull survived.

This MT general elk hunt was awesome, but also a physical grind. We really pushed every day to hunt harder than anyone else, and by doing so, make opportunities happen through effort. We succeeded on that front, with multiple call-ins and shot opportunities on nice bulls. Ultimately we just didn’t capitalize on those opportunities. I met some truly awesome people in Montana, particularly Cain and Heather, who although we had just met, offered their home and their meat-Sherpa skills on a pack out. I hope to get to see them again and hunt with Cain in the future. This was also my first hunt with someone outside of my normal hunting group, and I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. It was awesome! Jeff crushed the hunt, physically and mentally. He doesn’t have an ounce of physical or mental quit - he just goes, all day everyday. The last 24 hours were really tough on him and he is taking the wounded bull very personally. He takes pride in his woodsmanship and hunting abilities, and the end of the hunt left a bitter taste in his mouth for archery elk hunting. I’m hoping he comes to grip with it and takes some lessons learned for next time. He is an excellent hunter and we had a good time working as a team, particularly when things were miserable, when we would crack jokes to keep the mood up. I’d rather hunt elk with him than anyone else, and I hope that opportunity arises.

I’m on my way back home for 24 hours before leaving on a work trip for a week, then I’ll tag home again before going to the Florida Mountains to help with an archery Ibex hunt.


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[Shrek]

Bummer not finding the bull ! Thanks for taking us along.

 

[chops24]

Great story! Can’t wait to read about your experience on “The Rock”. I know wherever I hunt and am feeling sorry for myself on the mountain I tell myself “at least I’m not in the Floridas” ha ha

 

[TheCougar]

Great story! Can’t wait to read about your experience on “The Rock”. I know wherever I hunt and am feeling sorry for myself on the mountain I tell myself “at least I’m not in the Floridas” ha ha

Oh geez. That’s quite the pep talk!!! I’ve heard it’s brutal.

 

[Shane]

Great write-up. Sounds like one heck of a hunt. Congrats on your bull, and bummer on the wounded one at the end. Good luck in the Floridas!

 

[chops24]

Oh geez. That’s quite the pep talk!!! I’ve heard it’s brutal.

The only hunt ive ever been scared i might die on ha ha ha. Its a good kind of brutal!