Elkmania 2014

[afteamroper]

Nothing new to report tonight. Made it home will post some pictures and more info tomorrow.

 

[afteamroper]

Have to download some pics from the camera but here is a scrap I found. The top of it was over 6 foot.

 

[afteamroper]

Second leg of the year has began on the road to MT to chase elk.

 

[afteamroper]

Never get tired of seeing this sign

 

[justinspicher]

I have less than 24hrs until I leave for Montana, it's taking FOREVER.....

 

[afteamroper]

I know what you are going through.

 

[afteamroper]

Sitting on a knob trying to find elk bedded. Seen a lot of older sign and bear sign. Saw a nice bull and a few cows right at daylight going towards private ground going to work them either tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[justinspicher]

We are in Iowa, just started out. We should be there and ready to hunt Monday morning.

 

[afteamroper]

Hope you made it ok

 

[afteamroper]

Sorry jot a lot to update on and had no service where I was yesterday and today. Hiked 7 miles yesterday with out seeing anything. A lot of sign but no elk. Today caught a glimpse of one busting out through the trees. Had a bull coming in but he winded us. I didn't see my buddy the shooter did though.

The sunset last night.

 

[afteamroper]

Hi Everybody! This is Tiffany Meyer, Clint Meyer's wife giving you an update on his elk hunt this season. He wanted me to let everybody know that they are finally into talking elk and he had a bull bust him at 35 yards at full draw. Not good cell service where he is at so I'll let you know if anything new comes up. Happy Hunting Everybody!

 

[afteamroper]

Back in civilization for the night. Had bulls all around us Monday afternoon they were going crazy from about 2pm until well after dark. There were three oof us hunting together. We all had bulls with in 35 yards just couldn't seal the deal.

Yesterday had 2 bulls bugling on the wrong side of the fence on the hike in. Called the satellite bull, a decent little 6x6, to about 17 yards of my buddy but between being on the wrong side of the fence and a front on shot he lived to walk another day. Yesterday afternoon we had to 6 points with cows bugling back and forth. Got in the middle of them and with in 70 yards of the one and cow called at him and they both shut up and the one took his cows and left. The other one, about 150 yards away, we slid up the drainage to about 80 yards and buggled at him and nothing so we figured he left the area as well. But as we walked up a shale point of a ridge he and his cows blew out the top to the east of us.

 

[afteamroper]

On the hike up to the shale we watched 2 spike (unshootable) walk by at 63 and 79 yards. So that is another reason we thought the other elk left the area. So after we buggered the 6 and his cows out we herd another bull bugle in a saddle so we were sliding literally back down the shale ridge and across the creek and seek up the bank. Start into the trees and my buddy spots a bull, so I slip back into the trees and cow call to him. He buggled back two or three times, so I cow called he buggled and I buggled back, he stood up, yes he was bedded bugling at us less then 100 yards from were the 6 and his cows just left. After stand he raked his bed with his horns and turned and walked away. There were some other bulls with cows out in a hay field below us. Tomorrow I am headed to another spot since we ran all the elk out of that area.

I won't have cell service were I am so my wife will put brief updates on here from my Delmore inreach.

 

[Shrek]

Cool ! Thanks for taking us along .

 

[realunlucky]

Sounds like a great day

 

[afteamroper]

Tiffany here again. Clint is in the way backcountry and no service to post on the forum. He was in a screaming match for over an hour with a nice 6 point today but he wouldn't come in and then he crossed the fence. He was racking trees and chasing cows.

 

[tstowater]

Nothing better than elk in the rut. Just sends chills down my spine thinking about it. Good luck with getting something down.

 

[afteamroper]

Made it back to South Dakota tonight. Will update you all on the last says in MT tomorrow. Nothing arrowed but a great trip.

 

[afteamroper]

Sorry for the delay in updating this thread, had to get caught back up on things around the house, job and fire department.

The last 2 days of hunting in MT were amazing. I snuck in on a bull and 10 or so cows and paralleled them for about 3/4 of a mile until they hung up in a little pocket of timber. They were on the wrong side of the fence to shoot, but I had the 6x6 with them all sorts of pissed off. He was raking trees, pissing on himself and chasing his cows all around. At one point a spike came in and I thought he was going to kill him, he picked him up with is antlers by the front shoulders and tipped him over. The spike got up and took off with a look on him like what the hell just happened. Me and the 6 point bugled, chuckled and growled back and forth for over and hour total and about 30-45 min at about 80 yards. Latter that day I snuck into around 35 yards on 3 cows but couldn't get a clear shot before they blew out. The next morning (Friday) it was windy as all get out so I wasn't to eager to get out of the truck and go for a hike. Low and behold across the valley about 1 mile away there was a 340+ bull and some cows feeding through the broken timber into the thick dark timber. The wind was all wrong to go after him and my buddy was coming up later that day when the wind would be right so I just watched them feed into the dark timber. Made sure they didn't come out any where and went for a hike else were. Got busted by yet another spike, could have killed about 10 of them if they were legal were I was. On the hike I was going down a trail minding my own business and all of sudden the earth moved next to me at about 30 yards and all I saw was flashes of black and herd sticks breaking. Mind you I am not in grizz country but blackies are around, so first thought was OH CHIT this isn't good. I jump across the trail and reach for my pistol and get a better look just a big black angus bull . I don't know what is worse big scary bulls waiting until you are on top of them to blow out or the even worse big scary grouse jumping up and scaring the crap out of me. Later that afternoon when my buddy showed up and we made a game plan for the 340 bull. We got into the broken timber about 5pm (2hrs before dark) and listened for his bugle. He finally sounded of and we moved down the hill and found the trail he was on. We set up about 80 yards into the broken timber from the edge of dark timber. He was bugling chuckling and moving around at the edge of the dark timber for about 30 min. We just sat there with the wind in our favor waiting him out. I was going to give him until about 30 before dark and then moving in if he hadn't came out yet. But all of sudden we hear him crash off through the timber and then bugle about 500 yards below us. So we get up and try and figure out what the hell just happened, no wind swirls and neither of us moved. He was on public land working towards private we were on. So all I can think of is some jack wagon was working through the timber that you can't see 3 trees in front of you, canopy so thick no rain gets through so it is like walking on potato chips and the wind was directly to the hunters BACK and the bull busted out because of him. The reason I say that is because the bull squirted out the bottom of the ridge and ran across the meadow deep into the private. Then there was another little 3x4 bull and 6 cows that also blew out of dark timber. Just really sucks when you have everything set up correctly just to have it blown by someone that has absolutely no chance at the one you are set up on. Later next week I will get some pictures up on here.

I am heading out in the morning to try and fill my SD cow tag so more to come hopefully some bloody arrow pics.

 

[afteamroper]

Got an arrow in a cow. Blood trail dried up after .5 mile so backed out and letting her bed up going back in later this afternoon.