First Elk Hunt!!

[Lowslungcj]

Well today is the day I have been waiting several years for! I am headed to Wyoming for my first ever elk hunt with two friends from Church. None of us have hunted out west before and we are so excited to out there for opening day tomorrow!

I thought I might use this thread as a way to keep track of everything that happens so I can share it with family and friends! We have located a big drainage with dark timber, water, north facing slopes, and it is away from established roads and trails via our e-scouting!

I am pumped and praying for a punched cow tag this week!!! Maybe even a punched cow tag tomorrow!

 

[twdjr]

Best of luck!

 

[Mr6.5]

What rifle are you taking?

 

[Jbxl20]

Go get em!

 

[eddielasvegas]

Bonne chance mon ami.

Keep us updated.


Eddie

 

[Bhunty19]

Hunt hard, stay safe!

 

[yttm34]

Good luck to you and make sure to have fun.

 

[jdamore44]

Nothing like elk hunting. Welcome to your newest addiction!

 

[tH1e swiN1e]

Good luck!

 

[SDArcher7]

Best of luck, be prepared to plan ZERO commitments for all future September/Octobers.

 

[Lowslungcj]

Well the hunt and came and went. Short story we didn't fill our tags but we hunted our butts off all week and saw a ton of animals! We even got semi-charged by a bull moose but he stopped at 28 yards away!!!! Talk about an exciting moment!

Days 1 & 2 we spent hunting up high and found sign everywhere! We saw one cow elk walking off as she winded us. We were hunting "Windy Mountain" and there wasn't a constant wind anywhere on that mountain once the sun rose so we moved to a lower area in the unit.

Day 3 was spent on the north end of the unit glassing the checkerboard public access on the other side of the interstate. We saw over 200 pronghorn but no sign of elk anywhere so we decided to move back south of th interstate for the remainder of our hunt.

Days 4 & 5 were spent hunting lower parts of the unit and drainages trying to locate the elk. We found good sign but couldn't locate a cow elk any of those days.

We hiked over 40 miles and had a ton of fun!!! The color of aspens popping against the spruce trees was something to see and the shear brutality of the hunt was addictive! I ended up catching a pretty good cold that developed into bronchitis so the tail end of the hunt was especially challenging for me. Wow did it feel good to accomplish something so hard! No doubt!!!

While we didn't connect with any cow elk we did see well over 300 animals and our group is already planning on getting back out west next year!! If I could make a trip back out there once some snow falls I would be all over it! With this years calendar I can't get away though.

If you have never been and are wondering whether or not you should make a trip just do it! You will not regret it at all! I hate that I didn't fill my tag but that's hunting sometimes! The experience alone was incredible!!!

 

[Lowslungcj]

Here is our animal sighting count for the week:

-Antelope >200

-Bull Moose 4

-Cow Moose 4

-Calf Moose 1

-Mule Deer 59

-Fox 1

-Bull Elk 1

-Cow Elk 3

-Turkey 2

-Grouse 5

-Pine Martin 1

The bull elk and two of the cow elk were spotted from the car and they ran off once they saw our vehicle. As you can see we had our fair share of encounters just not with the right animals!