I've been having the privilege of hunting with some real deal elk hunters ! I haven't killed anything yet but two bulls down within 40 yards of each other made for a long day and night of cleaning and packing . I had the honor of witnessing a 1583 yard cold bore kill. Ryan is the real deal when it comes to long range hunting ! Dropped the bull like Thors hammer ! Never even kicked a leg ! Two second plus time of bullet flight ! Then a two hour hike to start the cleaning. Where the elk were down was closer to being a cliff than a mountain side ! Brutal steep grade that necessitated tieing the elk to the brush to keep the elk from sliding down the mountain while we cleaned. Then a long and very steep down hill pack out of half the meat that ended around 1 am. I snapped one of my trekking poles and fell hard a half dozen times at least . Busting through thick brush and some downed timber. My flatlander feet and ankled don't do well up here. It was hellish misery , another words an average north Idaho elk hunt and pack out ! Can't wait to embrace the suck and pack out one of my own ! Walking with short steps right now because I'm so stiff and sore . I've hunted several mountain ranges so far and where I am in North Idaho is the hardest to hunt and hardest on my body. Very steep and thick brush and timber just beat you down ! I notice there are almost no small benches on the mountainsides so no place to get a break from the relentless slopes.
" I had the honor of witnessing a 1583 yard cold bore kill. Ryan is the real deal when it comes to long range hunting ! Dropped the bull like Thors hammer ! Never even kicked a leg ! Two second plus time of bullet flight ! Then a two hour hike.."
Orionsbrother that's really an understatement . I had been looking at the mountain for several hours before the shot throught some 12x50 ELs and had gotten kind of comfortable with the distance. Next morning I hiked back up to the top of the mountain to retrieve the rifle that we had stashed after the shot and just walking up to where he shot from and looking it is amazing ! I don't know how many shooters there are in this world who can make that shot but it's not many. Maybe if you counted all the military snipers around the world you could gather a thousand ? Maybe . It wasn't perfect conditions either. We debated for a moment about wind. I was thinking 13 mph from 3:30 and he was calling 8 mph. It was probably 10 mph but either way it wasn't perfect dead still when he made the shot. An incredible display of skill.
The 12x50 ELs are amazing ! On top of a tripod they were the bomb. Edge clarity allowed me to see most of the cut he was in and keep track of several bulls and a bunch of cows without moving the ELs at all. All the Swarovski optic tools plain work , no excuses. I picked up my Minox and looked but the veiling haze washed out the image badly. The Swarovskis were handling it.
So, after Ryan killed a bull 9/10 of a mile away, on the other side of a hellhole ravine, maybe 1 3/4 hiking miles away, with another bull down within 40yds, on a cliff where you had to tie off the carcasses while breaking them down, he loaded you up with 3/4 of a bull 'cause you go by Shrek, not Smurf and you plunged down the mountain, repeatedly, through thick brush, breaking your trekking pole and you were packing out 'til 1:00AM, maybe twenty one hours or so after your day started.
Now, you're walking like Charlie Chaplin, stiff, sore and tired. Probably have bits of leaves and pine needles stuck in your hair and beard, maybe some fresh scrapes on your shins and an odd look to your eyes.
Bet there's a crooked grin on your face.
Post whatever, whenever. Everyone can wait. Stay focused. Do what you're doing while you're doing it.
We're pulling for you. Hell, I wish that I was in the next drainage right now.
I ejoyed the suck very much. I didn't have all that big of a load but North Idaho is some tough country to hunt and pack in. I have a slight sprain on the outside of my left ankle so I didn't try hunting yesterday and I'm back in town today. Everyone had to bail on the elk camp and I'm not going to hunt that far out alone. It's really rough country that I'd need help to get an elk out of and it's an hour drive back to cell phone service. I'm going to call it a hunt and wander to Montana Monday and get set up. Looking forward to being able to see more than 50 yards and not pushing through brush. There are plenty of elk in North Idaho but they're tough to get at. I need to be in much better shape and learn to call elk. Probably going to buy Elknuts lessons. At this point I'm not even competent with a Hoochie Moma.