Elkbelch
FNG
If you’re looking for pictures of giant elk or even a cow stop right here and move on. I hadn’t been on an elk hunt since 2012 when my father got old and quit going to the area we had hunted since 1994. I tried to satisfy my desire to be in the mountains by going on fishing trips with friends and such. Finally this year my youngest daughter (an avid deer hunter) expressed interest in going out to the area we had hunted for years and giving it a go.
My daughter is an accomplished through hiker so I knew she could handle it. We planned all year and this was to be her college graduation present from mom and I. She will be graduating in December with a degree in biology and wildlife management. We loaded up the gear and headed West the Tuesday prior to the opening Saturday.
When we got there I almost cried seeing the golden aspens in full color and a mountain I am very familiar with.
We spent the next two days preparing wood for the tent and camp fire. We hiked a bit and got just far enough in to remember where to head up from the trail.
Opening morning brought us to the North side of the previously mentioned mountain and as the sun came up I realized there was not much visibility due to the young aspen growth. By the second day we had not seen an elk and only a small amount of fresh sign. On day three we got into a few elk seeing a spike bull and three cows. I didn’t have a cow tag but my daughter did. I set her up in this area and she saw them on day four but couldn’t get a clean shot. She asked if that was her chance and I told her it might have been. We hunted the same location on day five but the gig was up. We broke camp and headed back that evening, empty handed like I had done so many times before.
This was a successful hunt to me because we have been planning and what-iffing since then. While we’re gone she registered for the PCT and depending on when she starts, we will be back for one of the seasons. We have points so next year is definitely going to happen.
If you got our camp site, enjoy the pile of split wood as we were too tired to have a camp fire every night.
Shawn
My daughter is an accomplished through hiker so I knew she could handle it. We planned all year and this was to be her college graduation present from mom and I. She will be graduating in December with a degree in biology and wildlife management. We loaded up the gear and headed West the Tuesday prior to the opening Saturday.
When we got there I almost cried seeing the golden aspens in full color and a mountain I am very familiar with.
We spent the next two days preparing wood for the tent and camp fire. We hiked a bit and got just far enough in to remember where to head up from the trail.
Opening morning brought us to the North side of the previously mentioned mountain and as the sun came up I realized there was not much visibility due to the young aspen growth. By the second day we had not seen an elk and only a small amount of fresh sign. On day three we got into a few elk seeing a spike bull and three cows. I didn’t have a cow tag but my daughter did. I set her up in this area and she saw them on day four but couldn’t get a clean shot. She asked if that was her chance and I told her it might have been. We hunted the same location on day five but the gig was up. We broke camp and headed back that evening, empty handed like I had done so many times before.
This was a successful hunt to me because we have been planning and what-iffing since then. While we’re gone she registered for the PCT and depending on when she starts, we will be back for one of the seasons. We have points so next year is definitely going to happen.
If you got our camp site, enjoy the pile of split wood as we were too tired to have a camp fire every night.
Shawn