This one time at Elk camp…

[Gun&BowSD]

I had spotted a great opening morning public land bull the evening before in a glacier chute about a mile and a half further from my glassing point. Came out in the dark with a battle plan in my head for the morning. Morning comes and Im heading up the mountain above camp and as I crest the top I hear the equivalent of a Cat 262 in neutral plowing through the woods. Elk. Shoot. I’ve got two hours til light and I am not the type to leave elk to find elk. Especially in the dark. So I sit still and freeze til sun up and below me is a herd moving at about 350 yards. Suns been up five minutes and I am proned out on a legal spike. However behind him mid slope on the far ridge I see a beautiful dark horned 6x6 with some cows. I know I can get 500, my top comfort range, once this group moves, which it does. I move through the woods like a Navy Seal to avoid an accidental encounter with the first group. 700. 600. 575. He’s still there. One more tree line! Crawl out. And he is gone. Cows are gone. I know they haven’t seen or winded me me, not a chance. What happened?! And that’s when I see it… the orange beanie of a hunter beep boppin along at the very bottom of the drainage. Wind at his back, thermals heading up. He had no idea what was above him.

Even with good seasoning, tag soup didn’t taste nearly as great as backstrap.

Kick myself for not harvesting but hey thats hunting. And maybe that spike will grow up to be my next adventure

 

[Ross]

As the saying goes can’t shoot a Big one, If you shoot a small one.

2017 opening day knew of 3 good sixes in the jungles. Up at 3 am hiking at 4am. 45 minutes before shooting light hear the dominate bull sound off. Keep climbing and getting closer as he sounds off pushing a big group of cows. Daylight comes and slow down on an elk trail moving through timber. A hunter bugles across the canyon. He answers 150 yds from me, I continue ghosting forward checking the wind. Movement ahead several cows and a small 6 pt come moving in. They stop 45 yds out the big guy is bugling pushing his harem to me through a dense section of alders. Hunter bugles bull answers. My cross hairs settle on the little 6 several times. Checking wind knowing the chess game likely to fail soon , as all good wind setups eventually fail with that many noses. A cow tenses, I know the outcome before it plays out. One by one they are on alert, then off they go taking all the elk up. I try to cut them off, no fnn way they top out and over BOOM! My fathers party had 3 hunters above, they took a spike the others got away and I ate my tag that year. No regrets on not taking the little 6. Some years this type of decision paid off, other times it did not. Good luck on the next one

 

[Gun&BowSD]

Very true. I’m honestly not upset about it at all. Kept me hunting for the rest of the trip.
And as far as the hunter at the bottom, I am quite certain somebody out there probably has a similar story with me in it.

 

[Boone-In-Wall]

I had spotted a great opening morning public land bull the evening before in a glacier chute about a mile and a half further from my glassing point. Came out in the dark with a battle plan in my head for the morning. Morning comes and Im heading up the mountain above camp and as I crest the top I hear the equivalent of a Cat 262 in neutral plowing through the woods. Elk. Shoot. I’ve got two hours til light and I am not the type to leave elk to find elk. Especially in the dark. So I sit still and freeze til sun up and below me is a herd moving at about 350 yards. Suns been up five minutes and I am proned out on a legal spike. However behind him mid slope on the far ridge I see a beautiful dark horned 6x6 with some cows. I know I can get 500, my top comfort range, once this group moves, which it does. I move through the woods like a Navy Seal to avoid an accidental encounter with the first group. 700. 600. 575. He’s still there. One more tree line! Crawl out. And he is gone. Cows are gone. I know they haven’t seen or winded me me, not a chance. What happened?! And that’s when I see it… the orange beanie of a hunter beep boppin along at the very bottom of the drainage. Wind at his back, thermals heading up. He had no idea what was above him.

Even with good seasoning, tag soup didn’t taste nearly as great as backstrap.

Kick myself for not harvesting but hey thats hunting. And maybe that spike will grow up to be my next adventure

Awe damn! I was rooting for you while I read it. lol.

 

[MuleyFever]

Im glad this wasn't about where you stuck your rifle, that one time, at elk camp.

 

[Gun&BowSD]

Awe damn! I was rooting for you while I read it. lol.

I was too buddy hahah. At least it wasn't something I did wrong so that’s always a good feeling

 

[Gun&BowSD]

Im glad this wasn't about where you stuck your rifle, that one time, at elk camp.

I’ve hunted plenty of mountains with a lot of different names, but Broke Back has never been one of them haha

 

[poboy2214]

Had almost that exact scenario play out during mule deer season this year. Had a little 2x2 in range but as I was moving to close the distance on a nice 3x3 beyond him, 2 guys came up over the ridge he was feeding on and blew him out. Skylined themselves and the worst part was they were talking loudly enough for me to hear them 700 yards away. I can live with someone accidentally blowing up my spot, they have a right to be there too but talking loudly at 8 am on opening day is just baffling to me. Why leave the truck?

 

[Castle Oak]

This one time in elk camp 2023, a homeless guy shows up begging for food and water, twice, 3 days apart. We're camped 18 miles from the nearest town. WTH.

 

[squid-freshprints]

Im glad this wasn't about where you stuck your rifle, that one time, at elk camp.

....and thusly the, "shift to smallest caliber and cartridge" was initiated?