Here are some pics from our 2008 Oregon elk hunt. It has to be one of the hardest, but most rewarding hunts I’ve exerienced to date.
A half hour into our hunt on opening morning, my good friend Brian and I glassed a heard of elk right at timberline, above 7,000 feet. Three bulls were in the group of eight, and one of them was a monster. Needless to say the morning was off to a great start. We gathered our gear from where we’d been glassing and headed for the top of the mountain.
We made it to the top of the mountain only to find the herd had headed over the next ridge. After a bit of still hunting we were both able to meet up again, this time overlooking a burned-out basin, with small pockets of green timber. We both looked at each other and agreed we needed to sit and glass a bit…not 5 minutes later a nice branched-antlered bull stepped into view on the opposing ridge. Luckily I had already ranged the ridge prior to the bull stepping out. I whispered over to Brian and clicked off the safety…515 yards, and three shots later, the bull was still standing. Brian scrambled over beside me and he too began to shoot. I was just starting to squeeze the trigger again when Brian touched his second shot off. It was clear through my scope that he’d made a lethal hit! The BDC reticle in his Nikon scope proved to be invaluable, at that range. Minutes later, after scrambling through the burned blow-down, we were standing above a beautiful 5X5 bull.
After slapping high-fives, dancing around a bit, and beginning to quarter the bull, I heard a cow call… As I looked at Brian to see if he had heard it as well, the entire hill below us erupted in cow calls and bugles…We looked down to see over 100 elk bunched up and coming up the draw towards us! Scrambling for my rifle and laying down on a rock, we spotted countless spikes in the group, but couldn’t get a shot off due to all the cows milling around them. Finally, Brian whispered that there was another branched-bull in the herd. I was able to pick him out, and after looking him over time and time again to make sure he was clear of the cows, I squeezed off a shot. The herd split and took off in two directions, with dust flying everywhere. Down the hill we went, hopping over the blow-down to the area the bull had been standing…after just a few minutes of looking we found the blood trail and the bull, a nice 4X5, piled up in the rocks!
Again, high-fives, dancing, screaming and a bit more jubilation and two more shots rang out down the mountain-side. Another family friend, Mike had also connected on one of the spikes running with the larger herd! Now the work of quartering and packing-out 2 miles to the trail began…we were able to get Mike’s bull out in one trip that same day.
The next morning our party of eight headed back up the trail to pack the other two bulls. Not ½ a mile up the trail I looked over on another burned hillside paralleling the trail, to see yet another branched-bull walking up the hill. After a bit of direction giving, on my part, Mike's son-in-law Chris had a really nice 6 point on the ground. Now we had another bull that needed to be quartered and packed out, along with the two still up on the mountain.
On the third day of our 5 day season, my dad and another hunting partner Bob, double on a 3 point, at over 7,400 feet…needless to say, the three youngest guys in the group had four full days of packing bulls off the mountain! My body is still cringing at the thought of putting on a pack, but there isn't a much better feeling than packing out quarters, high in the wilderness, with great friends and family.
Below, are pictures from the hunt. The first picture is of my 4X5. The second shows some of our party with the four branched bulls. The third picture is of my friend Brian's 5X5.
A half hour into our hunt on opening morning, my good friend Brian and I glassed a heard of elk right at timberline, above 7,000 feet. Three bulls were in the group of eight, and one of them was a monster. Needless to say the morning was off to a great start. We gathered our gear from where we’d been glassing and headed for the top of the mountain.
We made it to the top of the mountain only to find the herd had headed over the next ridge. After a bit of still hunting we were both able to meet up again, this time overlooking a burned-out basin, with small pockets of green timber. We both looked at each other and agreed we needed to sit and glass a bit…not 5 minutes later a nice branched-antlered bull stepped into view on the opposing ridge. Luckily I had already ranged the ridge prior to the bull stepping out. I whispered over to Brian and clicked off the safety…515 yards, and three shots later, the bull was still standing. Brian scrambled over beside me and he too began to shoot. I was just starting to squeeze the trigger again when Brian touched his second shot off. It was clear through my scope that he’d made a lethal hit! The BDC reticle in his Nikon scope proved to be invaluable, at that range. Minutes later, after scrambling through the burned blow-down, we were standing above a beautiful 5X5 bull.
After slapping high-fives, dancing around a bit, and beginning to quarter the bull, I heard a cow call… As I looked at Brian to see if he had heard it as well, the entire hill below us erupted in cow calls and bugles…We looked down to see over 100 elk bunched up and coming up the draw towards us! Scrambling for my rifle and laying down on a rock, we spotted countless spikes in the group, but couldn’t get a shot off due to all the cows milling around them. Finally, Brian whispered that there was another branched-bull in the herd. I was able to pick him out, and after looking him over time and time again to make sure he was clear of the cows, I squeezed off a shot. The herd split and took off in two directions, with dust flying everywhere. Down the hill we went, hopping over the blow-down to the area the bull had been standing…after just a few minutes of looking we found the blood trail and the bull, a nice 4X5, piled up in the rocks!
Again, high-fives, dancing, screaming and a bit more jubilation and two more shots rang out down the mountain-side. Another family friend, Mike had also connected on one of the spikes running with the larger herd! Now the work of quartering and packing-out 2 miles to the trail began…we were able to get Mike’s bull out in one trip that same day.
The next morning our party of eight headed back up the trail to pack the other two bulls. Not ½ a mile up the trail I looked over on another burned hillside paralleling the trail, to see yet another branched-bull walking up the hill. After a bit of direction giving, on my part, Mike's son-in-law Chris had a really nice 6 point on the ground. Now we had another bull that needed to be quartered and packed out, along with the two still up on the mountain.
On the third day of our 5 day season, my dad and another hunting partner Bob, double on a 3 point, at over 7,400 feet…needless to say, the three youngest guys in the group had four full days of packing bulls off the mountain! My body is still cringing at the thought of putting on a pack, but there isn't a much better feeling than packing out quarters, high in the wilderness, with great friends and family.
Below, are pictures from the hunt. The first picture is of my 4X5. The second shows some of our party with the four branched bulls. The third picture is of my friend Brian's 5X5.
