Christmas/New Years Elk hunt

[sask boy]

Thank you DrMike for your post. I know that gerry & Maria will have a great time with your expert help. Hopefully next week you will have some time and the three of you will have a story or two to post.
Good luck to all three of you :wink: have fun, shoot straight & be safe!!

Blessings,
Dan

 

[DrMike]

Thank you DrMike for your post. I know that gerry & Maria will have a great time with your expert help. Hopefully next week you will have some time and the three of you will have a story or two to post.
Good luck to all three of you :wink: have fun, shoot straight & be safe!!

Blessings,
Dan

What! I have to shoot straight? :shock: And be safe? :shock: Where's the fun going to come from? :?

 

[Vince]

Taquitos at the local 7-11 (early morning ptomaine palace). Eating a couple of taquitos first thing in the morning ensures that you aren't liable to fall asleep. In fact, bouncing around in the bed of the pickup (doing my best imitation of a sandbag) I was questioning whether eating those taquitos that particular morning was really all that wise!

Blkram and I have seen wolves frequently on our hunts, and we see evidence of wolves on almost every hunt. They are sufficiently numerous that government is at last discussing a ten-year cull. Gil relates that the trapper near his village has taken several in the past week or so. One thing is certain, they don't give you much of a chance to shoot.

Pity mi amigo for I thought you were referring to real food.
Turkey Tetrachloride and Chicken Salmonella are not among my favorite epicurean delights.

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[DrMike]

Alas and alack, 'tis well nigh impossible to find true Mexican food this far north. When I make chili, I cannot make three-alarm chili; it must be adjusted to false alarm chili to accommodate the delicate palate of the local gentry. Local chefs imagine chipotle means hot, never understanding the smoky flavour that is to be imparted. I am moved to tears when I am able to find jalapeños for my gustatory preparations. I will say that gas station sushi and ptomaine palace offerings do tend to keep things moving right along. :shock:

 

[wisconsinteacher]

Good luck. I would love to do a cow elk hunt over Christmas break some time.

 

[6mm Remington]

I sure hope you all get cows!! That little 6.5 is one sweet cartridge and with the Partition it is gonna knock the socks off of a cow for your wife!! Wish I could be there just to help out and enjoy the experience. Hopefully next weekend I'll make it out looking for a wolf of my own!!

 

[DrMike]

First day scouting report. Gerry and Maria arrived Saturday afternoon. It was too late to get in any scouting on the first day. I was occupied on Sunday, and they chose to come to the morning service with my wife and me. We ate lunch, dressed for the weather and headed out to the first area I had recommended. We were essentially familiarising them with the area. We didn't see any elk, but we cut tracks on about three herds, discovering where they were moving from bedding areas to feeding areas. I recommended an ambush in these areas. Since Maria is comfortable with shots up to 250 yards, it shouldn't be a problem to set up a good site. Gerry is carrying his 35 Whelen and Maria is carrying her 6.5X55. They were up at six this morning and out the door by a quarter of seven. It takes about an hour to reach the area they are hunting this morning, so that gives ample time to set up and prepare for first light around 8:30. I assured them that if they have two down they can phone and I'll bring my pickup to give them a hand. We went over Gerry's maps last night, pointing out about four other areas that are "elky." They should do well. I'm expecting a call sometime this morning.

 

[Elkman]

It sounds exciting, hope something comes by!!!!

 

[DrMike]

They will have ample opportunity to track the herds into their bedding areas. The trek isn't particularly difficult as the snow isn't terribly deep yet. There is only eighteen to twenty-four inches in most areas, so they should be able to move in reasonably easily, Bill. There isn't much of a crust, so noise is not a serious problem yet. If they move cautiously, they can get pretty close without being seen. They are dressed for the weather. I note that it is -25C (-13F) at the moment, but there isn't much wind here.

 

[truck driver]

Anticipation, Anticipation, Anticipation. Tell Gerry we are all rooting for him and Maria to fill their tags.

 

[SJB358]

Man, I'm wishing them a ton of luck. Sounds like they have some great spots to hunt.

 

[DrMike]

It is getting cooler today (-18 F, or -28 C), but it is bright and sunny. I haven't had a phone call, and it has been light for an hour and a half. They are planning to stay for the entire day. I have to work, so I can't go out. I'm thinking they could do very well.

 

[Dwh7271]

Man, the suspense......
Good story so far.

 

[sask boy]

Thanks DrMike, I wish that I was there with them as I could at least help field dress and be the camera guy :mrgreen:!
I sure hope you are going to be able to get a day or two with them.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Elkman]

There is only eighteen to twenty-four inches in most areas, so they should be able to move in reasonably easily, Bill. There isn't much of a crust, so noise is not a serious problem yet. If they move cautiously, they can get pretty close without being seen.

In those kinds of conditions, the only issue is the wind, get the wind right and by taking ones time, you can be on them before they know you are there. Hopefully they have an opportunity.

 

[Silentstalker]

Great read so far! Good luck to all and dont get stuck! Long walks in the bitter cold are not as much fun as the hunt! Looking forward to the rest of the story!

 

[SJB358]

Any updates Mike?

 

[DrMike]

Gerry and Maria hunted hard in the areas I had marked out for them yesterday and saw nary an elk. They did see quite a few moose, apparently. Moose are thick in that area. They did cut wolf tracks in the first area I had suggested, which isn't good. Not surprising, but disappointing. In the second area, Gerry found a gut pile that hadn't been there long. Since we had been in that area until dark the day before, it must have been from an elk downed very early in the morning or after dark last evening. Yeah, there are some unethical hunters that show up from time-to-time. They got a pretty good lead on where elk might be seen after they came home last evening, so they will be checking it out this evening. I marked out a couple of other areas on Gerry's map where elk usually congregate. They have a few more days, and BlkRam (Gil) is going with them one day. I'm not much help at the moment; I still have other responsibilities that demand attention, so I can't be with them as much as I might wish. In short, they are hunting hard and working for these elk.

 

[Vince]

Here's wishing them luck and saying a prayer for safety and success.

Vince

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[sask boy]

Thanks DrMike for the update. I know that gerry & Maria are trying their best. It is just a matter of time until they get a crack at couple of Elk.

Blessings,
Dan