Elk camp 2017

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salmonchaser

Handloader
Dec 13, 2013
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Yvette had the day off, so I broke with tradition. She drove up with me this morning and helped me set up the 20x16. We also cut a load of fire wood. We did a little scouting, found some elk and saw a ton of deer. I'll bring the cook tent up tomorrow and stay for a week. My brothers show up on Friday, season opens Saturday.IMG_0708.JPG


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That looks to be a great time for all of you. We're pulling for you. Here's to great success.
 
2016, I guess I'm in a hurry to get this whole election over with.


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THATS AWESOME! My bags are packed and I believe Bill is headed in today. My bags are packed and ready to hunt. Should be a great hunt. Can't wait to hear how you do.
 

We had to buy a new cook tent this year, 12 x 14 and 21 pounds. Wood pile in place, camp was in good shape by Friday morning.
We saw quite a few elk scouting, optimism was very high on Friday night.
Opening day I had a small bull at first light, below me. 90% sure he was a spike but he moved off. I waited on my stand for 15 more minutes, no show so I started slipping along trying to come up with him. A thousand vertical feet to the creek bottom, scattered pockets of timber with a lot of folds in the terrain.50 to 75 yards in front I see movement. Drop to kneeling leaning against a big larch tree. I count as they cross the ridge into the dark timber. 18 cows and calves followed by a big bull. No spikes. By the end of the day I've seen 30 some elk I could identify without getting eyes on another spike.
Hope this isn't how my season goes.
Yep.
Day three one of the guys got shooting
Late. We ran out of light to track. He was convinced he missed. Next morning from the adjoining ridge the bull is spotted lying against a tree. Damn he went a long way down the hill. I make it to the bull about 0900 hours to help. We make it back to the truck about 1600 hours. Only an idiot would have shot that bull there. I'll double check but he was something like 1500 feet below and 3/4 mile out. Not enough time to get to where I had planned to be, but I can glass the area from up high, make my plan for tomorrow.
Elk everywhere.
From our camp, north five miles to the next camp, south three miles to the next camp. One road, we have come to know the guys in both camps over the years. None of them appear to be in the area, I should be golden in the morning. I insert by head lamp. I'm a little late, it's windy as hell but in my face. I sit in one of my favorite morning hides. The ridge runs another 100 yards down hill then flattens out for about two hundred yards. 15 minutes later it's legal shooting hours. I'm glassing the saddle, shortly a couple of cows move over. Minutes later a couple more. I'm glassing a little closer, something moves near a tree just below me. Caught it on the bottom edge of my glasses. Nothing, probably a squirrel.
Elk moving through the timber. The Jarrett comes up, there is a spike, he'll be on the ridge in a minute. I track the first couple of cows over the ridge. The squirrel moves again and becomes the back of a hunters head, lower right quadrant of my scope. As the spike steps on the ridge the squirrel kills him. The squirrel is one of the guys from up the road. He had beat me in by 10 minutes or so but had picked the big larch tree just down hill to rest his back on. Maybe 15 hunters working 100,000 acres with 100's of ridges in some real rough country. He ends up in front of me. It gets better, there were two more spikes in the herd but my angles were only about 15% to either side of him. No way to take a shot. He nearly had a stroke when I called out to him.
Spent the rest of the day chasing those spikes to no avail. Counted coup on a big six point, got him out of his bed close enough I threw a rock at him. On Wednesday morning we got a call requiring three of the five to be home that night, cut the season in half.
But it was fun.


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Great recap Don. We had about the same sorta hunt on Mt. Emily. Hope you're still at it.
 
Camp looks nice. Lucky you that you have your wife as a cook. ;-) I have to do my cooking when I go hunting, lol. I am sure you will get something soon. Good luck.
 
Cook, no chance. She had the day off so came up to help set up the big tent. Spending 10 days in a tent with five smelly boys is not her idea of fun. :) I had her home by dinner then drove back up by dawn the next day.


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salmonchaser":22k6rrw2 said:
Cook, no chance. She had the day off so came up to help set up the big tent. Spending 10 days in a tent with five smelly boys is not her idea of fun. :) I had her home by dinner then drove back up by dawn the next day.


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Click to expand...

Well, that certainly sounds like my wife. Her idea of roughing it is staying in a Motel 6. She may accompany me on a drive into the mountains, but she does want to be home by dark. Hey, no complaints since she is cool with me going hunting whenever I want and pursuing the acquisition of and shooting of multiple guns.
 
It is a very comfortable set up, two wood stoves and water heaters, big cots and a bunch of keep your gear organized attachments inside. It does take a couple of hours to get set up, but when the weather is bad you can't beat it.


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