6mm Remington
Ammo Smith
- Feb 27, 2006
- 5,203
- 434
On Thursday our first day of the hunt we looked for elk while at the same time getting the lay of the land as we had not hunted up here previously. We did see some elk right away, but they were in an area we could not hunt so we persevered on and kept looking checking every possible place. The temperatures were in the 20's and we had a little snow that was soft and quiet and it wasn't overly windy.........for a while. Aboout two hours into this deal we were right on top of a ridge checking over the other side we couldn't see when Andy made a comment about how fast these low passing clouds were moving and were just about to evelope us. Just seconds later it hit :!: The wind was blowing about 30 mph and it was snowing huge snowflakes. We beat feet into the timber on the ridge and huddled under a tree for about an hour waiting out the storm and telling stories while we sat there. What's kind of neat and how approriate, but on top of this ridge where the storm hit us, we could see the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation center way down below us! At around 1:00 PM we sat down and had some food to eat and started a fire and sat around the fire staying warm for a couple hours before it got to be elk hunting time again.
We continued hunting and at around 3:45 PM we snuck down the edge of this timber so we could stay out of sight and look across this open area at another hillside with some timber on it. There were about 50 elk coming down the hill to the water in the bottom. We hurried down the ridge and got into position at about 350 yards. (rangefinder) Jeff picked out a cow that was standing broadside and was laying down prone behind some cover using a Harris bi-pod. I told him to just take his time and to hold right between the 300 and 400 yard slash marks in his B&C Leupold scope. As soon as he touched off I saw the cow flinch and she ran over a little knob about 20 yards up out of sight. We got over to where she had been and slowly went up the little slope she had gone and there she lay about another 10 yards further, just out of sight. Talk about exciting. You should have seen the smile on his and Andy's faces :!: Andy missed a shot and hit right under another cow and they were gone.
We took some photo's and dressed her out while my buddy walked down to the truck to get the game cart. He came back and we loaded her up and wheeled her out. It was about 8:00 PM before we got back to the truck and we had started this day before light of course. :grin: Jeff was using his 6mm Remington with the 90 gr. Nosler E-tip. She was facing right and he hit her right behind the shoulder and she was angled just a bit. The bullet EXITED the right shoulder at 350 yards! Go NOSLER :grin:
The land we were hunting.
Still searching.
Snack time and story time!
Jeff and his elk. Jeff is on the left in the picture. That's the exit hole on her left shoulder.
Jeff, Andy, & a buddy of mine Jeff D. who went with us.
Me with the boys.
By the time I got home and had the elk skinned and hanging and some of the gear put away it was midnight. I told Andy that we were not going out first thing in the morning as I needed some sleep and some rest! :mrgreen: The next day my good friend Jeff could not go with us and it looked like Andy's father would not be able to come along until Saturday. At the last minute he had a gentlemen cancel an appointment on him right before 2:00 PM, and that is when we were to pick Andy up. He called and asked if he could come along which I was thrilled he was able to do.
By the time we got to near where Jeff shot his elk we figured for the evening we would just watch and wait until dark. It was about 4:00 PM before we got to where we needed to be and we immediately spotted some elk way out across a meadow up near the timber. A few were up feeding already, but most were bedded down. We also knew that there were some elk closer to us up on a ridge across from us as we had heard one cow bark at us as she could hear us walking below them. The snow had gotten a little crunchy in the creek and they heard us for a minute but it didn't appear as if they spooked. We were in a good spot to sit and we thought the best course of action would just sit tight and let them feed down to water, hopefully!
We had about 50 head of elk feeding out in the open on this ridge and were scattered out. It would have been next to impossible to approach without one of those sets of eyes seeing us. I don't think we had enough cover to hide in and behind on our stalk. About that same time I saw through the trees about 500 yards up the hill, there was a cow standing by a fence. This must be one from the group that barked at us. It looked like they could work their way down the hill towards us possibly, but I had no idea as we had ridge between us and them. At about 4:40 PM we could tell that the ones on the hill had probably just sidehilled over and were feeding with this larger group of elk we had been watching. Daylight was starting to fade and it was time to move and try a stalk or wait until the morning.
We dropped back and sneaked down a little draw and crossed over to the north side. We snuck up a back side of a ridge and kept looking for elk in the timber as we went. Pretty soon we could see 20 head or so up towards the top of a bowl feeding and some were laying down. We got Andy into position with his 25-06 and I just had him sit there and settle down from the climb and get his wits about him. The elk had no idea we were there and the closet one across from us on the hill was about 225 yards. Finally a nice cow fed into sight and was broadside at 250 yards which is right where the rifle was sighted in for. Andy was laying prone and using a Harris bi-pod just like we had practiced at the range. I told him to just take his time and shoot when HE was ready. I was laying right beside him whispering instruction and support and I could hear him taking in breaths and letting it out..........for what seemed like forever. The cow he shot just stood there broadside looking around while others nearby were feeding. Finally she had no elk behind her but she was quartered away a bit. Andy held so the bullet would enter and if it went straight through it should exit behind the off side right shoulder. He squeezed off and I heard the whop of the bullet hitting. I told him to put another round in and watch her and keep his eyes on her and only her. She ran about 40 yards and tipped over :!: 8) Andy is very analytical according to his father and he watches shooting shows on TV and history programs and he watches and listens to what these folks are saying. Later his father told me that Andy stated matter of factly to him that he got himself calmed down and got his breathing right, and he told Paul (father) that he shot between heart beats just like the snipers do! How cool is that........ :shock: The 120 gr. Partition went through and EXITED out right behind her right shoulder. Perfect performance again!
This young lad had a smile a mile wide on his face when that elk dropped. We were all pretty excited. We got over to her and took some pictures and my son Jeff and Andy's father Paul walked out to get the game cart. Andy and I stayed at the elk and started cleaning and quartering. I took the tenderloins out and layed them on the snow and then just sawed through the spine in front of the rear quarters and pulled them to the side and left the hide on. I then skinned one side of the cow pulling the hide up over her back until I had skinned to her backbone or slightly further. I then removed the front quarter and the backstraps and anything more I could get on that side. We then rolled her over and did the same on the other side. It took us quite a while to do this, but just as we were finishing up, Andy and my son Jeff were back with the game cart.
I loaded a front quarter into my son's pack and I took the other front quarter along with the backstraps and tenderloins. We put the rear half on the cart and got it strapped down and headed out with the elk. Jeff and I pushed the cart since "we were the gudes and that's what the guides do for their clients by golly" A lot of blessings for these two days. It was a stroke of something special that I was able to get us on this land to hunt as they only were allowing (8)-eight people to hunt it other than family and ranch workers for the WHOLE SEASON. Then at the last minute Andy's father Paul had that cancelled client on his schedule and at the last minute he decided to see if he could go along. This is the best year of hunting I have ever had in my life and if I don't get anything myself before it's over this year, I won't miss a thing :!: :grin: Sorry so long, but I really think this was a neat situation. As some may recall, Andy is the young man with Cystic Fibrosis so it was a real thrill for me to get to take him this year. Something I'm sure he'll always remember. Thanks for letting me share. Looks like I'll be busy the next few days cutting up elk!
Paul, Andy, & Jeff
Quick story on the red knitted cap. He hates the wool cap as it's really itchy and maybe not the most attractive garment! :mrgreen: His grandmother knitted it for him, so he made sure when Jeff got his elk the previous day that he had this wool cap on in at least one photograph. When he got his elk, he decided he should put the wool cap on the elk in one of the pictures and send that to his Grandmother as well! Now that's funny stuff. I tell you that kids full of piss and vinegar.. :grin: :grin:
Half an elk on our backs and half on the cart. Finally made it to the truck!
We continued hunting and at around 3:45 PM we snuck down the edge of this timber so we could stay out of sight and look across this open area at another hillside with some timber on it. There were about 50 elk coming down the hill to the water in the bottom. We hurried down the ridge and got into position at about 350 yards. (rangefinder) Jeff picked out a cow that was standing broadside and was laying down prone behind some cover using a Harris bi-pod. I told him to just take his time and to hold right between the 300 and 400 yard slash marks in his B&C Leupold scope. As soon as he touched off I saw the cow flinch and she ran over a little knob about 20 yards up out of sight. We got over to where she had been and slowly went up the little slope she had gone and there she lay about another 10 yards further, just out of sight. Talk about exciting. You should have seen the smile on his and Andy's faces :!: Andy missed a shot and hit right under another cow and they were gone.
We took some photo's and dressed her out while my buddy walked down to the truck to get the game cart. He came back and we loaded her up and wheeled her out. It was about 8:00 PM before we got back to the truck and we had started this day before light of course. :grin: Jeff was using his 6mm Remington with the 90 gr. Nosler E-tip. She was facing right and he hit her right behind the shoulder and she was angled just a bit. The bullet EXITED the right shoulder at 350 yards! Go NOSLER :grin:
The land we were hunting.
Still searching.
Snack time and story time!
Jeff and his elk. Jeff is on the left in the picture. That's the exit hole on her left shoulder.
Jeff, Andy, & a buddy of mine Jeff D. who went with us.
Me with the boys.
By the time I got home and had the elk skinned and hanging and some of the gear put away it was midnight. I told Andy that we were not going out first thing in the morning as I needed some sleep and some rest! :mrgreen: The next day my good friend Jeff could not go with us and it looked like Andy's father would not be able to come along until Saturday. At the last minute he had a gentlemen cancel an appointment on him right before 2:00 PM, and that is when we were to pick Andy up. He called and asked if he could come along which I was thrilled he was able to do.
By the time we got to near where Jeff shot his elk we figured for the evening we would just watch and wait until dark. It was about 4:00 PM before we got to where we needed to be and we immediately spotted some elk way out across a meadow up near the timber. A few were up feeding already, but most were bedded down. We also knew that there were some elk closer to us up on a ridge across from us as we had heard one cow bark at us as she could hear us walking below them. The snow had gotten a little crunchy in the creek and they heard us for a minute but it didn't appear as if they spooked. We were in a good spot to sit and we thought the best course of action would just sit tight and let them feed down to water, hopefully!
We had about 50 head of elk feeding out in the open on this ridge and were scattered out. It would have been next to impossible to approach without one of those sets of eyes seeing us. I don't think we had enough cover to hide in and behind on our stalk. About that same time I saw through the trees about 500 yards up the hill, there was a cow standing by a fence. This must be one from the group that barked at us. It looked like they could work their way down the hill towards us possibly, but I had no idea as we had ridge between us and them. At about 4:40 PM we could tell that the ones on the hill had probably just sidehilled over and were feeding with this larger group of elk we had been watching. Daylight was starting to fade and it was time to move and try a stalk or wait until the morning.
We dropped back and sneaked down a little draw and crossed over to the north side. We snuck up a back side of a ridge and kept looking for elk in the timber as we went. Pretty soon we could see 20 head or so up towards the top of a bowl feeding and some were laying down. We got Andy into position with his 25-06 and I just had him sit there and settle down from the climb and get his wits about him. The elk had no idea we were there and the closet one across from us on the hill was about 225 yards. Finally a nice cow fed into sight and was broadside at 250 yards which is right where the rifle was sighted in for. Andy was laying prone and using a Harris bi-pod just like we had practiced at the range. I told him to just take his time and shoot when HE was ready. I was laying right beside him whispering instruction and support and I could hear him taking in breaths and letting it out..........for what seemed like forever. The cow he shot just stood there broadside looking around while others nearby were feeding. Finally she had no elk behind her but she was quartered away a bit. Andy held so the bullet would enter and if it went straight through it should exit behind the off side right shoulder. He squeezed off and I heard the whop of the bullet hitting. I told him to put another round in and watch her and keep his eyes on her and only her. She ran about 40 yards and tipped over :!: 8) Andy is very analytical according to his father and he watches shooting shows on TV and history programs and he watches and listens to what these folks are saying. Later his father told me that Andy stated matter of factly to him that he got himself calmed down and got his breathing right, and he told Paul (father) that he shot between heart beats just like the snipers do! How cool is that........ :shock: The 120 gr. Partition went through and EXITED out right behind her right shoulder. Perfect performance again!
This young lad had a smile a mile wide on his face when that elk dropped. We were all pretty excited. We got over to her and took some pictures and my son Jeff and Andy's father Paul walked out to get the game cart. Andy and I stayed at the elk and started cleaning and quartering. I took the tenderloins out and layed them on the snow and then just sawed through the spine in front of the rear quarters and pulled them to the side and left the hide on. I then skinned one side of the cow pulling the hide up over her back until I had skinned to her backbone or slightly further. I then removed the front quarter and the backstraps and anything more I could get on that side. We then rolled her over and did the same on the other side. It took us quite a while to do this, but just as we were finishing up, Andy and my son Jeff were back with the game cart.
I loaded a front quarter into my son's pack and I took the other front quarter along with the backstraps and tenderloins. We put the rear half on the cart and got it strapped down and headed out with the elk. Jeff and I pushed the cart since "we were the gudes and that's what the guides do for their clients by golly" A lot of blessings for these two days. It was a stroke of something special that I was able to get us on this land to hunt as they only were allowing (8)-eight people to hunt it other than family and ranch workers for the WHOLE SEASON. Then at the last minute Andy's father Paul had that cancelled client on his schedule and at the last minute he decided to see if he could go along. This is the best year of hunting I have ever had in my life and if I don't get anything myself before it's over this year, I won't miss a thing :!: :grin: Sorry so long, but I really think this was a neat situation. As some may recall, Andy is the young man with Cystic Fibrosis so it was a real thrill for me to get to take him this year. Something I'm sure he'll always remember. Thanks for letting me share. Looks like I'll be busy the next few days cutting up elk!
Paul, Andy, & Jeff
Quick story on the red knitted cap. He hates the wool cap as it's really itchy and maybe not the most attractive garment! :mrgreen: His grandmother knitted it for him, so he made sure when Jeff got his elk the previous day that he had this wool cap on in at least one photograph. When he got his elk, he decided he should put the wool cap on the elk in one of the pictures and send that to his Grandmother as well! Now that's funny stuff. I tell you that kids full of piss and vinegar.. :grin: :grin:
Half an elk on our backs and half on the cart. Finally made it to the truck!
