MT Elk Opener

Troutslayer2 said:
Wow yesterday was a long one. We left at 3:30AM for a brutal uphill climb. We had scouted some elk a few weeks ago and we have had success here before and we were really liking our prospects. It was cold, and raining, lightning was flashing in the distance which is really strange for how cold it is. We arrived at our spot that affords both the potential to shoot an elk and some great views of distant open hillsides- and it was early, and we were soaking wet and the temperature was dropping hard. It got light and we didn't see anything for a while. At around 10AM my buddy said he heard a cow behind us, which would put it on the downslope of the ridge we were sitting close to the top of. Since I was freezing I thought it was a good idea to climb up there and look over the other side. I just took my rifle and took about 30 steps up from our perch when my view changed and I saw 3 elk right where we expect them to be but in a pocket that is just out of view from where we were sitting. I hit the dirt and started trying to get ready, I could only see that one was a cow and could not identify the other two. The hill was so steep that I had on leg of my bipod all the way out and the other all the way in and I could still not get my gun level. Ranged them- 464 YDS. I crammed the short leg of my bipod into the dirt far enough to get level, but I couldn't get behind my gun very well. I dialed up the March. By this time I had realized that there were 2 good bulls with that cow but I had to wait for them to clear some vegetation that was on a ridge between them and I. I took my binoculars off in an attempt to get behind my weapon but I still couldn't shoulder it proper. When he cleared the tree and was standing broadside I let one fly for a perfect high shoulder shot. He didn't move an inch other than the 100 or so yards he tumbled because the terrain is so steep.

It took us a while just to get over to him and from there we really had our work cut out for us. We got three quarters off but in trying to get the fourth we had to roll him and he rolled a lot farther than we would have liked. So we climbed down and got the fourth. Then it happened again as we were trying to get at the back-straps and other meat. Just getting all the meat up to the ridge was quite an ordeal and it had started snowing really hard, like 2" fell while we were cleaning and getting ready for transport. We finally got him to the ridge and decided it was best to get him off the mountain but not all the way to the truck. We took the hinds and as much personal stuff as we could carry. Then we went back for the rest of the meat, the head, and all of the rest of our gear which was a lot because we had planned to spike out so we had tents, sleeping bags, food all that stuff.


My best bull, and a very good one for this area. Doing it the hard way on public land.
View attachment 155228

Getting it all in one place in deteriorating conditions.
View attachment 155226



The 168 Grain 7MM ABLR launched from my 280AI at 2900FPS, 464 YDS, 62.5% weight retention.
View attachment 155227
Click to expand...


Nice bull! Congratulations :)

As a future reference: When hunting on steep terrain, the best thing to do when cutting up the animal is tie off their head to the trunk of the nearest tree with a line of good strong rope then role their butt downhill. With the animal hanging straight downhill from the tree as an anchor, they are much easier to work on. Wont fold up on you or go rolling down the mountain when you have to roll them around to get at other parts. I always carry a decent amount of rope in my pack in case the nearest tree is a little ways off. It's the only way to go when processing meat on steep mountainsides ;)
 
Congrats. You beat the odds on a true MT public land elk. That is getting harder and harder to do these days. Well done.
 
Great bull! Thanks for sharing your public land hunting experience. I've drawn a couple of public land hunts and so much enjoyed the challenges they presented and even more so after they were over with!
 
Congrats on the Bull, thanks for sharing your trip. I feel sore and trying to warm up from all the work and the weather. Great shot.
 
Awesome Bull. Congrats. Another story about the .280 AI and it's greatness. I think my Winchester Mod 70 Lightweight .280 Remington will be wearing a new dress by next hunting season. And she will be wearing a Hart .280 AI.
 
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