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How To Hunt Big Game
What is your Best Hunting Story?
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<blockquote data-quote="SkunkedAgain" data-source="post: 3034522" data-attributes="member: 127677"><p>I've been hunting elk in Colorado since 2014 with no luck. I have seen elk and been close to them (had them mewing outside my tent at 4 am) but never the right sex or legal size. Last year a friend tells me to put in for Wyoming, avoid all the pressure that we have in Colorado. I draw a cow tag and am immediately disheartened. 90% of the hunting I do is by myself. I invite folks to come with me but it never works out. Normally I don't care, I like going by myself. But this is going to be in grizzly country. What makes me think this hunt is going to be any different?</p><p></p><p>I call my buddy up who told me about the tag and he says he is going to come out there with me. Fast forward a week before the planned hunt. I can't reach my buddy, no response to phone call, email, anything. I prep for my trip anyway. I talk to everyone I can get in touch with who has ever hunted in Wy, or in grizz areas. They say don't worry, just be bear aware. Day for departure comes, my buddy finally says he can't go, I drive up to Wy by my lonesome. Next day I get to the camp ground and set up shop. I'm the only one in the campground.</p><p></p><p>First day I walk out on this big opening to glass up on this big bowl. I see a set of horse tracks and follow them up to an area where get all jumbled up. I'm looking at what looks to be a massive pile of horse manure and tracks all around. Then I notice that there are 4 elk hooves around this small area, elk hair and what I'm staring at is the stomach contents of said elk. All the bones and gut pile are gone. Pretty wild, bear? Wolves?</p><p></p><p>Second day I get up early and head straight for the bowl I had looked over. I want to get up on the other side and look for sign near tree line. At 3 miles I cross a creek and start coming up the other side of the canyon. In the trees I start seeing fresh elk sign everywhere. The kind that sticks to your boot. I get my 300 WM ready and slowly creep on up. Right as I walk into this meadow I feel the wind change. Then I hear roaring coming from 50 yds away. I pull up my 44 mag in one hand, bear spray in the other, and slowly start backing up. Bear keeps roaring at me until the point where I'm 100yds away. It never came out of trees, just stayed where it was. At 200 yds I turn and book it away from there, get up a pretty nasty deadfall nightmare and down the other side.</p><p></p><p>Climb a point and glass over another basin while having lunch. I hear a tree crack and fall down and then a bull bugles! I make my way in that general area and come to within 100yds of him. Haggard looking 5x5 that wants nothing to do with anyone. Then I walk to another point over a meadow for the evening. At the top of the meadow I find two dead elk calf heads within a foot of each other. Their gut piles aren't that close so something has been dragging the heads. As I sit there I hear wolves start barking. What a day!</p><p></p><p>Just as shooting light ends I start to hike down. On my way to the campground I hear some grunting on the trail in front of me. I stop and see a bull, cow and calf moose sitting there. I start singing a song about how I don't want to be trampled and walk my way down while giving them a 100yds of breathing room.</p><p></p><p>I ended up meeting some Wy guys at the camp that were awesome. They set up camp on my second day. Really hit it off with them, it was awesome getting to hang out with them at the end of each day. They gave me some good guidance and ended up shooting my first elk. I was climbing up these rocks to get a better view of an area below me and a bull elk got spooked. He must have been napping 20 yds below me. He starts barking, but he cant see me because of the trees. I figure there must be some curious cows around. I scan around and see one at 250 yds looking around. Shot the elk at 2:30, got to the elk at 2:50, quartered by 4, and last load in the cooler by 9.</p><p></p><p>Would I do it again, you bet! Just put in for the same tag. Got home and gave my buddy back his 44 mag and noticed that I had carried that thing unloaded the whole time. Glad I doubled up my protection! Or triple I guess, if you count my 300WM.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SkunkedAgain, post: 3034522, member: 127677"] I've been hunting elk in Colorado since 2014 with no luck. I have seen elk and been close to them (had them mewing outside my tent at 4 am) but never the right sex or legal size. Last year a friend tells me to put in for Wyoming, avoid all the pressure that we have in Colorado. I draw a cow tag and am immediately disheartened. 90% of the hunting I do is by myself. I invite folks to come with me but it never works out. Normally I don't care, I like going by myself. But this is going to be in grizzly country. What makes me think this hunt is going to be any different? I call my buddy up who told me about the tag and he says he is going to come out there with me. Fast forward a week before the planned hunt. I can't reach my buddy, no response to phone call, email, anything. I prep for my trip anyway. I talk to everyone I can get in touch with who has ever hunted in Wy, or in grizz areas. They say don't worry, just be bear aware. Day for departure comes, my buddy finally says he can't go, I drive up to Wy by my lonesome. Next day I get to the camp ground and set up shop. I'm the only one in the campground. First day I walk out on this big opening to glass up on this big bowl. I see a set of horse tracks and follow them up to an area where get all jumbled up. I'm looking at what looks to be a massive pile of horse manure and tracks all around. Then I notice that there are 4 elk hooves around this small area, elk hair and what I'm staring at is the stomach contents of said elk. All the bones and gut pile are gone. Pretty wild, bear? Wolves? Second day I get up early and head straight for the bowl I had looked over. I want to get up on the other side and look for sign near tree line. At 3 miles I cross a creek and start coming up the other side of the canyon. In the trees I start seeing fresh elk sign everywhere. The kind that sticks to your boot. I get my 300 WM ready and slowly creep on up. Right as I walk into this meadow I feel the wind change. Then I hear roaring coming from 50 yds away. I pull up my 44 mag in one hand, bear spray in the other, and slowly start backing up. Bear keeps roaring at me until the point where I'm 100yds away. It never came out of trees, just stayed where it was. At 200 yds I turn and book it away from there, get up a pretty nasty deadfall nightmare and down the other side. Climb a point and glass over another basin while having lunch. I hear a tree crack and fall down and then a bull bugles! I make my way in that general area and come to within 100yds of him. Haggard looking 5x5 that wants nothing to do with anyone. Then I walk to another point over a meadow for the evening. At the top of the meadow I find two dead elk calf heads within a foot of each other. Their gut piles aren't that close so something has been dragging the heads. As I sit there I hear wolves start barking. What a day! Just as shooting light ends I start to hike down. On my way to the campground I hear some grunting on the trail in front of me. I stop and see a bull, cow and calf moose sitting there. I start singing a song about how I don't want to be trampled and walk my way down while giving them a 100yds of breathing room. I ended up meeting some Wy guys at the camp that were awesome. They set up camp on my second day. Really hit it off with them, it was awesome getting to hang out with them at the end of each day. They gave me some good guidance and ended up shooting my first elk. I was climbing up these rocks to get a better view of an area below me and a bull elk got spooked. He must have been napping 20 yds below me. He starts barking, but he cant see me because of the trees. I figure there must be some curious cows around. I scan around and see one at 250 yds looking around. Shot the elk at 2:30, got to the elk at 2:50, quartered by 4, and last load in the cooler by 9. Would I do it again, you bet! Just put in for the same tag. Got home and gave my buddy back his 44 mag and noticed that I had carried that thing unloaded the whole time. Glad I doubled up my protection! Or triple I guess, if you count my 300WM. [/QUOTE]
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