Top 5 Highlights, Lows, Memories of Your SEP 2012 Elk Hunt

[WapitiTalk1]

Similar to thelkhunter lessons learned thread but with a twist. What are your top 5 unforgettable experiences during your SEP 2012 elk hunt? Perhaps there are some lessons learned from these experiences (you should offer these in theelkhunter's thread), some new strategies you deployed that worked, or just some events that occurred that you'll never forget. Here's a few of mine..

1. Brush! The area we hunted in ID was the thickest I've ever encountered across the board. My hunting partner and I drew back close to a dozen times but only one shot was taken (hit a branch). The rest, no shot was available. I had two bulls I called in stop, head on, 25 to 35 yards. The bull at 35 yards was in a relatively open area but farther than I'm comfortable for a frontal shot. The other came crashing off a little ridge through and alder bottom like he was the hulk.. he stopped facing me but all I could see was his rack and the black up of his head/neck.. no shot there either. My partner and I were within 50 or less yards from many bulls including herd bulls. May look at some tree stand hunting for the first time next year when we return to this area. There are some dry and wet wallows that had elk on them or close by every day or so.

2. Screaming Bulls! Must have heard close to 300 bugles. If you can believe it, I almost got tired of hearing elk bugle. Possibly the best bugling season I've ever had the pleasure to be involved with. Problem is (see item 1), it's so darn thick it's very, very tough to get a shot. Minimal hunting pressure here. We talked to a few hunters traveling to their camps way up the road from us but did not hear or see another hunter in the areas we hunted.

3. Cow Bugle! Heard a cow bugle. I bedded down with the elk mid day. There was a small herd across a thick draw from me racking out so I thought I'd join them in a siesta until the thermals changed and/or they got up to move. I was awoken by a cow bugling as they got up to move. She made her sound a few times as I paralleled the herd on their way down to the bottom of the big wet draw.

4. Nasty food. Almost had to resort to eating squirrels, bark, snails, or toenails for my mid day meal. Bridgeford sandwiches are pretty damn nasty. I should have listed to Conlan (Slim9300) and not bought these things for my daily pack lunch.

5. Elk information at my fingertips. With the elk being so vocal in the area I hunted this year, I really got some great use out of Elknut's field playbook this year. After each day's adventures, I'd go to the chapter in the book that dealt with what I'd been into. The book is a great read at home but is really invaluable in the field.

What are your top 5 or so highlights, lows, experiences for your SEP 2012 elk hunt? RJ

[Freebird134]

1. Fire/have a plan B. we were shut out our planned hunting area the night before we left. It's still on fire. We scrambled to get another plan going, but would have been much, much better off to have a plan B already to go.

2. Need more socks. I like heavy wool socks, but they dry slow. And burn when too close to a fire. That sucked....3 pairs for my future pack hunts.

3. Elk need more fiber in their diet (where's the poop?) beat down trails, fresh tracks, and live elk in the area--never saw a fresh turd. What gives?

4. Meal plan was spot on. 2500cals and I weighed the same going in as I did coming out a week later.

5. Binoculars. See Phantoms post (brush). Don't need 'em

[cnelk]

I didnt have too many lows [yet] but I have another rifle cow hunt coming up

Here are 3 of my favorite highlights...

My bull coming in...




Arrow sunk... you can see the white fletching just below the mark on his shoulder




Recovery....

[pointysticks]

i dont know what you call it..maybe blowdowns?

big huge patches of earth with trees knocked over. i would be pretty happy never to see those again..my legs are still scarred up. those are a huge LOW, in the dark.

elk have to avoid those areas right?

[bnsafe]

1 thru 5 was just my first experience elk hunting, seeing the mountains turn colors, bulls bugling at night, bear in camp, good friend, calling in a couple raghorns, etc was unbelievable for me.
lows were we were so inexperienced and took way to much stuff with us. and worst of all i let a hill beat me mentally causing me to not hunt effectively where the elk were.
looking back i learned and wont let that happen again.

[slim9300]

Great read Rory!

I told you those sandwiches were horrible.

You guys need to implement the 2-man call and stalk method. I bet you will slay them next year.

[flystrait]

They highs were everyday we were chasing elk the lows were when I called in bulls to bow range, one at 28 yards and a small window for the shooter and found that he did not take the shot (comfortability to make the shot) once I found this out it was a high. No one wants to take a shot they are uncomfortable with. The outcome always seems to come out bad. The second is when I called another bull in to bow range broadside and the shooter drew three times and did not take the shot after the regroup I found out he could not see through his peep each time he drew and when we looked at his bow half his string had broke twisting everything. His string was in need of replacement before the hunt and the oversight cost him a great oppertunity at killing his first bull!! I bet he will have a new string every year now..

[Lefty]

Highs
1 Called in my first elk cow calling
2 Found lots of timber and open range elk country enough that I feel I can hunt and find elk anywhere they exist
3. May sound wierd but the satifaction of making a funtioning water tank in the desert then brought elk to it
4. Called into range cow calling bugling, stomping raking and shaking a bull that offered great shots
5. Each hunt I enjoyed and learned something
6. My wife came out for a day and a 1/2

Lows
1. Messed up on a nice bull
2. Work kept me from eveninghunts