My first two days--lots of firsts

[MTLongdraw]

Quick Summary of my Opening Weekend
I’ll be honest; I’ve had a hard time getting real excited about hunting this year. Life has been super hectic, but more than anything 9-13 marked the end of a 41 day streak of 90 degrees or more. I’m more of a 45-60 type guy.
But regardless, Tuesday the 10th came and I was suddenly ready and excited to go. Picked up a buddy from work to tag along and we drove over to the spot I’ve been planning to hunt all year. For the first time in my bow hunting career I finally had a plan. Wednesday morning we hiked the 1.5 miles to the take off point and up and over the ridge we went. Hit a nice north facing slope with good feed and open timber. Walked that ridge out to a power line, which was about a 2.5-3 mile hike. It seemed really weird to me that we saw tons of sign that was a few weeks old, but no new rubs or scat. All the rubs were from last year. From what I had seen in the past, elk tend to rut in the same areas! I ended up finding two flat spots with lots of beds in them but still no sign.
After hanging out in the trees for a while longer I decided to drop onto the south aspect and hit the road to walk into a new area a little farther west. We probably made it about 300 yards before I told my friend screw this we are getting back on the north facing slopes. The heat was so miserable. Hopped up and over the ridge and into the thick dark timber we went. I bet we weren’t 200 yards in the timber and I looked down to see my foot right next to a moose shed. A little sun faded but without a doubt from this year. I was so excited as I had only found a few white tail sheds over the years. I strapped it to my pack and off we went. I bet we hadn’t walked 100 yards when I look up and see a brown blob running through the trees. He stopped and looked right at us and I was eventually able to see it was a bull moose. It’s like he just wanted us to know this was still his home. Only the second bull moose I had ever seen in the wild. Other than the ones you see when you’re driving down the road. Oddly enough the last bull moose I saw we killed a bull about 5 minutes later  Guarantee it was his horn, I thought that was a pretty awesome encounter. That kinda stuff can get a guy to think spiritually.
We continued down the ridge until the timber started to open up a bit. Part way down I noticed a super highway of a game trail. I looked over to see a bench. I had to go check it out. Sure enough I had finally found my first wallow. It stunk like elk from what I could smell. I didn’t walk right up to it in order to keep my sent out of it. Up until today I had never actually even see a wallow with my own eyes. Or had I found my first wallow? We sat over the water for four hours and never even had a bird fly into drink out of it. While sitting on the ridge about 25 yards away I noticed it probably wasn’t a wallow but just a spring. There were no tracks around it in the mud. You could see animals probably walked up close to it and another one close by but nothing was obviously rolling around in it. Oh well I knew where there was water and that was good for heat we have been having.
Thursday started off the same. We started heading into the same area right at sun up. About two miles into the hike, I heard what sounded a lot like an elk bugle. A terrible elk bugle but a bugle nonetheless. I knew it wasn’t another hunter since nobody else was in the area so I figured it was a small bull. But I was ok with that. I checked the wind and noticed it was blowing downhill. I dropped down below where the bugle had come from until I reached a small patch of trees on the north end of a steep bench with a rock slide right below it. I figured I had a good chance at choking him into where he wouldn’t cross that rock slide. If all went well he would come out above me or at me with about a 20-40 yard shot. I let out a few cow calls and didn’t get anything. I then let out a rag horn bugle myself. I got a response right where I wanted. He had come out just north of me on the edge of a patch of timber. Did I mention the response I got the second time wasn’t what I wanted and it was a little more distinct? I guessed him at about 75 yards. He was a wolf, and he let out the most amazing howl and barks I have ever heard. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and my skin and back bone started moving like an accordion. I’ll admit I was a little embarrassed thinking a wolf sounded like a elk but I swear to god he did. My friend later told me the same thing that he too thought it was an elk bugling in the beginning.
Then I started hearing crashing. I turned around to see my friend literally spinning in circles around a tree pointing like a child when a train goes by. That wolf had run from the edge of the timber he was on to another patch of timber about 80 yards away. I never saw him but based on the crashing sound I bet it took less than 4 seconds. He then took off down the ridge. Hopefully out of the area. I was about 35 yards from him but never saw him based on the slope of the ground. My friend saw him from about 25.
What an experience. Probably explained why nothing fresh was in the area. We spent the next three hours sitting at the wallow/spring thingy I found. Again not even a bird came in. I headed home a little early.
Took today and tomorrow off to visit the family. Headed out Sunday and Monday with Backcountry. Then back to this area Tuesday,home Wednesday for the anniversary, then back out Thursday.
All in all a memorable weekend. Lots of good things but also some obvious frustrations knowing they were there all summer but now they are gone.

[six]

Good story. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. I know what you mean about spiritual I found two sheds last year in a honey hole. Pretty good feeling.

[Indian Summer]

Great story. And yeah... I've mistaked the many different sounds wolves make for elk. They make all kinds of different vocalizations. One time I thought it was someone yelling from down in a hole. Crazy. Glad to hear you have a plan. Did you ever check out the one west side spot we talked about?

My brother's hunters are out today for the first day. They have been out and about and said the elk have been going crazy this week. Sounds like it'll be an action packed week. Last year there were no wolves in the area... until the hunters showed up. The packer came out from camp to meet us and said they kept him up all night. There were lots of elk around. Interestingly... the wolves never set up shop there and we never saw or heard them all week. Action was HOT too. I think they got wind of our presence and decided to move on & hunt elsewhere. Do you have wolf tag? Pretty obvious you better go get one. Whatever you do make sure you get that 270 permit next year so I can turn you loose on some other stuff. Buckeye Jon will be in the East Fork tomorrow so we'll get a report from down there in a couple weeks. Good luck and happy anniversary.

[Backcountry]

Hoping we get into the elk tomorrow my friend! The new spot looks great

[MTLongdraw]

joe, haven't got up there yet. I may head later this week depending on a few different variables...I might put in for 270 next year. Only have 2 bonus points and seem to be only able to draw the 100! Tags

[MTLongdraw]

Also....forgot to buy my wolf tag before aug 31 so I was expecting a 5 day wait....oh no, now it's only a 24 hour wait. why bother?

[Indian Summer]

Hate to see you burn points. the 270 permit must be your first and only choice. But you CAN kill a bull down there. At least it's not regulated like the 250 deer permits were.... meaning you couldn't hunt any other unit if you drew the permit. That sucked!

Keep us posted. Word is the bulls up Skalkaho have been very vocal.