crunch time

[powderhogg01]

Last week is upon us here in co. I we will going into an area we got bugles in last week for a few nights. then spending the rest of the season in my secret spot, likely will sit on either a high up wallow or perhaps on some water in the secret spot.
My plan is to hike in and set up camp at treeline, waking in the dark and trying to locate a herd or even just get a response. If we do we will do our best to slip in with the wind in our favor and get within the 200 yard mark. Hopefully we will get some responses and be able to get into some elk..
in the event we do not get any responses my next move is to climb the hill and get up high so I can glass out the area. If they are not talking, hopefully I will be able to see them as the head for cover in the morning light. This area I will be in gets hunted, but not by nearly as many people. It is a several thousand foot climb just to get into the basin, and there are no roads. From my camping spot I can climb a ridge and glass 2 drainages. We saw some spikes and heard bugles from one last weekend, and last year I saw a herd of about 60+ elk right on the last day.. some ninkumpoops didn't read the wind and pushed the elk away. My plan is to try locating from the ridge and letting my bugle fall down either drainage, we will go after whatever sounds off. This unit is restricted to 4 points on bulls, so hopefully thats what comes in.. though I really would be just as tickled to call in a cow.
Calling will be my number one strategy, but if it does not pay out, I may very well switch to still hunting and try my hand at sneaking in on a herd.
The only downside to this particular area is there is literally water weaping out of the hillside everywhere you go.. so I feel like hunting water will likely not produce results. I have only found one wallow in the area, its in the middle of a huge meadow, multiple football fields long, a place I suspect they only go at night or early in the morning.
With some cold air moving in, will the elk likely remain high, we found there beds in a clump of pine right at the tree line last week, my guess is they are staying in those trees during the day as they do not need to leave, lots of cover, food and water in them. insight is always appreciated

[powderhogg01]

Well we just got back from a couple day outing. We got into elk each morning, but that seemed to be it for the activity as they seemed to disappear and go silent all day.
I was able to locate and get inside 200 yards of a bull, set up to have my buddy shoot, thought we were set up perfect. Wait a few minutes then do a breeding sequence. I was half way through my first bugle when he chuckled off in the distance. I kept it up and he came in fast, but came in from the upwind side right at me instead of the shooters spot where I thought he would. I already had my bow up and nocked but he held up at a perfect doorway at 55yards. I had not really anticipated him coming out there and in the morning light it was simply too far for me to try a frontal. He stood there staring a hole through me and I basically froze up. He turned and disappeared.
This morning we caught bulls sparring up above timberline, there were a few cow feeding below. we got inside 70 yards and they were moving our way fast, then a cow popped out of the tree. I dont think she winded up, but she turned and took off into the thick.. taking the bulls with her. I let out a quick harsh scream and ran at them with some cover, but the bulls only held for a moment, never allowing me a shot.
A great couple of days in the woods, pretty excited to have called in a nice bull.. sad that I had not set up a little better so we might both get shots, but still a great experience.

[Huntrgathr]

Sounds like some good action, Despite fairly low activity. You worked with what you had. Close encounters are just successes without that last 1% of actually letting an arrow go. Every call-in and "almost shots " are victories in and of themselves. Just have to keep doing it until the elk make a mistake...

Good luck man ! Keep us updated.

[powderhogg01]

we spoke with one other hunter who had been in the same drainage and he was seeing the same thing. Great action at first light, but then they just disappeared into the thickest and nastiest timber. He agreed it was likely not worth going into the trees to find them, as it was so noisy in there I just do not see a stalk being possible. All I know is that I am happy I was able to call an elk in, even if he did not present the best shot opportunity. I know that not every encounter will result in an arrow flying, and to be frank I am happy with it. My goal this year was to call in elk(though I would love to finally get one on the ground) every encounter is another one under my belt.. eventually I will figure this whole thing out

[powderhogg01]

final three days. Me and a buddy got at it hard yesterday, we covered a lot of ground and a lot of vert, trying both bugles and cow calls. We happened to be in the right place to here this very short bugle which came from below us. I let out a cow call and was responded to by chuckles. Being my buddies last day to hunt for the archery season I decided he should be shooter. I told him to drop about 40yards down the hill to get at the same altitude as the bull we heard. I suggested roughly where to set up but that was lost in translation as my buddy set up a bit too high up for the early morning thermals.being too far away to talk I figured what the heck, lets give it a go. I knew the bull was now close as his most recent chuckle sounded inside the 75 yard mark. I know im going to need to pull the bull up the hill in order for my buddy to get a shot so i left out a series of xcited chirps and mews and slowly start walking over the crest to make it sound like we were moving over the ridge. I went quiet and listened for the tell tale crash of a close encounter. A few minutes go by and I wonder whats going on over there, I let out a few more cow calls before hearing the crash. Hoping my buddy just scored I let out a few cow calls and creep over the hill to see my buddy sitting there in a pile of his own defeat. He told me the bull came in and paused right where I had pointed at, and that he did not feel strong enough to make a frontal and that the elk winded him and took off down the mountain. I consoled his hurt ego and suggested thats how elk hunting can be and most people dont get one their first year. Once the thermals shifted we followed the tracks but were never able to get back on that bull. we hike the 4 miles out in the dark to find my trucks started dead.. 5 more miles down an old mining road and my saint of a girlfriend was able to pick us up and get us home. Starter replaced and a day wasted.. I will be at it early in the morning, hoping to be on a saddle by sunrise so I can catch the animals as the move from one side of the mountain to the other. I may try a few locator bugles in the morning, but this area has always been very quiet. It has been dry and hot in this area for the tie of year, thinking water is my best bet so I will plan to sit at the saddle from sun up until about 20 at which point I will slip down to a well used water source and wallow for the mid day before moving back up to the saddle for the evening.

[js80138]

Thanks for the update of your season. When I first read the headline of your post "Crunch Time" I thought you may have been referring to the exact same experience I had last week. Crunch Crunch Crunch was the only sound I heard Eastern divide of Rabbit Ears. The area is dry and warm. 74 degrees at 10k elevation. Deep timber Crunch. Meadows Crunch. Trails Crunch. Five solid days no elk in sight and no bugling no deer either. Decided to travel west for final day as rumor had it that they were still enjoying the rut. As I entered the area met some great hunters who were leaving empty handed but kind enough to give advice. Congratulations to all the hunters who tagged out as this was a very difficult year the units I chose to spend my dawns, afternoons and evenings. Cooler temps and rain should make for a good rifle hunt.