Greetings and meetings in elk country

[Lefty]

In the past I tend to really avoid other hunters. and dont really want to visit during prime hunt time.

One of my my most recent visits. During my moose hunt I spotted big bull elk, and stopped at the elk hunters camp, I pointed out the big bull above them, ( which they killed) and they told me where my moose was,.. which I killed.http://www.wapititalk.com/Hunting/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6879

Right after a short mid day nap in the sun I came across three rifle hunters scouting on horseback. We had nice visit . Found out the family ranch and their cabins were on the road into the national forest I hunt. After listening and realizing I could save about 500 foot elevation up and down twice a day by entering the area I hunt a mile further away.

After working a bull I came across a truck parked in a meadow. a mile in from a legal two track. Im not sure how I was up on those two so quiet when I was , well,.. "less than happy'". at 20 yards out I broke a branch and sort of whispered what were they doing driving in ? they werent the guilty ones. We had a short visit. The hunters family had settled the area 120 years ago ,. then sold the homestead. however every generation since has come to the area to hunt. They were up for archery, deer bear, wolf and elk, the whole clan hunts the rifle season. I got the story how the bull had been working their cow calf mews and the three times I bugled the bull ran back towards me.
Im not sure is it was a compliment or a suggestion I should lose some weight. I would, like to place the blame on early morning lighting " Your a long ways back here for a guy your size" We discovered the three of us were all leaders in Scouts , I thought it was quite courteous when they suggested I could have choice of where to hunt and they would go another way. I chose to hunt the bench to the lake then back in the afternoon, they chose the series of logging roads .

While hunting the desert I had almost no encounters with others.
One Sunday afternoon after coming back from town and attending church a Conservation officer spotted my truck on the volcanic dome where I had been glassing all afternoon. that same dome I had visits with two other groups that came up to the same location in the early mornings. I wasnt thrilled sharing an early morning glassing site,
That same Lava dome I met another elk hunter and a coyote hunter. all three of us had seen the same pair of wolves.
During a late winter scouting trip I came across the rancher. I spotted his hood up on his truck from a few miles away. He kind of chuckled. When I pulled in. " he said something to the effect. I knew if it was you , you would see my hood up ( knowing if it was me I would go help, or I would have avoided the area if it was just a parked truck) He just wanted to rub- it-in how his Mexican who cant speak English killed the 360 bull in his hay yard.
And maybe my best encounter. This was my second Saturday ever, archery elk hunting. I learned extremely valuable information about the area and elk in our visit. I was tracking a bull I had missed the night before,.For an hour and 1/2 a father son team watched me track where the bull had gone after my shot. the son had killed a nice bull opening Saturday.

And my favorites for all the wrong reasons.
I camp and hunt right from camp. Quite some time before light I saw a head lamp moving maybe forty yards away. Im sure my buddy Dave was sound asleep cuddled up to his wife, at home. I called out
"DAVE DAVE, Dang it Dave, turn your light off". the light went off , and Dave disappeared. Likely he had to run off to change his drawers
I spotted that fellow a few times that day and messed with him one other night as his trio were skylined and were bugling from a ridge. when it was just dark enough to not see me down in the bottoms I turned into a heard ( not herd?) of elk tromping, calling an bugling I was in the dark shadows , but what happened on the ridge was comical, as they scrambled to hide,..

Then the really embarrassing,. well-sort-of Im sure I scared them away. No verbal communication necessary. The area I use to camp over the years I ve had two vehicles drive past. I had been hiding in the shade, temperatures around camp were well over 100.The tent was a stiffling 121 degrees. I had propped up fly and had been resting in the shade in a pair of shorts. It was getting late enough for the evening hunt.I showered while standing on a pickup floor mat, with water from the 55 gallon drum in the back of the truck
." Hm Im thinking "sounds like a helicopter" And a husband wife came around the lava rock in his pick-up,..
I got a towel around my waist, but I may have traumatized that poor woman,..... they didnt stop to visit

[Mike_Parson]

those are really funny. i havent had any experiences worth sharing..... maybe one day i will.

[Tigger]

we came out of a spot midday cuz we didn't like it. On the way back to the truck, we came across a very attractive lady going out elk hunting on her own.....with those minimal running shoes (really water shoes is what they looked like) that were so worn out and had so many holes in them I counted 4 toes sticking out. No boots, tiny little rubber shoe-things. Not even close to a pair of tennis shoes. 4 toes sticking out. We all agreed she was way tougher than the 4 of us combined! We still laugh about it.

[Swede]

Late one morning, mid season, I had two small herds of elk run past me just out of shooting range. One herd was out in front and the other was behind the tree I was waiting in. I had heard a bull bugle earlier, then in a few minutes after the elk past in front and behind me, I hear this bull bugling again just out of sight and down the draw below. He bugled another time but now he was closer. I could hear the guttural sounds only a genuine elk can make. I thought, "No doubt this is the real thing, and he is coming my way." I stood up and got ready to shoot. I had my bow in hand and would only need to draw and aim. Then as I watched, I saw a pair of camo legs below the nearby tree branches. Those legs were advancing and soon I saw another pair of legs following just like the first. I could not believe it. As the caller and friend came closer I recognized the caller as Mike Slinkard of Winner's Choice Bowstrings. I got out of my stand and talked to them a few minutes. I was never so disappointed to see a hunter in my life. All I can say is Mike can call every bit as good as anyone putting on hunting boots, but he had no idea he had just run off two small elk herds.
The moral of this story, in part is that, calling is not always the right tool.