2016 Elk Hunt Report

[Stick]

Fire.....that threw all my well laid plans for my Wyoming general elk hunt into a tail spin. Crazy fire didn't take into account the two week vacation my family took to scout and set up camera's. So 3 weeks before I'm scheduled to leave I'm frantically pouring over satellite pics and driving game wardens and biologist crazy. When we pulled out at 4:00am on September 5th I felt I had done all I could but wasn't sure it was enough.
Tuesday...camp set up and gear together. Getting ready to head off into the unknown. Actually had a little time this evening so made my way up drainage to a small field I can see by satellite. Wind is wrong but I'm just looking for sign. First thing I do is run into elk at the lower end of the opening I was going to scout. Find several wallows and some great rubs. Feeling better already.
Wednesday....make my way back up the same drainage before light. After light enough to see I start toward the field only to have the stillness shattered by a bull bugling. Nothing like that first one of the year. Wind is good so I easy up to get a better idea of his location. He sounds off again so I move up without making a sound. He's on the other side of this narrow opening on a small ridge. I'm trying to slip in as close as possible when all of a sudden I see an elk at 10 yards. Bow ready a spike walks into the opening and looks at me. Free pass buddy your not who I'm looking for today. He stares then buggers out. Runs above me and barks so I think it's time to get in some vocalization myself. When I began cow calling the bull across the way begins to fire up. I'm by myself though and he tries to work below me to get my wind. Just get glimpses of him at 75 yards then began backing out so he doesn't wind me. Come on another spike while on the hunt. Feeling lots better.
On getting back to camp everyone has had action. Either seen a bull or been on one bugling.
Thursday....good action again today. Everyone on elk so decide it's time to start pairing up and calling for one another. In the evening hunt me and one of the guys are slipping through some dark timber when I look to my right and see some cows feeding at about 50 yards. We are standing there watching when a bull bugles behind them. They are walking and feeding right to us. All of a sudden a nice bull chases a cow around them right in front of us. I tell my buddy to draw and when he stops a thirty yards he drills him. Elk explode all over the place. Unfortunately the shot was to high and after 5 hours of looking we assume he is still going.
Friday....morning hunt basically spent back searching to make sure my buddies elk is not dead. Hear a couple of bulls bugle but do not go after them because the wind is wrong and we are looking for this elk. Conclude he isn't there anywhere!
For the evening hunt we decide to go look at a place we haven't seen so far. Quite a hike in but what a view. Work around the top edge of a bowl to keep the wind in our favor. Slipping through the timber I look to our left and see elk feeding in a small spring about 60 yards downhill. Almost immediately see a bull pushing them around. He has great fronts and unbelievable thirds and bugles about the time we see him. He's pushing a cow around so my buddy slips back about 40 yards and bugles. This dude loses his mind!! Starts trashing a tree then bugles and here he comes. At 40 yards he hits my opening and I whistle to stop him. Not sure why but he turns completely around and starts coming toward me. He sees me standing there at full draw and freezes. Not the greatest shot angle but all I'm gonna get so I let it fly. SMACK!! My arrow buries to the fletching right behind his shoulder. Up and down is perfect also just don't like the angle. After a quiet but jubilant moment in the timber we decide to sit quiet for a while and let the Muzzy eat. After about 35 minutes I tell my buddy let's see if we see any blood. I'm not gonna trail him for awhile but look for sign around the shot area. Instant blood on the grass of the spring area but we look down through the timber and I see him standing there about a 100 yards from where I shot him. He sees us and after a brief stare down turns and slowly walks off through the timber. I make the decision to back out and come back in the morning.
Saturday....that makes for a long night. We all put our packs on and make the trek in. Takes about 15 minutes for us to find him! He went about 150 yards from where we last seen him. Fun times begin! Lots of photos and field dressing and the fulfillment of packing one out. Elk country never gets old and neither does the experience. I enjoy every part of it!!
It was a two and a half week hunt. Don't have time to chronicle everyday but will say a few things.

1. After that early flurry I have never seen the rut so affected by the moon before. It was like things continued to be less and less. Mornings you wouldn't see or hear a thing. Evenings would have some action but that was limited. In the end for the amount of time spent and the dates we where there it was very disappointing the amount of rut activity.

2. We had a couple of more blood trails but nothing ending right. One was a shoulder and the other was an extreme case of jumping string. The elk actually dropped and slung its head around and the arrow hit it through the meaty part of the neck.
One of the guys shot a tree. Another air mailed his arrow to somewhere!

3. I call our camp Cow Moose Camp. Moose in camp thought she was gonna load on the flatbed. Videoed her messing around the bow target.

Fresh elk blackstrap gives you special memories of elk camp. Lord willing I'll be back!! SOON!!

Here's a pic of my bull chillin from the flies and yellow jackets!

[JKaboom]

What a great hunt story!!! I love the pic to

[T.B.]

Congratulations. Good story

[ishy]

Great job, and great bull.

[oldnovice]

Great story. Gets me all worked up!

[Elkhunttoo]

Congrats.... Sounds like you had a great trip

[WapitiTalk1]

See I knew it! The bulls have taken to hiding in deep pools in streams. Sneaky suckers. Great bull Stick, thanks for sharing the tale of the tape and the pic. RJ

[sasquatch]

Nice bull, congrats


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TurkeyBowMaster]

Great story and bull! sounds like yall were on them good.

[Csrbowhunter]

Nice bull! I'm glad you and your group had good action

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

[Swede]

Definitely a nice bull. Congrats.

[nvgoosehntr]

Nice bull!! Congrats!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[lilshootergirl]

That was so awsome, exciting. And a great hunt. Memories! Congrats

[ElkNut1]

Way to go! Thanks for taking us a long, good looking bull, man those insects can be hell at times! (grin)

ElkNut1