I do not see a new thread so I will start one for posting your successful hunts.
Success with my 1st Elk!!!! Year 4 of elk hunting and hunting in general and unbelievably excited.
We were between Hot Sulpher Springs and Kremmling. I was sitting at about 10.6k feet against a little rock outcropping as the wind was blowing with gusts probably 20-30 mph, coming from my right to left. Only about 15 min sitting there I see something move out of the corner of my eye maybe 150 yards away to my right, looking straight into the wind and walking straight up the steep slope. Its a cow elk. I throw off my gloves and sun glasses as my polarized lenses are not meshing well with my scope today. It looks like a clear shot and she stops moving. I pull the trigger and nothing. She does not move, then from behind the big lone pine tree here come the whole herd, 20 or so and they all keep walking up, including the lead cow. I reload and pick out the 2nd or 3rd lead cow who just then stops. Deep breath and pull the trigger. She falls backwards and the rest of the heard hauls you-know-what down the hill into the timber.
Holy crap, the hands are shaking. I walk to the spot and no blood, nothing, crap. I walk around and find her down the hill in the thick timber 50 feet from where I hit her. My brother in law has a cow down 3/4 of a mile away also. Cannot tell if it was the same herd as his harvest was a few minutes after mine. It takes us all day to get his cow and my loins/backstrap to the truck.
We go back on Monday morning for my quarters and his fur. The winds are crazy and the beetle kill lodgepoles are falling all around us. It was scary and not safe. Luckily I am in excellent shape so the two of us were able to walk out with the fronts on our backs and me pulling the hinds and his fur in the sled, one trip, probably 2 miles. 20 trees have fell on the trail the last mile to the truck so that was fun going over and under those.
I made some mistakes but learned so much. It was and unbelievable experience.
Edit: I should note this was a pure DIY public land hunt.
Success with my 1st Elk!!!! Year 4 of elk hunting and hunting in general and unbelievably excited.
We were between Hot Sulpher Springs and Kremmling. I was sitting at about 10.6k feet against a little rock outcropping as the wind was blowing with gusts probably 20-30 mph, coming from my right to left. Only about 15 min sitting there I see something move out of the corner of my eye maybe 150 yards away to my right, looking straight into the wind and walking straight up the steep slope. Its a cow elk. I throw off my gloves and sun glasses as my polarized lenses are not meshing well with my scope today. It looks like a clear shot and she stops moving. I pull the trigger and nothing. She does not move, then from behind the big lone pine tree here come the whole herd, 20 or so and they all keep walking up, including the lead cow. I reload and pick out the 2nd or 3rd lead cow who just then stops. Deep breath and pull the trigger. She falls backwards and the rest of the heard hauls you-know-what down the hill into the timber.
Holy crap, the hands are shaking. I walk to the spot and no blood, nothing, crap. I walk around and find her down the hill in the thick timber 50 feet from where I hit her. My brother in law has a cow down 3/4 of a mile away also. Cannot tell if it was the same herd as his harvest was a few minutes after mine. It takes us all day to get his cow and my loins/backstrap to the truck.
We go back on Monday morning for my quarters and his fur. The winds are crazy and the beetle kill lodgepoles are falling all around us. It was scary and not safe. Luckily I am in excellent shape so the two of us were able to walk out with the fronts on our backs and me pulling the hinds and his fur in the sled, one trip, probably 2 miles. 20 trees have fell on the trail the last mile to the truck so that was fun going over and under those.
I made some mistakes but learned so much. It was and unbelievable experience.
Edit: I should note this was a pure DIY public land hunt.
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