First off thanks to Go Deep, Buzz and Wy Tx for helping me to learn the ins and outs of the Wyoming draw system for residents and non residents, navigating the public land and HMA application process.
So after spending a full year coming up with a plan the girlfriend drew a -6 cow for Area 7 and a -2 for Area 7. Her first elk hunt with her own tag in hand. We decided to work on the cow first.
We started with visiting each HMA to evaluate forage and terrain. Next we decided on a handfull of HMAs to hike in on foot. Prior to the latest snow we found sheds so clearly a wintering area, sign that was 2 weeks old ( lots of sign), old cow elk kill site that had a bald eagle on it and surprisingly, no hunters during the week.
Weather was gonna roll in, few inches of snow and light winds were the forecast so I knew we had to be at a spot first light to glass. We awoke the next am to icy roads so the going was slow and we got to the spot about 15 minutes late for my liking. A very broadbased quick glass of a large area resulted in 3 spots that were not normal. Out with the spotter and low and behold, 3 raghorn bulls in the wide open. We Lebowski out of the truck and get dressed. We roughly know the terrain but not good enough for a stalk so I decide to get a little higher to watch and put them to bed in the timber. We get high and dang, not 3 raghorns, but a 80 to 100 head herd. We get their general direction of travel and begin the stalk from 1.5 miles out. Wind was solid at 12kts and we were in a position to sneak them from downwind and with the help of the snow I felt good I could get her close.
Well the not knowing the terrain puts us in a large willow patch, beaver ponds, ice not thick enough to cross minor shit show. After navigating that and staying dry I find a coulie we can get in that will at least enable us to get cover downwind to hide in. That works like a champ and we are now 800 ish yards away, downwind smelling them, in their tracks and going slow. In the back of my mind Im a little worried about too many eyes. My goal was to get her to 200 yards, prone shot off my pack and calm animals.
300 yards out the smell gets thick and I know we are close. Elk head there. Bedded elk there. Still eough cover and trees to get low and navigate closer. As we get closer now its groups of 5 to 8 cows bedded together in clumps on the hillside. Some lower some higher. Now in the bedding area we get to a large boulder for cover. I pop around it for a look and theres 10 or so bedded calmly broadside. I have her hold her postion and I go about 15 yards on the other side and above the boulder in hopes there is a clear lane to shoot as its flat and would be great for a prone shot. No luck. Trees in the way. Back down to her and my angle changes views. There is another group of 8 looking at us now about 80 yards out. They are on to us and begin to get up. I tell her we gotta shoot now, we are gonna take 5 steps around this boulder, Im gonna set up the bog pod and you need to pick a bedded cow, standing shot and shoot. We do exactly that as she exclaims " oh they are right there"
She picks out one, cow stands up, take a step and falls to the ground. I say great shot, the mountain side is full of scrambling elk and she says " did I hit her"
I say yeah great shot, its the one flopping on the ground. First elk, first big game animal down. Pretty cool all around. Pretty cool.
We take pics, butcher the animal and get it hung in a tree. Weather is starting to roll in now again. 2.7 miles back to the truck with the gear, back straps, all grind meat and tenderloins we leave the quarters in the tree. I had her go in with no pack to stay light for the stalk. We get back to the truck, warm up, get the truck 1/2 mile closer and head back in. Blowing 20 to 30kts now its on the edge of beginning to get miserable. I let her know Im gonna try and pack out both rears bone in for one trip. Her response is Ill take both fronts bone in. I ask you sure you can do that and she says " do we have a choice "
Gettting dark we make it back to the truck all safe and sound. Like all elk stories there has to be more of a shit show somewhere. Well I think the truck cold soaks all day in the wind, we limp off the mountain into the closest small town and the truck dies. Alternator and battery problem. We get rescued and back into town we go. Long day but well worth it.
137 yard shot. Christensen Arms 6.5 Creedmore with a 140gr Accubond.
So after spending a full year coming up with a plan the girlfriend drew a -6 cow for Area 7 and a -2 for Area 7. Her first elk hunt with her own tag in hand. We decided to work on the cow first.
We started with visiting each HMA to evaluate forage and terrain. Next we decided on a handfull of HMAs to hike in on foot. Prior to the latest snow we found sheds so clearly a wintering area, sign that was 2 weeks old ( lots of sign), old cow elk kill site that had a bald eagle on it and surprisingly, no hunters during the week.
Weather was gonna roll in, few inches of snow and light winds were the forecast so I knew we had to be at a spot first light to glass. We awoke the next am to icy roads so the going was slow and we got to the spot about 15 minutes late for my liking. A very broadbased quick glass of a large area resulted in 3 spots that were not normal. Out with the spotter and low and behold, 3 raghorn bulls in the wide open. We Lebowski out of the truck and get dressed. We roughly know the terrain but not good enough for a stalk so I decide to get a little higher to watch and put them to bed in the timber. We get high and dang, not 3 raghorns, but a 80 to 100 head herd. We get their general direction of travel and begin the stalk from 1.5 miles out. Wind was solid at 12kts and we were in a position to sneak them from downwind and with the help of the snow I felt good I could get her close.
Well the not knowing the terrain puts us in a large willow patch, beaver ponds, ice not thick enough to cross minor shit show. After navigating that and staying dry I find a coulie we can get in that will at least enable us to get cover downwind to hide in. That works like a champ and we are now 800 ish yards away, downwind smelling them, in their tracks and going slow. In the back of my mind Im a little worried about too many eyes. My goal was to get her to 200 yards, prone shot off my pack and calm animals.
300 yards out the smell gets thick and I know we are close. Elk head there. Bedded elk there. Still eough cover and trees to get low and navigate closer. As we get closer now its groups of 5 to 8 cows bedded together in clumps on the hillside. Some lower some higher. Now in the bedding area we get to a large boulder for cover. I pop around it for a look and theres 10 or so bedded calmly broadside. I have her hold her postion and I go about 15 yards on the other side and above the boulder in hopes there is a clear lane to shoot as its flat and would be great for a prone shot. No luck. Trees in the way. Back down to her and my angle changes views. There is another group of 8 looking at us now about 80 yards out. They are on to us and begin to get up. I tell her we gotta shoot now, we are gonna take 5 steps around this boulder, Im gonna set up the bog pod and you need to pick a bedded cow, standing shot and shoot. We do exactly that as she exclaims " oh they are right there"
She picks out one, cow stands up, take a step and falls to the ground. I say great shot, the mountain side is full of scrambling elk and she says " did I hit her"
I say yeah great shot, its the one flopping on the ground. First elk, first big game animal down. Pretty cool all around. Pretty cool.
We take pics, butcher the animal and get it hung in a tree. Weather is starting to roll in now again. 2.7 miles back to the truck with the gear, back straps, all grind meat and tenderloins we leave the quarters in the tree. I had her go in with no pack to stay light for the stalk. We get back to the truck, warm up, get the truck 1/2 mile closer and head back in. Blowing 20 to 30kts now its on the edge of beginning to get miserable. I let her know Im gonna try and pack out both rears bone in for one trip. Her response is Ill take both fronts bone in. I ask you sure you can do that and she says " do we have a choice "
Gettting dark we make it back to the truck all safe and sound. Like all elk stories there has to be more of a shit show somewhere. Well I think the truck cold soaks all day in the wind, we limp off the mountain into the closest small town and the truck dies. Alternator and battery problem. We get rescued and back into town we go. Long day but well worth it.
137 yard shot. Christensen Arms 6.5 Creedmore with a 140gr Accubond.
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