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Things worked out well in WY

bwese

Active Member
I had typed a longer story but it was too long according to the error message I got when I clicked create thread. Sorry it really don't make total sense. You'll get the gist of it.

This year's elk hunt to Wyoming was a ride of highs and lows. It was going to be my 7th hunt and I was taking two first timers. We were originally going to go out for archery in Sept. but that didn't work out. Then as the rifle season was about to open in the unit I've hunted, the forest fire that started in Colorado reached the area I knew like the back of my hand. The national forest area was closed indefinitely. Thankfully the hurricane that formed in the Pacific came over the sw of the U.S. and dumped a bunch of snow on the area and helped smother the fire. The only problem now was that the area I hunted was burnt up.

Fast forward to last day of the hunt.

It was only a mile and a half from camp. As I sat there, the wind continued to howl, seemingly getting stronger. At 6:20 I told myself no self respecting elk would be out in this wind and said I only had 21 min left to sit and then I could get out of wind on my walk back to camp. As soon as that thought left my head I hear a bugle. With the wind I wasn't sure of location, the next bugle I knew what direction and threw my pack on and grabbed my seat cushion. I scrambled around the mountain rigde about 100 yards and saw nothing, moved another 100 or so and saw elk. I crawled to a higher point, layed down, and trained my gun on the lead elk. It was a cow, I scanned for the bull, directly behind her was a raghorn and behind him was another bull. I could tell its antlers were a bit bigger than that one so I stopped on him. Looked at my shooting lane as I had some dead trees in between us. It looked clear. I put crosshairs on the high shoulder area and squeezed. At the shot he dropped and then the hill side moved. There were at least 10 more elk in that herd that I didn't even see. I had tunnel vision. I kept the gunned trained on the bull and when I knew he was down raised my arms and yelled Thank you to God and just started smiling and laughing. I continued that all the way to the bull. I gave thanks when I got to the bull and just sat down and took it all in. It was an unbelievable ending to the hunt. Improbable is best how to describe it. I would have bet all the money I had on me that I was not going to see an elk this last day would have tag soup. I got back to camp just shy of 9pm after field dressing and such. The fellas thought I got lost also thinking there was little chance I got one.

We celebrated in amazement at how the hunt had ended, we were going to have some elk to share and great memories made. The next morning we packed up camp in 60 mph winds that came on that night. Little sleep was gotten. We then went to the bull to butcher and pack out. I told the guys they might want to take a gun in case the unexpected happened. Neither did. We get to the bull, get the rear quarters off and in their packs and they head off. I finish the butchering. They return for the rest but a bit pissed and laughing at the same time. About 200 yards before they reached me a 5x5, 4x4, spike, and a cow came by them at 40 yards and they could have had their pick of which to shoot as the elk were acting as though nothing was wrong.

On the way back to truck a bit of more good luck fell our way. As I was walking in the timber I found the two way radio one of my buddies dropped on day two of the hunt. I found two needles in a haystack on this hunt. 3.jpg DSCN0120.JPG

It was a great sendoff by Wyoming. Can't wait until next time.

I included a pic of how I left the bull for over night. I carry a sheet of plastic to put meat/quarters on as I butcher. I used it to cause noise and commotion to keep bear away. I tied the wool undershirt I had been wearing to the rack and over the plastic and peed upwind of the bull. I left my game bags and rubble gloves under the head to be used the next morning.

No bears bothered the carcass. We did see bear on mountain sides within 500 yards of this bull and saw were bear had fed on other carcasses there. I ashamed to say we even had a bear in camp as we got lazy with our food protocol and a bear came into camp the day before. It must have got spooked by something cuz it only bit holes into my water container and only got into one thing of food. We truly were blessed.



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Thank you all. I'm still reliving the hunt and have a big smile when I'm not sleeping but who knows, maybe I got one then too. :)
 
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