Matt Moore
Active member
I drew a cow tag this year, and I've been hunting an area where I'd been seeing alot of elk sign. I even saw the herd one day, on a dairy I didn't have permission to hunt. A big herd of 32 cows and calves, with 5 spike bulls in the mix. They'd feed at the dairy pasture, and then travel up into the timber to bed down. I'd found 2 areas where they bed down, depending on the weather I guess. I'm not a good enough hunter to say where they'll bed down under a given weather condition, so I just keep trying to catch them in transition, or bedded. Trying to sneak up on 30 noses, and pairs of ears and eyes is damned hard though, they usually spot you before you spot them.
A week ago sunday, I'd been hunting the same area. About 3:30 it started snowing and blowing fairly hard, it's rare for us to get snow. I figured it was time to head back, but didn't really want to give up, so I took the long way home driving logging roads. I was driving down a road that follows a ridge, and spotted tracks comming out of a drainage to the right. This drainage isn't the one I'd been hunting, so I was glad to find another herd.
I got out of the truck, taking the rifle. I left the truck parked in the road with the keys in it, I was just going to take a look at the tracks, try to figure how many elk, and where they were headed. I'd walked maybe 20 yards, and caught movement off to the right at the edge of my vision. I looked, and as soon as I made eye contact, a cow and bull took off, about 30 yards away, with 10 or so cows I hadn't seen. I didn't have a shell in the chamber, as I hadn't expected to see elk, I won't make that mistake again.
I racked a shell in the chamber, and trotted up to the brow of the hill they'd run over, I saw them about 75 yards away, near the end of a logging landing. I had to wait to get a clear shot, I didn't want to hit the bull, or have the bullet travel through, and hit a 2nd cow. I finally got what I wanted, I aimed high behind the shoulder of a big cow, and pulled the trigger. I saw the cow fall, and then elk where running every which way, and were gone. I didn't know which way mine had gone, so I decided it was time to get my act in gear. I wanted to get after it, it was 4:30, snowing hard, and heavy timber, and I didn't want to lose her.
I went back to the truck, pulled it off the road, on the remote chance another rig may want by, grabbed my pack, and headed down where I'd seen the cow go down. When I reached the spot, I found her dead as Julius Ceasar! There was a pool of blood at her neck. I'd pulled my shot, but got lucky, and hit the spine in the neck. My worries about tracking were gone, and she was near the road. I called my buddy, but didn't think I could explain well enough how to get there, for him to come help, so it stayed a one man show.
If you're not familiar with elk, they're about the size of a small horse, probably 600 pounds. Fortunately this one was up on a bank above the spur road, and near a convenient tree, so I had something to tie her hind leg to, so I could gut her easier. An hour later, I had the guts out, the pelvis and breast split. About 3'' more snow had fallen, and it was pitch black, and the wind was blowing hard now, thank God I'd kept a headlamp in my pack. I'd backed the truck as close to the bank as I could get, and still get the truck out of the ditch. I had I couple of 2x6s in the truck for cross planks, that I was now using for ramps. Next season, I think I'll carry a couple of 2x12s for this instead. I hook the come along to a strap I had around the neck, and started winching. A couple of reriggings later, I had her in the truck, and was home at 6:30.
I got her hung up, and the hide off about 1 am. I showered, took 3 advil, and got to bed at 1:30, and was up at 6 to go to work, some night.
I feel lucky though, all season I'd been hunting in steep, heavily forested ground, finding beds, but no elk. To get one that easy to get out was fortunate. I found out later, from friends of ours, these elk had been in their field earlier in the day, and had left when the weather started turning. My guess is they were going to cross the ridge I jumped them on, and bed down on the lee side of the ridge, out of the wind, but with their back trail covered by their noses. I'll be back this fall to see if I can cross paths with that bull. We'd better get to eating that cow, in case I get lucky again. The freezer isn't big enough for two elk.
A week ago sunday, I'd been hunting the same area. About 3:30 it started snowing and blowing fairly hard, it's rare for us to get snow. I figured it was time to head back, but didn't really want to give up, so I took the long way home driving logging roads. I was driving down a road that follows a ridge, and spotted tracks comming out of a drainage to the right. This drainage isn't the one I'd been hunting, so I was glad to find another herd.
I got out of the truck, taking the rifle. I left the truck parked in the road with the keys in it, I was just going to take a look at the tracks, try to figure how many elk, and where they were headed. I'd walked maybe 20 yards, and caught movement off to the right at the edge of my vision. I looked, and as soon as I made eye contact, a cow and bull took off, about 30 yards away, with 10 or so cows I hadn't seen. I didn't have a shell in the chamber, as I hadn't expected to see elk, I won't make that mistake again.
I racked a shell in the chamber, and trotted up to the brow of the hill they'd run over, I saw them about 75 yards away, near the end of a logging landing. I had to wait to get a clear shot, I didn't want to hit the bull, or have the bullet travel through, and hit a 2nd cow. I finally got what I wanted, I aimed high behind the shoulder of a big cow, and pulled the trigger. I saw the cow fall, and then elk where running every which way, and were gone. I didn't know which way mine had gone, so I decided it was time to get my act in gear. I wanted to get after it, it was 4:30, snowing hard, and heavy timber, and I didn't want to lose her.
I went back to the truck, pulled it off the road, on the remote chance another rig may want by, grabbed my pack, and headed down where I'd seen the cow go down. When I reached the spot, I found her dead as Julius Ceasar! There was a pool of blood at her neck. I'd pulled my shot, but got lucky, and hit the spine in the neck. My worries about tracking were gone, and she was near the road. I called my buddy, but didn't think I could explain well enough how to get there, for him to come help, so it stayed a one man show.
If you're not familiar with elk, they're about the size of a small horse, probably 600 pounds. Fortunately this one was up on a bank above the spur road, and near a convenient tree, so I had something to tie her hind leg to, so I could gut her easier. An hour later, I had the guts out, the pelvis and breast split. About 3'' more snow had fallen, and it was pitch black, and the wind was blowing hard now, thank God I'd kept a headlamp in my pack. I'd backed the truck as close to the bank as I could get, and still get the truck out of the ditch. I had I couple of 2x6s in the truck for cross planks, that I was now using for ramps. Next season, I think I'll carry a couple of 2x12s for this instead. I hook the come along to a strap I had around the neck, and started winching. A couple of reriggings later, I had her in the truck, and was home at 6:30.
I got her hung up, and the hide off about 1 am. I showered, took 3 advil, and got to bed at 1:30, and was up at 6 to go to work, some night.
I feel lucky though, all season I'd been hunting in steep, heavily forested ground, finding beds, but no elk. To get one that easy to get out was fortunate. I found out later, from friends of ours, these elk had been in their field earlier in the day, and had left when the weather started turning. My guess is they were going to cross the ridge I jumped them on, and bed down on the lee side of the ridge, out of the wind, but with their back trail covered by their noses. I'll be back this fall to see if I can cross paths with that bull. We'd better get to eating that cow, in case I get lucky again. The freezer isn't big enough for two elk.
