Grandson's are starting to score
Oct 23, 2017 20:32:46 GMT -5
Stump Buster, Robster, and 6 more like this
Post by sixshot on Oct 23, 2017 20:32:46 GMT -5
Three of the grandson's have hunted hard all season starting with archery then into the rifle season. With the season winding down grandson Ridge (recently graduated) scored on a nice 5X5 bull with only 2 days left. Him & his dad have been pushing the horses hard for a week trying to find a bull while I've been taking another grandson looking for a buck & another son has been taking 2 of his boys trying to find bucks.
Yesterday morning very, very early Shane & Ridge got into about 30-35 head of elk with at least 3 bulls in the herd as they fed back from the low land meadows to their high, timbered bedding grounds. These buggers can really cover the ground & if you don't catch them right at the very first light you are going to be too late. Make sure you re-read first light! If you leave camp when you can see you are too late, you might as well go back to bed. Elk on public land get smart in a hurry & you have to be above them, and hopefully off to one side so that they are feeding & traveling back up to you as they head for their bedding areas.
The boys could barely make them out in the early morning darkness....you can shoot 30 minutes before sun up but elk in the brush are a very tough opponent. Ridge was about to shoot a spike bull when they finally made out a rag horn, a rag horn is a 2 1/2 year old bull, usually a 3X3 or a 4X4. Then Shane spotted the big bodied 5X5 just as he jumped a 4 strand barb wire fence along a small stream. Shane ranged him at 348 yds & Ridge settled in with his 6.5/06 & lit the switch. The bull shook, stumbled, gathered himself & took 3-4 steps before another 139 gr SST rang his bell & he went down. A very large bodied bull was down & it was time for the horses to start earning their hay!
This morning son Travis got his son Mason on a nice 5X5 muley buck & the young, but experienced 15 year old sealed the deal with his custom 270 at a tick over 200 yds. They first ranged him at 451 but even though Mason had been doing very well out to that distance we always try to get closer if possible & in this case it was. The buck didn't know they were there so they moved in & got set up for a slam dunk shot. The season closes tomorrow, the boys are heating things up & my cow elk hunt is just around the corner. Good luck to all of you when the bell rings. Remember guys, if you want to be an elk hunter, go early, I can't emphasize it enough, hunt them when they are feeding/moving. Any other way & you are doomed to fail.
Dick
Yesterday morning very, very early Shane & Ridge got into about 30-35 head of elk with at least 3 bulls in the herd as they fed back from the low land meadows to their high, timbered bedding grounds. These buggers can really cover the ground & if you don't catch them right at the very first light you are going to be too late. Make sure you re-read first light! If you leave camp when you can see you are too late, you might as well go back to bed. Elk on public land get smart in a hurry & you have to be above them, and hopefully off to one side so that they are feeding & traveling back up to you as they head for their bedding areas.
The boys could barely make them out in the early morning darkness....you can shoot 30 minutes before sun up but elk in the brush are a very tough opponent. Ridge was about to shoot a spike bull when they finally made out a rag horn, a rag horn is a 2 1/2 year old bull, usually a 3X3 or a 4X4. Then Shane spotted the big bodied 5X5 just as he jumped a 4 strand barb wire fence along a small stream. Shane ranged him at 348 yds & Ridge settled in with his 6.5/06 & lit the switch. The bull shook, stumbled, gathered himself & took 3-4 steps before another 139 gr SST rang his bell & he went down. A very large bodied bull was down & it was time for the horses to start earning their hay!
This morning son Travis got his son Mason on a nice 5X5 muley buck & the young, but experienced 15 year old sealed the deal with his custom 270 at a tick over 200 yds. They first ranged him at 451 but even though Mason had been doing very well out to that distance we always try to get closer if possible & in this case it was. The buck didn't know they were there so they moved in & got set up for a slam dunk shot. The season closes tomorrow, the boys are heating things up & my cow elk hunt is just around the corner. Good luck to all of you when the bell rings. Remember guys, if you want to be an elk hunter, go early, I can't emphasize it enough, hunt them when they are feeding/moving. Any other way & you are doomed to fail.
Dick
