Backcountry Elk

[kevshell]

My wife and I went on a backcountry elk hunt in Montana last week. This was an awesome trip that we've been preparing for since last fall. As you can see it was a productive trip. We rode 22 miles on horseback the first day of a 7 day trip to get to camp. And we hunted from horseback all week. We stayed in canvas tents and ate great home style country cooking all week. And from some of the pictures you'll see we were not alone. The bison was HUGE. It dwarfed anything I've seen in Yellowstone. Grizzly sign was everywhere. Trees were clawed all around our camp and throughout the backcountry. The prints were ones I found on my way to a nearby creek. But, we never saw one. I'm sure they saw us. The one picture below is what is left of an old abandoned trappers cabin from long ago.

My wife and I hunted 5 days. We were up at 3am every morning then on the horses shortly thereafter to get to the prime spots by sunrise. I'd estimate we rode about 100 miles based on the hours in the saddle. I got mine at 7:30am on the first morning. One shot with my 300 WM and it was done. Then the work started for the packers. We were about 3 hours from camp and the guide brought the mules in to pack out the horns and meat.

The area is littered with fallen trees from a previous wild fire. The terrain was challenging on its own and the fallen timber made navigation more challenging on horseback or by foot. On the morning that I shot my elk my wife's horse made a misstep and pushed her. She fell and twisted her ankle. That slowed her down. Then on the second day her horse decided to jump a log instead of walking over it as he had done many times before. That caught her off guard and ultimately she came off the horse and landed on her back. I was pretty concerned but she got back up and marched on. She did take Thursday off to rest up because the two injuries were taking their toll on her. We hunted Friday and saw nothing.

Saturday morning was the last day and we hunted our way out. The guide would ride about 20 minutes and bugle listening for a response. After about two hours we had a responder. We tied the horses off out of sight and ran down the ridge to find a place among the blow downs. The guide brought the elk in from 600-800 yards up the ridge to within 120 yards. It was picture perfect with the tines showing first then the rest of the animal. My wife could not get a supported shot where we set up because of the saplings so she stepped out and with one shot she put the elk down at 120 yards with my 300 WM. The elk was not completely done so she put another in the elks neck again at 120 yards unsupported. It was lights out.

This was a hard hunt yet rewarding. And I want to go back. But the rest of the story is that once we got out of the backcountry my wife could not get comfortable to sleep. I ended up taking her to the ER at 11:30pm. After a few x-rays we learned she broke a bone in her foot and sprained her foot. On top of that she has a cracked rib. So, she continued riding horseback to find her elk after breaking a bone in her foot and cracking a rib ultimately to put her elk down at 120 yards unsupported. I don't have kids but I was proud of her like a dad. Oh, and yes, her elk is bigger than mine. She always catches the biggest fish so I was prepared for that.

It was a trip of a lifetime and I'm ready to go the next trip of a lifetime.

[Fowler]

I am envious of this hunt and I have been fortunate enough to horseback hunt the wilderness for most of my adult life! From the distances you rode in I am pretty sure I know where you hunted and it is a real dream hunt for me. One of the most isolated places in the lower 48 states, heck it is where the National Park service relocated the problem bears to from the greater Yellowstone area.

The fact your wife went and was such a trooper is beyond cool as well, I try to explain the country we hunt to my wife and the magic of the places but it just doesn't register with her, you don't have to explain it to yours.

Thanks for sharing your hunt.

[Deleted]

Amazing hunt! Thanks for taking us along.

[Big Bore]

Outstanding! Congrats on a great outing.

[Odin]

Wow! What a fantastic hunt. Looks like you were in some beautiful country and those are some very nice Elk. Congratulations!

[Ken O'Neill]

Fantastic! Truly sounds like the hunt of a lifetime. Congratulations, and those are two great bulls!

[Robster]

Outstanding is an understatement. As a horseman, that is a dream hunt for me as well!! Please share as many pictures of the hunt as you can. Camp photos, loaded pack animals, scenery.....

[coltfan]

Congrats on the success! Great story to go with knowing that your wife touched it out.

[bushog]

Congratulations!

Thanks for sharing.

My wife is a hunter too so we're both blessed.

Any bull elk is a trophy...and those good ones.

[contender]

I truly enjoy stories like this.
I've never taken a horseback hunt,, but it would be a true way to get a serious "western" hunt.

Congrats to both of y'all,, and now,, take care of your wife!

[kevshell]

Sept 22, 2020 11:27:41 GMT -5 Fowler said:

I am envious of this hunt and I have been fortunate enough to horseback hunt the wilderness for most of my adult life! From the distances you rode in I am pretty sure I know where you hunted and it is a real dream hunt for me. One of the most isolated places in the lower 48 states, heck it is where the National Park service relocated the problem bears to from the greater Yellowstone area.

The fact your wife went and was such a trooper is beyond cool as well, I try to explain the country we hunt to my wife and the magic of the places but it just doesn't register with her, you don't have to explain it to yours.

Thanks for sharing your hunt.

Yes sir this is likely the same area. I have been around horses a fair amount but would never consider myself an equestrian or horseman. However we had a great time. We felt very fortunate. I will share more below due to request.

[kevshell]

Sept 23, 2020 18:42:36 GMT -5 Robster said:

Outstanding is an understatement. As a horseman, that is a dream hunt for me as well!! Please share as many pictures of the hunt as you can. Camp photos, loaded pack animals, scenery.....

Thank you. I'll share more. My wife did a whole write up that some have said needs to be submitted. I'll share that in a post below.

[dougader]

Indeed, a hunt of a lifetime. Your wife is 1 in a million.

Thanks for sharing it all with us.

[kevshell]

Since there was a request for "more"...I am sharing the story that my wife compiled and shared to social media for our interested friends. There may be a few differences, but that's the fun in hunting and fishing stories.

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An EPIC adventure...the entire story. This was a first time for Kevin Johnson and me hunting elk. We hunted with Warren Johnson a man I consider to be legendary in backcountry hunting and a true western cowboy. This was not a “TV hunt” (as Warren reminded us)where you just walk up to the animal. This was rugged, backcountry Montana hunting and I will never forget it. The first day we rode in 22 miles into camp (crossed two 9000ft high peaks). We quickly learned this was to prepare us for the intense & rigorous riding we would be doing over the next 6 days (8-11 hours on horseback everyday...approximately 100 miles total). We arrived at camp to a warm meal prepared by Warren’s wife Susan. We knew then that we would have hearty delicious camp food and we needed it. Our tents were outfitted with a wood stove (grateful because I thought we would be settling for our sleeping bags for warmth in the 30 degree night temperatures), a cot with a foam pad & a gas lantern for light (it was perfect & more than I expected). Our 7:30pm bedtime was welcome and necessary because we were to be on our horses at 3:30am (pitch black) for our departure into the wilderness (2 hours crossing all types of what seemed like insurmountable terrain)and summited at 9800ft on top of a mountain. Warren (our guide) glassed into the massive valley looking for elk as dawn broke. The three of us headed across the ridge to a switchback trail leading down into the valley. We crossed rugged terrain, steep inclines/declines. We made our way to a ridge/cliff where Warren bugled across the valley where he believed would be a good place for the elk. I saw two elk (their distinctive backends) and Kevin had the rifle (300 mag with a 3-18 leupold scope). Warren said the one elk was (5x5) rack and Kevin hesitated. We decided I would take the shot at the elk at 200 yards on a rest (I missed him, although we thought I hit him initially). The other elk (6x6)that had disappeared stepped out, Kevin took a solid shot that laid him down where he stood. In Warren’s words “you hit him in the important stuff”. We gathered and led our horses down the mountain to see Kevin’s elk. It was an impressive animal with long tines and it was an honor to have been with Kevin taking his first elk. We walked down the mountain full of down timber to make sure I had missed the elk that I shot at (didn’t want to guess on this, way too much respect for the elk). I was leading my horse down to Kevin’s elk and my horse and I both stumbled on some loose rock while crossing down timber. I felt my horses shoulders hit me and luckily he caught himself and didn’t fall onto me. It was quite the fall and I thought I had broken my ankle, but was able to get up and put weight on it. Warren started gutting and then caped Kevin’s elk and called in for the mules and packers to come get Kevin’s elk to camp. We rode to find the mule team coming to take Kevin’s elk to camp. My foot was hurting so Warren decided it would be best if I went with the other hunters (good decision,everytime my horse went into a trot it throbbed) that we met up with on the trail and headed back to camp. Normally I would have walked down some of the steeper mountains, but was not able to traverse very fast with my ankle. Jeremiah (Warren’s son) decided I should ride my horse all the way into camp (two & a half hours). Kevin went back to his elk with Warren and was with the packers while they finished preparations to take the elk back to camp. My foot was okay and I thought I had only sprained it. Soaking it in the 40 degree river really helped and I wrapped it with vet wrap. I was ready for the next morning and we repeated the early out in the blackness and Warren took us to another area. It was beautiful with massive rock cliffs and stunning long range mountain views. Just like out of a movie. He bugled and tried to lure a bull elk to respond without any luck. We rode horses for several hours and I went down a mountain with such a steep descent and I was honestly very scared. It felt like such an accomplishment to get down (even though the only thing I did was ride my amazing horse). When we arrived in the pasture Warren said, “do you see that?” and I looked in the direction he was pointing to see the most MASSIVE bison I have ever laid eyes on. He was truly wild, not like the ones you see in Yellowstone. This guy was spectacular and you knew from his presence he meant business. We left the area where the bison was to head around to another impressive bluff overlooking another enormous valley. Somewhere in working out a way to get to the new location we had to cross an area with a lot of down trees from a forest fire. My horse had been jumping down logs with me and running up embankments all morning and I felt great on him. We got to a little larger than normal down tree and when he went to jump his hind legs went higher and I must not have been holding onto my saddle horn well enough because the next thing I knew my right shoulder landed on the ground with a big thug. I rolled around for a minute and then got up and got back on my horse. Warren asked if I was okay and I was okay after a minute to shake it off. I remounted my horse and we continued on. We then got to another area where Warren bugled and an elk responded with a bugle back. The excitement started, there is nothing like it. The elk was well over 1400+ yards (across a huge valley and steep mountain away). And then we heard several more elk and what seemed like an impossible ride to get to them. Warren said they aren’t interested in us (meaning he wasn’t going to be able to bugle them over) and he looked at Kevin and quietly asked do you think she can make it over there (he meant to that place that seemed almost impossible). I responded and said yes I can. 🙂 We started heading that way and Warren led my horse behind his so he wouldn’t jump any down trees. He knew I didn’t have the confidence that I could keep my horse Ishamooa (an American Indian name and I called him “Ish” for short) from jumping them. We made our way around and were heading up a steep grade and my foot was hurting from hanging from the saddle in my stirrup all morning and I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to keep the horse from jumping if Warren wasn’t there every step of the way. I was making groaning noises (not even realizing it). Warren looked back at me and said are you okay to make it or would you rather go to camp. He said, “its not going to be a golf course over there”. In my mind I was not giving up, we were so close. We finished making our way around and Warren bugled every once in awhile without a response. We dismounted from our horses and laid in some down timber while Warren bugled in hopes we would get a response. They had moved on and were not there anymore. It was getting hot and the air was super dry. We needed to head back and try another day. We rode three and half hours back to camp. I decided on the way back I needed a days break and didn’t go out on Thursday. It was a much needed day to recuperate and rest. I gave Sue my leather journal for Warren to write in and told her he could write anytime and even be six months from now when he had the time. Later that evening Sue told me he took the book and he wanted to write while everything was fresh in his mind. There were two bull elk taken that day and I did feel a little like I may have missed my opportunity. I let the other guides know I would be going out on Friday morning. We again got up at 3am and headed to the food tent for another delicious breakfast. Warren called me into the tent where Sue prepared our food. He said go back to bed and be on your horse at 6am we were going to have a nice easy day today. He said one of the guides heard an elk over an area with less grade and a more gentle terrain. It was 6am, but still extremely dark and we headed down the river just the three of us and no other hunters. The thought did go through my mind that this is the place Kevin saw fresh grizzly bear tracks on his way to trout fish the size of his boot just the day before. Most of the time they leave you alone, but on the off chance that something would happen we should be able to handle it safely. Warren led his horse on foot all the way past the thick, heavy brush that wove around the river banks. He is a quiet man and he doesn’t say a lot so when he does I listen closely. He stopped his horse Timberline shortly after he had mounted him to ride and turned to me and said “Shelley, this is where Hannibal (an infamous huge grizzly that is known to have killed and eaten at least four grizzly bears) likes to reach out and get you.” He knew exactly what I had been thinking the entire previous 45 minutes into our journey in the blackness. I laughed a nervous laugh and he cracked a smile. We continued on up a mountain and we reached a lake that looked like a mirror and then an even bigger lake. The sun had not yet risen over the mountain. It was majestic and the sky was changing different hues by the minute. The lake reflected the surrounding mountain and the evergreens. There were hundreds of trout taking insects from the surface. The air was crisp and we watched the most beautiful sunrise that morning. We got off our horses and he bugled in hopes of a picturesque elk or two coming in. Warren shared stories with us throughout the morning and showed us places that he hunted or had interesting things happen while riding along the trail. He holds so much knowledge and has so many experiences that few will ever have. Each one of the stories he shared was interesting and full of history. He shared some of the more frightful things that have happened to him over the years. His love for nature and he notices all of the little details of every part of the trails he rides. He respects the animals we hunt and understands what needs to be done to protect them so they will be here for generations to come. This was why I wanted us to hunt with Warren. It was more than the elk hunting for me and about being privileged to be around a man who for generations before him knows this land we had this special opportunity to be on. His horses are trained for this, solid and ready for a novice like myself to trust and be able to hunt in this way. Also, Warren took me through down trees and Ish gracefully stepped over them and I learned how to keep him from jumping them, my confidence was back. We hunted for elk that day too, but really that was a day of learning about the land and the man we were hunting with. It was the perfect day and I was happy. We went back to camp that evening and I was satisfied as the next day would be our last in the wilderness. Kevin had taken a beautiful elk and I had learned more about myself and how I could push my limits further than I ever imagined. That evening I said to Kevin that I knew it was unlikely I would kill an elk on this trip and was good with it. We went to bed and I was anticipating our 3am wake up and horseback ride into the darkness. Part of me really had wanted an elk still because I thought it would be unlikely I would come back to do this intensive hunting again. We woke up on our last morning and went to breakfast. We had all our bags/gear on the canvas tarp to be loaded onto the mules with exception of our hunting gear. Susan came into the dining tent and let me know that Warren wanted Kevin and I at the horses at 6am. We went back to our tent and rested our eyes for a bit until time to saddle up. Warren came out like he normally does and mounted his horse. He didn’t say a word and he rode off into the wilderness (pitch black again) with us following. This morning felt different, the air was crisper and as daylight came it was overcast with wind and felt like it could snow. After about an hour and twenty minutes of riding we came into a field and he bugled and did this every 20 minutes or so as we would approach a pasture or clearing. We had climbed a mountain with a sizable valley and other very large mountains in the distance (we had not been to this area before and I hadn’t heard anyone talk of it so my hopes were not high). Warren bugled and we heard a faint bugle back. All of us lit up and we tied our horses to the trees hidden away like we do when we stop anywhere. He bugled again and the elk bugled back. He had me make my way down the mountain a short distance to find cover in the down timber. Kevin was helping me to find a place and it was difficult because the other timber would be in the way depending on how the elk came in. We got behind a burnt out standing tree and no place to really rest the gun to shoot. So that meant I had to stand and freehand when I took my shot. My guess would be the elk started out somewhere between 1000-1200 yards away in the evergreens on the other mountain. Warren bugled him in and I had him in my scope at 400 yards. The shot was not ideal for several reasons. One is the yardage and I only had a head shot with a partial shoulder. Also, it’s a long shot to make while unsupported, standing freehanded. Warren told me not to shoot as the elk was still coming in. He reminded me to breath to calm and steady me. We didn’t see the elk for quite a while and he didn’t bugle anymore. Warren told me he would come in and my shot would be around 120 yards. It seemed like forever (really probably only minutes) the winds changed three times since his last bugle and we each quietly wondered if he had gotten wind of us and disappeared. Then all of a sudden there he was 120 yards out like Warren said (big antlers (6x7)coming over the ridge and a huge bodied elk). I had him in my scope on him solid now. Warren said quietly “Shelley are you able to shoot him? Are you steady?”. I looked through my scope and I had the cross hairs on him as he quartered toward me. When I felt ready I took my shot and he went down. My magazine fell out of my rifle (damn magazine)and when I pulled the bolt back to reload there wasn’t a shell. Kevin quickly dropped another shell into the rifle that he had in his pocket. Warren told me to shoot him in the back of his neck and I did. This was the first animal I have ever hunted and killed. It was an honor to be with Kevin and Warren as my guide as his years of experience were invaluable. Tears of happiness and disbelief came to my eyes, my heart was pounding and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment. We worked extremely hard for this elk with 100 miles in the saddle and injuries that could have kept me at camp. But, this was the perfect hunt with two people I could not have been more happy to be with and have the experience. Warren went to get our horses we had left near the trail. Kevin and I went to my bull. He led me down the hill by hand and it was an incredible sight. I wanted to honor my elk by being a part of the process to prepare him with Warren and Kevin. Warren gutted, caped the elk for mounting. We had to keep a watchful eye for a grizzly and kept our guns loaded. The grizzlies can smell the blood of the elk on the wind and will come in for an easy meal. We kept our rifle and two handguns ready and loaded. We were in an area where a grizzly could easily be on you before you realized with all the cover around. After we finished as much prep as we could we rode our horses down to where we would meet the other hunters for Kevin and I to head back to the ranch. Before we left to head down Warren made sure to rib me a little. There is a swinging bridge that we had to cross by horseback to get to the trailers to load up. He said, “Are you afraid of heights?” I replied “Yesss” Warren said, “Now, Shelley, don’t start worrying about crossing the swinging bridge thats 150-200’ in the air”. We had to leave the elk and then after Warren got us to our group to head out another few hours. Warren along with the mules and packers would go back to get the elk. When we caught up with the other hunters and Aimee (Warren’s daughter) who led us out of the wilderness. Warren then came over to my horse and shook my hand. Ribbed me again about the bridge just to make sure I was thinking about it. Then he said “Shelley, don’t worry about me climbing back up the mountain into bad, questionable weather, windy, cold and no lunch I will be ‘okay’packing up and getting your elk out.” He had that smile on his face and you knew that if anyone can take care of themselves back there its Warren. He did have about a good three to four hours of riding back to camp and a couple hours to pack my elk on the mules. After we arrived back at our RV later that evening the discomfort wouldn’t allow me to lay down/sleep because my back/shoulder hurt so badly and we ended up driving an hour at 11:30pm to the ER in Livingston to find out I had in fact broken my foot and had a broken rib in my back (ouch!!!!) The doctors and nurses said “you are one tough girl!”. They couldn’t believe I continued hunting for four days in that terrain by horseback with multiple fractures. I would do it all again....BEST experience of my life. Thank you Warren & Kevin.😊💪

I had spent many hunting seasons in my childhood helping my Dad clean, skin and quarter the deer he shot. Every hunt whether it be for geese, deer, duck or even fishing I waited with anticipation and excitement at home for my Dad after his hunt. Our family lived partially off the animals my Dad hunted, the fish we caught and the garden we grew. Its in my blood to be one with nature and to understand and appreciate the food we enjoy. My love for wildlife and nature is all part of the world I grew up in as a child. I respect the process and not waste the animal. These are the same values Warren has and thats why I was so honored to hunt with him. Warren’s grandaughter was at the camp with Sue, Aimee (Warren & Sue’s daughter)when we would leave for our hunts in the morning she would wish her dad Jeremiah (Warren & Sue’s son) good luck and tell him to be safe. Then she would wait with anticipation in the afternoon for her dad and grandpa to come back. She reminded me of myself at that age and how proud she was to be a part of working with her family. This experience in the backcountry with Kevin is one I will always cherish and appreciate forever. Another great part is my friend Lauren Kimsey💗 🦋who sadly 😥😥passed away from cancer five years ago, father Warren Kimsey is a well respected taxidermist who has done work for the Smithsonian and will prepare the mounts for both Kevin’s elk and my elk. I have always wanted to have Lauren’s dad mount an animal for us. Every time I see my elk I will remember our adventure and what an honor to have my friend’s dad be a part of that with us. He is extremely talented and respected in his field. #leupold #leupoldoptics Cooper Firearms of Montana, Inc.

[kevshell]

Sept 23, 2020 20:17:44 GMT -5 dougader said:

Indeed, a hunt of a lifetime. Your wife is 1 in a million.

Thanks for sharing it all with us.

Thank you. She reminds me of that routinely. I married up.