Semi-Live SD/MT extravaganza.

[slick]

I've wanted to do this for some time now and guess I have the time to start it up.

I work seasonal wildlife jobs and ended up working in SD last year. The fella I worked for became not only a great boss but a good friend. He drew a rifle Black Hills tag and figured I would help him in whatever way possible to fill his tag. So- I don't have a job. I don't have a home. But have a good truck, a good dog, lots of tags and good friends to share this hunting season with. I'll give a quick recap of the last 5 days. The rifle elk season here opened Oct 1. I rolled into Rapid City at 10:30 the night before the opener. The tag holder (I don't think he would be appreciative of me using his real name, so I'll call him Harambe- nick name I've given him) he had 30+ trail cameras out and spent countless hours, miles, and money scouting his hunting district. He turned up many bulls in the 280-320 range. Had a couple pics of a couple bigger bulls (340s) and so we would focus on the areas that held the bigger bulls.

Opening morning his pregnant (with twins) wife, and his good friend from MN would still hunt through an area they knew held elk and the cows were being run by an 8x6. I glassed from a high point with another buddy of his. We only turned up 1 rag horn bull from our vantage point. But we heard quite a few bugles and hoped to hear the bark of his rifle.

He ends up sneaking in on a bachelor satellite group- he chased the wrong bugle. He thinks the other bugle that responded to the first ones he heard was where the cows and the bull running the show lives.

Day 2- had us in the rain and the bulls aren't as vocal. He went to where he knew a very good bull lived and had camera pictures of. He snuck into 100yards of the herd and cow called. The bull bedded in the thick understory gave out a half bugle. He waited patiently, but the elk snuck out on him. Think some other hunters knew of the bull in this area. As there were a couple trucks on each side of us as we left (never less than about a mile from a road in the Hills).

Day 3- we checked out a different area. Harambe is in the middle of a move, a pregnant wife, a new job, and an elk tag. He normally would devote every single second to this hunt, but he has a few other things on his mind. He's just had bad luck and his half army of friends have had 300"+ bulls in front of them but he's off somewhere else. We go back to where this big bull had been captured on cam. Wished I had more pictures but Harambe is very protective of his photos. Harambe and I sneak into this half ways clear cut and spot a half dozen cows. We know a bull must be close. Sure as crap we see an old bruiser run out of the trees with his head back doing the Flehmen's response. He's a good six and Harambe pulls his rifle up. Bull steps into an opening and is only carrying his right side. His left antler is broken between the G1 & G2. His face and neck is covered in dried blood. He lets out a screaming bugle less than 100yards from us. Wouldn't you know this bull had been also shot by an archery hunter a few weeks prior but had hit the shoulder blade and the arrow bounced right out. What a warrior! Unlucky for anyone reading this I pulled my phone up and it was dead. Still kicking myself for that.

Day 4- Harambe, like the bad butt Gorilla he is named after had a mighty important job to do regarding the public resource of wildlife for SD. So I was on a mission to find an elk for him. I ended up spooking a small herd off the road that had a decent 6x in the bunch. This is an area that is known to have a big bull in it

But I don't think it was this same bull. I didn't get a great look at it, and only saw it for a couple seconds but I don't think it had the same backs as the bull in this photo. He let out a couple bugles to get his cows back to him and up into an aspen basin they went. We went back and sat where the elk were known to cross into a meadow- but no luck.

 

[slick]

Day 5- Harambe again had to do a great service for the wildlife resource of SD and I was again alone. I checked 7 trail cameras yesterday. We did some looking at pics of bulls and we think the big bruiser was shot by archery hunters. Harambe has pics of the bull Sept 19. And archery hunters shot a 342 Sept 22 in the same area. We have given up hunting there- we think the broken 6pt claimed the 342's cows. Moving on to other areas that hold elk & game cams. None of the cameras had a single elk picture on them, but I could smell them in the east wind yesterday but didn't make a move as Harambe wasn't with. Rallying up to another spot I ran into a group of ~25 cows and calfs on the road. They run to the north and a 280 bull follows suit. A couple hundred yards down the road I again run into 12-15 cow/calves and an even smaller bull pushing them! What is going on? Where are the big fellas?? I go back to where the big backed bull has been known to hang out and about 30 cows. Glass up 3 raghorn's in a meadow and a lone bull way off in the distance. (Relative to SD)

thought this lone bull would be bigger than he is, but he just doesn't it have it. Ends up being a 5x6. I'm now hypothesizing that the old big bulls have 1. Done some fighting for the last month or so. 2. Have already bred a bunch of cows. 3. Have received some pressure from both archery hunters and now rifle hunters. 4. Some of them are shot, or wounded, and/or dead. 5. Have moved off onto their own after separating themselves from their harem's.

I'm headed out this afternoon and meeting Harambe at work. He says he has a plan, and I'm anxious to see. I'll be updating this for awhile as I have two pronghorn tags for eastern MT, a general deer & elk, and a bighorn sheep ewe tag in the Spanish Peaks. Fingers are crossed we'll be bloody and have heavy packs tonight!

 

[Gutshotem]

Great writeup! Can't wait to see how this plays out.

 

[jmez]

Going to be playing in the rain this afternoon.

 

[slick]

Out right now. Rain just passed. It's wet and it's quiet. Hopefully can make something happen. They haven't been very vocal the last couple days.

 

[slick]

So! Yesterday was quite the day.

Moved in to a meadow early and found 5 raghorns feeding but moved off into the trees. Again, chasing this guy

. Ended up still hunting and busted them out of their bed. I've been a horrible at keeping my phone charged..so unfortunately I don't have a ton to post besides words.

After running into the raghorns we went into another area that a friend had seen a rag and cow off the road. We played the wind right, and still hunted through another piece. Haramabe saw a cows bum 30yards ahead of us. We sat down and watched and waited. After about 15minutes the group got pretty chatty and stood up. 9 cows:calves got up and were talking back and forth almost saying "it's time to eat"...we hoped there was a mature bull running them, but low and behold the same small 5pt was the man. They moved up through our spot and one cow ended up walking right up to my hunting partner and licked his boot! What an experience. Unfortunately seems to be a reoccurring theme right now. The cows we find are with one smaller bull- more than likely picking up some sloppy seconds from an already bred cow.

We then had another piece in mind. We would hunt it from 3 until dark. Again, the weather wasn't the most cooperative. Was 66* and a light wind. While it was beautiful the wind had been giving us fits all day. We snuck through a thick understory with beautiful ponderosa overhead. Glassing as we went and checking the wind what seemed to be every few minutes. Fresh rubs and scat littered the forest floor here and there. Our goal was to be in an old clear cut towards dark. We made it to our destination and set up for a blind call. While it's a rifle tag, I set up 30yards behind Harambe. He was overlooking the clear cut to the west. I gave out a few chirps and mews of varying pitches -trying to mimic the group we had snuck in on earlier. Our cow calling hasn't been effective lately so I grabbed a large stick and started to break every branch off of the bottom of every tree in reach. Less than a couple minutes later and I hear a pine cone hit the ground to my left (behind me). Harambe starts to stand up like he's ready to move. I look over my shoulder and see a bull 60yards away feeding. A belly dragger click bang bull. I look back at Harambe-he's standing up in the wide open glassing away from the bull. I snap my fingers loudly twice. I can tell he hears me but doesn't look my way. I snap again. Nothing. Cow call. He's still glassing the meadow. I'm beginning to get real frustrated as I think the bull will spook. I eventually yell "Harambe!" In a sort of yelling whisper. He looks my way and I hold up my hands in front of my chest signaling antlers and point. He starts to walk towards me. I stop him. He glasses. Too far to the right. I point to the left. Binos back to his eyes. Too far to the left. Bull is standing broadside looking our direction for what seems like an eternity.

Harambe runs my way and sees the bull. Throws his ruger up and I hear the safety go off. 1st shot. Bull doesn't move. 2nd shot. Bull moves like a bullet moves near its head. 3rd shot. Hits a tee. 4th shot. Bull takes off like a mustang!

We find blood. We leave the bull sit for a couple hours. Rally some troops. Go back to blood . Search until 3am last night. Go back at 8am with dogs. Searched all day today in the rain/snow. No bull. Harambe is pretty heartbroken. He is not an unethical guy. Not the kind of guy that says "lost blood-we're done". But I don't think this bull is dead. He's sick about it. He's got a lot on his mind already. Pregnant wife with twins. A move. A new job. Selling the house. Taking care of cows. So tomorrow we'll slog back in there and look all day.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Fingers crossed our luck changes.

 

[slick]

And I was sort of planning on being in Montana this weekend for the opener of Pronghorn rifle with other friends, but I told Harambe I'd stick it out until he filled his tag. Our buddies filled their tags so that's a high note!