2022 ELK MEAT POLE

[SoloWilderness]

Colorado 1st rifle. Opening morning. Outfitter had put a drop camp in my normal low camp, so I decided to head to a high camp about 3000' higher. 2 days of hiking through 45 degree oak brush and crossing high drainages later... Glassed up some plan B elk the night before the opener, and had 1 bugling in the oak brush I never saw. The plan B elk were about 3000' down, then 3000' up the opposite side of the canyon, and at least 2-3 miles away.... Woke up early, stuck my head out of the tent, just in time to watch a bull walk by in the pre-dawn about 50 yards away... Tossed on my pants, boots and binos. Got my orange on and my rifle and dashed out to the little ridge he disappeared over, didn't see him, but about 1500' down the ridge saw this guy about to disappear into another drainage. Ran down the ridge, bumped a big group of deer, which then bumped the elk... Guessed where he would run, and caught him climbing out of the next gully. 176 yards, dropped with one shot and rolled to the bottom of the gully.

Climbed down and confirmed he was dead, hung my orange on him and headed back to camp to get my gear, and break camp to move down. Boned him out in place, the moss on the river rock was so slick I fell and went for a slip and slide for about 50' on the way down to him, could barely move him without slipping. Had to lower meat and antlers over little cliffs to get him to where I could climb out of the ravine. Brutal pack out through oak brush and cliff bands to get him to my low camp. Took an entire day to get the meat down 1/2 mile to that camp, then got the text on the in-reach, my buddy shot his first 6x6 in another unit, and was coming to help as soon as they got out. 9 mile pack out, got lost in the ferns on the first trip out in the dark, in a steep canyon, within 50' of the trail, but was slipping and sliding with every step with a front and rear quarter in my bag. So, I spent a slightly unpleasant night tending a fire wrapped in a space blanket. Tolerable, but didn't comply with my plan to sleep at the truck that night, where there was cold beer, and an extra sleeping bag.

Best bull I've taken to date out of this heavily hunted, otc (except 1st rifle and muzzy) unit. Every one of them has involved some degree of misery, as I tend to shoot them in the bottom of canyons (and never learn to just let them walk to the truck, and then shoot them....) Needless to say, not my first night sleeping out with just my emergency kit...

 

[WiscoHoundsman]

Got this 4x5 1st rifle CO. Bull had an eye missing and had a broad head in his back strap likely from the year prior as I didn’t see any hide damage near it. No great photos as I couldn’t figure out a way of propping up the phone.

 

[Sawtoothsteve]

Last load out! Took new son-in-law on his first hunt and called in a this bull to 12 yards for his first kill.

Was fun summer helping tune his new bow and work with him to start shooting tight groups and then cash in on all the work with his first bull.

6.5 mile pack out was good initiation too

 

[huntsman22]

Todays CO eastern plains bull on the mobile meat pole... easy pack out.

 

[mtnbiker208]

Spike camp in Idaho

 

[Thebigbaby]

First Elk. 4 years previously trying. Out of state OTC.

 

[bgipson]

Well I went from 0 bulls to 2 bulls in 4 days! I made a post about my Idaho bull but this is my Wyoming General bull.

 

[KClark]

Spike camp in Idaho
View attachment 466406

I see what you did there.

 

[Mustang06]

Wyoming General tag. They were acting like it was the peak of the rut on October 15th. Thrilling hunt!

 

[bow_dozer]

168 VLD, 2 shots, went 10 yards between shots, piled on the second shot. 550 yards.

225 Eld-M, one shot. Tipped over standing after 5 seconds. 500 yards.

 

[jdmaxwell]

Huge DIY Colorado Archery Cow on Cow only tag in a Hell hole..

 

[mtnbiker208]

Wyoming General tag. They were acting like it was the peak of the rut on October 15th. Thrilling hunt!View attachment 466994

Is there an elk behind you to the right?

 

[DawnPatrol]

Opening morning in central Oregon. Feeling blessed! Good luck everyone.

 

[Bodough]

Colorado 1st rifle. Opening morning. Outfitter had put a drop camp in my normal low camp, so I decided to head to a high camp about 3000' higher. 2 days of hiking through 45 degree oak brush and crossing high drainages later... Glassed up some plan B elk the night before the opener, and had 1 bugling in the oak brush I never saw. The plan B elk were about 3000' down, then 3000' up the opposite side of the canyon, and at least 2-3 miles away.... Woke up early, stuck my head out of the tent, just in time to watch a bull walk by in the pre-dawn about 50 yards away... Tossed on my pants, boots and binos. Got my orange on and my rifle and dashed out to the little ridge he disappeared over, didn't see him, but about 1500' down the ridge saw this guy about to disappear into another drainage. Ran down the ridge, bumped a big group of deer, which then bumped the elk... Guessed where he would run, and caught him climbing out of the next gully. 176 yards, dropped with one shot and rolled to the bottom of the gully.

Climbed down and confirmed he was dead, hung my orange on him and headed back to camp to get my gear, and break camp to move down. Boned him out in place, the moss on the river rock was so slick I fell and went for a slip and slide for about 50' on the way down to him, could barely move him without slipping. Had to lower meat and antlers over little cliffs to get him to where I could climb out of the ravine. Brutal pack out through oak brush and cliff bands to get him to my low camp. Took an entire day to get the meat down 1/2 mile to that camp, then got the text on the in-reach, my buddy shot his first 6x6 in another unit, and was coming to help as soon as they got out. 9 mile pack out, got lost in the ferns on the first trip out in the dark, in a steep canyon, within 50' of the trail, but was slipping and sliding with every step with a front and rear quarter in my bag. So, I spent a slightly unpleasant night tending a fire wrapped in a space blanket. Tolerable, but didn't comply with my plan to sleep at the truck that night, where there was cold beer, and an extra sleeping bag.

Best bull I've taken to date out of this heavily hunted, otc (except 1st rifle and muzzy) unit. Every one of them has involved some degree of misery, as I tend to shoot them in the bottom of canyons (and never learn to just let them walk to the truck, and then shoot them....) Needless to say, not my first night sleeping out with just my emergency kit...

View attachment 465550View attachment 465551View attachment 465552View attachment 465563View attachment 465564

What a sweet spot to gut an elk aside from the slippery rocks, good job filling your tag!

 

[awcopeland]

This is only my second elk and by far my best elk to date. I was fortunate to receive some much appreciated logistical support from one of my wife’s coworkers to make a solo trip much more feasible.

 

[crucescrawler]

I’ve been fortunate enough to draw a few tags over the years in New Mexico for archery and have had personal success on 3 NM bulls. I have guided numerous archery, muzzleloader, and rifle hunts and have had great success with family and friends over the years also.

This year was the first year I was fortunate enough to draw my own Muzzleloader elk tag. My friend and I both guided the archery hunts in the same unit and between us both we hunted and scouted every weekend for a trophy bull. We located a 370 class bull in no man’s land prior to the hunt and was a 3 mile hike in the dark to get to the knob we had to glass from to try and get eyes on him.

We managed to pick him up in the glass at about 2 miles away and also spotted what seemed to be a big heavy 6X broke on his left side just below him by 1000 yards or so. We had all the stops pulled out and proceeded on our hike in to get after the bull knowing the terrain to get to him would take us to mid day to get to him. We pounded through the rockiest stuff imaginable, water running in creek beds, and even some sketchy vertical stuff on hands and feet.

We pressed on and we’re getting close to where we had seen the “broke” bull and caught a glimpse of his right horn raking a tree in the canyon bottom we had seen him moving into. I was setting up my glass to get some video of him while my buddy was looking at him at 330 yards away with his binos. He whispered, “Dude, he’s not broke! He has some funky stuff going on!” Immediately I was drawn to it as I got my magview up, and the bull casually continued into a pocket of thick trees. I had not been able to see what was going on with the left side.

We sat there for for a couple minutes and decided that I would stay there on the gun while my buddy would walk the ridge up to get a better vantage point. Knowing the distance up the ridge would be a further shot, we would have a much better angle at him. The bull remained in the pocket of trees as I moved up the ridge to the better vantage point.

Once I got to the spot my buddy was at, he said he hadn’t seen him come out. There was only a small area he could be in. We waited him out and thought about going to get on that 370 class bull for a good 20 minutes and come back to this one if it didn’t work out. I thought long and hard and figured the 3 bulls I have previously killed are all typical, and I have always wanted to kill a “freak” and it was all about character for me from that point on. I set up the gun, judged wind, and we waited for the bull to come out. He finally stepped out and we had glass on him immediately. He stopped to work over a tree, and we had all the time in the world to judge his character. We determined this was the bull to take.

My buddy had him in he magview and said “bust him right there”. I responded with “going hot… 500 yards” (some may question such a far muzzleloader shot, however I was able to use a precision long range Bad To The Bone muzzleloader with a Husqemaw turreted scope that I had been practicing with prior to the hunt)

I squeezed the trigger, and with a single shot I dropped him in his tracks. The bull was down! We were so excited to take a closer look at this bull. We made some calls to our friends for the pack frames and barreled down the hill to the bull. We were amazed at what we saw. Double mains in the most odd fashion. A true once in a lifetime bull. The pics tell the rest of the story…View attachment 468583

 

[crucescrawler]

The pack out was a complete nightmare, but I’d do it again any day and would do the same for all of the help I had.

 

[borntohuntforcedtowork]

Congrats to everyone and there elk!

 

[280Ackley]

My sons first and my bull from this year!

 

[id_jon]

Finally got my first elk!