My boy scored a cow permit for his 11th birthday. We were out this weekend in the rain... fun. I just wanted to share our progress. Friday evening we jammed out on my 4 wheeler to get a peek at how many camps are set up. Jumped a bull on our way and man was he in a hurry.
Saturday morning we watched a herd at daybreak work across a hillside....and then the first atv that made it within 500 yards was heard they bailed in a hurry. We watched this two times that morning. Those things are not fond of that sound!
By 1pm we've about drowned. We head to camp for dry goods. I have him shooting a rig that I built in 260ai and he wants to let it rip so I set him on a rock that has a bunch of bird crap on it. The rock is 754yd out.....he doesn't have a clue how far it is. I feed him the dope and tell him what to do. He busts it. I have him crank another in and beat one of the chunks.....bam! Does it again. My confidence in him is high considering I'm looking for a 2 to 300 tops shot.
Saturday night my boy is chucked up on his cow at 185, and of course there has to be a branch bull there too...but anyway, as he asks if it's ok, I tell him to go and BAM! heads snap up. I call my boy off and 40 seconds later....here come two atvs. Busted again.
We head out that night and dry off, rest up and hit it again in the morning.....as soon as we ride in, an hour before light we bust a bull. If you're the guy in the red dodge with the ranger boat sticker....you're in the right spot. We bust him 2x 500 yards from your truck....anyway, we setup .75 miles away hoping to catch the herd moving and make a play at light.....wind is blowing hard (MSR reactor is badass) and we gotta move. We head to an area that tends to have elk roll through and my kid is walking like Flava-Flave swinging his binos like a monkey. I stop and tell him to settle down and try to flow across the landscape....not spaz out.
He spazzes out.
No shit, there's an elk 30 yards behind me. I rip my pack off and try to set him up. I cow call she stops and a bull covers her up.....and they walk out of our lives.
Long story short, tons of smaller bulls out and you might as well ride or drive as fast as you can because they are long gone before you get there, and if you're the guy riding in the final 15 minutes of the day, the elk appreciate it.
Saturday morning we watched a herd at daybreak work across a hillside....and then the first atv that made it within 500 yards was heard they bailed in a hurry. We watched this two times that morning. Those things are not fond of that sound!
By 1pm we've about drowned. We head to camp for dry goods. I have him shooting a rig that I built in 260ai and he wants to let it rip so I set him on a rock that has a bunch of bird crap on it. The rock is 754yd out.....he doesn't have a clue how far it is. I feed him the dope and tell him what to do. He busts it. I have him crank another in and beat one of the chunks.....bam! Does it again. My confidence in him is high considering I'm looking for a 2 to 300 tops shot.
Saturday night my boy is chucked up on his cow at 185, and of course there has to be a branch bull there too...but anyway, as he asks if it's ok, I tell him to go and BAM! heads snap up. I call my boy off and 40 seconds later....here come two atvs. Busted again.
We head out that night and dry off, rest up and hit it again in the morning.....as soon as we ride in, an hour before light we bust a bull. If you're the guy in the red dodge with the ranger boat sticker....you're in the right spot. We bust him 2x 500 yards from your truck....anyway, we setup .75 miles away hoping to catch the herd moving and make a play at light.....wind is blowing hard (MSR reactor is badass) and we gotta move. We head to an area that tends to have elk roll through and my kid is walking like Flava-Flave swinging his binos like a monkey. I stop and tell him to settle down and try to flow across the landscape....not spaz out.
He spazzes out.
No shit, there's an elk 30 yards behind me. I rip my pack off and try to set him up. I cow call she stops and a bull covers her up.....and they walk out of our lives.
Long story short, tons of smaller bulls out and you might as well ride or drive as fast as you can because they are long gone before you get there, and if you're the guy riding in the final 15 minutes of the day, the elk appreciate it.
