Season - 2020

OP
les welch

les welch

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
2,454
Location
Central WI
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OP
les welch

les welch

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Messages
2,454
Location
Central WI
Back home trying to recover and prep for the next run!

If you guys are on Instagram, find me and DM me your kill pics. I’m trying to post them up! Les_welch_


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Blinddog

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 18, 2018
Messages
161
Location
MN
Another year has gone, What a different year this was from last year. The area we hunt in was hit with High winds around labor day knocking trees down everywhere making hiking a major pain in the butt. We managed to get back 3-3 1/2 miles going through all this blowdown. Then we had to deal with a full Moon & the weather, the first week of October and bright and sunny every day into the mid 60's, definitely not riffle hunting weather. Hunt till around 10 Am and then try to hide and find shade until around 5 pm. The Elk were bugling none stop all night till around 9 am and then start back up at 6 Pm. But they would not move, they seemed to stay in their pockets. You could hike in to try and locate them and they would go silent and then when you were back out of their area they would start back up. There were so many trees down it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, they would just hunker down and hide instead of running. The only elk we would see moving around were singles and of no size. (spikes, small cows etc). We were seeing more Moose walking around then Elk. Finally the last day of our hunt at 6:30 at night, I had a 5x3 jump throught a small clearing at a 180 yards and was able to drop him in his tracks. finished cutting him up by 9 pm. Woke up at 7am. and got back to the elk that was about 1/2 mile away from my spike camp up about 500 + ft. of elevation with blow down, finished Deboning and started hauling him out at around 9:30. We hiked all day and finished last load at 7PM and hopped in the car for a 17 h. drive home. He was definatly not a huge Elk, but any larger and we would have had issue getting him out. We could barley walk by the time we finished. We ended the season 1 for 2. Had a great time even though the heat was a killer. Can't wait till next year. Wyoming is always a challange.
 

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Blinddog

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 18, 2018
Messages
161
Location
MN
Always tuff passing on an Elk early in the season, the first couple I passed on were not that large so the decision was not too difficult. On opening day I probably would have passed on this 5x3 that I ended up shooting just because there are bigger elk in the area and we were hearing lots of bugling going on all around us. But I have had the saying don't pass on today what you would shoot tomorrow told to me several times. Just tough to shoot a bull the first day that is not fitting with what you are looking for. Sometimes when you pass you end up eating Tag soup, other times it pays off.
I shoot more for meat than horns, but having the combo is always a bonus. Mine this year was on the smaller side and to top it off he did a header into a rock after the shot and broke the 3 side in half.
 

mrchomponthis

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
152
Location
Billings, MT
Always tuff passing on an Elk early in the season, the first couple I passed on were not that large so the decision was not too difficult. On opening day I probably would have passed on this 5x3 that I ended up shooting just because there are bigger elk in the area and we were hearing lots of bugling going on all around us. But I have had the saying don't pass on today what you would shoot tomorrow told to me several times. Just tough to shoot a bull the first day that is not fitting with what you are looking for. Sometimes when you pass you end up eating Tag soup, other times it pays off.
I shoot more for meat than horns, but having the combo is always a bonus. Mine this year was on the smaller side and to top it off he did a header into a rock after the shot and broke the 3 side in half.
Congrats on the bull, I have till Wednesday to fill my multi season tag since I'm not a muzzle loader guy... or I'm not one yet is a better statement.
 
Joined
Dec 26, 2018
Messages
15
Location
Eaton, Colorado
My dad and I were able to tag out within 2 days of each other in SW Colorado. He hunts muzzleloader and I hunt archery. He took his bull on 9/15 and I arrowed mine on 9/17. To tell the truth, I wasn't as jacked about mine because I was still sore from quartering and packing his! This was my dad's first true branch antlered bull, as he had only taken spikes and small raghorns prior to this. It was a bucket list item for him to be sure. Being able to share the experience with him was something that I will never forget!
 

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Joined
Nov 20, 2018
Messages
889
Location
Wyoming
Another year has gone, What a different year this was from last year. The area we hunt in was hit with High winds around labor day knocking trees down everywhere making hiking a major pain in the butt. We managed to get back 3-3 1/2 miles going through all this blowdown. Then we had to deal with a full Moon & the weather, the first week of October and bright and sunny every day into the mid 60's, definitely not riffle hunting weather. Hunt till around 10 Am and then try to hide and find shade until around 5 pm. The Elk were bugling none stop all night till around 9 am and then start back up at 6 Pm. But they would not move, they seemed to stay in their pockets. You could hike in to try and locate them and they would go silent and then when you were back out of their area they would start back up. There were so many trees down it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, they would just hunker down and hide instead of running. The only elk we would see moving around were singles and of no size. (spikes, small cows etc). We were seeing more Moose walking around then Elk. Finally the last day of our hunt at 6:30 at night, I had a 5x3 jump throught a small clearing at a 180 yards and was able to drop him in his tracks. finished cutting him up by 9 pm. Woke up at 7am. and got back to the elk that was about 1/2 mile away from my spike camp up about 500 + ft. of elevation with blow down, finished Deboning and started hauling him out at around 9:30. We hiked all day and finished last load at 7PM and hopped in the car for a 17 h. drive home. He was definatly not a huge Elk, but any larger and we would have had issue getting him out. We could barley walk by the time we finished. We ended the season 1 for 2. Had a great time even though the heat was a killer. Can't wait till next year. Wyoming is always a challange.
Mine last year was about that size. 1/2 mile from a road. 9 minute pack out :) ... well 30 min if you count the two trips we made, and the few minutes to hike back in with empty packs :)
 
Joined
Nov 20, 2018
Messages
889
Location
Wyoming
Always tuff passing on an Elk early in the season, the first couple I passed on were not that large so the decision was not too difficult. On opening day I probably would have passed on this 5x3 that I ended up shooting just because there are bigger elk in the area and we were hearing lots of bugling going on all around us. But I have had the saying don't pass on today what you would shoot tomorrow told to me several times. Just tough to shoot a bull the first day that is not fitting with what you are looking for. Sometimes when you pass you end up eating Tag soup, other times it pays off.
I shoot more for meat than horns, but having the combo is always a bonus. Mine this year was on the smaller side and to top it off he did a header into a rock after the shot and broke the 3 side in half.
I like to order my hunting priorities 1) meat, 2) good time in the woods, 3) trophy. But I really have to think about that now, I passed on a spike on 2nd day of rifle that I would shoot in a heartbeat now if spikes hadn't closed on October 10th. Yet to see if I find something better or eat the tag soup this year.
 

reaper10

FNG
Joined
Oct 27, 2020
Messages
21
2020 is shaping up to be one heck of an experience. I've always dreamt of hunting elk and being a Missouri resident, this obviously isn't possible without hunting out of state. This year I will have the opportunity to elk hunt Idaho on a disabled veteran non-resident tag. I will be going with 2 other disabled vets and am looking forward to the experience. We have yet to pick a unit as we have no first hand knowledge of the area and only one of us have ever been elk hunting before but I'm excited nonetheless.

Best of luck to you and everyone else this year!
does Idaho have a good deal for non-resident disabled vets?
 
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