After we get back to the great state of Warshington after waking up to snow in MT, and driving through a snow storm in three states on my birthday I put that .308 on the bench and inspect it. My reticle is quite canted. UGH…that’s what I get for not bringing a simple tool to cradle the rifle and check the reticle level before going out to hunt. I got lucky with that deer. My wife runs out the door as we got home for groceries and comes back with a birthday cake and candles for me. Fabulous!
Prior to MT deer season, Kota and I spent a couple weekends setting up elk camp and now that I’m back from MT, elk season starts in three days. I’ve got a day to clean up gear and repack…and of course make sure my reticles are level and shoot to confirm.
Preseason, Kota and I spent the downtime at camp adventuring around and birding, getting to know each other in a different setting. No birds shot but, we got a few things worked out.
Elk season upon us and I roll into camp right before dark. It’s cold up on top, below freezing. I’m just glad I don’t have anything major to do. Just unload some gear and get settled for a full modern season. I’ve joined some friends this season and we have a first time elk hunter with us in his early 20’s. One of my friend’s step son. He seemed like a solid young man having come out of their tent and shook my hand without being prompted to. I like this guy already. That night everyone talks about where they are going the next morning…they are all planning to hunt in cold places. The next morning it’s 11 degrees at camp and I am definitely not going to hunt near camp. I don’t have the gear for that.
After a hot breakfast I set off in the truck the drive to where I want to hunt because it’s going to be warmer. Much warmer. About half way there I look out the window near a known good killing spot and I see a heard about a mile away and they are moving. No way I’m going down the side, across the bottom and back up to catch them. I glass for a while and spot a spike. Sweet…it’s 8:30am. I study the map and decided to drive to the bottom and walk my way into where I think they are going. 9am ish, park, gear up get to stepping. Oh, the scope is definitely not loose.
It’s been a few years since I walked this bottom and I know the most effceient route to go with the meandering creek so it takes me a good while to get to where I want to be. By 1pm, I’ve stopped for brakes, talked to two hunters not wearing orange but obviously hunting elk, seen a lone beef cow near the creek and gotten quite tired. I look at the map and see I am not where I wanted to be and it’s either turn back get to the truck by dark or keep going and hope for the best. I press on.
An hour later I see a herd going the opposite direction I expected to find them going. Get behind some cover and glass, range, 500+, move forward to more cover, range, 400, glassing…there’s that spike from the morning and he’s grazing my way. Now if I could just calm my heart rate that would be great. Shooting sticks out, range again, dial up, ZOOM in 24x to REALLY confirm it’s a spike, wait for him to clear from cows. It’s definitely a spike, trying to calm down and breathe slowly, aim, 300WM goes PEW, THUMP, reload, he’s still moving, PEW, thump, he turns to walk away…oh HEEEEECK no, PEW in the rump! Tips over…time to go get my elk. Get over to him and he’s just about expired and very soon does.
Thank God I’m finally in a spot with signal and I’m able to reach my people. Text my wife and a few other people. I starting texts from my people in the area and a couple phone calls so we can talk about where I am and how they are going to get there. Five hours later I have it deboned and ready to bag, right then they show up. We catch up, have some snacks, load up and get to stepping. It’a night, a cloudless, full moon night, no rain, barely a beeeze, perfect weather for a pack out. We stop for a few brakes and get back to the truck just before midnight. I’m glad to have a full size truck for all of us to fit into comfortably with gear and meat, and drive us all out to the top to their vehicles. We get back to camp just after 1am and by 9:30am the gammies are in our camp asking who killed the elk. We don’t have any elk meat hanging or the skull ou, just a bear that was killed the day before. So that was an interesting ask. The officer checked my tag etc etc and all was good.
My second elk ever, and this time on opening day. That was satisfying to know I was able to apply my knowledge of the area and stick with it, and have some luck.
All in we had three spikes and one bear hanging before the season was over.
Stay tuned for part three.
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