Holte Elk Hunt 2012

Today is opening day for big game with a rifle.  Landon and I made plans for my Mom and Dale to come up and watch the boys so we could go hunting.  I have a cow elk tag and a general deer tag and Landon has a general deer tag and a mule deer doe tag.  Our main purpose for hunting today was to fill my elk tag.  We were going to tent camp but a friend offered to let us use his 5th wheel camper that was set up at another friends old homestead.  We left Friday afternoon to go scout hunting spots and get a jump on hunting Saturday morning.  This is the view of where we were staying from the main road.

A view from the camper.

Another view; notice the cows?

Home Sweet Home

It may have been old, but it was clean.  Apparently dryer sheets keep mice away.  The bed was comfy and we even had electricity to watch Country Strong last night on the boys' DVD player cozied up on the couch with the little space heater fired up.  I'm sure this is the campers final resting place, but it serves a purpose and I have Bruce Unger to thank for a comfy place to stay.

Looking out of the camper is an old house, not sure how long it has been since someone lived there, but it looks pretty rough.

More scenery, and more cows.  Did you notice above that I thanked Bruce for a comfy place to stay not a comfy place to sleep?  We had the pleasure of listening to cows all night.  It appears they have the same patterns for sleeping as they do eating and pooping - completely random.  Needless to say I did not get much sleep.  

We got up and headed out...

This is where we hunted.  We were out on the ridge about 15 minutes before legal shooting time hoping to see something moving through the coulees.  It was fore casted to be windy but we only had a slight breeze.  We spotted the hind end of an elk and decided to head back around to see what it was.  We found a 5x5 bull by himself.  We watched him for a minute and headed back the other way.  We hiked around for an hour or so then stopped to glass whatever we could see.  Not seeing anything and Landon needing to see what was over the next hill (which can lead you farther from the truck than you'd like) ended up with us separating.  Landon headed down the coulee to see what was over the next hill and I headed my zig zagged way back to the truck.  I got back to the truck at 8:45 and grabbed a bite for breakfast and took a seat in the truck with the binoculars and spotting scope.  I looked around, didn't see anything, waited, looked around, waited, saw a little speck that I assumed was Landon, looked around some more, and waited.  Then after waiting for what seemed like 5 hours, I spied some elk, and they were MOVING.  RIGHT TOWARD ME!  I think I said something like, "elk, elk, elk, crap, gun, elk, hee hee hoo, elk...", grabbed the 7mm off the drivers seat, put one in the chamber, ran to the other side of the truck, leaned over the hood, lost the elk behind a hill, ran to the other side of the truck, found the head of a cow, ran back to the  other side of the truck, leaned over the hood, and shot a cow broadside just behind the front left shoulder.  She did a little dance, or at least I think she did.  I debated shooting again but didn't want to ruin any meat just in case the wind or adrenaline took over and I wasn't as steady as I thought I was.  She did another little dance and hit the ground.  The other elk, another cow and two bulls, I think, took off.  I did a little dance as I ran to her from the truck, did another little dance, then yelled for Landon (who was up wind from me in what was a very breezy coulee).  I did another little who hoo and began pacing, looking for Landon, looking at my first elk, and a few more who hoos.  Then it was 9:11.  I called Carter and then my Dad.  Some other hunters I know stopped and chit chatted while I waited for Landon to get back.  He came up from the other side of the truck and looked at me with a "sorry, didn't see anything" smile while shaking his head 'no'.  I said, "I'm already done, she's dead."  The look on his face was priceless.  He couldn't see the elk from where he came up and he didn't believe me.  

 My first elk in three elk tags.

 We always hear stories about how the elk were right by the road, they ran in front of us, they shot themselves and climbed into the truck right before our eyes.  We have never been fortunate enough to have that happen with anything.  This picture shows how close to the truck we were.  That speck just out from the hood is the elk.

We had to drag it all of 100 yards to the road.  We headed home and were back by noon.  There are several high points to this hunting trip:

I spent an entire night away from my boys (the first from Henry, and only the second away from Carter-the first time was to have Henry)

I made it through the whole trip without even the start of a blister

I did it all (mostly) by myself (except for the gutting part.  I have, but don't if Landon is along)

Carter looks at these pictures and makes up a story about how it was his elk, his Uncle Bruce (funny how Bruce Unger=Uncle Bruce) and how we have 6 elk hanging in the garage.  I sure hope the imaginary game warden doesn't stop by.  Now we just have a few deer tags to fill and will mostly likely do it with the boys in tow.