Thanks, roper! Hoping to fill the tag though, lol, but having little hope for the field at this point.
Had some contact today during the hunting hours, finally. A cow showed up with a spike that had a couple of points on each antler, so a point short on at least one of them, lol.
Spike, when I saw him:
Cow:
Tricky buggers. They showed up from a completely unexpected direction and I almost got myself made, lol. In the spot where I set up, immediately behind me, there is poplar, tall grass, deadfall, etc. Essentially, it is a very small (I’d say 15-20 meters wide and about 30-40 meters long, if that) wooded area that has never been cleared on the quarter. The set up is on the far, call it, left corner of this area, mostly directly observing the adjacent quarter. To the left and behind, there is a very secluded “pasture” on the quarter I am sitting on, which is used for hay, vs grain and seed on the quarter I am mostly looking at. To the right and behind is the rest of the hay field, but my view there is pretty obstructed by the trees, deadfall, etc. Just because of the way I set up. Not sure if any of this is making any sense, lol, because it sounds complicated the way I am explaining it. It really isn’t. Maybe I’ll take pics if I go there again, to simplify the visualization, lol. You can kind of get a part of it from the very fist photo in this thread (the chair pic) and the last (the sunset pic).
Anyway, the set up was chosen this way because of the nice spot where I could drop a chair (still laughing about the fact that I am hunting from a chair), but mainly because I am expecting for elk to come in from the adjacent quarter with the highest probability, next from the behind on the left, then maybe from the right and slightly ahead (again, adjacent quarter), and, only then right and behind. Sitting down, I can only see what you see in the very first pic and somewhat forward and to the right. I have to half get up to see behind to the left and fully get up to somewhat see behind to the right. Damn, I am not good with explaining things the easy way, lol.
So having this in mind, after a few bugles and some cow calls (I have been there for about half an hour by then), I kept watching a mulie doe on the far end of adjacent quarter constantly looking at the most probable entry point for elk. It’s been a while and she just kept looking there, so there was obviously something going on there. Sometime later, finally, another doe showed up from there, so a bust as far as my main purpose of being there goes. At that point, I got up rather quickly to see what’s happening behind on the left, the second most likely entry point for elk. Nada. I kind of stuck my head out for a better view and then was turning around to look at the right and kind of sitting back down at the same time when saw the cow directly to my right looking right at me, lol. Thanks to the deadfall, I doubt she could make me out and probably didn’t. When I sat back down, I immediately sent a couple of mews, trying to give her heads up that it is just another cow and take some edge off her. That’s when I saw the spike walking right to me from the same direction and then he stopped. Spike maybe 40 yards out and cow 50, give or take 10 (?).
I spent a few moments trying to find if there is any company they had with them, but I couldn’t see any. In the mean time, they looked in my direction for a bit and then started moving to the adjacent quarter. I guess, I should mention that I am lucky to have permission on both of these quarters of land, so I don’t really have to care which way they move. It took me another minute to get a better look of the spike and his “spikes” and I only counted two points per antler. If he had three good ones on at least one of them, I’d probably shoot him without giving it much thought. While I want to get a bull I didn’t last year, I can’t seem to be able to get out (need way more than an hour in the evening) and it sure beats packing out something similar or a little bigger out of the valley. If I don’t get the bull I actually want, the head gear and whatnot doesn’t really matter to me. Regardless, this guy was not a shooter. Or maybe I wouldn’t shoot him even if he had three good points because I am weird that way, lol. I don’t know. Last year, I made my season extremely long and complicated because of that (and there was a thread for that too, lol (
here, completely different way of hunting, which is way more my kind of way)).
Anyway, I let them walk away into the next field, playing with the calls a little. They didn’t make a peep all this time. I guess the commission I created when I got up to look around, as if I am not even hunting, made them a little cautious. Oh yeah, also, they eventually reached where my scent was taken by the wind, but still stayed and kind moved back and forth for an occasional mew I sent, as if they aren’t sure.
I waited until I thought they really walked away in order to avoid giving them a lesson, so I left a bit late. When I got to the car, I saw they were a bit further but still there, so I waited a bit more and placed my bugle on the roof of the vehicle. When I got half way home, I realized that I never got the bugle off the roof. Had to go back and look for it and, thankfully, found it in one piece. Kind of like that one and wouldn’t want to see it gone.
In conclusion, I really need to make time to get out to the valley. It is ticking and I don’t think I will get a bull sitting out there. Probably another week, two tops, left when I can count on bulls still being with their herds, at least some of them. We will see.
If you are still reading, sorry for the loooong post, unless you are a masochist and still enjoying, haha.
Good luck to all trying to get whatever they are after!