Successful Elk Trip

[baptiste_moose]

Well we just got back last night and had an awesome trip. We had 3 guys with tag and managed to get 2 full size cows and a yearling. We spent a day and a half meeting with land owners and getting permission. This was the easiest part. Everyone up there was super friendly and very helpful. It's pretty simple to find where the elk are going with that much snow.

The 1st cow came off a back field with no road access and they were feeding on alfalfa bails and making quick work of them. So we googled a cutline that went to the back of the field they were coming out on. We took the sled down the cut line and back on the same track hoping it would be hard enough to snowshoe down in the AM without breaking through. There's and easy 3 1/2 ft of snow which makes for challenging hunts.

So we set out down the cutline at 45 min before 1st shot and man was it snowing. We got to within 200 yes of the field edge and could see the heard out at the bails. We dropped our bags and pooped of the snowshoes and hit the deep stuff to stay low and cover our noise. Even though there was a tree line blocking our view we could still see the lead cow was on to us. We had to stop lots cause she would look in our direction. We moved once she would go back to grazing. We finally got to the fence line and got set up. My Leica ranged no prob in the hectic snowfall and 300 yes was what we were looking at. My buddy settled the cross hairs and let the shot fly. She ran 25 yds and started to do the wobble. Down she went. Calf sled and a snowmobile helped us get her out. After cleaning we realized he made a perfect heart shot with his 30/06.

The next morning we knew a diff heard was hitting a bail yard and travelling a dead end road to get back to the bail field for 1st light. So we laid down another skidoo track the evening before and snowshoed in when it was dark. We we got to the field we couldn't believe our eyes. 45 Elk feeding on bails and 25 of them were bulls. It was hard to pick out cows with a clean shot not near other cows or bulls. My buddy took a 130 yd shot and got a nice yearling. The heard off across the field but held up right at bush line. I was laying prone and she was giving me broadside all day. I squeezed one off with my 6.5x284 from 200 and heard the sweet sound of the bullet whack her. When we went in with the ski doo we saw that she had only made it 15 yds inside the tree's. Thank god!!

All in all it was a very good trip. We managed to get a beautiful dog and a couple good sheds. We're gonna tan all the elk hides and slowly piece together a rug for our outfitters tent.

[Flatlandliver]

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for sharing and congrats.

[Jamie Black R/T]

lots of good eats there! now you can get back to fishing lol

im headed up Friday to do the same....2 cow draws in my group.

[kimmi07]

Canni ask what wmu?

[baptiste_moose]

359

[Lefty-Canuck]

Congrats on the success!

LC

[bb356]

Congrat's !!!

[coppercarbide]

Awesome post, great pics, great story.

Looks like a fantastic hunt, congratulations!

[The Fisherman Guy]

Looks like a great hunt, thanks for sharing the details.

Your strategy to pack in a trail with the sled is very smart.

Great looking Moose shed as well!

Congratulations on some great eating!

[Alberta Bigbore]

Congrats man, nice sheds too btw.

[covey ridge]

Great story! 3 clean kills Congrats!!

[moosehunter3-0]

congrats, enjoy the tenderloins!

[catnthehat]

Gongrats!I was wondering when we would see some pics!
Cat

[kimmi07]

Originally Posted by baptiste_moose

359

Ok my man was told the hunting around there wasn't bad. Guess its another place to check out next summer

[greywolf]

Originally Posted by kimmi07

Ok my man was told the hunting around there wasn't bad. Guess its another place to check out next summer

just remember,
where the elk are today is more likely miles from where they may be next fall.

[martinnordegg]

Congratulations!! Some excellent eats there! Nice sheds!

[CptnBlues63]

Originally Posted by baptiste_moose

359

Congrat's on the successful hunt!

We spend the first week of November hunting in 359 (my partner and his dad have been hunting that area since the late 70's - I started hunting with them in 2007) and I've taken both my elk there. Got a nice cow last November (12) at 300 yards in a field full of alfalfa bales.

I expect they're a lot easier to find in the late season rather than the regular or early seasons. We only saw them last year because so much snow had fallen before Nov 1st they were out feeding on the easy meals by the time we got there.

[waterninja]

congrats on a great hunt guys. damn that snow is deep this year.

[Pixel Shooter]

well thought out and executed, well done and congrats!

[baptiste_moose]

Thanks everyone. It was an awesome trip. I fleshed out that dog last night and gave him a bath. Gonna try to get him pickled today. Here's a few more pics cause every one likes pictures right?

[covey ridge]

Originally Posted by waterninja

congrats on a great hunt guys. damn that snow is deep this year.

My thoughts as well. Got to admire those who deal with it and not let it stop a very productive hunt. Congrats again!

[mikelewis]

Just wondering looks like an old friend of mine..........PAT???

[baptiste_moose]

No PAT here!

[finner-duramax]

Another good hunting trip in the books, like usual lots of good laughs and good company to go with, never a dull moment!! As for the hunting everything went smooth, the snow was a huge obstacle but owning a mountain sled and calf self is key. We wouldn't have been able to do it would out either.
Great trip guys, can't wait to cook that meat up

[NayNay]

Congrats man!

[MissB]

Good job boys!

-sweet Melissa