The right place at the right time...

[Amahnee]

What a week. This might seem a little long winded so I'll apologize right up front. You can skip to the second part of the story for the finale.

My buddy and I headed out last Friday night with the intention of hunting a place near Sumpter where I had been into some bulls last year but as we headed up cabbage hill after getting diesel in P-town around nine that night I said you know we ought to just hunt this place in the Starkey unit I spent a week in last year. It was getting late and he agreed as it was also a hundred miles less driving that night. Heading into the area we saw a nice 4pt.rag standing next to the road and as we got closer to our camp spot there were about 20 cows bedded next to the road on a ridge top. We felt pretty good seeing elk on the drive in that night and couldn't wait for the next day. We started out seeing good sign up on the ridge and got an answer within the first half hour but the bull wouldn't show himself so we moved on. About an hour later I met my first new friend from California on the ridge, he and his buddy pounded that ridge the next two days and pushed off all the critters so we moved around and found good sign but no action. I told my buddy we would probably be playing this game all week long and most likely go home without any meat so we decided since the bulls weren't very vocal or showing any interest in the ladies yet why don't we head across 84 into a place in Mt. Emily where we rifle hunted spikes a couple years ago and maybe we could find a better opportunity for some meat and also low hunting pressure because of the draw. Who wants to just hunt spikes or cows anyway?

We set up camp and hunted that evening, I called in a 310-330 class 6X6 to about 50 yards and that was cool. You can't shoot, but you can play the game and that is good times! The next day we sat in tree stands and I had another small 6pt. rag come under my tree stand and bed down 19 yards in front of me. That was neat to watch. He just lay there and chew his cud and got up and left after an hour. Later that evening went up behind our old camp and bugled to try and locate some elk. We walked up a skid road that came into an area of reprod up against a ridge on the opposite side of where we sat in our stands. I let out a bugle and a bull screamed back at me a whole 20 yards into the reprod. My buddy and I just smiled at each other and thought lets see if we can get a look at him? It was to thick and he wasn't interested but we followed him and his girls up the ridge I kept right on him with some pressure to see if he'd turn around and fight so we could get a look at his size. A few minutes later they blew out and I heard some other, more human cow calls up the ridge so I did the old turkey call with my diaphragm to let my buddy and whoever was on top that the game was over. We met the other guys and they said the bull was a 5pt. and not that big. We exchanged hand shakes and names and asked where each other were from. One guy was Doug who was hunting spikes and his buddy Chris had "The tag". Chris works at Sportsmans Warehouse on 82nd behind the archery counter and the info he gave me most likely saved us from a court date in Pendleton. He told us that unit it is illegal to take a cow. We didn't have regs with us which was stupid in the first place and a friend told me that Wenaha was the only unit in the big three that you couldn't take a cow. Important lesson learned and much time wasted we were up at five the next morning moving camp back to another part of the Starkey.

We headed up to this new area and didn't know what to expect so when we decided on a camp spot I said we should go scout/hunt for a couple hours and see if there was enough sign to justify us staying in the area. We headed out of camp at close to 11am and split up in two directions to check things out. I climbed to the top of the ridge because that's where we've found most of the elk, and at around noon we checked in on our radios. My buddy was around the ridge a quarter mile below me and I gave him my GPS coordinates and said there was good sign where I was and a gorgeous bedding area beginning there too. He was tuckered out from the climb but came up to meet me. The first three quarters of a mile from the truck was nearly a one thousand vertical foot climb. You can't cheat the mountain pilgrim! Anyway he met me and we started through this bedding area. We did a couple set ups of soft mews and moved on. On our third set we still had no responses and decided to keep moving through the lodgepole and blow down. There was a old burn next to us and to keep things quiet we decided to move along the edge of it. We had gone no more then twenty five yards when I heard a branch snap and a thud straight in front of us. I said to my buddy that's elk. He said here comes a bull. He was moving at walking speed with his head down and laid back to get through the trees at fifty yards when we saw him. The wind was coming from him to us and I quickly knocked an arrow and put in my diaphragm. I looked to my left for a window to shoot through and found it quickly. He was twenty yards and behind a tree when I drew. He paused for about two seconds and moved forward. When he stepped into the window I did an alarm bark with my diaphragm and he locked up. I pulled the trigger and my arrow disappeared through him. He trotted about twenty yards and stopped, I cow called and he turned and looked, his rear end wobbled and he went down and that was it. I looked at my watch and it was exactly 1:30pm. My buddies first words were "So that's how you do it?" I just said we have a hell of a pack job ahead, and it was. Two trips up that mountain and back down was the most grueling pack I've ever had to make and every step was worth it. There is something about elk and elk hunting that differs so much from deer or any other game for me. As he went down and was going through his final seconds of life my eyes welled up a little and I felt sadness for him. Elk are such a magnificent animal and we are so lucky to be able to hunt them. It was good being at the right place at the right time.

[Archer1000]

Great story and great elk. Sounds like a helluva job!! Good job!!

[baltz526]

sounds like a very memorable hunt

[DukAddict]

wow that is a great elk! Congrats!

Brett Neffendorf

[kodiakfisher]

Nice Job and great hunt,


I also hunted Mt. Emily, I've been bummed since they changed the regulations about cow OR spike. Glad you got it sorted out before you let the air out of a cow. 25yds to a loan cow was as close as I got didn't even see a spike couple small groups at considerable distance with medium size bulls acting like the boss was about it for me.


Kodiakfisher

[toas243]

Nice ,story ,and Chris is a great guy at sportsmans ,if you ever need help on Archery stuff talk to Chris

[mtn300]

Very nice bull. It is good to see some elk from the east side being taken.

[fishboys]

:cheer s: you desirved that one my friend.

[scubaseth]

Nice story!

Scuba

[Northwest Pest]

[Tilla]

Thanks for the story.

[Hooker]

Very nice bull, Dave!

[Cliff D.]

Great hunt. Thanks for sharing.

[buck0523]

Congrats!!!

[traks44]

great story!!

Awesome bull as well!!!, sounds like you got into some quality animals. I cant wait for rifle season. Have seen more quality animals in and around Areas over here than I have for atleast 3-4 years!!!

GOOD JOB AGAIN!!!!!!

[Terdog13]

Most Good!!!


Everyone loves a good story- Success doesn't hurt either.


TWS

[whtelk]

Yes you do need to check those regs before you hunt. I will be in the Mnt. Emily next year but will pass all cows because I will have the "TAG" and freezer's are full... 9 pref. points should assure that.

[Don Becker]

Nice bull, nice job, great story. Don

[freespool]

Way to go Dave

Meat in the pot!

[Ras]

Right time, right place. Congrats on the bull.

Ras

[57chevy]

Great story...

[Amahnee]

Thanks guys!

[JIMBOUY]

Yea -Hooooooo!

[pdxkevin]

what a great read. Thanks for posting it. Great pics, too.

[Smokin'Bulls]

Very nice!!

[sliverpicker]

Well done Dave, congratulations on a fine animal!!!

[Quaka Wacka]

Nice work man.

[flyin chrome]

Congratulations Dave!!! Way to make a good clean kill. I am always pleased when I shoot a bull and watch him die. Usually it is because it was a great hit and quick death. I certainly understand your emotion of sadness for the critter as well. Be proud you did this bull the service of a clean kill.

[FastAction]

Nice Dave... Invite me over for some elk grub!

[beardbuster]

Good Job! You make it sound easy

[Amahnee]

Thanks for all the pats on the back, I really do appreciate it. It was a great hunt for me this year. Going into a place I've never been before and taking a bull two and a half hours into the hunt. I've passed up some great opportunities the past few seasons on elk but have been fortunate enough to kill a buck every year so at least I had meat in the freezer and plenty of fish. This year there was no passing and this bull was the first opportunity I had and it seemed it was meant to be. Everything was absolutely perfect.

Now I just need a 150 class blackie in the late season. I know where he is, now if I can just get him.

[sliverpicker]

Originally Posted by Amahnee

Now I just need a 150 class blackie in the late season. I know where he is, now if I can just get him.

I'm all ears!!!

[Amahnee]

You know where. Not that far away either. :grin: