A Bull! . . . Finally

HOGTIDE · 11-21-2001, 03:42 PM

It's been hard work trying to kick up a branchy headed wapiti this season in the Saddle Mountain Unit. If spikes were legal, we all would have filled out about the first 2 days. But it's 3 point or better, and the majority of the section we hunt is now at that Re-Prod stage that makes it almost impassible. With about 10-12 guys in our group, our drives through this world of 15' high Christmas Trees have been semi-successful every time, but mostly to the tune of spikes n cows n three 'Bull Flashes'.

Finally, yesterday, with the help of the incoming storms we started to put a little meat in the locker. Daylight in two different spots along the timber produced a 6X6 and a 6X9 bull(huge...but unbalanced rack). And, last night, just before dark, a final push in the R.P. got my good friend and I into a chubby 5X5! I was pushing from the side and only about 100 feet away when Nick dumped that thing....I never even pulled a trigger...but, I am tasting some "proximity" pepperoni right now!

Thank goodness for a GPS system and chainsaw winches, or I'd still be out there in the rain!

Two days to go and a tag in my pocket.....I love Elk season when the critters start to show.
:smile:

HOGTIDE · 11-21-2001, 05:39 PM

Just in:

And, as of this afternoon, my crew took another smaller 5X5!

OneLastCast · 11-21-2001, 07:32 PM

Congrats Hogtide

Two more days to go combined with 80 mile winds...there should be a couple more for the locker. Keep us posted.

OneLastCast

TheRogue · 11-22-2001, 06:33 PM

Way to go Hogtide!!!!

We still haven't found anything with antlers for my wife to shoot, will be out tomorrow for the last day.

kyle

Fish Hunter · 11-23-2001, 06:14 PM

Your in the thick of them again! Hope your elk flushers are not getting too sparse.
Life's short, hunt hard. I bet you'll get yours too. :grin: Good Luck.

HOGTIDE · 11-23-2001, 06:38 PM

A pretty sweet finish today. Tracked a small pod of cows and a satelite bull for about 3 hours. Finally got them to take a wrong turn in front of one of our shew-tur. (why would the spelling of the previous word be censored?). Chris managed to do some close range work on the bull with a lever action, that suddenly sounded like a fully-automatic! We grabbed the chain saw winches and yarded out a 4 X4 by 10:30.

Spent the rest of the day trying to walk down a monster bull that would only allow us glimpses, at sunset, yesterday. Appeared to be a white tined 7X7. Top of the ridge, down to the creek, creek to top, over and over again...a very tricky bull. By 3:45 it was gettin dark in the hole and I was thinkin' bout a hot shower at home and livin' in fear of leg cramps.

Bout the time my partner and I hit the pavement, our squakin' radio told us that our pals had just killed another bull on their walk back to the rig, across the canyon. It turned out to be a 5X5, that just wasn't smart enough to move from a sidehill opening in the re-prod. Nice finish at sunset!!!!

This season's total, after a slow start, 6 bulls for 10 full time brush busters. Make room in the freezer.

:smile: :smile:

[ 11-23-2001: Message edited by: HOGTIDE ]</p>

Bait O' Eggs · 11-23-2001, 07:13 PM

Sounds like you had a good season. I miss hunting in a big party and busting some brush on the coast. When the State changed the elk season around we hunted, my party couldnt all agree on which hunt to chase so we all ended going different ways. I dont mind the hunting in a smaller party, but around the campfire at night sure is different.

Glad you got into them. :smile:

OneLastCast · 11-24-2001, 03:45 AM

Sounds like you had an excellent season Hogtide.
How did the new rifle work out? Congratulations and thanks for the update.

OneLastCast

HOGTIDE · 11-24-2001, 05:00 PM

Hi OLC ! Never even got to squeeze off a round this year. Mostly tracked and pushed and sweated. But that is OK. Kinda how it works with our party. Some years you get to be the s-h-o-o-t-e-r and some years you're just the dog.Actually, it is very rewarding when you work a bull for someone else...the ultimate 'assist'!!!

Ya, I was really lookin' forward to see if that new Weatherby could give a bull a spankin'! Had one chance to blast away at a 300yard 5 point, but had a partner to the side and chose to hold up.Probably still a good choice, in retrospect.

I see you live in Nehalem. You must have elk in the backyard! I used to hit it hard in God's Valley and County Line Rd. country, about 8 years ago. Lots of nice bulls in that area, but I was never successful. Saw many good branch-heads when scouting there. Just couldn't get 'em to show during the season.