MEAT IN THE FREEZER

I have been rather sick since April with surgeries, chemo-therapy, and radiation therapy.  I had a limited entry turkey tag and couldn't go on the hunt as I was busy puking plus was so tired I couldn't even tie my shoes.  I bought an over the counter elk tag online for the first week in October and that hunt didn't work out either.  My salvation for the hunting year 2015 came with a limited entry antlerless elk tag for late season I drew via online application.  I was finally getting to where I felt somewhat normal physically.  I still have little energy or stamina but I can get around and tie my own boot laces.

The limited entry antlerless elk was in the Bookcliffs region of Utah.  I really have a great time when I get to hunt out that way.  I took my biggest bull elk ever in the Bookcliffs in 2013 and two cow elk 2009 & 2012, and a bear, 2011. It is far from my home, but it is beautiful and quiet.  My son also drew the same antlerless elk tag.  We were going to hunt together for a few days before Thanksgiving, then have the family turkey holiday and hunt a few more days if necessary to fill our tags with some excellent organic meat for the freezer.

We drove out to the Bookcliffs area on Friday November 20th.  It seemed like a  long drive as we were excited to go scout for elk.  We kind of made camp and unloaded our gear.  Then off to a high point to scout for elk with spotting scopes and binoculars.  The temperature was around 35º and the skies were clear and blue.  We saw no other hunters in our area.  There was about 3" of snow on the ground, slightly more on the shady sides of tress and bushes and north-facing slopes.  Pretty much perfect conditions for an elk hunt.

We drove to a high point about 10 minutes west from our camp and while heading down the road saw a group of 10 - 12 elk.  The group consisted of cows and calves with a 2 - 3 rag horn bulls mixed in.  We looked at them with our optics and backed out of there to not spook them.  We continued to another spot looking for additional elk.  As we approached a little ravine maybe 3/4 of a mile north from the first group, we saw another group of elk maybe 5 - 6 animals, all antlerless.  We drove on to a hill top near by and saw still another group of elk maybe 15 individuals in a valley to the northeast.  There were definitely elk in the area.  We were way excited at finding so many.  We had tried to not spook them and went quietly and peaceably back to camp.

good prospects

 We noticed several "spectators" in the area.  Dax's blood started to bubble when he saw the fine mule deer that were interested in what we were doing.  He really likes to hunt mulies.

just watching

We had a light dinner at camp and talked about life, hunting, and lots of father and son things.  It is kind of my favorite part of hunting, that time after meals when you can share thoughts and thanks for all the great things we are living through.

It was a short night, up at 5:45 a.m. and still dark outside.  Some hot chocolate and a danish for breakfast then off to find the elk.  Dax drove and told me if we see one after daylight I should shoot.  He rationalized the shooting order as I only had a few days to hunt then back to Santa Clara.  He could get away another weekend if necessary so I should fill my tag if possible.  I suggested we flip a coin to decide who shot first.  He was just being a great son and hunting partner, I know he feels sorry for me as I am physically not what I used to be.  My sickness this summer and fall has taken lots out of me and I am kind of getting "old".  {Crap-o-rama I hate to admit it, but it is true, I am getting old.}

Just as the sun was coming up we saw some elk.  They were in one of the small valleys we had seen the night before.  We stopped the truck and tried to put a stalk on but they winded us and walked away from us.  We mounted up in the truck and drove to another road near by that would intersect the elk's retreat path.  We stopped the truck and I got out quietly, chambered a round and walked around the back of the truck.  We had some cow elk spotted on a southeastern hill side.  One large cow stopped on the skyline to look at us and at 115 yards it was her last mistake.  I aimed center mass in the chest then took the crosshairs down to  the lower 1/2 of the low 1/2 of the chest cavity.  Pushed off the safety and took up the slack in the trigger.  The .300 RUM when boom and the elk went down.  The shot turned out to be right on the heart and the top of the heart was taken off.  Dax got out of the truck and started to hike up the canyon that intersected the hillside.  He saw the other elk and took a Hail Mary shot on the moving elk at 360 yards without effect.  I hiked up the hillside to the downed elk. Dax came in from his shot from the southeast and we congratulated each other excessively.  We took some photos and Dax did an "elkie" not selfie with our success.

elkie

elk down

 We, Dax, cleaned the elk and we dragged her 5 or 6 yards to the edge of the hillside in the snow.  We pointed her down hill and started to drag, but gravity and coefficient of friction on snow took over and she slid all the way to the bottom of the hill and adjacent to the road. I drove the truck over, backed up, lowered the tail gate and we slid the elk into the truck bed whole.  I looked at my clock and it was only 8:30 a.m.  Pretty fine morning I think.

We drove to another high spot further south and east looking for an elk for Dax.  We saw some elk walking quickly through the trees and Dax got out of the truck with his .338 Win. Mag.  He started to walk through a small valley northwesterly on an intercept course.  I was to drive the truck back northwest and wait on the road at the end of the valley for Dax.  I drove over as he entered the trees all the while expecting to hear a shot in the timber.  I arrived at the bottom of the valley in the truck and parked, it was only maybe 3/4 of a mile from where I dropped him off.  I could not see Dax but I did see elk walking northwest in the trees.  I decided to leave the truck and walk around the bend in the road further east and try and scare the elk back toward Dax's last known location.  I went up the road about 350 yards and stood as obvious as possible in the road.  I had on my hunter orange and was waving my arms.  The elk didn't like me in their line of escape so they turned around.  I could see elk.  They were within shooting range, maybe 250 yards away.  I wanted to Dax to be there so he could get a shot. I was wondering where was he?  I held my stance in the road.  Out of no where I heard a shot and saw an elk founder and fall on the hillside.  I thought "Well, some one got one."  I walked down the road toward the downed elk and the sound of the shot and discovered Dax walking to meet me on the road with his rifle. He had taken the successful shot!

Dax had completed his hike to the truck and not seeing me was heading up a small hill behind the truck to the northwest for a higher view point to look for me.  He was barely on the upward hillside and noticed the elk walking away across the small ravine and sat down in the snow and made a 118 yard shot on a nice cow.  He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him.  The bend in the road with the small hill in between parts of the road had hidden us from each others' view.  We walked up to the downed elk together and it was a fine one.  We again congratulated each other excessively.  We took another elkie.

elkie 2

Already on the hillside we gutted the elk and started to slide it toward the road.  Again gravity and coefficient of friction on snow took over and the elk kind of slid all the way to the road.  As a rerun of prior efforts we backed up the truck and loaded the elk whole.  We had two fine antlerless elk in the truck and when I checked the clock it was 12:30 p.m.  Not a bad morning for meat hunters !!!  We drove back to the camp with our organic protein cargo in the truck box. We saw only two other hunting parties in the area.  Dax made the our hunt the greatest.  I so appreciate him helping me.

two nice ones cooling off