YES -- you guessed it -- We didn't get an elk on the spike hunt. It is OK, I kind of like mac and cheese anyway. No backstrap steaks or tacos made with elk burger for me 'til next year. I admit it -- I was not so lucky in the downing game this year. We hunted for about 5 days and ended up with only taking one very long shot at a spike. I wasn't the shooter and the results were no animals were injured in this hunt. On the plus side --
I had a great time hunting with my sons and all of my grandsons. My youngest grandson is only 6 years old (soon to be 7) and I think he had more fun than most of us. He ate chocolate twinkies and filled cupcakes (halloween treats) for several days and was permanently grinning with chocolate around his mouth. What a cute boy -- no front upper teeth, chocolate in the corners of his mouth, and a black hole smile dressed in blaze orange. We were 6 guys walking in the junipers and pinion forests trying to be quiet and listen for and look for elk. We knew if we could just see a herd of them there would be a spike in there for us to harvest. {Really, how quiet do you think we were? No so quiet I am sure.}
On opening morning around 10:30 a.m. we were more or less lost in the forest. Out of the still morning came a big time bull bugle. It rattled the trees around us. The area ruler was calling for his harem to come gather around. The call to group up came from just 80 yards or so ahead of us in the thick forest however we could not see the bulging bull nor his girls but we could hear the bugle as if it were in our back pockets. WOW! we quickly made our way to a ridge where we could see more country. We looked and saw the Duke of Pinion, ruler of the area bugling again and again. He was an extra big old guy. A 6 points on one side and 7 on the other a back scratching antler toting Master of the Forest. I was so glad the younger boys could see him in action. I was so glad they could hear his calls. To see big bulls on video is one thing but to be actually in the forest and within reasonable distance it is totally something else. You would have had to be there to appreciate the moment.
We shifted over the top of the ridge just a few yards and my son laid down with his rifle resting on its bipod. We were looking through our binos at a spike elk in the herd of cows obeying their Master's command to herd up. My son was steady and asked me to range the spike for him. I pressed the Leupold button and said it was 455 yards. He took careful aim and sent the shot off. Just as he pressed the trigger the spike elk moved to the south. With the flight time of the bullet and the quick movement of the spike elk the bullet impacted just behind the elk. Elevation was perfect but the bullet hit the dirt behind the elk. A clean miss, much better than a gut shot. At the shot the entire group of elk took off into the more dense parts of the forest. We would see partial light brown elk patches of hide moving through the trees but never a whole elk and no way to identify which is a cow and which is the spike. The elk quickly left the area and moved over the ridge to their south. They were gone.
As I have said before -- CRAP-O-RAMA ! We had a chance and we were not lucky enough. We continued to hunt for a few more days and saw 4 or 5 other herds of elk. We even saw one really big bull kind of down in a deep drainage. I guess this big bull might have scored around 380" or so. He was a big one. Now I am hoping for my son or I to get another any bull tag for this trophy area and find him again. I like the big old boys. Just seeing him was thrilling.
All in all, we had about 2,000 pounds of fun. We were together and it was great family time. I love my sons and I love my grandsons and we were all together in nature. It just doesn't get any better. Glad I went. Glad my boys could take some time off work and go. Glad my grandsons could "accidentally" miss a little bit of school and come along. Maybe next year the females in the clan can come too? God has been good to me. I thank Him.
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