ltdann
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2007
- Messages
- 4,780
- Reaction score
- 144
I'm thrashed. What a brutal experience that was, the rain came Friday-Tuesday, and on Tuesday the temp dropped to 20 degrees.
I attended the orientation for the second period FHL cow hunt on Friday night, in a driving rain storm. Not a good sign. The briefer announced that we could no longer use shotguns w/slugs inside muzzleloader areas, claiming that they're too accurate. Well that cut out alot of hunting areas for me, since I deliberately left the muzzleloader at home. It'd have been nice to know that before I made the 6 1/2 hour drive.
I saw elk, including bulls, every day that I was there. I even made a 3 mile stalk with my bow only to have the elk disappear when I closed to 1/3 mile, not exactly bow range.
Fast forward to Tuesday. The trainings over and the base is going to open TA 15 for the first time. Its a rifle area that hadn't been hunted. I arrived before daylight and waited for enough light to see, and immediately see all the roads blocked. I call the game shack and they tell me to wait until range control gives the go ahead, somewhere around 0700. While I wait, another hunter rolls in behind me and we both wait for range conrol to open. We swap phone numbers "in case we spot a herd". Turns out the guy is a AF parajumper and his partner is a professional river rafting/outdoor guide.
At 0700 we get the go ahead and I roll down the road to see whats up, not 1/2 mile down the road, there's a herd of 90 or so cows in a little valley. I call the AF guy and give 'em a heads up. I make a move on the herd and take a shot...and miss, at one of the tail-end charlies. I had ranged it at 112 but when I walked the shot, it was closer to 300. Must have hit a bush.
I race back to the truck and formulate a plan to get in front of the herd in the next valley. I drive until I' m at the head of the valley and the elk are 1/2 mile and closing. I make the final turn and the F-150 just ice-skates into the ditch, regardless that I'm in 4-wheel. After 5 days of rain, the roads were like tapioca pudding and the driver side sunk up past the tires. I can't even open the door. I'm screwed, and the elk are closing. I call the AF guy and he agrees to give me a hand. 3 1/2 hours later I'm free and the elk are gone. Other hunters have taken 5 head from that herd. Many thanks to the AF, I learned a thing or two about vehicle recovery from that guy.
Wendsday, the rain stops and the freeze sets in. I head back out to TA 15 and the elk are nowhere to be seen, not suprising since the previous day they pretty much got brutalized. I decide to head to TA 25 and don't see a thing. Its close to camp and I swing by to throw some sandwhichs in the truck and decide to stay out till last shot.
As I pull past the gameshack I see one of the wardens and stop to get some advice. He says he saw about 30 on the way to work, in the area I just left. I'm skeptical they're still there and we get out the map. He claims that they're probably still around and haven't been pushed, since by now, there are only 3 hunters left. He also says "hurry, the biologist has just called one of the other guys and they're in route. If they shoot at 'em they're gone"
I race over there and meet with the other hunter and his partner. No elk. As hunters are apt to do, we begin to BS about what to do next. We're talking for about 5 minutes and all at once, 30 cows crest the ridge to our right. They heard us talking and came to investigate. It was a mad scramble for guns and ammo. There's a little hill between us and the elk and we deploy into a skirmish line and develop a plan enroute. He takes the right, I get the left. We shoot when we can get a single cow in our sights and no chance of a 2fer. I range it at 231yds (3 times I range-lesson learned) and its right at the edge of my personal comfort zone of 250.
A single cow steeply quarters away from the herd and I take the shot and down she goes, shot in the spine. About 20 seconds later, the other guy takes his cow. Whew. Glad thats done. The weather was almost a killer. Even so, 13 of 16 hunters filled their tags when I left, one guy was still hunting.
She was 272 lbs on the skinning rack so that puts around 350 on the hoof, an average cow. I put alittle more than 200 lbs of meat in the freezer.
Rifle: Tikka T-3 lite, 30-06
Bullet: Winchester E-tip, 150 grns
Scope: Nikon Prostaff 3x9-40mm with BDC.
Rangefinder: Bushnell ARC-1000
I attended the orientation for the second period FHL cow hunt on Friday night, in a driving rain storm. Not a good sign. The briefer announced that we could no longer use shotguns w/slugs inside muzzleloader areas, claiming that they're too accurate. Well that cut out alot of hunting areas for me, since I deliberately left the muzzleloader at home. It'd have been nice to know that before I made the 6 1/2 hour drive.
I saw elk, including bulls, every day that I was there. I even made a 3 mile stalk with my bow only to have the elk disappear when I closed to 1/3 mile, not exactly bow range.
Fast forward to Tuesday. The trainings over and the base is going to open TA 15 for the first time. Its a rifle area that hadn't been hunted. I arrived before daylight and waited for enough light to see, and immediately see all the roads blocked. I call the game shack and they tell me to wait until range control gives the go ahead, somewhere around 0700. While I wait, another hunter rolls in behind me and we both wait for range conrol to open. We swap phone numbers "in case we spot a herd". Turns out the guy is a AF parajumper and his partner is a professional river rafting/outdoor guide.
At 0700 we get the go ahead and I roll down the road to see whats up, not 1/2 mile down the road, there's a herd of 90 or so cows in a little valley. I call the AF guy and give 'em a heads up. I make a move on the herd and take a shot...and miss, at one of the tail-end charlies. I had ranged it at 112 but when I walked the shot, it was closer to 300. Must have hit a bush.
I race back to the truck and formulate a plan to get in front of the herd in the next valley. I drive until I' m at the head of the valley and the elk are 1/2 mile and closing. I make the final turn and the F-150 just ice-skates into the ditch, regardless that I'm in 4-wheel. After 5 days of rain, the roads were like tapioca pudding and the driver side sunk up past the tires. I can't even open the door. I'm screwed, and the elk are closing. I call the AF guy and he agrees to give me a hand. 3 1/2 hours later I'm free and the elk are gone. Other hunters have taken 5 head from that herd. Many thanks to the AF, I learned a thing or two about vehicle recovery from that guy.
Wendsday, the rain stops and the freeze sets in. I head back out to TA 15 and the elk are nowhere to be seen, not suprising since the previous day they pretty much got brutalized. I decide to head to TA 25 and don't see a thing. Its close to camp and I swing by to throw some sandwhichs in the truck and decide to stay out till last shot.
As I pull past the gameshack I see one of the wardens and stop to get some advice. He says he saw about 30 on the way to work, in the area I just left. I'm skeptical they're still there and we get out the map. He claims that they're probably still around and haven't been pushed, since by now, there are only 3 hunters left. He also says "hurry, the biologist has just called one of the other guys and they're in route. If they shoot at 'em they're gone"
I race over there and meet with the other hunter and his partner. No elk. As hunters are apt to do, we begin to BS about what to do next. We're talking for about 5 minutes and all at once, 30 cows crest the ridge to our right. They heard us talking and came to investigate. It was a mad scramble for guns and ammo. There's a little hill between us and the elk and we deploy into a skirmish line and develop a plan enroute. He takes the right, I get the left. We shoot when we can get a single cow in our sights and no chance of a 2fer. I range it at 231yds (3 times I range-lesson learned) and its right at the edge of my personal comfort zone of 250.
A single cow steeply quarters away from the herd and I take the shot and down she goes, shot in the spine. About 20 seconds later, the other guy takes his cow. Whew. Glad thats done. The weather was almost a killer. Even so, 13 of 16 hunters filled their tags when I left, one guy was still hunting.
She was 272 lbs on the skinning rack so that puts around 350 on the hoof, an average cow. I put alittle more than 200 lbs of meat in the freezer.
Rifle: Tikka T-3 lite, 30-06
Bullet: Winchester E-tip, 150 grns
Scope: Nikon Prostaff 3x9-40mm with BDC.
Rangefinder: Bushnell ARC-1000
Attachments
Last edited:
