What would you do?

[Kentuck]

Ok here is the scenario. You've hiked to the backside of a mountain, mostly downhill, and have setup. As the sun comes up and you are glassing the surrounding area for about 45 minutes. You then glass a herd of elk on a mountain across the canyon from you. You can pick out 8-10 elk and some appear to be good sized so there is a good possibility there would be a mature bull there. The elk are probably close to a mile away and higher than you are at. There is a small ridge to your right the runs across the canyon into a saddle below the elk. The elk are in a bowl three-quarters of the way up the mountain and there is a finger ridge you could hike to get within range. The elk are just feeding around but with the warming sun you know they aren't going to hang around long. You are probably at least three quarters of a mile from the truck from where you are and the elk are a long way and up from where you are. The truck is all uphill from where you are currently.

What would you do? Stay and hope you see something closer? Or say the heck with it and go for it? Knowing it would take a long, long time to get an elk out from there. This is rifle season.

 

[BOWUNTR]

Are you by yourself or do you have people in camp that can help pack? Real stupid to hunt elk by yourself without help (horses or friends or both!). Asuming the answer is yes to having help, I'd go try and kill the herd bull. Crazy to hope something will happen close to you when you can make something happen.
I killed a bull 2 years ago under almost the same circumstances. I had one dumb friend in camp. It took 2 1/2 days to pack the meat off that mountain. I'd do it again in a second. Ed F

 

[jackman]

Elk hunting isnt for the faint of heart. Go for it

 

[Kentuck]

Had two other's in camp. I knew I was leaving something out. Uh wait, had two other hunters in camp but one had fell and bruised some ribs so I don't think he could have packed any.

 

[Arrowslinger]

There would be NO question in my mind, i'd go for it!

 

[tmoniz]

Depends on the weather. If it gets cold at night make sure you have a good axe with you so you can quarter the animal. If you get one.
Not wise to hunt Elk alone. Makes for a tough trip.

If I had someone with me. I would go for it.

 

[oregoncritters]

I'm confused, your hunting elk, you spotted some elk and your questioning whether or not to go after them? Not even a question, go kill one..

 

[jlostrander]

Even alone, I think I would go. If you have a pack frame or one in the truck. If I was elk hunting, I would at least have one in camp.

It doesn't seem like the distances are crazy far. How think is it? If you can see them and you are talking about possibly walking up on them, it doesn't sound that thick?

I would be ready and I would be gone. A couple things you must have are stuff to butcher and hang (rope and game bags), if it is at all cold, you could do this on your own given the distance.

Maybe if I had a cow tag and was certain to see many elk on this trip I might wait.

But, unless your hunting with lots of time and little pressure I say go.

 

[DEERSLAM]

As said above...I'm out huntin elk and I see elk, time permitting, I'm after em in a heartbeat. Don't be

Elk hunting isn't supposed to be easy.

 

[OR186]

Are you asking what you should have done? Impossible to know without knowing you, your friends and really seeing the steepness of the country. I know you did it last year in some steep country so if you had to think twice it must have really been a rough go. With elk the temperature could make it or break it. My thinking is that if you had serious doubts you did the right thing by passing.
Seems like every year up here some one finds a gutted deer or elk quarters left for the birds and predators because someone over-estimated their physical abilities. I hunt alone and have some physical problems so I stay out of some good elk spots I used to not worry about getting one out of. Like Clint Eastwood says "A man has to know his limitations"
You know, if you are near a town there is usually always a local with mules that you might hire. Best to make the connection ahead of time.

 

[Orygun]

I agree with OR186

Knowing your physical limitations is paramount. Unless I don't have to the time to go after it, be successful and then have time to get it out, that's the reason I am out in the woods elk hunting.

If it was early Sept and 90 degrees out and the pack out involved 2 or more miles of steep crawling over and under deadfalls by yourself, I'd think about it a bunch.

If I would have seen a cow at the bottom of the near vertical ravine while hunting in the snow and ice like I was the last day of the late bow season I would have dove off the canyon after her.

My boss and his bunch hunt in eastern OR every few years when they get drawn. They usually don't even start looking till they are two ridges away from camp. They get their elk, quarter and bone it out and hang it in a tree. Then they start with the packing, generally they go at it alone if it is the first day or two of the 4 day season. The meat is kept away from predators and they do a LOT of walking to and from.

My dad and his hunting bunch bought cow tags every few trips to CO. He shot one the last afternoon of their trip. Their were six of them and the elk was 2 miles or less away on hilly terrain. Didn't take them long at all. They weren't too keen on chasing elk after that

 

[ELKBUSTER]

Early in the hunt --- Just continue to glass from your vantage point. If it's possible devise a plan that gets me to a better angle or easier pack out situation. If there is, plan my evening hunt for the elk. It sounds to me like they would be staying in the general area and would re-appear in the early evening to once again start grazing. If not, continue to glass and locate other elk possibilities.

Late in the hunt --- How bad do you want an elk. If you have any questions about your health or safety, don't go!!! Just enjoy the view and remember that this is why we all go. It's not about the kill !!! If I felt good about the situation, I would start my trek to attempt a stalk. It would have to be morning and I would have to feel confident about getting out by dark or have equipment on my back to survive out overnight. ( which I always have on my back )

P.S.

Remember the guys that continually get their animals are the guys that go for it at times like these. But some of them are also the guys that go missing every year and their family and freinds say " he is an experienced outdoorsman and has never been lost before". The truly great outdoorsman know when to say " they'll be another day". Sounds like your still here and enjoying life. So what ever you decided was the right choice for you. EB

 

[Sierra_Dave]

Wait Wait... I know the answer...Of course I cheated and know this is Idaho...LOL.

"glass a herd of elk on a mountain across the canyon"...that translates to a mile away. Way up and way down. You do like I did...run as quietly as you can downhill, cussing from the pain in your knees and the trudge uphill sweating like you're in a sauna. You lose sight of the herd, make more noise than a bull moose in heat, and end up close enough to see there is no herd bull because it's November and the rut is over. You curse Kentuck or yourself and you watch hoping against hope that one of the cows will magically transform into a bull.

Hours later, you crawl back, picking up the odd pieces of gear that you dropped and remember to change this story when you get back to camp. It was a bachelor group and with 2 5x5s in but someone fired a shot from 1000 yards away and spooked the herd [ a completely believable and respectable story].

I hope that helps. Not really...just yanking your chain, Kentuck. Spot and stalk usually means spot and pray.
Dave

 

[Sierra_Dave]

Oh yeah, the CORRECT answer is that if you don't have an elk in your freezer, you did the wrong thing. Don't do that again. See, after 30 years of hunting Elk, I know a thing or two...well maybe just one thing...kinda.
HTH
Dave

 

[Kentuck]

Excellent points all of you. Sierra Dave did have some inside advantage. Yup, downhill the first half mile or so and then big uphill the last three quarters of a mile or so. The elk were in an old burn and the finger ridge behind them looked to be fairly open, but who knows until you get there. I tried to raise a partner on the radio to get advice or have him join me but he was on elk too. I honestly let the haul out intimidate me from going for it. It was the third day of a nine day season so having time to get it out was not an issue. To make matters worse, as I'm sitting there contemplating what to do, another herd of 15 elk came feeding out the main ridge and ended up bedding down in the timber on the other side of a finger ridge from the first elk herd. I know there was a bull in the first herd because I ended up cutting the distance in half and watching the second herd after the first herd fed up over the ridge. While doing that, a volley of shots rang out from where the first herd went. Spooked the second herd a little but they soon settled down. This second herd appeared to be all cows and calves. May have been a spike with them but it was just a little too far to really tell. Looking back on the trip, this was one of the best shots I possibly had at getting an elk but let the haul out stop me.

Knowing what I know now, I would go for it next time. Can't worry about getting an elk out until you get one. The weather at night was getting down in the high 20's and the meat could've been hung in trees while we made the haul outs. It would have been heck getting the meat out though. I did talk to a couple of guys and one had gotten an elk much further down the canyon than these elk and they backpacked the meat out on their backs. He said it was tough, but that's elk hunting.

 

[tmoniz]

While hunting Elk one year in Oregon just outside of Granite I stumbled upon Elk quarters hanging from a deadfall.
There was no head nor horns left behind.

I went up to a logging road and took a ribbon from a surveyed tree and tied it to a tree close to the road.

Got back into town and hiked into the local store/showers/bar and grill.

There was alot of talk about a kid who was in the Navy that took a good bull. Carried out the head and horns but forgot where he killed it. Turns out in his excitement all alone running to the bull he had shot, he fell and broke his arm.

After breaking his arm this kid managed to dress and quarter the bull and then carried the head and horns out.

I mentioned to the bar tender after hearing all this talk going around the room where the meat was.

The kid's dad contacted the logging company and they opened a gate and allowed them to drive up the road and retrieve the meat.

 

[2rocky]

Similar situation happened to me this Fall. I'll spare you all the pictures..

Except we ran into a Bear on the way to the Elk. Heard him growling and grumbling...but couldn't see him. Skirted around the bear for the next 1/4 mile and came to the edge of the trees.

We shot the bull at 7:30 am and packed him out on the saddle horses the 6 miles back to camp. Luckily it was down hill to camp. Got to camp at 2 pm.

That is what I trained all spring and summer for. And I would do it again in a minute!

 

[barel74]

Looking for bulls close to the truck will usually mean an empty freezer

 

[Kentuck]

barel74,

Couldn't agree more. I should have added I was already close to a mile from the truck when I saw the elk.

 

[Redneck75]

No question about it (unless you had some sort of limiting physical factor) go shoot the elk-as long as you had enough time left to get it packed out. I have and will continue to hunt elk by myself when the situation warrants. Being on active duty, I don't always get home to Oregon for the preferred season and end up hunting whichever season applies when the ship is in and I often end up hunting alone. Yes, I killed a large bull 6+ miles from a road on a solo elk hunt. I brought the head/horns out the day I killed it and packed one quarter a day out for the next 4 days. Was it a hell of a lot of work? Oh yes. Would I do it again...Oh yes. Now...I don't think I'd go to all that effort for a spike but I'll do darn near anything for a big bull. Then again, I ain't never been accused of being smart (I hunt moose by myself too).