Wish I had pics of it all. I've bought an elk tag every year I've been here and usually it has just been to cover the possibility that I might see one while hunting deer. This year I was drawn for antlerless elk and got the boy a general tag and we hunted seriously on several properties from Oct 25 on.
Aidan has the general elk tag and was in his costume (Jason from Friday 13th). Earlier there had been 4 moose feeding in the field and I was ticked -- we have 2 moose tags and I couldn't hunt the opener. What the odds that the elk would come back? Well they did with about 15 minutes left of legal.
Was washing dinner dishes and looked out the east window. There stands 20+ elk 40 yds off the deck on the cutline that runs through our property.
"Get the guns!" I yell.
"Where are they?" --- mom had locked them up.
Frantic searching.
Found them in the gun room -- go figure.
We grab a mag each and put some boots on and pile out the front door.
The elk have now moved a bit and are about 100 yds out and feeding. We search and find the bull -- just under 100 yds.
Aidan needs 5 full minutes to get his fever under control. Wham! Thump! No reaction from the bull -- the rest of the herd bunches up. The bull takes a few steps.
"Shoot again" --Wham! Thump! (repeat twice more).
Elk gets to the fence. Won't jump it. I know it's hit hard but the boy doesn't have anymore rounds (He's shooting 150 grain Hornady .308).
The elk stands at the fence and we run back 100 yds to the house to get more ammo. Run back -- elk still there. The next shot takes the elk in the liver (the THUMP was deeper) and it hops the fence. Last shot is yet again another THUMP! Almost too dark to see now.
I send the boy off to Trick or Treat and let the elk hopefully stiffen up.
2 hrs later, he is back and we go off with quad and flashlight to look for the elk.
No blood other than a trickle where he stood at the fenceline while he waited for us to get a reload.
Found him just inside the tree line. Autopsy showed that he was hit with all 6 shots -- 4 in the lungs, 1 in the liver and 1 that broke one front leg and mangled the muscle on the other (probably the reason he didn't jump the fence -- and let us kill him close). Tough animals.
Night shot -- quality poor.
Next day:
Aidan has the general elk tag and was in his costume (Jason from Friday 13th). Earlier there had been 4 moose feeding in the field and I was ticked -- we have 2 moose tags and I couldn't hunt the opener. What the odds that the elk would come back? Well they did with about 15 minutes left of legal.
Was washing dinner dishes and looked out the east window. There stands 20+ elk 40 yds off the deck on the cutline that runs through our property.
"Get the guns!" I yell.
"Where are they?" --- mom had locked them up.
Frantic searching.
Found them in the gun room -- go figure.
We grab a mag each and put some boots on and pile out the front door.
The elk have now moved a bit and are about 100 yds out and feeding. We search and find the bull -- just under 100 yds.
Aidan needs 5 full minutes to get his fever under control. Wham! Thump! No reaction from the bull -- the rest of the herd bunches up. The bull takes a few steps.
"Shoot again" --Wham! Thump! (repeat twice more).
Elk gets to the fence. Won't jump it. I know it's hit hard but the boy doesn't have anymore rounds (He's shooting 150 grain Hornady .308).
The elk stands at the fence and we run back 100 yds to the house to get more ammo. Run back -- elk still there. The next shot takes the elk in the liver (the THUMP was deeper) and it hops the fence. Last shot is yet again another THUMP! Almost too dark to see now.
I send the boy off to Trick or Treat and let the elk hopefully stiffen up.
2 hrs later, he is back and we go off with quad and flashlight to look for the elk.
No blood other than a trickle where he stood at the fenceline while he waited for us to get a reload.
Found him just inside the tree line. Autopsy showed that he was hit with all 6 shots -- 4 in the lungs, 1 in the liver and 1 that broke one front leg and mangled the muscle on the other (probably the reason he didn't jump the fence -- and let us kill him close). Tough animals.
Night shot -- quality poor.
Next day:
