Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Long Range Elk Hunting

Had the opportunity to go out elk hunting yesterday. Utah's spike season had been open for 6 days, but this was opening morning for myself. The night before I drove to the hunting grounds and slept in the truck.

As morning hit I made my way to a lookout point. Elk were bugling periodically as I noticed an elk walking on a distant ridge. I quickly headed over and was pleased to see it was a spike.

I didn't have a rangefinder, but guessed it to be around 400 yards. Not knowing exact yards and not able to get a good rest I elected to pass for the moment. The elk walked in the trees and I began to wait hoping they would hit another clearing closer to me. After a few wheelers pulled in below me I decided to go in the trees.

I could smell elk and not long after I heard some trees break to my left. As I looked a spike was walking towards me at 10 yards. He turned and angled in front of me. I barely had time to put in my ear protection and crank my scope to low power (which I had forgot to do earlier) when he hit a small opening 15 yards in front of me. One shot and a few steps later he was down.



Field dressing and packing out an elk by yourself is a lot of work. Luckily I'll have these two little ones to help me in the years to come. They are elk lovers.



And the view looking back up the mountain after everything was loaded back in the truck.