Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wyoming Cow Elk...

My neighbor and I decided to make the 1100+mi trip to Wyoming to try our hand at shooting two cow elk. The drive out was uneventful and spread out over two days. We rolled into town and reveled in the sights and sounds of Walmart during Christmas shopping season to pick up a few supplies. We met a local and he took us to his 'trailer park' to show us the digs we'd be staying in. :rolleyes: First day out we found a couple of groups of elk in a couple of different areas that were accessible by the public. One group was flirting with a private property line, that we could access, so we passed. The other were well onto accessible ground, but the best way too them was farther than we wanted to go for on the first day of a cow hunt. We did make an attempt, but the lay of the land and wind let us only get to 650yds. Too far for our marksmenship.

On day two we headed back to where we found the 'windy' group and couldn't locate them from the road. So we headed up and over a saddle. We never did locate them (when I say 'we' I really mean the local as he outspotted the two of us combined) but did locate a two other groups. One was in a pretty good location and this time we had the wind right. We worked our way about a mile down and up the hill to be parallel with the elk and closed the distance to 320yds. My neighbor had first shot, so we got him lined up prone on a rock with his bipod. He got set and BOOM...WHAP! The cow stood up and took a few steps. He was about to send another her way when she went all rubber legged and laid down. I was looking for a hole to shoot through from my vantage point and couldn't find one as the other elk started milling around. So, he got out of the way and I got behind his rifle and one stepped into an opening near where his was bedded. One shot and she went straight down! The two died quite close together.


My neighbor and I with the two cows.

I'm the dead sexy lump of lard on the left and yes, I'm working on finding a orange StL Cardinals hat.

It wasn't quite the calf I was hoping for, but I've eaten enough elk tags to know you take them when and where you can. Thanks to Buzz and Pat for the hospitality and help. It was a fun trip. The 18 hour drive straight through on the way home wasn't the funnest, but we got it done.

Good Stuff!

You guys made it look easy.

Congratulations

Good Deal! Lots of good eating right there.

Way to get it done! Congratulations!

What's this crap about needing "luck" while hunting elk?

Sounds like we all need to rendezvous at said "trailer park" owner's AO next year.

Nice show; I need to hook up something like this!!

Really cool man!!

Nice job! Now us looneys need to know rifle/cartridge/bullet, etc!

Nice going, I bet that was a drive.

Lots of good eating there!

Where were you? Give us all the Looney gack!

Pointer,

Fun trip for sure...I was a bit "disappointed" with the first day, usually don't need 2 days.

Great to catch up and you're always welcome here, as long as you don't mind the double-wide.

Pointer, aint that like your 4th or 5th trip west this year?

Prolly be cheaper to move here

Ive made that drive a few times straight thru in my younger years. Anymore KC is my tap-out point when coming from Utah,not much fun.

Congrats on another successful trip.

Thanks for all the kudos!

That could work. Plenty of space in the trailer...

Funny thing on the rifle details. I hauled two different rifles all the way there and then ended up using his! Win 70 featherweight in 300WSM shooting Federal 165gr Partitions.

Buzz- No problem with the double wide. There's almost enough room to set my stuff down... No worries on being disappointed it. I couldn't have scripted in better.

rosco- Yes, 4th. I'm hoping my wife realizes that it would be cheaper and lets me start looking for work. Sad part is I've passed up putting in for some absolutely great jobs in great places...damn women.

There is nothing like walking up on a dead elk lying on the ground. Pictures of it are even exciting. I would like to shoot a big bull every year, but I don't and don't really care. The big bull has to be the first legal elk I see to shoot it, otherwise, look out cows.

There is s ton of good meat there if you don't shoot it with a fast twist...

Very nice and congrats. Keep after the wife, after 12 years of hauling west on hunts and vacations mine gave in and we moved. Neither one of us has looked back.

Good deal pointer and buzz. Pointer I hope you at least had a decent packout to put all that conditioning to work.....and the drive home has to be more fun with punched tags.

A pard and I have 116-6 tags that we'll be looking to fill real soon. I hope we have your good luck! Need to fill my freezer.

Bob

Made quick work of that trip and nice shooting.

Razz- The worst part for me is we lived in the west for a decade before moving back to be closer to family. I don't like mine THAT much...

smoke- These two did get to ride in backpacks. Pretty easy as elk packing goes. 1.25mi from the truck as the crow flies, mostly all down hill. We weren't in a hurry so, 3 guys two trips each. I'd rather have done the conditioning and not need it versus the reverse. That said, my neighbor got his eyes opened a touch in the work and elk can take.