Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Wife's Elk

My wife spent last hunting season pregnant, so she's trying to make up for lost time this season. She had a succesful antelope season, bagging a 13.5" speedgoat on opener. Since the closest grandmother is in Billings, her hunting opportunities are limited for over night hunts. We've been trying to make the best of it. We are not real trophy hunters, but enjoy taking mature animals. Kara keeps saying she is going to get one mature representation of each (antelope, deer, elk). She's on her way!

Before elk opener, we had been driving to our hunting area and hiking/glassing. We had a herd worked out pretty well, and spent the day before opener setting up camp. I found that we probably wouldn't be alone. Opening morning at first light found us on a ridge looking across at the parallel ridge line that 45 head have been using every morning to ascend to dark timber. Only this morning instead of elk, there was a lone hunter (I think a fellow from Georgia that I saw around later). The guy had hiked through where the elk had been feeding at night, then directly up the path the elk had been using before sunup. He was probably wondering why the elk were not there... This happens alot on public land, and it can be discouraging. After a long descent, we met with some friends and compared notes. They dragged in a decent mulie. We formulated a plan that involved heading up the same area with our friend, Jon. It would take a couple of hours to hike to where we hoped to meet with the elk during their afternoon descent (considering that they hadn't been blown out of the country), and we figured we would have about 1/2 hr to leave. Bags packed, Jon went to get a last minute snack. As he left, I saw the impossible--the distinct color of a lone bull on the mountainside we intented to climb shortly. My rangefinder said it was 998 yds. Glassing him showed a big, wide, mature 6x6. Like children at xmas, we headed for the trees. The bull disappeared. Foolishly, we split up and I headed up the very steep, talus slope in hopes of jumping him. I'll bet he laughed. Pouring sweat, and with the afternoon heat pushing my scent up hill, I went on. Locating his bed, smelling him, I was wild-eyed and stupid. I signalled to Kara and Jon, far below, to get our packs, and I set out up the face that turned into a long, steep ridge. Like Sisyphus pushing his boulder, I shoved up hill, dumping sweat. The bull traversed into the dark timber, then climbed to the ridge. His tracks would follow the ridge then traverse again. Just before the top knob, where the three ridge fingers met, I thought I heard the stomping of his hooves. I reached a flat section and his tracks came up from below and over the other side of the ridge. I waited where I could see the traverse of the high bowl but it was for nothing. I probably heard my heart trying to jump from my chest. That bull is probably still laughing, and was probably 30 min ahead of me. A cold 45 min later my wife and friend showed up, sin packs. They had misunderstood my wild signalling and thought I was saying to get their asses up there!

We reached the spot we wanted to catch the herd in another 45min, and waited in the cold. We had no extra clothes to wait in, no snacks, no water, no lights. I had my knife and saw. And this, I tell you, is the most certain way to get an elk. Simply show up unprepared and they will present themselves. Right at sunset, I saw the biggest bull on the other side of the saddle we were waiting at. We were just off the ridge side in light cover. A spike walked nonchalently into the lightly wooded opposite side of the saddle. After an agonizing 15 min of watching several bulls of this bachelor group feed just off the edge of the clear area, a nice 5x5 fed out in the open. Another was behind him, and the 6x6 slid out a couple of min after. Kara only had this weekend to seriously hunt elk, and Jon and I had agreed she should take the big bull. Plus, it was her idea to try this spot. Jon waited patiently for Kara's bull to finally turn for at least a quartering shot. We had ranged the different aspects of the ridge and knew Jon's bull was at about 330 yds, Kara's at 310. Not wanting three bulls in this spot, I had decided to back Kara up to make certain her bull didn't make more work for us than absolutely necessary. Kara said she was ready, Jon was, and she shot him in the front of the left shoulder, burying her bullet against the skin near the back of the right shoulder. On her shot, Jon shot, and I shot at Kara's bull in nearly the same instant. The three shots sounded almost like one, and may as well have been just the one, as Jon and I both managed to miss. Jon said he watched his bull spin straight on as he shot and knew he missed. I flinched and watched myself shoot over the back of Kara's bull. The elk vanished in an instant, save Kara's. Hers ran towards us and down the side of the ridge. I shot him a second time in the right shoulder as he stopped, I think, to die anyway. He dropped at the shot and slid a bit. On inspection, we satisfied ourselves that Jon missed cleanly, then set about gutting Kara's bull. It was pitch black before we were done, but we were lucky to have a bit of moon light to walk down with. We were forced to leave her bull. The photos are from the next day--a couple of other friends came up from camp to give a hand. We spent most of that day quartering and dragging and dragging...

Details:
Kara shot the bull in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, same as her last. She shoots "W", a Tikka T3 in 308 with a 3x9 elite scope. I load her 150 gn interbonds, but am switching her to 165 gn accubonds once those run out. Her 150 gn Interbond weighed 134 gn when recovered. She shot her antelope with my 300 RUM using a 200 gn accubond at about 300 yd(I had to change her scope recently). For some reason she is very confident with my rifle, and has taken a few critters with it.

Kara after our morning hunt was blown:
[img][IMG]http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/25723/2835161920031714512S600x600Q85.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/11086/2003090240031714512S600x600Q85.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/27307/2339771250031714512S600x600Q85.jpg[/img][/img]

About where we shot from. The elk were high on the opposite side of the saddle.

[img][IMG]http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/26388/2315645240031714512S600x600Q85.jpg[/img][/img]

[img][IMG]http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/25010/2244348620031714512S600x600Q85.jpg[/img][/img]

Nice antelope. can't see any other pics though...

Great story and pics! Congrats to your wife on her elk!! Very nice elk, indeed.

BTW, only the bottom picture is showing, the others can only be viewed if the url is pasted into a browser..

Nevermind, all the pics are showing now.

Wow, you are a lucky man!! That bull is awesome!!!! Congrat's to both of you!

Oh, nice speed goat also!

i can see them now. Dang fine elk... Good job!

Wow !! Very nice indeed! BT

Wow!! Kudos to her!!! Excellent season!

That's a toad of an elk. Looks like he's got a good anchor with that rack or he just might have slid to the bottom. Congrats to your wife.

Very Nice Congrats to you and your wife

Great elk and great story! Congratulations to your wife on her marksmanship and kudos to you for telling the story like it was.

Congrats to your wife! A trophy bull for sure! Nice to see that women like to hunt! I didn't think a .308 would kill an elk!

Very cool story and pictures! Congratulations to you and your wife! I have been chasing elk since the 15th of Oct here in WY but have been a step behind or ahead so far. I'll get into step eventually!

Congratulations, she got a nice bull and buck.

Headwaiter,

Tell your lovely wife congrats for me..and congrats to you for marrying such a stout and attractive gal.

Great bull!

What happened AFTER the photos..?
Did you two skin, butcher and pack out?Jim

Nice job,great animals,ya both should be proud!

Great story & one very big Elk. Congrats to you & your wife.


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Nice... Congratulations to all of you...

Very nice. My wife hunts with me as well. We are lucky.

WOW! Great wife! She nailed a beautiful bull, congrats to both of you.