Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 150 Partition - pt 2

This whole elk season can be summed up as: when things don’t go according to plan.

Wyoming left us cold and snowy. We left our WY camp Monday morning when it was raining, snowing, blowing; in general a mess. My buddy hurt his foot while hauling my elk out and ate Advil like it was candy all Sunday PM. By Monday AM, his foot was swollen and the weather a mess. We headed to town for food, shower, and different weather; not necessarily in that order. After 4 days of hunting/hiking, we were in need of a shower more than anything else. My buddy decided he had enough of Wyoming so we headed for Colorado on Tuesday AM, a 2 hour drive south, and a bit of trout fishing. The weather cleared and warmed. (A side note: what the hell happened to Steamboat Springs? It looks like yuppieville. Do they really need 3 Verizon stores?)

The trout fishing didn’t pan out because he couldn’t walk much. We met up with our crew on Wednesday about noon. We did our last minute things, dropped my buddy at his hotel, and headed for the mountains. Set camp on Wednesday PM and spent Thursday driving around getting the lay of the land for the new guys.

Our plan was to backpack up a creek 4 miles or so and hunt from there. The theory being we’d be behind the day-hunters. We really expected to have the area all to ourselves. We talked to a couple of guys on Thursday PM that hunted in the area first season; they saw a lot of elk and killed a decent 5x5. The hike in was mostly uneventful. We did see fairly fresh kitty tracks in the snow and discovered an elk carcass in the creek bottom likely attracting the cat. We set camp under some fir/spruce/evergreen trees next to the creek and began next day prep. The sound of horses startled us at 3:00. Three horses with riders walked through camp and headed farther up the creek. We were close to the top of the drainage so thought they couldn’t be going far. We got things settled and did a bit of covert reconnaissance. The first thing I noticed was the smell of some type of hydrocarbon fuel wafting down the valley when I approached their camp site. Next came the chopping of firewood or some sort of wood chopping noise. After we located their horses, we retreated back to our camp to decide how to handle this newest information. We were pretty sure they had no idea the elk were just above them about 1/4 - 1/2 mile away. I was pretty sure they were going to spook every elk within a mile of their camp.

Our game plan was to strategically locate our guys in some likely funnel type areas and use guys coming in from the road to push elk our way. This was the first of the ‘when things don’t go according to plan’ events. My plan was to hike out of the stream valley, get on top of the flat ridge and hunt uphill to the base of the mountain, cross over another stream and head to another mountain. Nice thought Daniel Boone…………

Saturday’s hunt arrived at 5:30 AM with breakfast and a leisurely hike up the valley. It was a bit steeper than I thought and I didn’t arrive on the flat top ridge till daylight. Upon arriving at the top, I was greeted by an elk bugle – coming from the camp of guys down below. They bugled a couple more times over the next 10-15 minutes which told me they hadn’t left camp yet. My plan changed to hunting the far edge of the black timber along the eastern edge of the flat ridge in hopes of letting the bugle-boys push any elk to me while they fumbled around doing whatever they were going to do. I eased through the ¼ mile to the far edge and started easing up through the timber. I was surprised to see 8-10 different fresh elk tracks crossing the flat ridge over the course of the next ½ mile. I ran into one of our guys sitting on the on the far side overlooking the opposing ridge. I eased around him and continued upslope. I ran into one of the bugle-boys another ¼ mile up the ridge doing the same thing. I decided a change in plans was in order so swung back through the black timber working my way down the ridge spine. I may have mentioned I noticed a lot of elk sign in the black timber and was again confirmed working down the opposing side.

I saw another guy sitting in the Quakies about hallway down the ridge and began to realize hunting above the bugle-boy camp was going to be a popular destination. I moved back to the far side of the flat ridge and did a bit of map examination to dream up a plan for the afternoon. As I was sitting there, I saw legs coming through the Quakies and saw orange coming. Four people on three horses moved through the timber headed for the big flat ridge. They apparently came up the opposite side of the flat ridge from the drainages below. This made the 7th person I had seen – 5-6 miles back in and before noon. I was a bit bummed about all the scouting and work we had done to get into the area only to find it was more populated than areas I’ve hunted closer to the road.

I decided to vacate the flat top and moved down the back side of the main ridge onto another flat to check it out. It was a mix of Quakies and evergreens and was a bit thicker than the surrounding timber. I noticed I was at the top end of several headwater creeks and it seemed that elk may use the drainages as an easy way to move around the ridge without gaining/losing a bunch of elevation. I found a good spot and settled in. About ½ hour of waiting, I saw legs coming through the timber and 4 cows walked by coming from the big flat ridge, and people, I just left. I moved farther down the ridge and sat on a small meadow in one of the headwater creek bottoms till dark, no elk.

I started up the back side of the flat ridge headed for camp. About a ½ mile from the meadow, my headlamp picked up something large and white in the dark in front of me. I thought it was moonlight reflecting off a pond but found an unoccupied outfitter tent. No sign of occupation. I hoofed it back to camp pondering how to salvage this trainwreck. All said and done, I had seen 7 guys on the first day, 5-6 miles off the road.

After pouring over topo maps and thinking about what I’d seen in previous trips and the first day, I decided to again still hunt the flat timbered ridge at daylight on Sunday. If I ran into people, I’d bail and head over to the other mountain and spend the day over there. Of all the areas I saw on day 1, the flat ridge with black timber held a lot of fresh elk sign. I told the guys in camp that I came there to shoot a decent bull but with the turn of events, decided any legal bull was coming home to dinner.

Sunday AM started at 5:00 AM. I thought I’d catch elk moving through the flat timber covered ridge at daylight, moving away from people and using the ridge to travel through the surrounding open terrain – with all the people sitting in. I did my best ghost imitation all morning and noted fresh elk sign but didn’t see any elk which surprised me a bit. At 9:00 I was about 2/3 way up the flat ridge and decided to swing towards the top. I saw a band of black timber higher on the mountain and decided I needed to work that direction to check it out. About 9:50 or so, I saw an elk moving toward me and saw immediately it was a bull. I could only see about 40-50 yards and it was apparent it was going to pass by at 25 yards or so. The bull was simply walking kind of quartering toward me and looked to pass in front of me almost dead broadside. I had a giant tree directly in front of me and when he got behind the tree I saw 2 things: first he was a legal bull and second he turned and was now walking directly at me. I held the crosshairs on the left side of the tree and waited to see how this was going to play out. He would be at 10 yards when he appeared. He stepped partially around the tree facing me. I held daylight between the crosshair and the tree bark which left me centered on his brisket. My mind swirled a bit with ballistics – a 150 grain Partition moving at 3040 ft/sec at 10 yards about to hit major bones. I may have mentioned that concern in the Wyoming part 1 thread………..

At the shot, he whirled and ran a semi-circle to my left. I shot again but missed. I saw him stumble and fall at ~ 40 yards and figured it was over. Recall my first sentence – when things don’t go according to plan – turned out to be a bit prophetic. I picked up my brass and headed to where I saw the bull fall. About halfway to the bull, I hear crashing off to my left. Oh-oh.

I found a large pool blood where he fell but not much where he took off. I spent the next hour trying to decipher the blood trail. I smelled him at one point and thought he was close. I started looking down likely travel ways trying to spot blood but couldn’t locate where he turned or went after he got up. I was depressed and started second guessing the shot, my decision, and everything else related to the events leading up to that moment. I thought I’d lost the bull. It was one of the lowest points of my hunting career.

About that time I see orange moving toward me from down the ridge. “Hear any shooting up here?” “Yep, it was me” and relayed the story. He said maybe it wasn’t as good a hit as I thought. He moved up the ridge. About 2 minutes later I hear a shot in the direction he went. I moved up the ridge and found him motioning me over. He found blood and looked up to see the bull get up and move off. He shot and stated he missed but the bull wasn’t moving too good. We devised a plan to parallel his escape route thinking he wouldn’t go far before laying back down. We moved about 50 yards and I thought I smelled him again. We didn’t jump him so I knew I had to move back to the spot we jumped him and work the blood trail. I found where he was laying and determined the bull ran the opposite way the other guy said he did. I started following tiny flecks of blood on dry ground. It took a lot of hunting to find blood. I moved about 25 yards over the next 20 minutes and looked up to see him trying to get up about 25 yards in front of me. I put a Partition tight to his shoulder. He didn’t react but still tried to get up. I put another about an inch from the first and he settled back down but wasn’t dead. I moved up and put one in his neck ending the fiasco.

As he lay:





There was no whooping and hollering; only relief and gratitude. I sat with him for a couple minutes and thought about the events leading up to this moment. NOTHING had gone according to plan – the hunt, the elk, the people, the shot. I rolled him on his side and noted the bullet hole exactly where I placed it – dead center in his brisket. He was apparently quartering slightly to me when he came around the tree. The bullet apparently only caught 1 lung and smashed his shoulder, making it immobile. He covered less than 100 yards from shot to recovery. I’m sure I was walking by him in the previous hour and he let me. It was a lesson on never giving up. The bull is the smallest bull I’ve ever killed but am grateful for him given the circumstances.

Brisket shot:



Damage:



Partition meets bone. This is a 150 Partition from a 270 moving at 3040 ft/sec at a distance of 30 feet. Don't need to worry about major bones and Partitions......



Bullet - weighs 99 grains, 66% retention.



The rest of the quartering and retrieval was fairly uneventful although the horse I used wasn’t fond of the steep ridge we climbed to get to him or taking the bull back down the same steep ridge to camp. It took a bit of coaxing. 

Upon arriving back at camp, I discovered the 4 shots I heard at 7:05 belonged to a buddy killing a decent 5x5 – and his first bull.
All said and done, my 2 week elk safari was successful. Not measured by inches of bone but by adaptability, the people I was with, the country I was able to hunt, and the adventure of it all. Plus it doesn’t hurt to have 400 lbs of elk meat in the freezer . I’d love to do it again but suspect the hall pass may be hard to acquire. I spent yesterday planning a return to both areas next year……………….

We had a couple of Campfire members on the CO hunt. They'll chime in I'm sure.

Very nice write-up and congrats on the bull.

Nice hunt(s)

So you shot the bull 4 times and the other guy shot AT him once? Geez, sounds like the fiasco going on down here where I hunt. 4 hunters, 40 rounds later and 2 dead elk and who knows how many more injured (Trust me, I wasn't a part of that wondrous event). We know of at least 1 because my hunting partner put that one out of its misery. There could be multiple dead elk laying out in the forest for all we know. Are you going to re-think the cartridge and bullet of choice for next year? It shouldn't take that much shooting to put an elk down...

not everyone can be as good as you lawrence... trying to compare his hunt to what you saw on your hunt is complete bullshit and you know it... I use a 270 all day long and not think twice about it...

Hunting elk is hunting elk my friend. They don't make them any tougher there in Colorado or Montana. I've yet to see a bullet proof elk.

Nice job. Things did not stick to the game plan which is why they call it "hunting". You improvise on the move .

I'm not surprised at the elk's reaction to the shot. One lung and one shoulder do not make for DRT,and while it's enough to make him sick and want to bed down, and kill him eventually, it is not enough to just dump him where he stands. Anyone who has killed enough bulls knows that. You better screw up BOTH sides if you want him dead quickly.

From the pictures I don't understand how anyone can expect the bullet to have done more and a bigger caliber would not have made a difference IMHO. But it's a great lesson and argument for a good quality controlled expanding bullet that withstood high velocity impact and still penetrated enough with enough retained weight to smash up leg bones at close range.

Like I learned, you don't know whether you're going to have to kill him at 20 feet or 600 yards so the bullet better be able to handle both.

Don't tell me retained weight and good construction don't matter. I'll take that over high BC any old day.

Good job staying with it...surprising how hard it can be to find a big animal in that cover.

+1

Great write up. As Bob said, I'm not surprised to see a bull keep moving with one lung. Glad you were able to stick with him and put him down. Congrats on making good with so many other hunters in the woods.

Good job and good hunt. You made the most of what you were dealt. Showing up cold, and "figuring it out" to what I consider a successful conclusion, is impressive.

There always seems to be at least one ego-centric idiot on a good thread making it all about themself.

Good read.

Way to stick it out and get it done.

You are an idiot and a POS.

Anyone who claims to never have had things go not as planned is either.

a) A liar.
or
b) Not hunted/killed very much.

You continually prove you're both.

So true.

One thing I like so much about Bill's write-up is it's real. Hunting rarely goes "as planned" (i.e., the Field & Stream version).

Thanks for the kind words guys.

I'll choose not to interpret your post as it would seem to be. Monday afternoon quarterbacking is always fun but the rock throwing not so much.

I'll give you the Paul Harvey version of events. After I figured out things didn't go as planned, I prayed for help to finish what I started. 20 minutes later a guy shows up out of nowhere, jumps my elk, misses it, and locates blood I missed. Not sure if you've ever tracked an animal using only blood sign on bare ground - while its moving - but its a challenge. I consider finding the elk and the fact that I asked for help entirely a God thing - I was simply doing my part.

As too shooting it 4 times, well we apparently see things a bit differently. I created the fiasco, not purposefully nor with ignorance, but 'things didn't go as planned' as I stated. I respect animals and don't really like killing them. I hate wounding them even more. In 43 years of hunting, I've shot and failed to retrieve 2 animals; a big whitetail buck in the late 1980's with a bow, and a doe with a muzzleloader in the early 2000's. The buck was killed in shotgun season by the landowner. I hit him high but he survived; I assume the doe died but was not retrieved. I've passed on shots at alot of animals because things weren't right.

A couple pieces to consider:

1. it was apparent the elk had the ability to move and jumping it twice in an hour proved that,

2. when I finished it, I had no idea exactly what happened,

3. it was my responsibility and obligation to finish the animal in whatever manner it took. The bonus is I ruined no meat with the extra shots. In hindsight, the shot and what I surmised in the hour between shot and finish was accurate - but who knows that while its unfolding.......

The kill was a bit bittersweet for me. I was glad to have finished the kill but sad for the pain/suffering the animal incurred. I have no qualms about killing; I do when it doesn't come quick. As to the people you refer to, I can only assume you're pontificating on that one too. It may have been a similar situation, or maybe more likely a bunch of yahoos shooting indiscriminately at elk - which really, really sucks in my book. I have way too much respect for elk to do that.

In the end, I could have posted a Field and Stream story and no one would be the wiser. I chose to post a true version of events for 2 reasons. First, I have nothing to prove by being a super-hunter. I'm an average eastern guy hunting elk. I've managed to kill 6-7 in the last 10 years. Second, shiite happens. I get alot of PMs from eastern folks wanting to go elk hunting. Elk are not deer and live in country that adds a dimension to wounding rodeos that deer don't - namely the terrain. I try to help people getting involved in elk hunting. I share everything except GPS coordinates; which I've also done on occasion. Bottom line - I'm not a super elk hunter and don't have to prove that I am. Heck, I posted about a cow and tiny bull from this year. If you want elk supermen, watch for posts from Brad, Tanner, or Greenhorn. I'm not that guy.

Another thing to consider:



This is a 270, 150 Partition I took from a box of new bullets just before my hunt. How do I know there wasn't something goofy with the rest of the bullets in the box? I shot ~ 4-5 into a clay bank and retrieved them; they all looked like the bullet I recovered.

In the end, Monday PM quarterbacking is fun. We've been Fire friends for a long time. Heck you helped me out 3-4 years ago with some 30 cal Hornady. I'm not going to let a seemingly errant post change that.

Good luck.

Several of us were in Wyoming the same time you were this year; IMHO it was a tough elk hunting year. I would say I'm "Jr Elk Hunter" of our group. As the "Elk Killer Sr" member of our group noted on more than one occasion, anything that's tough is tougher when it's [bleep] snowing.

You could have given up and just not posted. Better that you kept going and related the challenge. Congratulations!

v/r
Joel

Yep - you can bank on my post being as-happened. I really have no incentive to post something that doesn't shine a positive light on my hunting acumen. Except to share with others that might not continue shooting until an animal is in 'full possession'. We have alot of new and want-to-hunt elk members that by sharing this experience one can either think I'm a complete idiot or, my goal, they can gain a bit of insight when things don't go as planned. My whole elk season didn't go as planned. Experience is the best teacher but there is nothing wrong from learning the easy way too <G>

I agree with Bob all points - the bullet performed admirably, the reaction at the shot, and the rodeo that ensued.

I was with a buddy of mine who shot a nice bull with an arrow. Same situation - one lung. We thought so and gave it 2 hours to die. 4 hours later we ended it with another arrow. Elk can motivate a long way on one lung.

I'm pleased with the bullet performance. I don't think a bigger caliber or cartridge would have made much difference. I've shot elk with 300 SAUM, 300 WSM, and now a 270. I've seen them killed with a 7RM, 7 WSM, and 30-06, and 300 WM. I think using medium to heavy Partitions, and from what the autopsies have shown on my and others elk, they are all about the same. I've never shot or been around a 338 WM shot elk but maybe a 225-250 Partition would be a smidge better but have no data points to back that up.

I 'proved' once again the Partition is a very good bullet. <G>

Bill, you are a great guy. I'm sorry if my post seemed like an attack on you. It was not meant to be that way. I'm happy as hell for you!!! Any bull is a hell of an achievement in my book. I think what it is, I'm still really pizzed with these Oregon hunters from Portland. Of the 2 elk they killed, one was the 6 point I had my eye on. Tracked him down during my buck hunt a few weeks ago while I was elk scouting. There's no pontification on my story when it comes to how many times they shot to get this critter and the other one and they wounded the bull my partner ended up shooting to put out of its misery. These guys were hooting an hollering, honking horns etc. It also carried on the next day when I was out in the woods getting my azz soaked. They actually saw me out in the woods and drove out to a field and started honking and laughing. I finally got tired of them and yelled "shut the fu ck up"!!!!! They drove off honking their horn the whole way. I'm a little pizzed at myself for actually being the dummy out in the woods tracking these critters down and running them to those idiots in the first place.
In your OP, I'm just wondering about the effectiveness of the cartridge and bullet (that bullet you pictured doesn't look right at all if it's supposed to be a partition). I've never used a 270 on elk, but my friend tells me it's the best cartridge ever made. He's only used it on deer though. I have seen elk that were hard to put down, especially when their adrenaline kicks in. Heck, I've even seen cows that seemed to be unstoppable. I remember one that took 2 good shots in the right place. The first shot was in the boiler room and the second was right in the chest at 20 yards away. The whole time I could see blood pumping out of her side as she ran. She continued to run right past me and did a face plant in the trees 90 yards away. I know elk can be hard to kill at times. You did the right thing by tracking that wounded bull down and finishing the job. In the end you got the bull. Congrats my friend!!!