Third Times a Charm

After finishing up my hunt in Oregon we came home and worked for a couple weeks and then got ourselves packed up for our last elk hunt of the year. Austin's archery tag he had in September was good for ten days in October to use a rifle and harvest any elk. We had about 9 days to make it happen. I was able to spend my first morning off getting the camper loaded so when Austin got home from work we could go over our gear lists and hit the road.

This was our third time venturing to Wyoming since July so we had our stopping points pretty well established. We were able to make it to Elko, Nevada that night and slept at the same gas station. The next day we made the rest of the drive and landed at the trail head around 3 pm. We had found a shooting range near by during the archery hunt so we made sure his rifle was sighted in and the ballistic calculations were accurate with the change of elevation. By the time we got everything dialed in and added some final touches to our packs, some locals we met in September pulled up to the trailhead with their horses. We had planned to bivy camp for the first five days in this area because we saw plenty of elk in September and wanted to make sure we gave it a good effort. These guys, Steve and Brad, had been in this area before for elk and deer and now working on their rifle elk tags as well. After catching up with them, they told us to hike into where they bivy camp since there was plenty of space. At first, we wanted to just go on our own but we decided having some others nearby wouldn't be bad since we are a few miles from camp with no cell service.

We hit the trail ahead of Steve and Brad because without horses, it was going to take us quite a bit longer. They finished saddling their horses and said they would be right behind us. Just before we got to where we were going to camp, they caught us on the trail. This was where it was awfully nice being a girl, they insisted that I give them my pack for the last big hill before where camp would be. I didn't argue and it was a lovely quarter mile to finish the hike.

Austin was figuring out where to set up our tipi since it was its first debut. Austin purchased it after our archery hunt because he wanted more space inside the tent and a way to keep us warm if needed. This company, seek outside, also makes a stove that fits inside and we were excited to put it to use. While he was working on the perfect camping spot I started glassing a hillside. Seconds later I say, "elk, Austin, I see an elk". It was just a cow elk, but it was feeding downhill. Being that it was the first hour in the country, seeing elk definitely got me excited.

Brad and Steve came over after a few minutes and we all agreed to head over and start glassing behind camp and then finish setting up in the dark afterwards. The area we headed to glass was where we got into a bugling fest back in September so we knew it was a great area for elk. After getting set up to glass, not five minutes goes by before Austin points out a bull with 7 or 8 cows feeding down below about 600 yards away. No one seemed to be getting overly excited about this bull and when I looked at him through my binoculars I was thinking he was a giant. The guys get him on the spotter and then they start making comments on how big he was. Now, I felt like I wasn't seeing things. This bull was a seven by six with a beautiful rack. We got some film of him and all wished it wasn't the night before season. He stayed out feeding for about 45 minutes. Watching him feed and bugle was such an incredible experience. We all started heading back to finish setting up camp as sunset came. I could tell it was going to be an interesting situation, who gets to shoot that bull if we see him again in the morning? As we were setting up camp Brad came over and asked if Steve could shoot that bull. Steve is over 70 years old and carries oxygen bottles in his saddle bags. Brad and Steve have been hunting buddies forever and their stories are hilarious! That bull is something special and being that this might be one of Steves last years hunting we all agreed he would be the shooter and Brad and Austin would be the backups. We decided we would all hunt together in the morning in case we were able to spot this big guy because just being apart of that hunt would be worth every second!

While we set up the camp, I also gathered small sticks for our campfire and got our pads and sleeping bags out and ready. Austin had just purchased us some new sleeping bags since ours weren't rated for as cold of weather as we were anticipating and they are over 10 years old. We decided to go with the Stone Glacier 15 degree bags, they are a bit pricey but I will admit I was never cold inside my bag even when it was moist out. Austin and I ate some dinner and were ready for the season to open up in the morning.

Day 1

We woke up early and all enjoyed some coffee together. We hiked down to our glassing point. We decided to make it out further down the ridge so it would take off some distance on the shot if the bull were near the same area. As the sun started to rise we heard him bugling but couldn't tell where he was yet. Next thing we know, the sun is up, and we starting seeing orange hats appear in multiple areas on different ridges looking in on the same area as us. These were other hunters. I started to feel like it was a rat race with everyone hoping they would see the bull first and fire off shots. I had never hunted in country that felt this pressured. This was definitely not the case during archery season and we didn't know what to expect for rifle. Austin and I were the only two without horses and that made us a bit worried about if we were to get one as far back as we were from the trailhead.

After the morning hunt was over, Austin and I hiked back up to camp and finished up a few things around camp that we had not had time to do the night before. Next, we decided to hike south down the ridge to check out another area we thought would be good for glassing.

An old log cabin we found while hiking

When we got their I was exhausted, I had not slept much the night before because our sleeping area wasn't level so I had a tough time staying comfortable without feeling like I was sliding down all night. While Austin glassed, I curled up and took a nap.

When I woke up I didn't see Austin so I looked through my binoculars for maybe 10 seconds.... and then fell back asleep. Eventually, he made it back to me and we hiked back to camp since we didn't see any elk at this point. We figured they would be bedded down but since we had the whole day we wanted to make the most of it. After getting to camp and eating some snacks we then hiked further up the mountain to a glassing point we found during archery season that we never got to take advantage of due to the fog and rain.

We sat up there and both took naps since we had a few hours until prime time. The wind started picking up and before we knew it there were about 30-40 mile an hour winds plus the temperature cooling down brought chills to my bones. We hiked down a steep rock cliff and made a shooting platform to try to take some distance off since the wind was so strong. We glassed through sunset and didn't see a single elk but did hear bugles. We felt good about the spot since we heard so many bugles and figured the wind might have something to do with not seeing any. After a quick hike to get back to camp Brad and Steve cooked up elk burgers and offered us some for dinner. A nice warm meal was exactly what I needed. We both shared our day of hunting with each other and then headed for bed. Austin was able to get the stove fired up in our tent and it kept us warm!

Day 2

We got up early again and started the day off with some coffee and story time from Steve. After a while Austin and I headed uphill to our glassing area and they went to look for the big bull again. Austin wanted to hunt on our own because he wanted to be able to hunt rather than "watch". With multiple tags and lots of country we wanted to optimize our chances. Brad's son, Hunter, ended up hunting with them after he got his girlfriend a cow elk on opening morning. They had three tags to fill and we knew of some areas that elk frequented from when we were here in September.

As we were hiking to our spot, along the way there is a rock wall up top and for some reason we decided to check it out first and then head down to the shooting platform we had made the day before. As we were approaching the rock wall I saw something that was reflecting the light from the moon. I thought, maybe we left something there the night before but wasn't sure due to how dark it was and we weren't using headlamps, just the light from the moon. As we got closer we saw three guys sitting with their backs against the rock wall and the reflection was their spotting scope. We talked with them for a minute and apparently they are with an outfitter and rode horses in that morning and dropped them off. I got a little discouraged because of how many hunters on horseback we were seeing and now they are even in the spots we had just been in. Austin didn't seem to let it bother him and he motioned to me to keep going. He had checked out another opening the previous day further up the ridge and directed us there. It was about 200 yards further up the trail and when we got there we had a little better view up the canyon and it took off some of the distance across. We sat down and started getting set up to glass since sunrise was just about to come.

We had only been glassing the hillside for a few moments before I saw some movement. The hillside we were looking at was so steep that what I was looking at was behind the tops of some trees. The coloring seemed right and I watched it a few more minutes until it took a step or two and I could tell it was an elk. I tell Austin, "elk, elk, I see an elk". Just as I am trying to point out to him where it is we hear two horses ride up on the ridge about 20 yards behind us. At this point I am getting a little irritated. They knew we were here and they rode right up on us. Austin and I ignore them and we move to a flatter area where he can get set up for a shot. I get the spotter out and on the elk we watch as he feeds behind a tree. We motion to the horseback riders to carry on since they thought we were with their group and they finally realized we weren't. Moments after they ride away, the bull elk walks out from behind the tree and I finally get a look at his horns. Austin ranged him at 800 yards as I have him on the spotter watching. He assures me he is ready to shoot so I watch with anticipation of his shot.

As soon as he shoots I see the bullet impact the hillside just over the elks back, a clean miss. My heart drops but I also knew it was only the second morning and we still had time. The elk bolts downhill and I lose him in the spotter. I caught him on the hillside with my naked eye and spent what felt like an hour trying to get him in the spotter with my adrenaline pumping hoping I could get him in view before Austin was ready to shoot. I just couldn't find him... Austin was ready to shoot and ranged him at 850 yards. He lets out a shot and I wasn't able to watch because I was messing with the darn spotter. Then I see the elk doesn't move, it's just standing there. He shoots one more time. Then we watch it take a couple steps behind a small pocket of timber.

We both watch the timber patch and never see it come out. We both took turns keeping our eye on the timber patch hoping it didn't somehow work uphill and out of sight. We then spotted some other elk on a hillside about 1500 yards away and got to watch them feed along and then get shot at and all run uphill and into the timber.

At this point it had been about an hour. I told Austin, we had to go look now, if it were going to come out of the timber patch it would have by now or we somehow missed it. He finally agreed and we packed our things. The steepness of the terrain made it to where we needed to hike uphill even further and then around the top end of the canyon and sidehill down a little less steep area. We made it down and then walked through a great bedding area in the timber and crossed a dried up creek and started hiking up the other side. We had made some mental notes of some obvious trees that were near the small timber patch we hoped the elk would be in. As we started hiking up we found our marker and then started to head up and look for evidence of what happened to the elk. Was it a miss? Was there blood? Would we have to track the elk? The anticipation is painstaking. Just as we passed through some aspens Austin starts smiling and looks at me. I was breathing so hard and trying to keep up with him I couldn't even ask him any questions, I just tried to hike faster despite the steep grade. A few steps later I get a strong smell of an elk into my nose and knew exactly what he was smiling about. You could smell the bull and we knew he had to be close. We were coming up on the timber patch the elk had walked into after the last two shots. Just a step or two later a huge smile comes across Austin's face. I knew it was there. I made the last few steps and got above the timber and looked down and saw the bull!

Since we weren't able to watch the impact of the bullet when he shot, Austin was very pessimistic in his shot despite all of his practice at these long ranges. I had given him a pretty high percentage that I believed this elk would be right where we last saw him but I think he was nervous and didn't want to get his hopes up. This was his first rifle bull elk and to top it off, he shot him at 850 yards! Austin had spent the last year getting a rifle built and practicing his long range shooting and all his hard work and planning really paid off.

We both sat there reminiscing on our elk season together and feeling so grateful for such amazing opportunities together in new country!

When we had scouted in July we were nervous not knowing what the pressure would be like, where the elk would be, if we were looking in good areas. Our scouting trip was successful and talking with biologists helped us gain confidence in our e-scouting areas. Then, hiking 7-9 miles a day during archery and seeing and hearing elk everyday also gave us a lot of confidence but we were still nervous about rifle season and where the elk might move to.

After having some snacks and thanking the bull for his life, we started the hard work. By this point, Austin and I have a pretty good routine on quartering up animals together. We both went to work knowing that we had a good amount of time left in the day so we did not have to rush this great experience.

About three hours later we were ready for our first pack outs. Austin had detached the head and we had all our meat in bags. I loaded my pack and used OnX to find a way down the steep mountain side to the dried up creek below us that would be a little easier on the knees. It took me about 0.3 miles to get down and I left my load of meat with some of our supplies down there as a staging area and hiked back up to meet Austin and do another load. This time Austin followed me down with a load as well.

Since it wasn't too far we loaded the packs heavy.

I made three total trips down and Austin made two. Once we got all of our gear and meat to the staging area down in the cool, shaded creek bed, we took a look at the map to decided where we should try to hike the meat to today. After analyzing it a bit we decided to try to follow the creek down to where we got to a cut off trail that runs into the main trail we need to hike up to get to where the truck is located.

We loaded the packs pretty heavy and at this point it was about 3pm. I had a back leg in my pack and Austin had a bag of neck meat and his horns.

It took us almost an hour and a half to navigate our way over to the cut-off trail. We found a cool shaded area and created an elevated area to set the meat. After a quick snack we hustled back about 2 miles to grab another load. During our route we had to cross a creek about 7-8 different times, luckily, we had worn our gaiters that day and it helped our pants and inside of our boots stay dry. We made it in good time and loaded up our packs again.

This time I hiked out two front shoulders and Austin carried a back leg and another bag of neck meat with some brisket. We started the hike down to the main trail. This one was definitely heavier and we made a couple quick stops along the way. When we got back to the cutoff we now had two loads of meat we had each hiked to this point and had left only one bag of meat further back.

We knew that it would be to dark to get the last load out so before we left for the cut-off trail, we had strung the meat bag up into a tree hoping it would be safe until morning.

We hiked the horns up the hill back to camp and arrived just as the sun was setting.

We had just set our packs down when we saw Steve, Brad, and Hunter ride up on their horses. They asked if we got something since we never came back all day. We pointed at the rack setting near our tent and instantly it was time to celebrate.

Luckily, they had carried in some beer for us in their saddlebags so we all opened up a cold beer and made a cheers. Of course the hunting story came next and they were all very excited for us. We told them where we staged the meat and before we could explain our plan it get it about 1200 feet up the mountain and across another 2 miles of trail they interjected. Brad stated, "tomorrow after we hunt the morning we will load up the horses and take that meat up to the trailhead for you guys". I was shocked that they wanted to take time out of their day to help us, people they had just met, hunting in their local spot. Sure, we found the area on our own but for strangers to lend a helping hand knowing there was nothing in it for them felt shocking. We had hiked up a tenderloin and cooked it up with a mountain house and we all ate until we were full.

Day 3

Everyone was up early again getting coffee made and boots tied for the morning hunt. I laid in bed and listened from the tent to their morning conversations. Austin wanted to go with them and glass so I stayed behind because I had lost a pair of gloves the day prior and I planned to hike the trail I lost them on and see if I found them. No such luck for me but I got a beautiful morning hike in with sore legs from the day before. As soon as I got back to camp I was just about to eat some breakfast and make coffee and I hear Austin yell my name. He was running up the hill towards camp. Just as he got close to me I could tell something was up. I asked, "Were those shots from you guys?" I had heard a few shots while I was walking back but with all the different horse hunters in the area I wasn't sure. Austin motions to me a yes and then tells me that Steve got one! We still had a bag of meat we needed to get to the trailhead and pack up camp but I figured all of that could wait. I grabbed some water and a snack and shoved it in my pocket as we rushed down the mountain to meet Steve. We caught up with him pretty quick. I wasn't there when they shot so I didn't quite know the whole story but I look over to my right and down another ridge were some other hunters hiking down in our same direction. I asked Austin what happened?

Apparently, a hunter on horseback rode up along the ridge to the right of where Steve and Austin were sitting all morning and it caused elk to flush out of some timber. They were running across the mountain side and Austin let out a bugle which caused the bull to stop. This gave Steve an opportunity to shoot and it appeared the bull bucked up and was shot. The bull ran towards the timber and as that happened another hunter shot at him on the run. The bull then made it to the timber and stood there. Steve was having a hard time seeing the elk due to the glare of the sun and Austin had to help shade the scope and his eye to allow him to see the bull. He ranged him at about 500 yards and shot. Then the elk stood there again and so he shot again. Next, the elk walked into the timber and they couldn't tell where he went from there but had an idea based on where he was. So at this point, the other hunter who had shot at the bull on the run was also walking in the direction of the downed bull. Austin met him towards the bottom and I stayed near Steve as he eased his way down a little slower. When Austin talked to the hunter it was his father who shot at the bull and he brought his two young boys down with him to look. They both hiked up the other side and Austin knew that Steve is the one who shot the bull and where he would be so he walked right to it and found the bull laying there dead. After they reviewed the story together and Steve and I made it to the bull the other hunter agreed it was Steve's bull to tag. The other hunter's boys took some pictures with the elk and they headed out to keep hunting.

This time we knew the hike out would be a little different since they have horses. Austin and Steve got their knives out and went to work. I knew I didn't have a knife so I volunteered to start hiking up and try to find Brad and Hunter so they could bring the horses to hike the elk out. I was almost to the top and I spotted Brad and Hunter with their horses. I told them the good news and pointed out where Austin and Steve were in the timber on the ridge across from us. They headed down and I kept on my way to camp to start breaking everything down and packing up.

Once I got back to camp I started packing up our sleeping systems and making some coffee. It took me at least an hour or two to get both of us packed up and just as I was finishing I see Austin and the horses hiking up!

The two horses were able to pack out the entire elk and the horns. They are beautiful animals and it amazes me how graceful they cover this ground. We took some pictures and loaded up Austin's rack as well.

Since we still had another load of meat close to the location of where Austin killed his bull, he headed down to get it and would eventually meet us at the trailhead. I got the good end of the deal and I got to ride a horse down to the bottom where our meat was.

After we got to the bottom we loaded up our elk meat which took some strategy to even out the weight between five horses.

We were able to keep one horse light enough for one person to ride. We all took turns riding for a period of time since the last part was mostly uphill with a few flat areas. Those horses made it to the top in no time. It was the fastest I had ever walked up that hill because I didn't want the horse to step on me as I led it up. It was such a bittersweet feeling when we made it to the camper on day 3. So much had happened already in just three and half days. All the time we have spent chasing elk and to be able to get two bulls down and out of that wilderness in such quick time seemed unbelievable. If they hadn't offered to help us with the last trek it would have taken Austin and I four separate trips and probably the full day to finish hiking that elk out. We were fully prepared to do so, but after spending half a day hiking it already, we were not going to turn down the help.

After we got the horses unloaded and I started my way towards our truck to start organizing I saw Austin walking up! He made it! I cooked up some spaghetti we had prepped ahead of time with a salad and fed everyone. Brad kept thanking Austin for staying back with Steve during the morning hunt and helping him get that bull. He shared with us that Steve hasn't been able to get a bull for the last 5 years despite ample opportunities and this possibly being his last hunting year they were so happy he was there to help make it happen! We still wanted to thank them in some way for helping us and so I handed him 40$ to help pay for some horse feed. He thanked us and then said "hey, you got any more of those trekking poles? Could I buy those from you?" As he pulls out the 40$ we had just given him. I told him to keep the money and we brought over a pair we never use. His eyes lit up like it was Christmas and a smile came across his face (these tough mountain men don't smile a whole lot). I was so glad we were able to give him something that meant a lot to him to show our gratefulness of their help and new friendship. We all exchanged numbers and talked about meeting up next year if we draw again.

They fed their horses and started riding back in to meet Steve who we had left at their camp. Brad and Hunter were hoping for one last morning hunt to find that big bull before they headed home for a couple days to refuel and come out again and hunt the rest of the season. We spent the remainder of the evening getting the meat situated and unloaded our gear. We got everything ready for the drive home and talked to several different people who drove by our camp that evening. Austin loved being able to tell them about his bull! We ate a big dinner and then curled up in bed by 7 pm. Austin shared with me some of the moments Steve and him had while quartering up his elk. Austin got to learn a "leave the skin on" method which worked well especially with being able to use the horses. Also, Steve thanked Austin for helping him and mentioned to Austin, "I have killed over 30 elk in my life and this one might be my favorite because it might be my last". Austin felt honored to be able to help him harvest possibly his last elk and the experience they shared together he will always remember.

Day 4

Since we fell asleep so early, we were both wide awake at about 2 am. We rolled around a few more minutes but were both up and out of bed by 3 am. There wasn't going to be anymore sleeping so we made some breakfast, loaded everything up, and were on the road by 4:45 am. At this point Austin had already decided we were making it home tonight. We stopped about every 4 hours when we needed diesel and rolled back into Redding by 7:15 pm that night. I think we were both exhausted from our hunting season but we both secretly wish we weren't back to reality quite yet.

Being home early is not something we are used to. It seems like we typically hunt til the last day! This gave us time to unpack, get things done around the house, and for Austin to make his Euro mount.

This has been an elk season we will never forget! I can remember when Austin took me on his first elk hunt in 2018 and now were both hunting and filling our tags! If you are on the edge of wanting to jump in and start elk hunting I highly encourage it. Do your homework, watch YouTube videos, read books, practice with your equipment, and start hiking! I am so glad Austin has let me become his hunting partner because I wouldn't trade these experiences together for anything! Happy Hunting!