Topic: Post your pics! 2011

[AR10ER]

Phew, hardest I've had to work for a doe in a long time.  6.5 swede again; dropped her like a sack of concrete.  Not fat layer on her to speak of, which is fairly odd.

[attachment=1]

Not if they do a fair amount of running from wolves.

[Batwing]

Nice photos everyone.

The 6.5 Swede is a great round for deer and elk.  Any time I have shot varmints or game with mine, they either fall over right where they are or aren't able to run far.

[NoviceHunter]

Not if they do a fair amount of running from wolves.

From what I've read, wolves take out the biggest ungulates first, then move down in size.  For example, they wiped out the moose around Yellowstone before getting started on the elk.

I've seen a ton of elk this year, so I don't think the wolves just switched to deer and are ignoring elk.  And so far all the deer I've seen taken this year had no fat layers.  Similar conditions to last year (lots of forage, hot late, pressure), and last year there was damn near an inch of fat on every deer I saw taken.

How are y'all's deer looking for winter fat?

[charlz]

As I mentioned in my introduction post I haven't hunted in about 17 years. My kids are old enough to hunt now and my son is real keen on it. I put in for an antelope tag in the 41/42 area on a whim and selected that area simply because it had the most tags. Imagine my surprise when I drew a tag! I had never hunted antelope before and had never been that far south in the Owyhees. I found myself to be woefully unprepared for the distances out there, zero cover (even the sage brush is only 6 inches high) and an animal that, when you pull up the binos to look at them from 2 miles away is already scoping _you_ out! I spent two days trying out 'spot and stalk' but the lack of cover made it real tough, the 3rd day I decided to try 'ambush'. After seeing lots of Antelope the first two days I only saw 5 on the third day. I had kinda figured out how they liked to move between the water holes so when I saw this group moving along a more-or-less predictable path I got ahead of them, made a nest in the rocks and laid down to wait. Eventually a young buck walked up on my left and I let him have it, GPS says 70yds but I think it was more like 50yds. Nothing special but I was happy to get something and I learned _a lot_ about hunting antelope! 

[NoviceHunter]

Nice!  Very cool.

[AR10ER]

From what I've read, wolves take out the biggest ungulates first, then move down in size.  For example, they wiped out the moose around Yellowstone before getting started on the elk.

I've seen a ton of elk this year, so I don't think the wolves just switched to deer and are ignoring elk.  And so far all the deer I've seen taken this year had no fat layers.  Similar conditions to last year (lots of forage, hot late, pressure), and last year there was damn near an inch of fat on every deer I saw taken.

How are y'all's deer looking for winter fat?

Well, I can tell you from my experience of just sitting and watching game out of season, when I lived in Idaho City and I just had to walk out my back door to observe them, that the game will spook at the sound of a predator, not just by being chased.

Maybe that is how I should have worded it.

I have not been able to get out to hunt this year. I do hope to get out and shoot a wolf before that season is over.

[NoviceHunter]

I have not been able to get out to hunt this year. I do hope to get out and shoot a wolf before that season is over.

Amen.

[9Shooter]

No deer seen or heard, only remote shots reported.  As for elk, we followed back someone else's drag from the morning before and found the gut pile about 3/4 mile from the road.  We started scoping from there.  We did finally spot a small herd of elk on my last morning out this weekend.  Maybe one bull and at least 5 cows.  I ran out of time since I knew I'd have to haul it back out on my own if I actually got close enough to take the shot.  I ranged them up from me about a half mile away and they were heading down the other side of the mountain top.  Three deer does trotted after them along the ridgeline.

Here is where my son and I started from:
[attachment=1]

Here is where we spotted the elk:
[attachment=2]

I knew that it would have been an hour getting to them if they didn't spot us first, then dragging one back the 4+ miles to the truck would have been the rest of the afternoon.  We'd already traveled a combined total of about 20 miles in the first two days so my willpower was low even though my son told me to take the shot  Next year at least I have a place to start.

[Scarecrow]

No deer seen or heard, only remote shots reported.  As for elk, we followed back someone else's drag from the morning before and found the gut pile about 3/4 mile from the road.  We started scoping from there.  We did finally spot a small herd of elk on my last morning out this weekend.  Maybe one bull and at least 5 cows.  I ran out of time since I knew I'd have to haul it back out on my own if I actually got close enough to take the shot.  I ranged them up from me about a half mile away and they were heading down the other side of the mountain top.  Three deer does trotted after them along the ridgeline.

Here is where my son and I started from:
[attachment=1]

Here is where we spotted the elk:
[attachment=2]

I knew that it would have been an hour getting to them if they didn't spot us first, then dragging one back the 4+ miles to the truck would have been the rest of the afternoon.  We'd already traveled a combined total of about 20 miles in the first two days so my willpower was low even though my son told me to take the shot  Next year at least I have a place to start.

That's awesome!

[luckypunk]

Well I got skunked this year, but I had an interesting trip along the way that I'll share.

went up for elk & deer, in a camp for a few days-

first day before shooting light- trekked out of camp & passed a spot.....something smelled of death, spooked a few deer close by, but still dark, so continued on my hike.  Returned in the evening by the same spot found a cow elk dead from unknown cause.

next morning elk has been spread-eagled & carcass opened up high at the H&L, gutsack pulled out  i'm thinking.....wolves?

That night I've stalked 3 cow elk to a point just off a game trail and they're 60 yds in front of me in the thick timber, it's the last 5 min. of shooting light and they call, mew, mew, I return the call, mew, mew
Just  then......100yds away in dense timber behind me I hear what I'm pretty sure was an actual Tyrannosaurus Rex coming to rape some elk, He comes charging down through the branches/ breaking letting out this honking bugle that made me poop a little.  It was the first time I had an uncontrollable shake/buck fever/half terrified because this bull is charging my ass & I got 10 yds from when it breaks trees & almost no light to see.

unfortunately for me.....or him, not sure which, and for whatever reason- He stops about 30 yds out. (probably smelled the pee running down my leg)  and stayed there for the last few minutes that you could still see your hand in front of your face.  LONG/DARK walk back to camp- balls descended back into scrotum when I see campfire

next morning missed the dead elk spot, but came back that way at dusk, and I'm beat-tired (20 mile on the GPS track in a couple of days) I didn't mean to but I walked straight in on the dead elk, and bust 2 wolves plucking the hide.

 These things moved so fucking fast that had they been coming at me I couldn't have got off a shot or even screamed like a little girl until after they were chewing on my ass.  they darted off like lightning and I high-tail it back to camp.

We stoke the fire & listen to another cow elk calling, calling, screaming call....and then howling wolves end it

gave me shivers