HuntingNet.com Forums - A little Success in Idaho

It has been a good season even though short on harvests. But Saturday things took a turn for the better...

The deer season was a bust for both myself and my hunting buddy. Both of us were holding out for a nice buck and at the end our standards changes to any decent buck. We both had passed on several doe sticking to our standards, but then the 'Blue Tongue' entered the picture in our area and animals became a little more scarce. We were able to get one of Larry's two grandsons a small doe on the last day before he had to return to the Seattle area, so that was a 'Deer Hunting Season Plus'. So it was not all bad.

ML elk season started in this area in early December and we went into that season hoping for the best - specifically some weather. Weather was a prime factor during the earlier deer season - it was like we were living in a 'Banana Belt' here in North Idaho.

Both Larry and I pushing the old timers mark and neither of us can hunt and pack elk in the places that we were would normally frequent just to get away from people and into the prime outback elk areas. Today we have to hunt with people and with people riding 4 wheelers and now big side-by-sides everywhere. I have to be careful here as I/we really enjoy hunting in the woods but someday we might have to resort to 'ride and shoot' - hate it!!! but time marches on.

Saturday, mid morning, I left to go to one of our favorite hunting spots. From our last of many trips into the area we were finding that a small group of elk were using a ridge knob as a feeding area, normally later in the afternoon. And to make it even better there was a skiff of new snow on the ground.

As I made my way up the ridge to get into an ambush spot, the closer I got to the knob the fog was getting thicker. I really do not mind some fog but with open sights it is a little more challenging for me. As I went up the very last slope to where I would get my first look at the area I hugged the left side of the skid trail trying to the vegetation as cover to sneak to the first look see point. As I reached the spot I could see a cow elk about 80 yards out she was feeding with her head directly away from me. I raised the rifle and looked down the sights - totally disappointed I could not get a good sight picture other than right up her rectum! She then put her head down to feed again and I moved ahead and to the left a few feet to try to get a better angle for the shot. At that point it was almost do or die so I brought the rifle up and again not a real good picture to much fog but I held on a point to the rear of the left front shoulder. She was higher on the hill than I but I really thought I could get the shot to enter her flank just ahead of the diaphragm and come out her chest in front of the front leg. Tough angle but that was the only shot I had.

Touched the off and after the smoke cleared there she was broadside looking my direction - absolutely no indication that she had been shot!!! none! So I quickly reach for the reload and began that process and while reloading 4 other elk moved across in front of me left to right headed for the timber. One was a huge old mama heard cow! the one I shot at was still standing there looking - as I am pushing the bullet down with the ram rod walked casually to the east, my right, and into the timber. Damn! could I have really missed a 70 yard shot???

Waited a little longer in spot hoping another animal might move across the feeding patch. No such luck! I made a mental note of the bush she was standing near and worked my way to the spot. This was 3:30 in the afternoon and the combined with the fog the light was poor but I could not really see anything that indicated there was any contact. Crap! and I am being nice, cuz at that point I was convinced that I had missed my only shot of the year. I then tried to follow her path to the timber - the only problem her tracks were intermixed with the other elk heading to the woods. It took me a little bit to figure out which might be her - but then at the spot where she stepped into the timber point laying in the snow was a small blotch of blood with bubbles in it. Followed that about 10 feet and another DROP of blood with bubbles. From there nothing! and the light was terrible. Spent another 1/2 hour swing arches at different ranges trying to find sign - nothing. All this searching time I spent replaying the shot and thinking about what I was finding. I came to the conclusion my shot was low and I must have gotten into the lungs.

Finally I found her - she had moved about 100 yards from the shot point to the northeast and collapsed. I was a little disappointed that she was only a yearling but I have always hunted for the meat not for the rack so it would all work out. At this point the fun was really over and it was DARK! Cleaned her and opened her up for air - at this time it was near freezing and snowing. So I backed out and decided to get her out early in the morning.

We arrived early the next morning unloaded the 'Green Kawasaki Tank' - loaded the chainsaw saw for a couple of down trees across the access trail. Everything went as planned she is out and hanging...