Northwest Outdoor Sports

Don’t try this at Elk Camp!

By Justin Aamodt – Outfitter and Guide

Burns, Oregon

As the bull swung his head around to charge, his nostrils flared and his eyes, “his eyes were coal black and looking right through me”.

.

At nine A.M. I turned my radio on to check in with the other guides. It was a rare opportunity that several of us guides got to hunt together, let alone on one of the private ranches. I asked if anybody was having any luck, Dave answered back, “I stuck a bull, and I hit him good, he shouldn’t go far”. We all have Garmin Rhino radios so I headed for his location. When I got to Dave I could tell he was pretty excited and confident this would be a short tracking job. He showed us where he was and where the bull was when he shot, about thirty yards, a simple “chip shot” for Dave. Dave said, “the arrow went in right behind the front shoulder pretty low, he thought it might be a heart shot”. Sure enough where the bull was standing there was blood and about eight inches of the fletching end of the arrow covered in blood. No need for the hound dog on this one. Ya right! The blood was pretty good for about eighty yards then one small puddle and it was very sparse, every twenty yards or so we would find a speck, then at about a hundred and fifty yards the blood stopped completely.

.

.

The area we were hunting has a huge amount of ground foliage and pine needles so it’s extremely difficult to follow just tracks. We spent the next several hours trying to find the direction this bull went. We radioed Nikki and had her bring Dixie (the old hound dog). When using a dog for blood trailing in Oregon, it’s illegal to carry a weapon. Dixie and I went back to the beginning of the blood trail and started, she was on the scent. Problem was when she got to the end of the blood trail where we had all been walking around she got confused and lost the trail so we decided to make a big circle and see what she could find. After she treed three squirrels I was getting a little tired of being drug around the forest, so we headed back to the pickup. We were walking past this pine reprod patch when she made a sudden lunge to go into it. Like I said three squirrels were enough for me, I pulled on her leash and we left.

.

Garmin Rhino GPS Radio

.

We all decided to go back to camp and have some lunch. After lunch I changed into a blue t-shirt and my tennis shoes. Dave was still confident he made a good shot. The only thing that concerned me was the bull came running in with about ten cows because something had spooked them. When Dave drew his bow the bull was about twenty yards away. Then the bull jumped and spun giving Dave the thirty yard broad side shot. This meant the bull was alert and nervous when Dave shot.

.

photo by author , Same country as story, not the same bull

.

Only Dave and I went back after lunch, we decided to use the GPS’s and just grid the area. Dave and I figured if we found the bull he would be dead so Dave left his bow in the truck. Now it was about nine and a half hours after the shot and we were walking down in the bottom of a draw and I asked God to please give us a sign. Just let us know if the bulls OK, dead, the direction he went, anything. Fifteen minutes later, well that’s when things got interesting.

.

Dave and I started into the small reprod patch, I didn’t realize it at the time but it was the same one Dixie tried to get me to go into earlier. As we entered the reprod we heard something running to our left, we both jumped back and ran around to see what it was. Just a mule deer doe, I went back to where I was when I heard the noise and entered the reprod patch. I stepped over a log about two feet high with my left foot. Then I stepped over it with my right foot and looked to my left and laying there facing me with his head up, eyes wide open with nothing between us, was the six point bull. Now you might wonder what goes through a man’s mind when he finds himself in this situation. The first thing that happened was a cold, scared chill went all the way down my spine. Then I thought, well you dummy you asked God for a sign. Pretty big sign huh?

.

photo by author: Elk Country -  Oregon

.

I could hear Dave getting farther away from me, I didn’t know what the bull would do if I hollered so I gently said, Dave, no reply and the bull didn’t move, louder I said it again, Dave. This time he heard me, I said “go get your bow”, and Dave replied “what?” Louder I said “mark the spot and go get your bow”. It was at that instant that Dave realized I had found the bull, I swear Dave was punching the buttons on his GPS so fast and hard I could hear him from forty yards away (now that I think about it; the noise was probably my heart POUNDING!). Then after he had finished marking our location, he took off running for the truck and his bow.

.

The bull still only three feet away with nothing between us but air, started to grind his teeth, yes grind his teeth and I mean loud. I was once told elk grind their teeth when they are irritated. It didn’t make me feel any better knowing that the bull was irritated. I figured I had better move and get some trees between the bull and I and from where I was standing; (right in front of him) I couldn’t see any injuries on the bull. I decided to take about three steps to my right; this would put three small pines between us and give me a look at the bulls left side. The bull was shot on his right side but I couldn’t go that way as it was too thick with reprod. As I started to move the bull decided he would stand up, so I moved quicker. The bull got up very slowly, first his hind legs then the fronts. I could tell he was pretty stove up; he was stiff and he moving very slowly. This did give me time to look at the bulls left side to see if there were any wounds, nothing, not a scratch; there wasn’t even any blood where he had been laying. When the bull got all the way up he turned and faced me.

.

photo by author: White arrow shows the tree the author stood behind, note the rub mark. Pictured with his bull is Dave, who made the original shot and  who got excited and shot it with a judo point. AKA “Judo Jarski”

.

Now I’m 6’3” and this old bull and I were standing eye to eye, still only three feet apart. He was still irritated and grinding his teeth, but at least now there were those three small pines between us. I could have reached out and slapped his face we were so close. The bull had a different idea though and started marking his territory by squirting urine right at me. Now I’ve seen bulls do this when they bugle during the rut and they are trying to attract cows but I don’t think this bull was trying to attract anything.

.

People have asked me “why didn’t you just get out of there and leave the bull alone. My answer has always been, “first of all, I wasn’t scared one bit, well after the first couple of seconds anyway. I figured, if the bull was going to charge he would have done it by now and secondly I felt if I did move the bull would leave. Now where he was standing and as stove up as he was, he couldn’t turn around and leave but he could walk forward and leave. Now by this time I had pretty much come to the conclusion this bull had been shot in the stomach because of how stove up he was. I knew if the bull did take off we would never find him because he wouldn’t leave a blood trail”. This gave me a really bad idea!

photo by author: The White arrow shows the knife wound.

.

If this bull takes off, I decided I should try to give us a blood trail. Well I didn’t have a bow; I didn’t have a pistol, (even though it’s legal to carry one in Oregon now during archery season) all I had, was a folding, belt clip, Benchmade knife with a 3 inch blade. Not a lot to work with here. I looked down at my tennis shoes and there was a dried up stick about six feet long right next to my foot. Can you see where this is going? With the bull still standing three feet away grinding his teeth (by now he was starting to foam at the mouth a little from all the grinding going on), I decided to squat down to the stick. I slowly moved down and began to unlace my tennis shoe; I pulled the lace, grabbed the stick and slowly stood back up. I took the lace and made a slip knot in one end and put it around the knife and the stick. Then I pulled it tight, I put the slip knot under the belt clip and began to put several wraps around the knife and stick, then I finished it up with several half knots to hold it tight. Now seriously, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to kill this bull but if he did try to leave hopefully I could give us a good blood trail. So I stood there with this primitive weapon at the ready just in case he tried to leave.

judo point:  great for grouse, Elk…not so much!

.

The bull finally quit squirting at me and grinding his teeth when he heard something back behind him. Then he turned his head to the left and when he did I leaned over and looked at his right side to see just where he had been hit, no blood, no hole, no wound! OK I have to admit, this made me a little nervous. The bull slowly turned back and looked me in the eyes. About then I could hear Dave running back, I hollered, “Dave”. I now know the word “Dave” also irritates elk as he started grinding his teeth again. I asked, “Can you see him”. No he replied so I stuck my six foot stick up in the air and waived it around. Can you see this? I said, go to your left. Finally Dave got into position and said, “I can see him”. So I told Dave “you have to let me know before you shoot because I’ve got to get out of here. Dave simply answered OK and at that point the bull decided he was going to try to turn around and leave. This is where I should have just said, “There he goes” but I didn’t.

.

I figured if the bull turned to go and I stuck him with my knife he would just leave faster, I was WRONG!!! As the bull backed his right side into the thick trees he turned his head to the left and I stabbed the stick for the bulls mid section. Thank God I’m a better shot with a bow than I am with a spear because the knife came to a sudden stop when it hit the bulls shoulder. This apparently does more than just irritate elk! The bull swung his head around to charge, his nostrils flared and his eyes; his eyes were coal black and looking right through me. He lowered his head and lunged at me, I was trying to back peddle but with no shoe lace I wasn’t covering much ground. The bull hit the three small pines and pushed them back into me. At this point I was between the bull’s antlers and as I looked down his eye guards were within inches of my stomach. The bull backed up, still looking right at me. Dave said what are you doing? I just hollered, “SHOOT THAT SOB”!!! I continued backing up to about ten feet when Dave said “I’m gonna shoot”. I said, “I’m ready” and the arrow slammed the bull right behind the shoulder. I instantly saw blood where the arrow had hit the bull.

.

This is not the end of the story. The arrow did penetrate the bulls hide but when it hit a rib the arrow bounced off the bull like it had hit a brick wall, making a funny vibrating noise all the way to the ground. The bull just flinched slightly and looked down at the arrow then snapped his head back at me and I thought, “Here we go again”! The bull just looked back in Dave’s direction and I asked Dave “was that a blunt? Dave Said (as calm as could be) “nope, that was my judo”. In all the excitement Dave had mistakenly grabbed his grouse arrow (a Judo tip). I said, “You’re going to have to shoot him again”, probably with a little haste in my voice. Dave anchored down and put another arrow right through the lungs, the bull whirled around, leaned up against the three small trees that may have saved my life and within seconds the bull had expired.

.

Now you have got to be wondering, where was the bull hit? As Dave released the arrow, true to its mark, the nervous and alert bull, whirled to its left, the arrow entered the bull from the rear, on the inside of his right rear leg about ten inches above his knee. The arrow missed the main artery and exited out of the front of the leg and then penetrated into the stomach, stopping just before the diaphragm.

.

This wasn’t the first time I had stuck a live elk with my knife, and if I’m ever put in that type of a situation again, I’m sure I’ll do it again. I know I walked away a lucky man that day, I wasn’t dead and WOW what an experience……

Author

Justin’s web site:

Predatorsparadise.com

THE ROOSEVELT ELK

DREAM HUNT

By Rodney L. Rice

GPS: 48.00837, -124.52944 9 ( GPS not exact for privacy reasons)

Falling headfirst into an astounding adventure can sometimes be hinged on one decision to just follow your gut instinct. At 2:30 pm on Wednesday, September 20th 2006 I was sitting in my rental car facing highway 101 in Queets, Washington with that exact dilemma. My hunting trip had already been a success when I filled my bear tag the first day on the Quinault Indian Reservation. I still had plenty of hunting days left so I purchased an archery elk tag with an attempt to hunt an animal I knew nothing about.

.

My bear guide, Leonard was kind enough to take me to some of the areas he had hunted off the reservation. After two days of walking through the Olympic Mountains I hadn’t seen one elk, only droppings and tracks of where they had been. The timber is so thick you’re almost forced to stay on the logging roads or the trails that were heavily worn from elk travel. By no means is it an easy task hunting this region. My attempt at elk hunting was coming to an end. It had rained hard the night before and Leonard needed to return to fishing which is his main source of income. The rain had subsided, the clouds were broken and the air was crisp and cool. By no means was I ready to leave, but my time was just about up and I was already thinking that that elk tag was going to stay in my wallet as a reminder of a good effort but no results.

.

Rodney Rice with the Elk from this story.  Photos from Jim Mansfield

.

My dilemma was to either head back to Seattle and catch my flight or drive forty five minutes further north to the small town of Forks and find Jim Mansfield. Jim is an outfitter whom I had only spoken to once last March. I was mainly interested in meeting him, seeing his operation and at least determine if it would be wise to go ahead and book a hunt for next year, seeing how there was only one day remaining in the archery season.

.

My decision was to turn right and head to Forks. The highway winds up the coast line with an ocean view to your left and trees towering up over two hundred feet. It’s a gorgeous drive. After arriving it only took me about fifteen minutes to find Jim’s home. I had pulled in to a gas station to ask for directions and it seemed that the locals were familiar with Jim and his reputation as a guide.

.

I knocked on his door and Jim answered. I introduced myself and explained that I merely wanted to see his operation and what was the availability for next year. Jim’s immediate response was:

.

NIce Bull.     Photos from Jim Mansfield

.

“You have one more day to fill your tag, do you want to go out?”

.

“Sure” I replied.

.

“Where are you staying?” He asked.

.

I responded, “I don’t know I just got in town. But I can get a room.”

.

Jim asked, “You want to stay in my Grandparents old house? It’s where all my hunters stay.”

.

Once again I replied, “Sure that would be great!”

.

Jim showed me the house and as soon as I walked in I saw six beautiful trophy bulls lining the walls. At that moment I knew Jim had the experience I was looking for in a guide. As he proceeded to share his hunting and guiding experiences I listened intently as he also explained the areas we would scout this evening and his strategy for tomorrow.

.

After about ten minutes of conversation Jim said, “Get settled in and we’ll check out your bow and make any adjustments if necessary, then we’ll drive around and scout some areas”. While unpacking my gear I pulled out my bow which is a PSE Whitetail Extreme. I’ve had considerable success taking my first deer and bear with this bow so I felt very confident in using it on any hunt.

.

I met Jim outside where he had a target set up for me to practice. He said we would start at 30 yards and then move back to 50. He also pointed out that if I was on at 50 yards then there wouldn’t be any problem bagging a bull if we got within range.

.

While I was practicing Jim asked, “How many arrows do you usually take five or eight?”

.

I told him I only had three and that was the number I used when I hunted whitetail.

.

He replied, “You know you’re hunting elk!”

.

I explained,” I guess it’ll have to do. Usually it’s one shot right?”

.

Jim said, “You’ll be fine, you’re on at 50.”

.

I put my bow up and we jumped in his truck and drove out to a few areas to see if we could spot any herds or movement. Thus far nothing was in our favor and the day was closing with the evening fog setting in. But Jim was confident with the opportunity we would have in an area he loved to hunt and where the big bulls hid in the forage.

.

Jim said, “I’m taking you out to the Dickey River where we’ll have an excellent chance at seeing some nice bulls and getting a shot at a 5×5 or better.”

.

He smiled and said, “You would prefer that over just any legal bull right!”

“Absolutely!” I exclaimed.

.

He chuckled and said, “You bet!”

.

Jim seemed to be a light hearted man with the character that personified the true hunter. His knowledge was exceptional but I know now that he mainly wanted to assure me that if I listened to him he would get us in position for a good shot. Jim dropped me off at the house and with the spirit of an enthusiastic hunter his last words for the night were:

.

“We’ll head out at 5am because we need every hour tomorrow has to give”. And there was a lot of truth to that statement.

.

5AM didn’t come soon enough. As I’m sure you’re all aware I had a hard time going to sleep with the thought of getting close to a bull elk. My alarm went off at 4:30AM and we headed out at 5AM sharp.

.

I need for you to pause and think for a moment just as I did. It’s the last day of archery season, first time hunting the Olympic Peninsula, you’ve never hunted elk much less even seen an elk and you’re hoping to take one down with a bow. That’s what you call,” really dreaming”. The thought never crosses your mind that you might even bring home the trophy of a lifetime. Little did I know what would be facing me in just two short hours.

.

As we moved along the Dickey River, Jim let me know that we probably wouldn’t see any elk before Cool Creek that fed into the Dickey. The forage was thick with ferns chest high and wet from last night’s rain. Our movement was slow and steady. Then the most beautiful sound filled the air. At 6:30AM I heard my first bull elk bugle and he was closer than we anticipated which was well before Cool Creek.

.

We had about 20 feet to climb up the river bank from our current position to try to get even the slightest view of his location. And that wasn’t necessarily the easiest task considering the steepness and a bow in hand. Jim pointed him out and immediately said after glassing him over that he was a spectacular 5×5. Dark red antlers, chocolate face, thick mane and a massive tan body. He was the real deal. Everything you could hope for.

.

Jim with the same bull, note the tan Carhart jacket is the same color as the bulls back.   Photos from Jim Mansfield

.

The wind was in our favor but of course closing the distance was the challenge. We had about 15 yards of hinterland and a draw approximately 30 yards wide and 15 ft deep that was separating us from where the bull was standing in a clear cut thrashing his antlers on a small red alder. Jim said he was about 80 to 90 yards out.

.

Jim whispered instructions on how we would move together slowly to an alder that was on the edge of the draw. He wore a tan jacket and said he would follow behind in a bent position to give the appearance of an elk if he spotted us. He told me to move when he gave the word and freeze if the elk looked up. Not to move a muscle and don’t look directly at him.

.

We began our stalk and it was stop and go every few steps watching my foot placement more than the elk. Every few seconds he would stop thrashing his antlers and raise up. Jim would whisper, “Freeze”. Before we made it to our position one of the cows barked and alerted the herd. We were busted.

.

This is an another bull from that area, note the rack is red, this is from the alder trees sap.   Photos from Jim Mansfield

.

My inexperience gave our position away just trying to get to the alder a little too fast. Jim said, “Step up and take a shot. He’s about 70 to 80 yards out so put two fingers above his back and shoot.” The arrow didn’t even make it to the elk. It fell short. I immediately knocked another arrow with my quick release attached.

.

Jim says,” Go, Go, Go!” I take off at ramming speed down our side of the draw and across dodging stumps and jumping logs. While I’m running across the draw I notice the bull can’t see me and Jim bugles to bring him to a halt. I ran up to the top of the ridge on the far side and came to full draw. This massive bull is now facing me at 50 yards with his head tucked and antlers jetting straight up.

.

We’re now both frozen in time facing each other and I’m not about to move a muscle. I was too focused to notice anything outside of my aim. That little voice is telling me to hold it steady and wait for him to open up. I’m bearing down and he’s not moving. The only thing I could think of is that when Jim bugled he probably turned to see if it was another bull moving in on his herd.

.

All I do know is that when he started to raise his head and turn to the right that was my shot and boy did I let it rip. That premier 125 hit with such force the bull whirled around and ran for the woods. The crashing of timbers was an unbelievable sound.

.

The next thing I heard was Jim behind me saying, “What a beautiful shot! If we only could have caught that on film man would we have the video for all hunters.” Both of us to say the least were ecstatic. Jim also asked if I hit him good. I told him that I was sure I hit him about four inches above his brisket in the neck which was exactly where I was aiming. Jim listened for a moment to try to locate which way he was heading. Looking to our right there was another bull about 150 yards out staring right at us. We were definitely in the midst of big bulls but now we had one to track and I only had one arrow left, and if you’ve ever tracked an elk then you know how resilient and unpredictable they are. This was not the best of situations to be in.

.

Jim said, “We’ll deal with it and maybe it’ll be enough”. Jim was adamant about stopping and listening noting the time and then moving on. His trail wasn’t hard to see and we came out on an old logging road where we could see tracks and his direction of movement back into the timber. We eased in moving up the ridge and Jim stopped to listen. At this point we had a decent blood trail but it wouldn’t stay that way for the course.

.

Jim said, “He’s probably going to circle around us so let’s move back down to the road.” And that he did. That bull crossed the logging road 15 yards in front of us. Of course when it counted most, I wasn’t ready with my last arrow in my quiver. By the time I was set, he was gone again and Jim thought we should give it a break and not bump him too much. Just to ease up the pressure hoping he’ll find a place in the alders and lie down. He had a bad limp and we could see the arrow sticking out. It was hard to say how far he would travel but we were willing to take a break and pick up the tracking after lunch.

.

We marked where he last crossed and decided to not only grab a bite to eat but also pick up some survey tape to mark the trail. Jim said he was headed for the river down across what he referred to as reprod or under growth. The woods were thick and hard to move through. Tracking this animal in these woods was not going to be easy and we sure didn’t need any rain that could wash away any sign. We hiked out to the truck and went to town to regroup. Jim also gave me another broad head for one of the practice arrows I had. At least now I had two arrows to go back in the field with.

.

We returned at 1pm and picked up the trail where we left off. It was a slow meticulous journey. Marking the trees every 10 feet with tape. There were times that the blood was very noticeable and then we would find ourselves searching every leaf for the smallest drop. I’ll never forget how difficult that was but Jim was on his trail. Jim knew that he went straight for the river. When we arrived back at the Dickey River there laid my arrow on the sand bar right before he crossed. I remember hearing Jim say, “This isn’t good”. And that’s the last thing I needed to hear.

.

Jim knelt on the river bank while surveying the situation. The broad head was still in the elk with the hopes it drove deep enough in to pierce his lung. Jim handed me another broad head and now I was back with three arrows but still no decision on our next move. I told Jim I was ready to press on. Jim replied, “I didn’t say it was time to quit I was just trying to figure out which is the best way to go.”

.

With time against us he asked me if I wanted to cross the river. My response was,” Let’s go!” The water was freezing coming up to about mid thigh on us. When we reached the other side Jim wanted me to hold up while he checked an area downstream. This was an easier route of least resistance for the big bull. When Jim made it to the top of the bank there was a pool of blood at least 10 inches in diameter. The hunt was back on track with a new level of intensity.

.

We followed the blood trail to another logging road where once again the signs were obvious that it was a fatal wound. We walked down the road and Jim whispered for me to wait here. He continued about sixty yards down from where I stood. He thought he had heard a wheezing or gurgling noise. Jim back tracked about half way noticing where the bull went back in the woods. At that moment Jim waved me towards him. The bull was about 15 yards in the wood line watching us, but when Jim stepped in he jumped up and went about 30 more yards further in. We low crawled under the tree limbs within 20 yards and watched.

.

I tried to crawl another 10 yards for one final shot but the underbrush was too thick. Closing the distance was tough. The bull jumped up and took off again crashing through the timber. He laid down in a small open grassy area. There wasn’t as much sign as previously but as I followed this time I got within 10 yards. Aiming through the tree limbs I was able to put another arrow in his right side. The massive bull still managed to run 10 to 15 yards before dropping to the ground. The fall was enormous.

.

Jim and I approached the elk and he asked me to make a final shot forcing the arrow into his center cavity to finish the bull. It was the same arrow I shot him with the first time. This had been one trudging stalk and we estimated the bull traveled a couple of miles or more. But now at 4:20pm I had my Roosevelt elk and I thanked God for an answered prayer and an unbelievable day. Only God could orchestrate such a masterful hunt.

.

After field dressing the elk Jim and I managed to get his 4 wheeler in to drag the bull back out to the logging road. We wrapped the winch around the base of his antlers and I walked backwards holding his head up while Jim pulled him out. We managed to pull him up on the trailer and get him out to Jim’s truck using the 4×4. At 7pm Jim and I were parading through town pulling this huge elk on his trailer that tipped the scales just shy of 950 lbs. He also was a 5×6 and made the pope and young score of 236 5/8 inches. It was everything I dreamed of and more. To me it was the trophy of a lifetime.

.

As my flight left Seattle and I was headed home to Atlanta I replayed the entire hunt through my mind one more time. And it wasn’t going to be the last. The one thought that kept coming back was that as a hunter we try to be prepared mentally, physically and with the proper equipment to achieve the task at hand. You can never be totally prepared for an area or for an animal you’ve never hunted much less even seen. But you can rest assured that a guide of Jim’s caliber will be fully prepared to help you bring your journey to a monumental end.

.

Jim is the owner of Olympic Peninsula Fishing and the Elk Hunt Guide in this Article.

Photos from Jim Mansfield – www.olympicpeninsulafishing.com/

Why Spouses Should Never

Work Together

by Billijo Beck of Big Timber Outfitters LLC

Salmon, Idaho

.

GPS: 45.17808, -113.899

.

It was the end of September Archery Elk season and Guides, Terry and Billijo Beck had 2 elk hunters to take out. Both of these hunters were buddies and wanted to stay in pretty close proximity to each other hunting. So off we go on our hunting adventure for wild Rocky Mountain elk on a National Forest hunt in Idaho.

.
We took a split on Madsen’s Ridge. Terry took one hunter to the right and I to the left and we were supposed to circle around meet at the top.
Well, we were on horses with me in front and the hunter in the rear trying to keep his horse from eating every little blade of grass on the mountain and I spooked a nice 5×5 bull elk out of his bed and he took off up the ridge. So, being a polite guide that I am, I went to the top and got my husband and took him and the other guy to the path that the elk went and got him off to the side and explained the situation, and where I thought the bull was heading to. I guess I should explain two very different personalities. Terry is the BS er and Billijo is quiet and gets the job done. Well, little did I know Terry had a different plan.

.

He kind of pushed me to the back of him and said “Alright guys, (Leaning down in the bulls fresh track)

.

“We have a fresh bull track and its only about hum-mm 10 maybe 15 minutes old and I think its probably going to be a 5×5 or bigger”.

.

And he’s touching the tracks and measuring the stride at the same time. And then he tells them ” I know where he’s going and give all your gear here to Billijo and lets go.”
.

.

All this time I’m in the back stewing. Talk about stealing someones thunder.
So, we do a diagonal on the ridge, Remember we know where this bull is going and we get this hunter set up in a perfect position. The bull is coming thru the woods and you can tell he’s a 5×5 and he’s coming to the bog area (right where I knew he would come out) and you can see the black on his legs and then right when the bull was about to step out for a nice 17 yard shot, the hunter Jumps out of the blind, draws his bow back and yells:

“Come out you Son of a #@%$#%@!! ”

.
Well, needless to say the bull turned and tore the forest down getting out of there.

And that guy turns around and says,

“Oh Gosh, I’m Sorry! I guess I have never had a bull that close and I don’t know what came over me.”

.

Terry Beck….. Photo by Big Timber Outfitters

.
Well, for the rest of the day I had to hear how those 2 guys thought Terry was the greatest guide that ever walked.

The moral to the story: You better speak up while the ball is in your court.

.

Author, Billijo Beck…. Photo by Big Timber Outfitters

.

.

Big Timber Outfitters

Lost Opportunities

by Billijo Beck of Big Timber Outfitters

Salmon, Idaho

GPS: 45.17808, -113.899

.

Some people who come elk hunting and regret not taking a particular animal so they blame the guide or outfitter.
.
As you can imagine running an outfitting and guide business puts you in good and bad situations. You always try to make sure your hunters have a great time weather they harvest or not. Most of the time the hunters and guides form lasting bonds. But, sometimes you find your self’s biting your tongues and sucking it up. At the same time remembering the customer always comes first.
But, sometimes you scratch your head in disbelief.

.
We had a archery elk hunter book with us one year and I thought it was going to be an excellent hunt due to the fact that the bull elk where coming in hot and heavy to the bugling that week. I am going to change his name to Josh. So,
.

Day One: We pack into camp via horses. At last we are in the Rocky Mountains ready to hunt.

.
Day Two: We put a good stalk on a bull with 10 cows (that’s a lot of noses and eyes) but he gave us the slip. But, hey its the Rocky Mountains of Idaho, right, and these are wild elk.

.

Packing in…… Photo by Big Timber Outfitters

.

Day Three: We had a 4×4 come at us hot and heavy for an hour. Bugling and pissing and the whole nine yards kind of a show. But, Josh said he wasn’t big enough.

.
Day Four: 17 yards on a 360+ bull. Well, Josh couldn’t’ draw his bow back in that position.

.
Day Five: 5×5 bull at 5 yards in a blind. (The bull came and sniffed the cameo blind that was covered in cow pee). “Josh” said it was too close! (gotta say that again, “too close!”)

.
Day Six: “Josh” wanted in a blind and here comes a nice bull to the wallow. All of sudden “Josh” decided that he was a professional cow caller and blew on that thing and the bull torn down the forest getting out of there.
.

Bulls in Velvet….. Photo by Big Timber Outfitters

.

Day Seven: And nothing.

.
Day eight came and Josh left empty handed but he left us with some much needed advice. That was the day that I and my professional guides got a lesson that we didn’t know how to hunt elk correctly. That since he knew from hunting White Tail deer that all we need to do was set up cameras so we could tell where and when the elk would be at those bogs and springs. We didn’t have to drag anyone thru the Rocky mountains anymore.

.
LOL!

.
Needless to say, having to drag my guides away from that particular customer and Thanking Josh for his knowledgeable advice on Elk hunting. I was proud of myself for not strangling anyone.

.

The Author, Billijo Beck….. Photo by Big Timber Outfitters

.
When you book a hunt with an outfitter that person is under so much pressure to find an animal for the customer. I know everyone has watched the elk shows on private ranches and these huge bulls coming running to a cow call and it makes elk hunting look so easy. Make sure you know that nothing is a guarantee and if you pass up a small one don’t blame your guide or your outfitter if you don’t have another shot. Wild elk are a nomadic creature. They are hard to hunt!

.

.

Big Timber Outfitters

Public Land or Private Land ?

By Ron Howard of Friday Harbor, WA

I have hunted my entire life in my home State of Washington. Hunting deer with my father at the age of seven and elk by the age of thirteen. I love Washington, it has a variety of different landscapes from the thick brush and big timber of the west side, to the thinner timber, farm land or even desert range lands of eastern part of the state.

Many years ago I realized that for me to have the best hunting the state had to offer, I would have to put in for all the drawings I could, deer, elk, sheep and moose. A few years ago in the spring, I was anticipating the limited draw results, and hoped I would be hunting bull elk or deer in one of my familiar hunting areas.

My anticipation turned to disappointment when I learned that I had not drawn a tag for anything. So with limited opportunity to hunt mature bull elk in Washington, I changed gears.

I was comfortable hunting public land, and still am. But what about private land, with an outfitter. Would that increase my chance to get that opportunity for a big bull?

It’s about “opportunity”. I have taken 7 elk (4 with a bow) and many deer in the past, all on public land. I know how tough it is to get that shot opportunity, which all of us hunters are searching. I know that the animals respond to us being in the area. I know that both private or public land elk and deer do everything they can not to die. They move when they feel hunting pressure. If there is a lot less pressure in secluded country, they will go there and stay till the pressure is off.

I started educating myself on elk and deer hunting in surrounding states. Wanting to hunt the early archery season, I spent time talking on the phone to over 20 outfitters and guides in Idaho, Oregon and Montana. I came across Battle Creek Outfitters, Bend Or. Talking to one of the owners, Mike Crawford, I found out about the estimated 125,000 elk in Oregon, second only to Colorado in elk population in the lower 48. The more elk, the more opportunities.

.

photos by Battle Creek Outfitters

Also his hunts offered an opportunity to take a good mule deer. He got my interest, so I started learning more about public and private land hunts that Battle Creek Outfitters offers.

Mike told me he offers a public land hunt in the Ochoco National Forest, which is a limited draw hunt. Mike has guaranteed tags for this hunt. He also has private ranches, these are cattle ranches or timber land where the elk and deer are free to move from private to public land and back, the low hunting pressure and abundance of game sounded very appealing. Mike has 6 ranches that have both deer and elk, some great for deer and some with great elk, but all have the opportunity for both deer and elk.

He told me that he has a 70 % return from all his hunters, and many clients that have returned for 5 to 7 years. I came to know Mike and found him to be very honest and he gave me realistic hunting expectations. Deer that are in the 170 inch to over 200 inches class, and elk that range from 250 inches to 320 inches class with a few that reach the 340 – 350 inch class.

After signing on to hunt a private ranch for deer and elk (Pedro Mt. in the Sumter Unit of South East Oregon). I now became very exited once again, looking forward to a great hunt, and I was not disappointed in 2008 I saw 48 bulls in 7 days and was within 45 yards of 21 bulls, that was so exiting to have that many elk around me in that short a time.

.

photos by Battle Creek Outfitters

What made this hunt so great was not only the hunt itself, but the education. I was learning about, how to call, how to set up, and where to set up. Things that Justin Aamodt (my guide) said took him over 10 years to learn. Justin Aamodt was a great hunting guide and fun to be around. All of Battle Creeks guides have many years of experience and like he told me, they are elk-aholics. They love what they do.

So if you didn’t draw a limited drawing tag or have never hunted with a outfitter, you are truly missing out on a lot of knowledge and a great hunting opportunity.

So call somebody like Mike Crawford, or another outfitter your comfortable with, and spend some time talking with him. Decide for yourself if its public land or private land for you.

What of the expence of a hunt through an outfitter. Let’s discuss dollars, time, and value in another article.

Hunting Behind Locked Gates Legally

by Dustin Howard of Friday Harbor, WA

GPS – N 46 21.645, W 123 47.517

The first time I went hunting behind locked gates was in 2007 and it was in southwest Washington during the September elk hunt. This is public land that access has been blocked by the timber companies to motorized vehicle traffic for fire safety. After parking the truck, my dad and I got our mountain bikes and headed up the hill around the gates. After mountain biking for an hour up a long winding logging road we finally found another little road to follow and ditched are mountain bikes. We headed on foot to a clearcut we had seen on our bike ride.

About half way up the road we heard what we thought were cows talking so we decided to set up and start calling, trying to draw the elk up the draw toward us. My dad setup 80 yards behind me and I was on the edge of the clearcut hoping for the right opportunity for a good shot. I heard what sounded like 50 elk in the re-prod (newly planted trees in an area that was clearcut) in the same draw. My dad starting calling and then I heard an answer back, that was only a few hundred yards away from me. Finally I saw a cow pop out of the re-prod into the clearcut, looking to see what was up there. Right behind her was a mature 5×6 herd bull!

As my dad bugled he would answer right back with some authority. He started up the clear cut right in my direction. He was 60 yards away and pointed right at me. After quite some time, calling back and forth and having this beautiful bull in front of me, I thought about taking that shot but I knew that the outcome would only be bad. I knew I had to wait for a better opportunity. But that opportunity never presented itself. He then turned and headed back to his cows.

Thinking that we had completely blown that opportunity, we turned our attention to the clearcut that we originally were focused on. After a short time of hiking the road we glassed another clearcut about 800 yards up the mountain. To our amazement there was another herd of elk with a nice 5x 5 bull up there. The elk were just moving along feeding across the mountain, but after weighing are options we realized it was getting late and the chances of us getting a shot was slim.

.

We decided to head back down the road to our bikes. On the way back where our first setup was, we saw that same 5×6 bull in the road curiously looking for the elk he had heard just a half hour earlier. When he saw what we were he jolted off without us getting a shot again. We learned a very important lesson and that was, that never ever give up on calling a bull in because he apparently had not given up on us.

This was timber land and open to the public for hunting, this was not even opening day, we started hunting five days into the season. on are way home after a short hunt of only a day and a half. We were so happy, having found a new way to hunt elk. These elk did not have the hunting pressure that we see in so many of the places we hunt.

After telling one of my fathers friends, the great fun we had, he told us his story. Hunting season after season without taking a bull until they started hunting behind locked gates. Now as many as three out of five take bulls every year in his hunting group.

This year for the second time we plan to return to western Washington and hunt these roads that are not traveled by motor vehicles. So I encourage you to increase your opportunity , get out there and hunt behind a locked gate. With a little research you will be very surprised at the amount of land you can hunt legally, behind these locked gates.

The author of this article is Dustin Howard, in May 2009 he turned 18 years old.