For those interested, Fresh Tracks w/ Randy Newberg is now available on Amazon Prime.

shayne asked me to post a picture of his kill.

Alright girls...here's a quick recap. I didn't take many pictures. I always say I'm going to take a bunch then start hunting and don't care about no pictures and hunt alone most of the time.

I was invited to hunt an 18k acre ranch in unit 31 opening week. Hot damn let's get to it:

Leave last Thursday for the solo drive up to meet my two compadres there. I have an elk tag, they have two deer tags and one elk. Get settled Friday and shoot my bow that afternoon while they run around and scout.

It was crazy hot during the day and we eventually figured out nothing moved at all from about 8am to 7pm.

AM1- first morning to see the ranch so I'm basically just going off the map and the wind before daylight. Around 7 I bumped 3 bulls (one muy grande) in some oak brush at about 100 yards. Had i seen them a split second sooner I may could have slipped up and shot one. Rushed around into the next draw and got another glimpse of them but couldn't do anything. At least they didn't go far and seemed settled in the next draw.

PM1- 8 miles up and down and around...nada. Was told that bulls are bugling on the other end of the place.

AM2 - hooked up w a local guy hunting this place and hoofed it around were he had seen been glassing some the week before. Nada.

PM2 - went w same guy to another spot where he had seen some smaller bulls to sit most of the afternoon. 4 hours in I see a cow emerge about 300 yards away w a regular ol 5 meandering behind her. They jack around and he whoops some bushes. Local guy is 100 yards on the other side of me from them, and had told me he planned to start calling some at dark. I don't think he can see them so I just sit tight and wait for him because to fire it up. In the meantime the bull gets a little more excited and starts dogging the cow some, who is clearly annoyed. Two more small bulls show up. A few minutes pass and the guy blows his call. Instantly the cow raises her head and starts trotting our way. Hells ya. This got the first bull excited and he is now full on chasing her. They get to me, and instead of going below me where I'd been hoping they would, they stick to the oak brush above me. I had some shooting lanes and was ready, but they passed me in a lope at 20 yards and I couldn't get them stopped. The other bulls hang up about 80 out, but at an angle where I had no shot. They eventually lose interest and head up into the brush. Some sultry calling could not entice them my way, but it did bring in a lone cow from behind me who busted us. Dang. Close but no go.

AM3 - I head out to the area that the other guys had heard some bugles. Get out to the end of my ridge and glass either direction. Spot a giant 6 way on the neighbor hanging out. Opposite direction a long way down a 5 is making his way to the bottom a canyon over from me. I think I know where he's going. So I bomb down and around below him to get the wind right, but by the time I was down he was over it and headed out up the draw above me. After hearing bugles I'm happy climbing out of that hole.

Same morning compadre B with one of the deer tags flings an arrow at a big un (they said ~190) that glances a teeny bush and hits high and front right in the middle of the shoulder. <2" of penetration. We still scoured the mountain, but we are all confident he'll be fine. Compadre B was inconsolable and ready to go home.

PM3 - I head east one draw over from that morning to sit on some water the afternoon. Nothing until 7. Cow, a yearling, and a calf walk out and mill around. They wander off another lone cow comes down and hangs out. A bugle! Directly behind me. Another! Closer. Exactly in line behind me with his stupid cow. Whose staring up the hill right above me. Wind is ok, but I'm scared to move because I am smack dab in the middle of her field of view. More bugles and rocks tumbling down behind me. I gather it's a bull chasing a cow. She comes nearly exactly into me and hits the brakes 5 yards behind me. Wtf any other line but that one would have probably been ok where she'd trot right past me. Cow A is still being a ***** and staring at me while cow B is right on top of me trying to figure out what I am. Meanwhile he's gaining ground and rips a bugle 20 yards behind me and to my right. Cow A finally turns her head as cow B doesn't bark, but runs on down the hill...bull hot on her heels before I can turn and get a shot.

AM4 - lots of walkin, but no sight nor sound.

Pm4 - walked to another hole with a wallow. Two spikes come out at 7 and hang out in range for 45 min. But neither are legal and I just daydream about shooting one for a while. 7:30 a shooter comes out 200 yards up the canyon to my right where I would have the wind, but was more confident something else would come out where I was. It was a lot of open ground to cover. Then a nice 6 comes out 100 yards below me, but is up the hill into the brush before I can stealth down and get a shot. Calling coaxes nothing out.

Am 5 - More walking and climbing but nada. But one of the other guys had shot a cow. They picked me up and listened to me whine about being worthless and not closing on all the opportunities I had enjoyed before they told me we were going to get to pack some meat out. Those *******s. Man I was happy to get to carry some meat out!



Pm5 - Head into another hole w a wallow where we'd seen some bulls on one of the game cams that my industrious hunting companions had strewn about. They were more interested in working on their deer tags. Scope a bobcat coming in who doesn't see me and I let him head out before sneaking on down.

Find me a spot as high above the wallow as I can stand (~70 yards) because if the thermals swap hard it may whip around the hill where I think they may be coming from. Wallow is right on the brush and wrecked pretty hard. So I'm hanging out and oh hello this lady (I think) sticks her head out at 60 yards around 6:



Right on! She hangs out and I get a few more pictures as she grabs a drink and heads up the hill.





That was cool. I'd only seen one other in the wild.

About an hour later I hear this odd bird sound way down the canyon. Hear it again closer. And closer. At 7:30 this guy (I think...hopefully ursus or some other expert can chime in) shows up and I get some film! Watch um the whole video and you can hear the yip:




So that all happened at about 50 yards and I'm reasonably alarmed. But I know there are elk in this hole and this my last night so F that guy. There previously mentioned expert might tell me this is exact wrong thing to do...but here's what I did.

The wind is by now moving from my left to right in the video. The other lion had went all the way up the hill opposite of me and to my left. I reckon he (?) was following her until he had seen me. When he spotted me he didn't go back down the way he came, but circled back up to my right to get my wind i figure. So i left my hole in the brush and moved out into the middle of a 30 yard opening. I pile me up some cat fightin rocks in circle, put my havalon in a handy spot in the top of my bino case, and proceed w my elk hunt standing there w an arrow knocked and my bow over my right shoulder. I am the apex predator son, come and get some if you like. I figure if I'm still I won't bug the elk even though I'm not in cover.

My head is on a swivel but gotdang is it a thrill! So 30 minutes go by and I know that sumbich is in there watching me, but I try exude that bad mother****er body language and I'm sure I stank really bad so word out of him.

And then this guy ambles out:



50ish yards. Big dude, no tag . He wanders off, and I'm still watching for cats and elks.

By now it's prime time at dark and my plan was some sexy calling. I don't know how my buddy in the bushes will respond but I'm elk hunting and here to find out.

Blow my sexiest hey big boy cadence and wait.

10 min or so an elk crests the hill across from clearly headed my way. I'm standing tall in the middle of an opening so I have to wait a few minutes to peek w my binos. He's legal! Come on big boy. He takes his time getting down. When he hits the bottom he is 70 yards out. I fling one. Hit him a little back but my knock disappears and I think I have a pass through. He trots up the hill a little ways not sure what is going on. I estimate about 12 yards further and fling another one about the time he stopped. He was further and I him low in the shoulder and take out a wheel. Hindsight says I had time to range him. He's not happy now and runs into the brush. I make my way to the bottom where I am furthest away from any cover my other friend might be skulking in and radio for some back up since it is good and dark by now.

Cavalry comes in and we find him about 75 yards from the first shot.



No mountain lions were harmed in the making of this post. I sure had a great time this week and saw lots of animals. My wife is happy to have a pile of meat and that I didn't get eaten. The mountains revealed the minor knee tweak from earlier in the summer might actually be a full on mcl injury. It was pretty rough all week and I crushed the Advil. And the snickers. Don't let people tell you sugar isn't a performance enhancer. I've got another trip in a couple weeks before I can get an MRI though, because that would risk actual confirmation and a dispute w my wife over what she thinks I ought to do about it.

Left Dallas early this AM. Rolling into Amarillo now. Should be hiking up the mountain in NW Wyoming tomorrow afternoon.

I have until 10/1 to bring back an elk.