Wow, what an amazing bull! Can't wait to hear the story. Congrats!!!
2021 Big Game Draw Deadlines
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Last: 2 yr ago by ttha_aggie_09
Awesome bull!
Looks like he picked a helluva place to die!
Looks like he picked a helluva place to die!
Yes sorry, a few guys answered with their DIY horse trips and I didn't know if you were referring to outfitted or DIY then forgot to respond.AgDad121619 said:still interested in hearing about your horseback trips - how did you pick guides , how long did it take to draw the right tag, etclazuras_dc said:I've done 2 I can share my experience later today. Headed out of dove nowAgDad121619 said:interested to hear about it - a horse pack hunt is in my near future.Aggie Hunter said:
Leaving Wednesday for a horseback Wyoming elk hunt. Always get nervous am I packing to much or not packing enough. No matter how many times I do this I always worry. Guess that's part of the fun and memories.
Thinking hard about a Montana wilderness trip in middle of Sept. in '23. I applied for a point this year and will have 3 by then.
I picked guides based on CupOfJoe's rec both times. Out of Pagosa went w/ SJO and out of New Mexico went with Bull Valley.
SJO - amazing hospitality- 6 hunters, 3 guides and a wrangler/cook that stays in camp, a wrangler at the trail head. accommodations and guides 100/100. OTC tag. As far as horse ride in, we dropped out bags the night before and we show up at the trailhead and it always takes longer than you think to pack horses, getting weights balanced, tying things down etc. I did 1 riding lesson prior to this trip and would recommend. The horses are all pretty broken and done this a hundred times so so pretty much just fall in line. We only had a 1.5hr horse ride in but I didnt expect my knee to be as sore or my ass to hurt as much.
They did not weigh our bags and seemed really chill about everything but pre hunt instructions stated a 35lb limit per person not including rifle and backpack. Great group of people and we had an absolute blast in camp. The problem is we laid eyes on about 5 elk that whole trip and btwn 6 hunters I was the only one that brought down a bull (it was a young 5x5).
Bull Valley- a little less frill here. 3 hunters, 2 guides. 4 hour horse ride in- wore cycling shorts to save my ass this time. My adductor muscles and knees were sore from this ride. Maybe need to do that thigh press machine the girls do at the gym to get ready for another long horse ride lol! Also we had to carry our bows on a sling and that was kind of a ***** to do while riding. This was a lottery draw. We drew our first year- Unit 45 New Mexico. Did not give pre hunt instructions or weight limit but the Outfitter complained a little bit about how many bags/weight each person brought. A little less joking and fun in camp but man this place was LOADED w/ Elk.
I would do horse pack trips in 100 times over compared to the DIY's I've done though packing in our own food and tents etc. FWIW. If you have any specific questions let me know !
This needs a bump before it gets lost on the 2nd to last page. Congrats! What a beast!Aggie Hunter said:
Trying to get back home. Will try to right up a story today and share more pics of Wyoming Elk.
Jesus. I hope you have someone with horses to help pack that out.
Great bull!
Great bull!
Heck of a bull! Congrats!
Obviously I'm better at killing vs writing stories. Can someone explain how you insert the picture into the story if I'm doing it from my phone. All my pictures are wanting to insert at the end of story.
just insert the [i mg ] [ \ i m g]tags w/ link between your paragraphs, or on phone I think you can link the .jpg directly without tags just between your paragraphs as well
Are you using Imgur? If you are just grab the "copy post link" for each picture and insert it before or after any of your paragraphs. If it doesn't work I can help fix the links but you go this.
Bare with me on the story, grammar and spelling. We flew into Jackson Hole last Wednesday and stopped and got some bear spray and a last few items. We drove north past the Tetons headed to stay the night in Dubois Wyoming for the last night in a warm bed and shower. Passed a heard of about 100 Buffalo on the drive.
.
The next morning we drove 1.5 hours north down a winding dirt road to meet up with our outfitter at the trail head. Since we would be in the wilderness you are required a local or outfitter to enter into the wilderness. During this drive we must have passed 50-100 mule deer and antelope. When we arrived at the trail head we were welcomed with 21 mules packed and ready for a 8 mile ride up emerald creek to our home for the next week.
After about 4-5 hours of weighting gear and getting it balanced for the mules we headed on our ride in. Along the ride in we saw one bull and 10-12 cows, a handful of mule deer and to many bear tracks for my comfort. The ride Wiggins and Emerald creek was breath taking.
After 2.5 hour ride in we made it to camp just before dark. We could smell the meal the cook was preparing before we ever could see it. We come around the corner to see a cook tent, dinner tent and 4 tents set up for sleeping. Also, couldn't miss the Trump flag flying high in the middle of camp.
We unloaded at a great meal and got our tents and gear ready for the opening day of rifle season in Wyoming. Needless to say I didn't sleep good because of excitement and nervousness from all the bear sign we saw coming in. We woke the next morning, saddled the mules and headed out for about an hour ride
To the top of the mountains to begin glassing. We spotted two bulls riding up around 1000 yards away pushing cows hard up the mountain. We stopped and glasses and decided to spend the entire day glassing until we found a bull we wanted to go after. After seeing approximately 30-40 ek we spotted two great bulls at the top of the mountain with about 1 hour before dark. We put the bulls to sleep in some thick trees and decided to pursue one of them at sunrise.
Rode back to camp in the dark ate a good meal and went to bed early so we could take off after the first bull at sunrise. About 1 am we were woke up by mules going crazy and the sound of a bear going through camp. After about 30 minutes it seem to leave but that was all the sleep I was getting for the night.
I had decided to let my buddy shoot first. So the next morning we took off early to look
For the bull we had put to bed the night before. Riding in we hear two bulls bugling so we tie up the mules and head up on foot. We get within 500 yards of the first pull and try to lay down and wait for a shot. As we are waiting for the bull to come in an opening we hear a load bugle to our left and much closer. We turn to see a bull all alone and bugling 350 yards away. My buddy moves around and makes a perfect shot to drop his bull one ridge over. We walk over to find a beautiful 5x6 monster bull. We spend the next 6 hours quartering and getting his elk back to the mules and back to camp.
The third morning we wake up before sunrise to go look for my bull we had spotted two days ago. Once again riding up we hear the bull bugling. We get off our mules and start walking his way. We come around a ridge and we a lot him 450 yards away. I lay down get a pack to rest on and dialing my scope. Not knowing it we are facing east and just as I click my gun off safety the sun comes over the peak in front of me and I'm completely blinded. After trying to shade the scope with no luck we grab our gear and run up the mountain so we can get shade behind a burnt tree. Now at 470 yards with shade of a tree we send the first round and it's a direct hit. The bull isn't going down so I send another. The second hits in the back spine and he is down and rolling into the deepest draw on the mountain. We start heading to the bull and after 1 hour of climbing rocks and following elk trails we find my elk in the bottom of a draw.
After high fives, a few tears, and just sucking up the view for about 30 minutes the work begins. It took 4 hours to quarter, skin and get the horns because we could not roll him at all. He was stuck in between two rocks. It took a total of 11 hours to get him back to camp with blood sweat and tears the whole way.
Exhausted we get back to camp and straight to bed. We had 6 people in camp and ended up getting
5 nice bulls. The weather was between 24 at night and 66 during the day. Overall it was a perfect trip.
After 5 days of bathing in the creek we made the long ride out and headed back
To Jackson so that we could have a meal at the white Buffalo steakhouse and attempt to drink the million dollar bar out of beer as we celebrated a awesome week in beautiful country.
.
The next morning we drove 1.5 hours north down a winding dirt road to meet up with our outfitter at the trail head. Since we would be in the wilderness you are required a local or outfitter to enter into the wilderness. During this drive we must have passed 50-100 mule deer and antelope. When we arrived at the trail head we were welcomed with 21 mules packed and ready for a 8 mile ride up emerald creek to our home for the next week.
After about 4-5 hours of weighting gear and getting it balanced for the mules we headed on our ride in. Along the ride in we saw one bull and 10-12 cows, a handful of mule deer and to many bear tracks for my comfort. The ride Wiggins and Emerald creek was breath taking.
After 2.5 hour ride in we made it to camp just before dark. We could smell the meal the cook was preparing before we ever could see it. We come around the corner to see a cook tent, dinner tent and 4 tents set up for sleeping. Also, couldn't miss the Trump flag flying high in the middle of camp.
We unloaded at a great meal and got our tents and gear ready for the opening day of rifle season in Wyoming. Needless to say I didn't sleep good because of excitement and nervousness from all the bear sign we saw coming in. We woke the next morning, saddled the mules and headed out for about an hour ride
To the top of the mountains to begin glassing. We spotted two bulls riding up around 1000 yards away pushing cows hard up the mountain. We stopped and glasses and decided to spend the entire day glassing until we found a bull we wanted to go after. After seeing approximately 30-40 ek we spotted two great bulls at the top of the mountain with about 1 hour before dark. We put the bulls to sleep in some thick trees and decided to pursue one of them at sunrise.
Rode back to camp in the dark ate a good meal and went to bed early so we could take off after the first bull at sunrise. About 1 am we were woke up by mules going crazy and the sound of a bear going through camp. After about 30 minutes it seem to leave but that was all the sleep I was getting for the night.
I had decided to let my buddy shoot first. So the next morning we took off early to look
For the bull we had put to bed the night before. Riding in we hear two bulls bugling so we tie up the mules and head up on foot. We get within 500 yards of the first pull and try to lay down and wait for a shot. As we are waiting for the bull to come in an opening we hear a load bugle to our left and much closer. We turn to see a bull all alone and bugling 350 yards away. My buddy moves around and makes a perfect shot to drop his bull one ridge over. We walk over to find a beautiful 5x6 monster bull. We spend the next 6 hours quartering and getting his elk back to the mules and back to camp.
The third morning we wake up before sunrise to go look for my bull we had spotted two days ago. Once again riding up we hear the bull bugling. We get off our mules and start walking his way. We come around a ridge and we a lot him 450 yards away. I lay down get a pack to rest on and dialing my scope. Not knowing it we are facing east and just as I click my gun off safety the sun comes over the peak in front of me and I'm completely blinded. After trying to shade the scope with no luck we grab our gear and run up the mountain so we can get shade behind a burnt tree. Now at 470 yards with shade of a tree we send the first round and it's a direct hit. The bull isn't going down so I send another. The second hits in the back spine and he is down and rolling into the deepest draw on the mountain. We start heading to the bull and after 1 hour of climbing rocks and following elk trails we find my elk in the bottom of a draw.
After high fives, a few tears, and just sucking up the view for about 30 minutes the work begins. It took 4 hours to quarter, skin and get the horns because we could not roll him at all. He was stuck in between two rocks. It took a total of 11 hours to get him back to camp with blood sweat and tears the whole way.
Exhausted we get back to camp and straight to bed. We had 6 people in camp and ended up getting
5 nice bulls. The weather was between 24 at night and 66 during the day. Overall it was a perfect trip.
After 5 days of bathing in the creek we made the long ride out and headed back
To Jackson so that we could have a meal at the white Buffalo steakhouse and attempt to drink the million dollar bar out of beer as we celebrated a awesome week in beautiful country.
You've got stars, you can post the pics directly from your phone.
Just click the "image" button below the reply window and select them from your phone storage.
That said... awesome story and thanks for posting!
Just click the "image" button below the reply window and select them from your phone storage.
That said... awesome story and thanks for posting!
I attempted to do that and it put all images at the end of the story. Now it looks like they are blocking them. Ow well I will just lost them
Ah, well crap, I guess that makes sense. I've never tried to embed throughout a story from my phone.
Aggie Hunter
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Sorry about the confusion and huge picture load.
3 really nice bulls.
Aggie Hunter
Joined:
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Posts:
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How long do you want to ignore this user?
Hopefully that works
Man, that is so awesome!
What outfit did you use and how was the tag process?
How many hunters/staff in camp? Looks like top notch accommodations.
How many hunters/staff in camp? Looks like top notch accommodations.
Lost creek outfitters. This is my third time with these guys. I have hunted mule and antelope with them as well. We had 6 hunters and 4 guides and a cook. We drew with 4 points.
Freaking awesome man! Stud elk and what sounds like an amazing first class elk hunt.
So I'm 99% sure Lost Creek is Griz Turner's old outfit. When I was at Raven's Throat this year I was picking his brain on how to spend my Wyo points. He said Lost Creek.
Did you happen to gather any details on their mountain elk hunt vs their lodge hunt near Casper? I'm definitely leaning mountain.
Congrats again.
So I'm 99% sure Lost Creek is Griz Turner's old outfit. When I was at Raven's Throat this year I was picking his brain on how to spend my Wyo points. He said Lost Creek.
Did you happen to gather any details on their mountain elk hunt vs their lodge hunt near Casper? I'm definitely leaning mountain.
Congrats again.
Yes jimmy bought that outfit from griz. Give me a call or text and we can talk about it . I have hunted their elk camp north of Dubois, the ranch in casper and their lodge out of Cody. I even had his brother build me a custom gun so I know these guys well.
Four zero 9 7 eight two 55 three six
Four zero 9 7 eight two 55 three six
Got it.
On the road to Laramie or thereabouts right now. 3 to 5 inches of snow predicted for both Monday and Tuesday. Already got a call from the wife to let me know that she found my stove hidden on the floor next to the kitchen island where it must have fallen off of when I did my last check of my pack. Off to REI in Colorado Springs we go.
That was a cluster**** of a trip.
Sunday: Hike out. Problems become immediately apparent with Hunting partner's (HP) physical ability, and to a lesser extent our accommodations. Plan was to set up a rain fly as a shelter but there were gaps at the edges allowing some of the wind in. I'd survive, but HP regretted this decision immediately.
Monday (opening day): HP decides he can't do the backpacking version of things. Hike out separate from HP to cover some different land in hopes of seeing something; come across a group of 6 mule deer at 250 yards. Drive 45 miles to nearest town with hotel. Go back out that afternoon and glass a spot. Snow starts falling. Come dark we head back, snow keeps falling.
Tuesday: Sleep in. ~5in snow overnight plus another ~5in this morning. Pass that separates town and unit is closed. Also, find out HP's truck is 2WD and we're going nowhere. Wander around town talking to various people in shops since nothing else to do.
Weather breaks enough to get out after lunch, go to a plan D location with favorable terrain. Around 5pm, spot 2 cows at ~600 yards on the side of a ridge out in the middle of nowhere. No way to directly approach, so make a plan to circle around and over ridge to try and get favorable location. They kind of kept moving down the ridge and i could never get on them. Meanwhile, HP was going to be spotting for me to let me know if anything changed, at around 5:20 i notice the truck is gone. Around 5:30 I notice it around 1/4 mile away. At around 6:15, it gets too dark and snowy so i call it a night with plans to resume hunt in morning. Didn't see the cows go over the ridge or spread out in the flats so figure that they've bedded down in protections of the wind. As i come off the far end of the ridge (maybe 1 mile down), two quick shots ring out maybe 100 yards from me which almost make me **** myself... hear elk scrambling so i get my rifle ready. See the cows, but couldn't get a range on them due to the heavy snow, best guess was ~300 yards. They were gone in a matter of seconds up and over the ridge. Then as I was trying to sort out what happened, I see HP come around a little bend. Asking in a confused manner if he shot something, his response was "I got lost"... he moved the truck and took with him only his rifle (no phone with onx, no walkie talkie, no headlamp) and got lost along a ridge that was the only ridge in a large flat area. Walk him back to the truck confused at how he walked within 200 feet of the truck at one point and couldn't see it resulting in him walking over a mile out of the way.
We leave and get to the pass... chains are required. We don't have chains. We turn around and drive 1.5 hours in the other direction to get a hotel.
Wednesday: We try to leave town 2, can't make it up the hill to leave without the back end sliding all over the place. Ensue hunt to find chains and to buy some dead weight to put in the truck bed. Eventually make it back to unit by lunch. Walk a random patch of light forest ~3 miles north of last night's events and startle two elk who were bedded down in the thickest part of the forest. Maybe 15 yards from me and I could hardly see them. They bolt, I try to tail them. Ran out of steam after a mile and a barbed wire fence jump. Somewhat sure they were the same two cows I saw the night before bolting over the ridge. Spent 3 hours glassing that ridge again and another ridge to see if anything popped up into the evening. Temps dropped to 22, with wind at 15-20 and gusting to 30.
Thursday: Got out late. Spent most of the day glassing and hiking what looked like a pretty good walk in area until I ran into a massive herd of cattle. That combined with temps in the mid-20s and a constant wind of ~20 blowing right into my face grew old. Walked back to truck around 5:30.
I'm back in TX now trying to figure out if I can make another trip out to WY by myself before the end of the month but I doubt my work schedule will comply. To say I'm disappointed with how this trip played out is an understatement; between the turn in the weather, my HP, and the lack of the trip being what I imagined was pretty defeating. That being said, I learned a lot this trip and will get my preference point situated in the next day or two so I can work on building up that total for the future.
Sunday: Hike out. Problems become immediately apparent with Hunting partner's (HP) physical ability, and to a lesser extent our accommodations. Plan was to set up a rain fly as a shelter but there were gaps at the edges allowing some of the wind in. I'd survive, but HP regretted this decision immediately.
Monday (opening day): HP decides he can't do the backpacking version of things. Hike out separate from HP to cover some different land in hopes of seeing something; come across a group of 6 mule deer at 250 yards. Drive 45 miles to nearest town with hotel. Go back out that afternoon and glass a spot. Snow starts falling. Come dark we head back, snow keeps falling.
Tuesday: Sleep in. ~5in snow overnight plus another ~5in this morning. Pass that separates town and unit is closed. Also, find out HP's truck is 2WD and we're going nowhere. Wander around town talking to various people in shops since nothing else to do.
Weather breaks enough to get out after lunch, go to a plan D location with favorable terrain. Around 5pm, spot 2 cows at ~600 yards on the side of a ridge out in the middle of nowhere. No way to directly approach, so make a plan to circle around and over ridge to try and get favorable location. They kind of kept moving down the ridge and i could never get on them. Meanwhile, HP was going to be spotting for me to let me know if anything changed, at around 5:20 i notice the truck is gone. Around 5:30 I notice it around 1/4 mile away. At around 6:15, it gets too dark and snowy so i call it a night with plans to resume hunt in morning. Didn't see the cows go over the ridge or spread out in the flats so figure that they've bedded down in protections of the wind. As i come off the far end of the ridge (maybe 1 mile down), two quick shots ring out maybe 100 yards from me which almost make me **** myself... hear elk scrambling so i get my rifle ready. See the cows, but couldn't get a range on them due to the heavy snow, best guess was ~300 yards. They were gone in a matter of seconds up and over the ridge. Then as I was trying to sort out what happened, I see HP come around a little bend. Asking in a confused manner if he shot something, his response was "I got lost"... he moved the truck and took with him only his rifle (no phone with onx, no walkie talkie, no headlamp) and got lost along a ridge that was the only ridge in a large flat area. Walk him back to the truck confused at how he walked within 200 feet of the truck at one point and couldn't see it resulting in him walking over a mile out of the way.
We leave and get to the pass... chains are required. We don't have chains. We turn around and drive 1.5 hours in the other direction to get a hotel.
Wednesday: We try to leave town 2, can't make it up the hill to leave without the back end sliding all over the place. Ensue hunt to find chains and to buy some dead weight to put in the truck bed. Eventually make it back to unit by lunch. Walk a random patch of light forest ~3 miles north of last night's events and startle two elk who were bedded down in the thickest part of the forest. Maybe 15 yards from me and I could hardly see them. They bolt, I try to tail them. Ran out of steam after a mile and a barbed wire fence jump. Somewhat sure they were the same two cows I saw the night before bolting over the ridge. Spent 3 hours glassing that ridge again and another ridge to see if anything popped up into the evening. Temps dropped to 22, with wind at 15-20 and gusting to 30.
Thursday: Got out late. Spent most of the day glassing and hiking what looked like a pretty good walk in area until I ran into a massive herd of cattle. That combined with temps in the mid-20s and a constant wind of ~20 blowing right into my face grew old. Walked back to truck around 5:30.
I'm back in TX now trying to figure out if I can make another trip out to WY by myself before the end of the month but I doubt my work schedule will comply. To say I'm disappointed with how this trip played out is an understatement; between the turn in the weather, my HP, and the lack of the trip being what I imagined was pretty defeating. That being said, I learned a lot this trip and will get my preference point situated in the next day or two so I can work on building up that total for the future.
That sucks man. Sorry the trip was a bummer. Two thoughts-
#1- It sounds like an elk hunt to me. Can't tell you how many similar stories I heard, and even lived a few myself. Don't be too discouraged.
#2- No offense, but you need a better hunting partner. Someone who is physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared for what the elk woods can throw at you. Someone who knows when to push you, and when to call you back. Someone who can split the load and responsibilities. Someone you can trust without a second thought. That can make all the difference in the world.
When I started chasing elk, I hunted d for 2 years with my Dad and one of his friends (plus his friends sons). After the 2nd year of frustrations with them, I finally worked up the nerve to tel my Dad he needed a new hunting partner. They were great people, super nice, would give you the shirt off his back- but this guy was holding us back with his antics and attitude. He wasn't a good hunter, and he didn't enjoy the experience, he just wanted to shoot things.
It was hard for my Dad, because they had been hunting together for 7 years. The guy got my Dad into elk hunting, and my Dad is very loyal- to a fault. In those 7 years, Dad had killed 1 cow and 1 raghorn bull. We have been doing our own (bringing other family at times) thing since parting ways, and have killed 4 nice bulls (2 over 320") and several cows in the last 4 years. We have been skunked one year, as well. But we have enjoyed every second of it. The right partner makes all the difference.
Kudos to you man, for staying after it and giving it all you had!!!
#1- It sounds like an elk hunt to me. Can't tell you how many similar stories I heard, and even lived a few myself. Don't be too discouraged.
#2- No offense, but you need a better hunting partner. Someone who is physically, mentally, and emotionally prepared for what the elk woods can throw at you. Someone who knows when to push you, and when to call you back. Someone who can split the load and responsibilities. Someone you can trust without a second thought. That can make all the difference in the world.
When I started chasing elk, I hunted d for 2 years with my Dad and one of his friends (plus his friends sons). After the 2nd year of frustrations with them, I finally worked up the nerve to tel my Dad he needed a new hunting partner. They were great people, super nice, would give you the shirt off his back- but this guy was holding us back with his antics and attitude. He wasn't a good hunter, and he didn't enjoy the experience, he just wanted to shoot things.
It was hard for my Dad, because they had been hunting together for 7 years. The guy got my Dad into elk hunting, and my Dad is very loyal- to a fault. In those 7 years, Dad had killed 1 cow and 1 raghorn bull. We have been doing our own (bringing other family at times) thing since parting ways, and have killed 4 nice bulls (2 over 320") and several cows in the last 4 years. We have been skunked one year, as well. But we have enjoyed every second of it. The right partner makes all the difference.
Kudos to you man, for staying after it and giving it all you had!!!
I'd be curious. What kind of attitude/antics would he be exhibiting. Really just wanting to make sure I work on any of my qualities that might put me in that camp. But really asking for a friend
Thanks. I get that elk hunting isn't supposed to be easy, doesn't make it suck any less though. By the time Thursday had come around I had already given up on the trip which is my own fault, but I haven't given up on next year. I just have to figure out how to deal with my hunting partner since he (1) is family, and (2) was already talking about our plans for next year.
Odds are next year I'll go out on my own (with my inreach) since I don't really have anyone else I can count on but don't think I'll mind being alone with my own thoughts for that long. Hopefully I'll be able to secure a longer break from work too.
Odds are next year I'll go out on my own (with my inreach) since I don't really have anyone else I can count on but don't think I'll mind being alone with my own thoughts for that long. Hopefully I'll be able to secure a longer break from work too.
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