Stuck in the Rut

Finally, even with unseasonably warm temperatures, things turned on like a light switch on Tuesday, September 22. But on top of the heat it was like gorilla warfare out there. With logging and skid roads dissecting every chunk of timber, road hunters are extremely abundant. Road-hunting elk hunters spend more time bugling from their heated cars than they do actually walking.

All that said my go-to elk spot can provide up and close screaming bull encounters. Where cows and young bulls make up most of the harvest and animals seen, my friends and I have managed to locate monster cascade bulls consistently the past 5 years.

My Backyard

The Ranch

Following are notes from my last week.

Monday Sept. 21: had a couple deer skirt my waterhole and head west into the woods. Later a fawn came and fed in the meadow to my right.
Think all the deer were the same ones I’ve been getting on the trail camera. Didn’t see any deer during the night hunt

Tuesday Sept. 22: no deer sightings on the morning hunt. Waterhole is drying up a bit I think. Turned into mud — possible reason for lack of activity. There is a little water and maybe it just needs dug into. I decided to forgo the waterhole in the evening and focus on my go-to elk spot for the remainder of the hunt. I called my buddy J.W Stevens and asked if he wanted to join me for the night hunt. After setting up in timber that borders one of my favorite meadows we started a calling sequence. Soon I heard limbs cracking behind us but not a lot. We continued calling and soon later a chuckle 60 yards behind us blew up the air. The bull came in quiet. A few seductive cow calls brought him in right as legal shooting light faded. In the thick pines I saw the body approaching my shooting lane and just like last year he stopped just a few feet short of my shooting lane. I didn’t get a glimpse of the antlers but he had a body like a horse. As soon as he entered he retreated, only to be lured behind me by cow calling. Next I heard a bugle toward the river and for the next 10 minutes we kept him fired up bugling as he worked his way south through the meadow. Recorded bugles with GSM’s Epic camera.

Finally — The Chase Is On!!

J.W. Stevens - Mr. Chuckle

Wednesday Sept. 23: Jared arrived in camp for the second half of his elk hunt. Knowing there was a vocal bull in our area we headed to the same spot. In the predawn darkness a similar bugle as to the one heard the night before was received. We were back on him. After closing the distance a new bugle was firing off. However it sounded like a local hunter I’ve had encounters with in the past that hunts the same sections. Deciding to stay put we set up. Immediately I spotted tan shapes moving and throwing my binos up found a group of cows and calves running toward me. I ran ahead and set up again and another big bugle fired off. Still unsure if the bugler was a hunter we waited. Only a few minutes later I spotted my nemesis working his way up the timber edge. Not only hadn’t we heard the real bull in some time but also the cows must have pushed north. With a deep knowledge of the area the other hunter knows better than most the habits of the tricky elk we hunt. If he can he’ll break up the herd and separate the bull from his cows. On a few occasions I swear he’s blown the herd away from us in attempt to get on them later. We never did see more elk that day. That night we set up in a different location close to the previous two hunts. Walking out, Jared spotted tan across the other side. A big body was working their way north along the canal. We snuck out.

Know Your Tracks

Thursday Sept. 24: Jared, Zach, J.W and I headed to the same general area where we heard bugling. When arriving the same local hunter was just pulling out of the main entrance. He had beaten us to the spot and probably blew it up with bugles. We decided to split up and hit two other areas. Within an hour Zach called and said a herd ran in front of them and asked if we wanted to join the chase, which we did. We followed them for quite some time and eventually gave up when they crossed over to private property. Didn’t see anything during the night hunt.

On The Move

Friday Sept. 25: After receiving a tip early in the week from one of the locals and gaining permission to use his property to access his neighbors ranch that we also have permission to hunt on, we arrived early in the morning hoping to hear a bugle out in the meadow. Immediately, a deep-throated bugle could be heard from the timber across the meadow. We belly crawled and snuck quietly across the meadow, then stripped and crossed the little Deschutes while it was still dark. While approaching the river a beaver was slapping his tail and the bull kept bugling. It was awesome. We approached the timber cautiously, using pines and willows to sneak in. Right as we entered the timber we bumped an elk and it crashed through the tight lodgepoles. I was hoping it wasn’t the bull and luckily it wasn’t — a bugle sounded right after. For the next two hours we dogged the bull as he worked his herd into the timber. Not able to close the distance we decided to bugle and rake a tree. The bull fired off again. We ran forward and began closing the distance; luckily the bull was still in the same spot. Soon we could hear cows mewing and decided to set up and try to lure a bull in. I set up as the shooter and Jared went back 100 yards to call. He bugled and raked first and the next thing you know we had three bulls screaming and running around us. The satellites to the left and right I think. And the herd bull in front. Instantly I heard something running my way directly in front so I came to full draw. Unfortunately, the elk stopped 25 yards away and only 5-10 yards short of my shooting lanes depending on which way he went. Then he ripped a bugle that vibrated the air. It’s the closest I’ve had them bugle near me. It was amazing. I had to let down but knew I could draw again because it was so thick. All I needed at this point was a little call/sound to draw him past me. However Jared was having issues getting out a sound and the bull lost interest and ran to our left and then out back toward where he came from. We never could catch up and as the sun rose, the bull shut up. It was an amazing hunt but one I wish so much could have ended with me floating my pins on a bull’s chest. This is the third year in a row I’ve had a bull within 25 yards but for one reason or another wasn’t able to get a shot off. The night hunt was slow. We did track some elk into the north section, and there were no tracks coming out on the bordering roads. But, we had no luck finding them.

Morning nap after first close encounter

Saturday Sept. 26: The last four days of the season have historically brought the hottest action for me in my area. For five years in a row, I’ve been on screamers every day at the end. This year was no exception. Deciding to hunt public land on the west side of the ranch, Jared and my good friend Isaac Walker and I, immediately were on a bugling bull. Still having a half hour before dark, we got on a logging road and started working our way toward the bull. At light, another hunter’s bugle began firing off. The horrible caller was pushing the bull out and the bull seemed to only respond to us. We kept fairly quiet and worked closer. Next thing you know the hunter was hunting us. The other bull shut up and being frustrated, we headed back to the truck. The hunter kept firing off trying to get a response and after a while a chuckle resonated from a canyon a mile out. Not wanting to lose this bull to the other hunter, we high-tailed it and used the bull and caller to locate our ambush point. Eventually we were ahead of the hunter and one last chuckle gave us a location of the bull. We got closer and did a few cow calls. Quickly a branch snapped from below and less than 10 seconds later, a monster 6 or 7 point with dark antlers emerged from the draw below and was headed right toward us. I dropped to my belly and began cow calling (not sure if that was the right move). My buddy drew and the bull stopped at 40 yards, facing him. A short stand off followed, and then according to Jared the bull turned and trotted slowly away, then slowed down and stopped again at about 75-85 yards broadside. Then slowly, he walked out of our lives. This was the first bull my buddy has ever drawn on and he’s somewhat kicking himself for not taking a shot. He practiced all year out to 100 yards. All in all though, he made an ethical decision on what would have been a bull of a lifetime.

Isaac and Jared after Saturday's close encounter with Mr. Chocolate

The 2009 general archery season is officially finished as of this past Sunday and here I sit with unpunched tags. Once again I’ve been defeated. My Oregon curse lives on. But even though I’m sad to leave I also am excited to be home. My wife Keri is 32 weeks pregnant with our first child and it’s nice to be back in Minnesota with the two of them.

The warm weather seemed to have put a damper on activity and the ripping bugling didn’t start in my area until last week – a week or more later than usual. As always though, I had a great time at elk camp and I know it’s only a matter of time before all the pieces come together.

15 days later and elkless!!!

Gear Notes:

Bow: Elite GT500 and Hoyt Alphamax 32
Arrows: Easton Pro Hunting A/C/Cs
Broadheads: Nightmare and new for 2010 NAP prototype.
Release: TRU Ball Copperhead Xtra
Apparel/Camo: Gore-Tex Optifade, Mossy Oak, Realtree and ASAT
Base Layers: FirstLite and Sitka Gear
Treestands: Gorilla climber
Optics: Nikon and Brunton
Scent Elimination: Wildlife Research Center and Dead Down Wind
Elk Calls: Primos
Tents: Outdoor Research Nighthaven and Hilleberg Kaitum 3GT
Backpacks: Sitka Gear Flash 32, Badlands 4500 and Rancho Safari CatDay 4/catquiver
Misc. Gear: To help with my blogging efforts and to stay warm during chilly weather, I used Sitka Gear’s Dutch Oven Vest. Not only did the vest keep me warm during the few cold mornings and backcountry nights, it also kept my iPhone powered up daily, which was super handy considering the iPhone uses serious power in out-of-network areas. This allowed me to use the aerial map option more without worrying about having enough power. The mapping and GPS system draws quite a bit of power and typically I can drain my phone in less than a day when using it frequently. Sitka’s Dutch Oven vest allowed me to have power for 3 straight days while in the backcountry. And if I wouldn’t have fallen a sleep with it on, there’s no telling how many days it could have lasted (I did stay warm though). Used sparingly and only when needed I would bet the the Dutch Oven has the ability to provide power for a good 1-2 week backcountry hunt. And that even allows you to listen to some music, warm up and power a GPS.

Sitka Gear Dutch Oven Vest