Other elk hunters this year come up empty too?

[Orion]

I'll be leaving for Idaho on Monday for the last two weeks of season.

[RickE]

I struck out too as did my buddy.  One night I had a small herd including a little 6 point bull feed out into the field but about 60 yds.  Our mosquitoes were way worse than usual so that doesn't make it particularly fun.  I've been mule deer hunting too and haven't had any good opportunities at that either.  Got stung by a wasp on my bow hand and it swelled up like a sausage with fingers.  Getting better now but I had to come home and regroup.  I did get a shot at a cottontail and the little bugger jumped the string on me.  Made a perfect shot but he was way gone when the arrow got there.  Apparently he wasn't all that impressed with the speed of my Silvertip bow!!!  Such is hunting......    

[kwc]

leaving sunday for fred echilers drop camp in co. with three friends, all trad hunters. Cant wait for the fun to begin!

[screamin]

I got to hunt 5 days and blew one shot on a cow. On the 6th day I was infected with a very nasty bacteria in my right eye. The wife and a friend had to come get me, couldn't see to drive. Luckily, the doc nailed the right drug or I would have lost the eye. As it is now, there is quite a bit of scar tissue and I'm having a problem with the skin over the scar re-attaching to the cornea. It's been attached for a couple days now and we think its gonna hold this time. Vision is coming back, from basically blind to 20/40, I am hoping 6 months or a year from now I'm 20/20 again. I'm heavily right handed, need to keep this baby.

[DWT]

I guess the season for me was different than everyone else, I called in 8 bulls by the second morning and ended up shooting a cow at 15 yds, spent the next 8 days in basecamp fishing reading napping etc. fellow from texas named Sam joined me this year and he killed a 5x5 bull, both elk were shot with bear takedowns and bear razorheads on the same mountain, probably rare these days. Ill leave Sams story on his bull to him when he gets home to texas.

[Basinboy]

I was very fortunate to have tagged out on day two on a nice 5x5 bull. Had 3 other hunters in my group and one got a shot but deflected on a twig clean miss.
Congrats DWT on your and Sams success!

[KodaChuck]

Was in Colorado for the first week --- 7:00Am the first morning, a big bull comes down the mountain and was closing ... 60, 50, 40 and at 30 he is raking his antlers behind a tree ... two steps and I have the broadside shot at 25 yards ... but alas, the wind and my scent slowly rolls towards him and he jerks to a stop and turns 180....two  more encounters at 15 yards with bulls and foiled by obstructions and the wind twice more.... decide to try a decoy and as I am setting it up in an Aspen park, I look up and see a cow at 40 yards. I had fun. Very wary critters at times.

[Bone lake]

l   Shot this cow with in 3/4 mile from camp opening morning, couldn't pass up the easy pack out. Had not been in the woods for 45 minutes. We seen quite a few elk, wheelie guy in group got a 4 x 5 Sunday afternoon coming to wallow.

[ESP]

Congrats Bone

[Carcajou]

Great Cow, Bone!

[ChuckC]

Never even saw one, but did see some moose.  My area is getting a bit crowded.

The two partners each had a close encounter or two but no elk were killed during our week in the woods.
ChuckC

[old_goat2]

So far but still have half the season left, almost got a shot ata sspike tonight, he just got plain lucky, he charged off the ridge straight at my decoys instead of the usual circle around to get the wind and got lucky and accidentally crossed my scent line. Would of been great, only quarter mile from the truck and about 50ft elevation change! Have to work three days then have the rest of the season off!

[centaur]

I'm not done yet, but 12 days produced a lot of worn boot leather and nice hikes in the mountains. I have come very close once in that time; had a cow broadside at 25 yards, but looking right at me. As I drew, I got to about 26 inches of my 28 inch draw before she bolted.  She was one of the 5 total elk I saw in that time. Hot, dry, and very few elk where a month ago there were elk everywhere.
I'm heading back in a couple of days,  but the weather forecast calls for more of the same. But, elk have to rut, so maybe the action will pick up.

[Mikewarren33]

I had a 20 yard shot on a very nice bull in Colorado... shot him up in the withers. What a sad day/rest of trip that was.

[Hud]

El Nino has been hard on the West, hot, dry, less water; not any good for Elk either. I would look for them on the dark side of the mountain in the cooler timber. They need water too.

[panhandleokie]

Came up empty on 3 opportunities on bulls. All within 20 yds. 10ghosted on me after watching him tear up a 3 in aspen. The other 2 didn't meet the point restrictions. Both 3x3. Saw about 100 elk along with a bear. In my opinion I had a successful hunt.