Well can't stop working but the story will push on.
That evening we decided to go up on top again and back into a hidden basin, we saw while glassing.
You can just make out the head of it on the right of the pic
We came in from the ridge where the pic was taken and tried to find a spot to glass from. As we worked the edge, dropping into the deadfall filled canyon and moving towards the top, we began seeing lots of elk sign. They were there all right, now just to find them and not bump them before we can get it going.
As we hit the top and things started getting interesting, over the hill comes a thunderhead. We quickly got the raingear out and got suited up before the worst hit. It was soon raining in buckets. Not bad for hunting but I hate shooting an animal in the rain and having the blood go away so fast. We liked what we had seen, so we backed out and looked for deer and blue grouse on the way back out. It was 2 miles to the truck so we had a nice easy walk.
Got back to camp and started the fire. It was 42 and raining outside and stayed that way for the next 24 hours. We spent some time out and about but generally scouted roads for tracks and looked for grouse. Made it back to the cell zone to make some calls and ran to town to do laundry.
When the storm cleared the river had come up a foot and the woods were now quiet.
The next morning we headed back to Rusty's ridge before daylight. We made it almost to the top of the ridge just short of where the elk were a couple days before when we heard hounds on the track and closing. Soon the went by in a blur 100 yds uphill from us and went right up the ridge. We bailed out and headed back to the hidden basin. Coming in from the bottom this time to work the wind. We started up the 2 mile long draw and made it half way before we hit elk sign. We setup and started with calf calls. Almost directly after the first call, I hear something coming from the creek bottom 50 yds below. . .fast. I shifted to point down instead of up and readied for the shot. This was a big animal and it was making a bunch of noise coming through the brush. Elk? I don't know.
At 20 yds there was an openning for a shot, if only he would keep coming. The cracking and busting kept coming at a good pace, until he stopped and growled loudly short of the openning. The wind got us again, only this time we were kinda glad it did. If it was the bear we'd seen the scat from on top. .well we didn't want him that close.
Up we went, until we were just short of the head. We decided it was time to get more aggressive. An elk hissy fit was in the making.
We try to sound like a bull with a cow in heat that won't stand. Well there are bugles, cow calls, crashing, breaking of branches, running around. You get the picture.
It worked!! A bull bugled from up the ridge and I answered defiently. He called again and was moving up. We were chasing again. This time playing a cow and calf that left the other bull and was looking to hookup with the new guy.
The race to the top was won by the bull. . of course and the tracks showed 8-10 animals. No wonder he was making tracks. We followed til they dropped into a big ravine that is bedding area. We don't like pushing elk in bedding this early in the hunt. They are too hard to find after you bust them out.
We headed back up the ridge to intercept a 4 wheel track and headed back towards camp.
Dang we had done about 5 miles and 1500 ft this morning. Here are some pics from the top.
Topic: Idaho '08. . .a wingnut & jason adventure (Read 5809 times)
