Saturday was a bust. Most anything that could go wrong did: misty rain all day (though not too bad) then came a total down pour around 1430. Oh, and at 1400 I realized that after lunch I locked my keys in the truck. It was either so thick that I couldn't move through at all or a barren hill side that a rabbit would stand out on. I saw a few bulls, all on trailers being hauled out from other areas.
Bulls ranged from 475-575 dressed, most with decent head gear. Several of the guys said they heard and saw bulls bugling and glunking, others, like me, didn't hear a thing.
Sunday was better. I got a much better area, D2. HUGE area! The early morning looked promising. Through the fog, rain & haze I swear I could see elk shaped objects running around about 150yds away but when the sun finally lifted there was nothing there.
I ran into a couple guys and got some great advice and moved about 2500yds away. There were two small hills (called Rocky Twins) with a decent saddle between them. The plan was to parallel them hoping to find some animals in the timber at the base. (It's called Rocky Twins for a reason!) But since the wind was wrong I had to make a loop around to the back side. Once in position I found fresh tracks about 150yds in. Fresh enough that even though we'd had 2.5 days of solid rain, some in total down pour, it still had perfectly crisp edges. I tried to track them a little but they seemed to disappear, the one path that looked like an elk could travel was devoid of anything.
The tracks were adjacent a decent water hole (not that every depression deeper than an inch wasn't totally full) so I decided to watch the hole for a while. BAD idea!
Waking up at 0330 to drive in and it was now 1045, next thing I knew it was 1115 hearing a doe blow behind me about 50yds. Got up and tried to follow those tracks better, seems they went through the trail a piglet would have trouble traveling much less a 700lbs animal.
I kept following the tracks for the next 600yds or so and it kept being amazed at how thick of brush they could walk through without leaving much any sign at all. I would lose them on one side of a brush pile then find on the other side.
About 2hrs from when I had walked into the area and found the bull had literally stepped on my prints from my way in. Dejected would be an understatement.
One of the other guys in that zone saw a cow a bit later while he say on the top of the bench. I had pushed her out while trying to get to where he was sitting.
Did see a coyote and a couple does but wasn't deer season yet and the yote didn't offer a shot.
All in all I had a great and very tiring time. Hopefully later this week the quota of bulls and cows will not have been taken.
Topic: Oklahoma Elk Hunt (Read 312 times)
