2017 results thread

[Irving]

Looks like there hasn't been much luck so far this year. I know muzzleloading season was a bust for many people here.

During muzzleloading, I was able to call in this young bull. I've never bugled for elk before, and didn't know what I was doing. Fortunately for my buddy with the bull tag, this young spike didn't know what he was doing either. The herd bull heard me calling, but didn't care and kept on going (he had just won a fight a few minutes before). This was called in on opening day. Buddy and I spotted a bunch of cows (most of us had cow tags) on opening morning, but then heard some bulls fighting in the other direction and decided to pursue. The hunt was looking great after day one, but our area was quickly overrun with other hunters and all the animals left.


I hunted over the gut pile for a bear for a few days, and while I heard a bear, I was too slow getting over there and he was long gone by the time I got there. I had a shot at a turkey as well, but I've yet to be able to hit one with a pistol, despite the target size and distance being within my usual skill set at matches.

Now I'm up antelope hunting. I went up the Sunday before to try and sight in my rifle. I had big plans of shooting further than 100 yards for the first time in my life, but the wind was a steady 20 mph (normal), and it was raining (not normal). Fortunately, my life coach spent a couple hours shooting with me on the Friday before opening day. After sighting in (mostly) at 200 yards, I was able to at least take shots at steel plates at 300, 400, and 500 yards. With guidance, I was able to hit all the plates, at least once.

Fast forward and I had a two opportunities at big antelope bucks on opening day, but I didn't execute correctly on the first action, and thought the shot was too far on the second action. In addition, to never having hunted antelope before, I also thought my tag restricted me to private property only. I called in today and cleared that up. Anyway, I was out today, and saw this little lady running around (I think I also saw her on day two of the hunt). I first spied her about 3/4 of a mile away, so I drove down the road to get as close as I could (I was on public at this time), and got out and set up. I used my distress call, but she didn't care at all and just kept running away. I ended up making a perfect shot, probably mostly on accident.



Shot was taken with my Savage Axis in .308. I didn't know the distance until after I walked out and ranged my vehicle afterward. I pretty much just guessed my hold over and let it rip. Turns out I got lucky.


I didn't get a photo, but entry was just behind/below her ear, and here is the exit wound.


Here is looking back at my vehicle. I landed this shot at 396 yards. She was moving away, but kept stopping to look at me.



Heading back up tomorrow. When I came out to sight my rifle, I saw the biggest, most beautiful buck I've ever seen. On opening day, someone shot at him and the entire herd ran over to where I was hunting, but I never got a shot. I think it's too late for me to get anything now, but I'll go try anyway. Good luck everyone else for this year. Post up your pictures.

[OtterbatHellcat]

Nice post, Irving.

[Hummer]

Good writeup, congratulations on the elk, Irving!

I'm heading out 2nd season and hope to be as lucky.

[Irving]

Well, my hunt was a bust, I hope someone else gets something down. I took a shot at an antelope today, but didn't connect. I spent a lot of time finding the herd again and doing a stalk, again. We were crawling up to get another shot, after over an hour of walking around, then driving around, then walking around again. I actually had a good spot, and another hunter that had been hanging back and watching me, drove in on top of the remaining animals and chased them out. We never saw them again, then it got dark. Good luck everyone else.

[TRnCO]

Congrats to your buddy on the elk Irving, and nice poke on the coyote.
I'd post a pic. of my archery antelope buck that I was lucky to get in my own pasture, but the only pics. I took are on my phone and I can't seem to figure out how to move them from my phone to the computer. I should get learned up on computer stuff someday, but probably won't.

[ACE2GOOD]

Just got back from North Dakota last week. Bird numbers are WAY down, 60%+ according to fish and game. Always have limited out on my Uncle's farm since I was 12. We only got 1 pheasant out of the farm. Really crazy year for us so far. We ended up getting 2 limits of birds over 5 days down along the Little Missouri river at my dads house. On the bright side we got to see family and my wife got to break in her new shotgun. Chomping at the bit for our deer tags to open next weekend.

[fj605]

We didn't see a single elk during first season in Jackson County. Jumped a bunch of mule deer but not any elk.

[zimagold]

Shot a medium size doe last weekend for 2nd rifle mule deer in Boulder Canyon. Suppressed 16" 6.8 SPC at 110 yards had excellent performance with Barnes 95gr Tac-tx. Missed out on Elk season this year due to a work conflict, but my hunting group got 2 bulls during first rifle season.

[brutal]

Congrats to your buddy on the elk Irving, and nice poke on the coyote.
I'd post a pic. of my archery antelope buck that I was lucky to get in my own pasture, but the only pics. I took are on my phone and I can't seem to figure out how to move them from my phone to the computer. I should get learned up on computer stuff someday, but probably won't.

Be happy to help you out on that some time. Easy peasy to have them automagically send to any one of multiple cloud services that you can then see on your 'puter.

[spqrzilla]

In mid month, my group went back to an area we hadn't hunted in at least a decade. Just east of the Flattops on Derby Mesa. We were surprised at how little game we saw. I saw a small band of cow elk on the first morning but we never saw any more the whole trip. I saw a pair of muley bucks twice, the same pair. And that was it. Years back the area was filled with mule deer and elk. Obviously the warm weather meant that the elk were still high but the amount of sign we saw was very disappointing.