A general season elk tag in Wyoming may not be as coveted as the draw tags, but with a little effort a hunter can still get into plenty of elk action. Typically, I would do a backcountry elk hunt, general season, with my friend Dave Fowler but this year life got in the way, and we weren’t able to do our annual trip. The night before the opener, I was feeling bad for myself as several friends were heading up on an elk hunts so I decided to do a day hike with a good friend above the house in hopes to find a bull. I stumbled upon three different bulls that day but as far back as they were and the density of grizzly bear in the area I elected to pass them.
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| Way better route than the alternative |
I was 2 1/2 miles into a hike when to my surprise three blonde bodies were making their way through heavy brush back to an area where I couldn’t hunt. I picked up the pace big-time to get in position before they crossed into a no-kill area. I sprinted a mile and was surprised to see the bulls had cooperated enough and that this was most likely going to work out!
I quickly laid down the 300 WinMag and picked up a range of just beyond 600 yards. There was a small window the bulls were passing through and most likely the last window I would have an opportunity at. The biggest bull had already crossed the gap in the trees, the third bull was a five point, so when the second bull, a small six-point, walked in stopped in the window I squeezed the trigger and watched him drop on his chest, dead. My elk meat was back in my cooler by 1 o’clock in the afternoon at home which is rare elk hunting as they are such big animals and usually in hard-to-reach places. It usually takes a full day just to pack out it’s quarters.
It was an elk hunt unlike most others I have done, as it was in lower country, low densities of elk, and a favorite spot for local hunters that don’t want to go in the back country. It was a challenge in itself but I’m proud of the way it ended, with a nice Wyoming bull.
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