Aug 30, 2007: Hitting the highway

Drove 11 hours to East Kootenay, stopping only for gas & lunch. We wanted to be in position for evening spotting at 5pm. 3 hours of glassing later, I counted 22 elk including 8 bulls- 4 of which were branch antlered & 4 spike/fork- the rest were cows and calves. Sometimes I think this is the best part of elk hunting , watching undisturbed animals in their summer routine.

I reflected on how important timing can be, I was sitting in this exact spot last year but about 11 days later than today and the area was alive with rut activity. There was a large bull controlling the majority of the cows, his bugles echoeing across the valley every few minutes, several smaller bulls lined the perimeter not wanting to challenge their senior counterpart. A young 5 point with a single cow and calf stood at the other side of the meadow, he wasn’t coming any closer to the 6 point and risk losing his small harem. For the next few weeks the bulls would run themselves ragged. I hadn’t wanted to leave but the dimness of the spotting scope told me my my fun was over and as I walked away last year I could hear bugles into the night. What a difference a few days can make.

Watching the band tonight, everything was right as rain between the bulls as they fed together and bedded together. That would all change very soon as friends turn to combatants. I felt a little sorry for the small spike bulls amongst the cows, their introduction to the rut would be the most difficult for sure.

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There wouldn’t be any time for scouting new areas so we would have to rely on past experiences, where we knew the elk liked to bed and feed. The first morning was a combination of hunting and checking for fresh tracks on trails, wallow activity, and soft green droppings. We weren’t disappointed by what we found, the sign was fresh and in the same areas we had seen the year before. The hub of activity centered around a set of wallows and it was clear that a bull had been there rolling in the mud probably several days ago. Everything was shaping up for a good evening hunt, fortunately I prefer to hunt elk in the evening anyways having killed every elk in the past just before dark. This year would prove to be a very similar circumstance and approach. Over the last 10 years I have found using treestands for elk a very practical and deadly method. The number one factor for me is wind direction, if it can’t be predicted and worked with I will completely forget hunting in an area until it is in my favor. The elevated position a stand gives the hunter can sometimes make the difference between success and failure when wind currents are fickle.

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