2008 Season

2008... Oh what a season.

With 2 trips planned for more than a year, a BC moose hunt and a New Mexico elk hunt, I was more than a little careful when I began applying for tags across the country. I made sure to apply for preference points when possible. At least that is what I remember thinking I did.  When draw results started filtering in I was not expecting much because of course I only applied for points, right. Wrong, successful in Oregon for pronghorn. Apparently I applied for this and ended up drawing when I should not have.   Although I was not planning on this hunt I was still very excited to have the tag. I was very familiar with the unit I drew because I had spent many weeks there while scouting and hunting sheep in 2000.  I still made several trips over East but saw very little to get my heart pumping. I decided to hunt where I saw the most pronghorn on the scouting trips.  Opening morning came and I was able to spot several bucks in the 13 inch range but no big boys. I covered a lot of ground the next 3 days and saw more of the same but nothing worth taking.  I decided to move to a new area that during my sheep hunt I had seen a couple of whoppers but saw nothing on the scouting trips. On the initial drive in to the area I spotted a large herd that appeared to have a good buck in it.  Once I had my camp set up I went out and was able to locate the buck and confirmed my suspicion… he was definitely a good buck, possibly a great buck. That evening they were in an area that was difficult to get at so I just watched from a distance. The next morning I was in a great spot for a stalk but the very spooky herd was all over me as I waited in the sage brush. They made a large loop around me and reappeared about a half mile away. I watched as another great buck moved in on the herd and the next several hours provided chase after chase as they sparred for dominance over the large herd of does.  That evening I was able to get within 500 yards of the herd and I can honestly say I have never seen a more spooky group of pronghorn in my life.  The next morning I caught the herd in a great area for an ambush…. As they fed in the open terrain they were headed in the direction of a small canyon. I was able to circle around in front of them and almost get into position before they appeared. The entire herd fed past me at just over 300 yards with the buck bringing up the rear.  The buck stopped at 326 yards and I was able to take an off balance shot that connected perfectly with the ground. As I watched the herd run off I noticed that the buck was not quite as impressive as I remember. As a matter of fact it was not the same buck as I watched earlier. It does not happen very often that you are glad of a missed shot but this was definitely the case here.  Now, where are the other good bucks? I drove to another area near the spot that the bucks were doing battle. It did not take long to spot one of the good bucks by himself out in the flats. I tried a stalk but was spotted rather quickly so I just backed off and watched the buck feed away.  From the maps that I have I new there was a water hole in the direction he was headed so I quickly headed that direction. I reached the water hole and quickly built a make shift blind at one end of the large water hole. I climbed into the blind and began the wait. A couple hours in to the sit out of no where appeared an antelope. A quick look through the binoculars showed that he was a dandy buck with great mass and good length. His prongs were a bit week but I was hoping they just looked small because of the mass. I quickly ranged the buck at 340 yards leveled my rifle on the make shift blind and squeezed it off. The buck folded and was down… then the buck was up and running but only for about 40 yards. He crashed to the rocky ground and was done. I was amazed at the mass as I walked up on the fallen buck. His mass and length were fantastic but his prongs were indeed weak. In the end he was a great buck after a long, dry, tough hunt.

Next on the calendar was my annual trek to BC for some moose and black bear hunting along with some fantastic world class rainbow trout fishing.  I would be hunting with Jim Tourond of Nanika Outfitters near Burns Lake British Columbia. I have been hunting with Jim for 14 years now and have become quite good friends with Jim and the whole Nanika team. I have been very successful over the years taking moose, goat and grizzly. Jim and I have been through quite a few adventures over the years that include a goat hunting adventure by zodiac, canoe and backpack that resulted in my first goat. We also survived a grizzly charge in which I shot the charging grizzly at 10 yards. In 2008 I would only have a few days to actually hunt moose because of my work schedule. I opted to come for the first few days of the season in early September. I arrived a few days early to do some trout fishing at my all time favorite lake. The weather was beautiful and the big bows were on the prowl and willingly taking the lures I presented. Over 3 days of fishing I was able to net a few fish in the 5 pound range and one tipped the scale at 8.5 pounds. Many fish in the 2 to 3 pound range were caught and released and I was also able to hook a few sockeye along the way. Overall the best 3 or 4 days of fishing in my life. Opening day of moose hunting finally arrived with clear and cool weather to start. The first day we were able to see a smaller bull across a big meadow and had another one grunting in the bush behind us. Day 2 was spent in a new area and we heard another bull in the brush but never got a look at him.
Day 3, the last day of he hunt we were traveling by ATV to our hunting area when we came around the corner and spotted a small bull standing in the meadow off the road. We quickly pulled over and dismounted the ATV’s and made our move towards the bull. The bull was interested in Jim’s calling and never heard the shot that put him down. He wasn’t the biggest bull I have taken but a great bull for a shortened hunt. Once home, I found out why so many people take smaller bulls, the meat is some of the best I have ever had. Once again another fun and successful hunt with my friends up North.

Next up in the busy 2008 season was my long awaited elk hunt to the 170,000 acre UU Bar ranch in Northern New Mexico. My wife accompanied me on this trip for a true western ranch experience. We flew to Albuquerque and rented a car for the drive to Cimarron. When we started seeing the ranch signs I was absolutely stoked for the hunt. The property was huge and looked prime for big bulls.
After meeting and greeting with the guides and the ranch manager my buddy Kevin from Oklahoma arrived at the ranch. The guides, ranch managers and all of the hunters in camp for the week all took a drive down to the shooting range to make sure all the rifles were unaffected from the travel. After about an hour shooting session everyone was more than satisfied with the performance of there weapons and we headed back to the lodge for a little pre hunt dinner. And when I say little, I don’t mean that literally… the meals at the UU Bar are nothing short of five star gourmet that consist of the best cuts of beef, salmon, quail and crab legs just name a few. Simply unbelievable! Opening day arrived with sunny and cool tempertures…. Kevin and I headed out with our guide to a predetermined location based on the previous days scouting. We arrived a little early and as we waited for day light we could hear the bugling of bulls echoing through the canyons and ridges. Once again, unbelievable! We finally headed towards where the elk were supposed to be moving through to the bedding areas but we were quickly made as the wind unexpectedly changed directions. The sight of so many bulls with 3 or 4 bulls in the 330 to 350 range was simply magical. We worked some ridges and valleys the remainder of the day and saw plenty of elk and a lot of them were bulls, just nothing quite big enough to pull the trigger on the first day out.  Later that night a couple of the hunters that were staying in the high country cabins came back with there bulls. One of the bulls scored around 340 and one of the thickest most massive bulls I have seen. At that point we decided to head to the high country to try our luck.  The camp in the high country is a little more rustic but still way more than everything a guy needs on an elk hunt. It is very nice to be able to come back to a warm cabin after a hard hunt. The first morning found us chasing a big bull up some pretty steep dark timbered ridges bugling back and forth as we battled for position. Once again our friend the wind would give us up and the game was over.

That evening we sat poised at a spot we heard some bulls bugling at a distance that morning. Not long after arriving a bull bugled that sounded like an absolute bruiser. We waited as the bull closed in on us. Closer and closer bugling the entire way and then… Silence! The wind was good, we were well hidden but yet that bull sensed there was something wrong and pulled the plug on a perfect set up. Now, the chase was on. For about an hour we bugled, challenged, raked trees, played silent and just about every other trick we could think of.  As we approached a very small break in the timber we could see a bull standing in the timber on the other side. As I prepared for the shot the guide gave me the shoot sign and said by the looks of his 5th and 6th points he was a monster. I quickly, and I mean quickly took a look at the bulls antlers and agreed that with that type of distance between the 5 and 6 he must be in the 350 to 360 range. I only had a small opening to the vitals but I was confident in the shot so I took it. The bull piled up and the quest was over. As we approached the bull I was amazed at the length of his tines and the distance between his final points. Although something did not quite look right. As I got closer I realized we had mad a slight error… there was no 6th point. The bull is simply an amazing 5 point… A little disappointed at first I quickly realized what a true trophy he was. Besides, now I have reason to go back.  My buddy Kevin ended up shooting a beautiful 6 point bull the following evening. A great shot after along stock and Kevin had his first bull elk. A great elk especially for his first.   2008 was quite a season that I do not know if I can ever match, but I sure am going to try in 2009.
For the greatest elk hunt you will ever experience contact me at mike@realhunter.com or phone me  at 503 474 8015.

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