never say elk again

[db-2]

Some of you know this but in 95 i purchase my last whitetail rifle tag and ever since have been bow hunting.
In 98 i bought 1.8 acres on an abandon RR track that is in the middle of nowhere.
Four rancher/farmer neighbors. All post their land. Two have been good to me while the other two not so.
Those two have decided to put their stands within arrow range of mine even though they own a bunch of land.
Magpies and i learn to live with it. Not really, and there is a lot more to that story.

Site has been really good for me and family. Son and i have arrow our largest whitetail net wise. Mine did measure out at 167 and some change net and his just a touch smaller. A number of other arrow deer with larger gross.
About 8 years ago a bull elk came up and that was neat. Did not know that in short order he would bring the whole community up.
About 100-150 elk that came in the dark of night and left in the dark of morning until this past year when they stay.

Well, that did it for the whitetail and we move and started new sites. After about 4 years now with the food plots they are turning out really good.

But last year there was a nice bull in the herd and friend rifle hunted with no success. Another individual spent two nights and 3 days in a group of bales south of my stand. No success. One day i notice a bunch of blood on ground and loader tracks. Found out a person shot a cow up there.

I decided to visit the elk last year as they were staying and found with the right wind i could get within 75 yards of the herd. So, i began to visit with the elk over a number of times and requested politely that they move which they did. Spent the rest of the winter about two miles from my stand.

With the stands next to me, the elk, this year i planted no brassicas, about 4 acres now, and kept the site clean with chemicals. Did put a camera up and have a cow elk, calf and a small bull coming up.

Have found a decent bull i think nearby. Beautiful horns, very dark with white tips. Maybe at least 200 plus score but have no ideal so i will see if i can post a picture and u let me know. But will soon need to visit the elk and again request that they move on.
I find i do enjoy visiting with the elk. Game and fish, i do not prefer to talk with anymore, they know it and that is another story.
Anyways, having trouble posting, grand kid coming and will work on posting the picture then. Do not want to rewrite this story if i do not have to so hope in time i will have pictures. db

 

[LBrandt]

 

[db-2]

Had a chance to review what I just wrote.

Many years ago, got my first camera where you sent film away to get process.
Expense.
Then camera with card for $600. Did not work at 10 degrees or below. Then built cameras which worked well, still have one, and now buy for around $!00.

Son and i have several at many sites.
I do enjoy and understand some are against them. Was told Montana has ban them.
Right or wrong, each to their own

I guess I know how to post. However, this elk may not be the largest, but it is among the best I have. Probably the best we have found. The camera's do what they were meant to do and for me it is fine to use.

Have a friend who we sent picture to for a good reason. He has a friend.

At this point I do not feel I should take the thunder away from a friend of a friend, a stranger to us. The elk is such that I am sure he would like to be the one to post and tell the story, not me.

So., I guess now I should have said nothing. db

 

[Lycanthrope]

How do you plant your food plots? Have a tractor or use an atv? How do you soil prep?

 

[db-2]

In 98 started with a garden tiller. Sucks but did tear my rotary cup and now can use a crossbow.

Today in plots I take care of use round up and trimix for chemical control.
800 side by side Polaris, notch disk and 5-foot-wide harrow. Sprayer on side by side.

Plant roundup soybeans in spring by hand spreading and work in with 3-foot-wide notch disk.
Used to plant corn, turnips and radish. Great for ground and will dry out wet ground if need, moose love it but not the deer so now plant kale and rape. Maybe canola and winter oats. No corn due to stalks to ger rid of in spring.

Plant brassicas, canola and winter oats in August by spreading by hand and then work in with disk pulled by 800 side by side. Get winter greens, cabbage and winter sugar beets from the whitetail institute and now and then something else they may have. Try them all.
If canola is flowering with first killing frost, they will eat all winter.
Rain is great at seeding time. Been bless for that.

In time, son bought a three-point rotary tiller and JD 6 row planter. Had access to a tractor. This year a guy had a 5-foot-wide disk drill that he sold me for half price (2600). Only one year old but was planting 20-acre plots and to small. We plant about 10-12 acres total. Has access to tractor so used rotary tiller to work ground and his side by side to pull drill. Works well. However, there are no press wheels on drill. Plan is to purchase a piece of equipment to pull behind drill. Not sure of name but they are a round tube that will work the ground and better place the seed in dirt. I think. Mix oats and brassicas together in box on drill. Hope to retire the disk and use this drill to seed all.

Come a long way since the garden tiller and I wish I could have what some have but not in the cards. Took time to get what we have. Plan is to expand plots with white clover for permanent stand and the protein it has. If you have clover growing wild does not work as good as if there is no clover in the area.

And that is that happy farming and the deer will come and more in time as they are born by it and learn to live by it and eat there. Trail cameras, no hunting posters, friendly neighbors that understand the concept of all of this and are willing to work together on this. db

Plus, hay bales in winter.

 

[db-2]

If I do not find a picture of this elk in time somewhere by someone I will post as i am proud of what one of our cameras found. db

 

[snow]

Ah yes db,your love hate elk saga continues,to bad you have inconsiderate neighbors,ghosting your small plot,shit happens,must be a good critter holding area,guessing your inconsiderate neighbors are reaping the benefits of your hard work.

Winter is knocking at our door,enjoy the rutt.

 

[db-2]

Hate the elk but have now got into it. The guy who shot the elk had a scorer look at it and he said it will be B&C. Then my hunting partner found what appears to be elk that will score higher at this spot, on camera and in fact a guy who said he knows elk said the one should score over 400 and may be a state record. Two others in high 300.

I do not know. Time may tell.

So, i moved my camera 3/4 mile from my main stand to another plot and found another herd of elk. Will see what comes from there before i ask them to leave. For now, 4 smaller bull elk with a bunch of cows and calves. Corn field nearby.

My hunting partner goes to Scheels and buys an elk caller.
Goes where the larger elk are and under one minute an elk comes in. Light fog but video it with real dark horns. The white tips looks like they are a light. Very bright.
8 came in with 4 the bigger ones. 3 came in at once. Comes right up. Start with horns on ground and pissing all over their body. 4 more came but unable to video as in trees. Time of the rut.

This is all new to me but i am impress.
Will post the dead elk shorty when live. Asked partner about posting what he has and will need to wait.

They are rodents in my book, still need to leave. Hate them and I think they do not care for me either.

And as in the past will not find a shed. db

 

[CatDaddy]

Pics or it didn't happen

 

[db-2]

 

[db-2]

Well, it did happen so i will take the risk of posting one picture of the elk my hunting partner found. Picture of picture. He told a friend who had a friend with a bull tag, and he went and shot it. Had local scorer score it one inch higher that our score. It is B&C.

Then as stated my hunting partner when to Scheels and bought an elk caller. Went up there and within one minute had bulls coming up. Took 4 videos. For me this is all new and i am impress with the videos. So, i took a picture of the video when the first bull came up and his white tips look like they had lights on them. Will see if i can post that picture. Maybe on nd elk one can find the videos.

db

 

[db-2]

 

[db-2]

 

[db-2]

This was a smaller one but the videos i did enjoy. As the elk is first coming out of the trees straight at the camera it really does look like lights on the tips. As i stated a guy who said he knows elk, one will score over 400. No ideal myself. And i do struggle with posting this. Plans to go back and see what else he may bring up. db

I was concern when i first posted this without the pictures, it would be hard to buy into this but.

 

[Twitch]

Some great bulls! I know you aren’t friends with them but it fires me up for my archery trip west. Thanks for sharing

 

[BrokenBackJack]

That squealing really get the heart pumping!

 

[Twitch]

This will be my 6th time elk hunting. 2nd with a bow. 1 of those 6 I didn’t have the tag and was just along for the ride. I have found a deep respect for the elk and have really been bitten by the bug of chasing them with a bow. BBJ nailed it. That bugle coming at you is an adrenaline rush to be sure.

 

[Wall-eyes]

You have a nice little piece of property.

 

[db-2]

Yes, when they bugle it does send a thrill in one's bones. And when they are within 50 yards, trashing their horns on the ground and peeing all over themselves and let out a bugle.
It's a rush i never would have thought of experiencing. Looking for a tree to hide behind just in case.
They are a big animal up close.


Walleye:
I do have a number of spots with the elk. db

 

[Wall-eyes]

Yes, when they bugle it does send a thrill in one's bones. And when they are within 50 yards, trashing their horns on the ground and peeing all over themselves and let out a bugle.
It's a rush i never would have thought of experiencing. Looking for a tree to hide behind just in case.
They are a big animal up close.


Walleye:
I do have a number of spots with the elk. db

I am jealous tried for years to buy land, never worked out. Dad had cabin by Bob Marshall in Montana when he passed my three older sisters wanted a piece of pie and I could not afford there buy out.