Fall 20/21 Days Afield Thread

[Phall]

I went about half way up the screw field but it was....spicy. I think it broke when he went over a 3ft boulder, I think the tine is buried under scree. My buddies brother does taxidermy and can build a fake one but I kind of like the story


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[highangle]

Early rifle deer, finally connected on a mature buck, last year of my dedicated tag here in UT, stoked to end it on a high note. Hanging at 10k feet, fell ~200 yards down a steep avy chute breaking his g3, 22ish wide.
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So ahh....Did your hands shake a tiny bit after that shot?

Well done!!!

[Phall]

Honestly I only saw that one side had 3 points and that it was pretty good. That’s all I was going for. I didn’t see his width or other side until I got up to him. It was a shocker.


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[2FUNKY]

Holy shit some serious killing been going on in here. Well done everyone! Might hit the Waterfowl opener next Monday. Still up in the air about big game. Second year in a row I’ll possibly not big game hunt and kinda in the fence about ducks. Super focused on chasing pike and bass in the fall now.
Really just hoping to pull a killer tag or I’ll sit out the general season shit show.
Again, Bravo everyone!!

[zion zig zag]

This guy was bugling his head off about 14 hours ago. Finally done dealing with the meat tonight and I’m headed to bed.

[Phall]

YES! General rifle bull in Utah is a hard hunt! Congrats zzz.


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[Patarero]

Nice work zzz!

Phall-- what boat is that? I run a devlin bluebill.

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[hatchgreenchile]

This thread is dripping with stoke.

Way to get it done ZZZ - enjoy some elk steak tomorrow!


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[Phall]

Nice work zzz!

Phall-- what boat is that? I run a devlin bluebill.

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Four rivers refuge runner. Over-motored with a 6.5. Great little rig, can lay out in it if I need to which is a nice feature.


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[zion zig zag]

I figured a good rest day activity after packing out my bull all day yesterday was to pack out a cow today. Stories to come.


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[CovertM]

I figured a good rest day activity after packing out my bull all day yesterday was to pack out a cow today. Stories to come.


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Shit yeah! Way to get after it.

[senior researcher]

WOww!

[Patarero]

^Hell yeah

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[zion zig zag]

Grinding in the breakfast nook.

[MakersTeleMark]

Grinding in the breakfast nook.

If you want a really loud but burly electric grinder, I'll give you one. I've got an extra. Seriously.

[lake_effect]

Hell yeah, you guys are killing it! Zzz that looks like the perfect place for grinding. Easy access for making some burgers while packaging.

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[Phall]

Can’t wait to get to sausage making. Picking up my fat from Beltex next week. Can’t wait to hear the stories zzz.


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[zion zig zag]

If you want a really loud but burly electric grinder, I'll give you one. I've got an extra. Seriously.

Thanks for the offer, but I may build one of these after borrowing it from my neighbor. 4 hp with a foot switch. I made almost 75 pounds of sausage and hamburger in no time, it's a beast.

[zion zig zag]

So my elk hunt was obviously successful, although I wasn't super happy with how the harvest went down, long version below. Started on the North Slope opening weekend and it was the regular clusterfuck that the Utah OTC any bull elk hunt typically is. Maybe worse with COVID. The ATV/SxS parade started pre dawn and went solid for days. We hiked high into different drainages and basins looking to lose the crowd, typically easy to do with a few miles and a thousand feet of elevation. The weather had been so hot and dry that sign was difficult to distinguish old from new (for me anyway), and the elk decided to be silent where we were. We called it on Monday after the opening weekend and decided to come back the next weekend.

Showing up the following Friday the crowds had eased up considerably. Sunday morning we woke up to rain that quickly switched to snow and cold, with about 6 inches above 10k. By the time we got back to the truck that afternoon, the place was a ghost town. We hunted close to camp that night, and considered pulling the plug given the wind and forecasted temps for the next morning. But we decided that we should at least go back into the area that we had seen the most sign and confirm weather the sign was fresh with the new snow.

Woke up around 4am Monday to give us time to hike into the high meadow by shooting light. It was in the teens but the winds were lighter than expected with only occasional strong gusts. By the time we were a few hundred yards from the meadow we started hearing a bugle and since we hadn't heard any in the prior 5 days of hunting, we at first assumed it was another hunter. After a few more bugles and slowly walking in we decided it was the real deal. We couldn't quite tell where they were coming from so we decided to split up. When we hit the meadow my buddy was going to work northwest around the edge and I walked south. After only a few hundred yards of working my way through the trees around the edge I spotted the herd.

I duck walked the tree line to get into a better spot to see them. When I was closer I dropped the pack to my hand to shoot off of, but saw a small stump on a rise overlooking the meadow that was perfect, wind was in my favor. It was still early, barely legal shooting time, and down in this basin the light was tough. I ranged the group of cows at 280 yards. I then pulled out my binoculars to see if I could spot the herd bull. There he was just standing slightly further from the group. I pulled my rangefinder back out to range him, but in my hurry I had missed my pouch and dropped it in the snow. All of the lenses were packed with snow. He was only slightly further away so I put my rifle on the stump and shot. He stumbled and went down. He sat for a minute with his head up looking towards me, and then stood up again. When he stood I had another good broadside shot so I took it. He went back down, but with head up, for what seemed like an eternity. He was facing me so I didn't have another shot at this point.

By this time my buddy had heard the shots and made his way to me. With the bull alive, but not running we discussed how long we should wait for him to die. For whatever reason, he decided to pull out his rangefinder and get a distance. 406 yards. Fuck, I was shooting for 300 (I don't dial, use MPBR and know my drop at 300 is about 3-4"). He wasn't moving so I decided to drop down the rise, close some distance, and pop up on another rise closer to him. I got within 200 yards and a better angle and shot prone for a heart and double lung that ended it quickly. On one hand, I'm glad the shots that wounded him kept him from running, but I'm disappointed that my mistakes made him suffer longer than needed.

[snapt]

Nice work ZZZ, glad he stayed down for good! Feel free to share some meat with your new neighbor Good luck on the goat hunt!

[Talisman]

ZZZ your perseverance and instincts paid off with a really nice bull! Thanks for sharing the details, a 400+ yard shot and fortunately your bull stayed down for the final round. As you know elk are a robust animal that can get up after taking a devastating shot through shoulders, hips or abdomen and run a long distance. Well done!

[Patarero]

Just curious what rifle/caliber/grain bullet you're sending. 300 to 400 is a big drop for most heavy bullets.

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[MakersTeleMark]

Been there a lot. Got tingles bringing back memories. Enjoy, and thanks for sharing.

[zion zig zag]

Nice work ZZZ, glad he stayed down for good! Feel free to share some meat with your new neighbor Good luck on the goat hunt!

I foresee some steaks and beers after ski tours this winter. NPS sent an email last night saying that they are monitoring the weather to see if it changes my goat hunt time frame. WTF, park service didn't know it snowed in late October?

ZZZ your perseverance and instincts paid off with a really nice bull! Thanks for sharing the details, a 400+ yard shot and fortunately your bull stayed down for the final round. As you know elk are a robust animal that can get up after taking a devastating shot through shoulders, hips or abdomen and run a long distance. Well done!

Thanks man. My son and I talked a lot about skill vs luck vs just covering miles being the most important. Lots of luck and miles for me.

Just curious what rifle/caliber/grain bullet you're sending. 300 to 400 is a big drop for most heavy bullets.

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7mm rem mag with 160 grain partitions. I'm zeroed to have about a 3" drop at 300 which should put me around 14" low at 400. Resulted in me breaking his legs instead of a good lung shot.

[The Reverend Floater]

Pheasant opener in the gem state. The Frags managed to get me a limit on public land which ain't easy here.