Elk time!!

[Idaho Mule]

My oldest son Charlie and I had been watching a bunch of elk close to home ever since Aug. 1. Yesterday every thing lined up right and we were able to score. Not cast boolits this time, but a couple of classic cartridges anyway. Charlie used Ruger #1 in 270 for his calf and I used my Ruger #1 in 303 British on the cow. Charlie has taken quite a few elk with his 270 but this was my first one with the 303. Youngest son Justin has taken 5 elk to date with his old 303 (was mine as I grew up, now his). Here are a few pics.

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[Mica_Hiebert]

Nice you got to harvest on a cool day I would hate to harvest in the heat we typically get this time of year.

[blikseme300]

I'm turning green with envy, I apologize but the location in the USA is where I dream to retire to someday. I've visited your state a few times and it is truly God's Country. At least White Wing season is close and there are many in the sunflowers we planted for the hunt. Oh, it was 105* here today and not fun on the farm.

[Pumpkinheaver]

Good eating right there!!!!!!

[chambers]

Elk hunting is truly a passion many enjoy and a challenging hunt. Nice elk and great your kids get to enjoy.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Hey Mule

I hope you scared the rest of the herd over the hill!!!!!!!!

Been out 4 mornings, three to sit in "the spot" where I have taken my two early season elk.

Nothing so far, but they move, so I just need to be there when they are.

Limited on the time I can be out with Sharon's situation, so I go out before daylight and come out of the woods before it gets hot.

Have a helper come in for the day every other week, so yesterday I took advantage of the nice and cooler temps and the helper and came out a bit later.

Seeing bucks which other then the two hunting season bucks I brought home from this area I have never seen. Saw three in a group one day last week. Saw a nice one yesterday. Area got hit with a big die off of the does last summer with the Blue/Black Tongue. Few does when compared to most years, but BUCKS. Hmmmmmmmmm!

And of course I need to hunt when my helper, close by friend is home in case I get a critter.

Anyway, CONGRATS on filling tags!!!!!!

ENJOY! that GREAT eat'in!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Idaho Mule]

Good to hear from you, Crusty!! I am sure you will make good in short time. As you say, right place, right time. I learned something this go - round. We were watching 7 (Yes, 7!!!) very nice white-tail bucks, as a matter of fact they had us pinned down, as we waited for the elk to show. I thought my right leg was gonna explode off of me as I stood pasted next to bull-pine tree to remain hidden. I was finally able to lower myself down and use some lower brush as cover, and then Charlie started yapping that elk were there. I was looking all around and could not believe it when the cow/calf pair came out and actually licked faces with those white tail. EVERY time I have seen elk/ white tail inter action the white tails leave in a hurry. Not so this time. Anyway, she came on out in the open, about 180 yds; and I was able to put one thru her lungs when she turned broadside. She (and the calf) hit the brush, she crashed, calf stayed and Charlie got it. Was a good day. If you need a hand over there just give a holler, I am not far away. JW

[rondog]

Jeeze, you guys can take elk in early August? I'm moving!

[ammohead]

Good on you John. I have to wait for Dec 5 to go with my youngest Aaron. He will be using the 6.5x55 Swede that I bubbaed for him. I am going to try with my 9.3x62 and cast again. Sure hoping you can make it down for ground squirrels again.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Rondog,

Some of us call this a "farmers season" around here in Ideeeedho, as it is mostly set up to keep the farmers from crying so loud.

Within the units that are open for this early season, the open areas are outside the national forest boundary and within one mile of a cultivated field.

It can get really hot around here, at least for our standards, so I hunt only EARLY in the morning and on days that my helper is available.

They have a big walk in cooler, so once a critter is down, we can have it quartered and in the cooler by 11am +/-

It is not quite 9:30 am and I'm home from this morning "hunt" already. Start walking out by 8am or before, but am sitting in "the spot" before daylight.

I'm too old to do it under these tempruture conditions without help.

Thanks for the offer JW!

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Geezer in NH]

Jeeze, you guys can take elk in early August? I'm moving!

Snow comes mid-September.

[crowbuster]

Very nice ! This flat lander loves some elk. mmmmm mmmmm good !

[rondog]

Snow comes mid-September.

Maybe there in NH, don't know 'bout Idaho. Here in Denver it's usually around Halloween.

[w5pv]

We are getting a reprieve from the heat for the next few days but it is from the rain storm that is moving through our area and not from a cold front.

[TXGunNut]

Good job! Great way to get the hunting season started.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Hey there mule -------------

Well I got er done. The fun was over and the work started about 6:30 this morning.

45/70 spoke with authority using again the 465gr Wide Flat Nose cast, My longest shot to date with this rifle, 161yds.

The Leupold CDS (Custom Dial System) worked really well. I thought they would come up from the bottom to my level at about a certain spot so I ranged it and set the scope for 150yds.

Held, vertically, center of rib cage and that is where the boolit struck. Just a touch far back. My fault or the critter moved ???? I'll except it as while I prefer the lungs, the liver is a dead critter.

Didn't go very far, with heavy leakage from two 45 - 50 caliber holes in her.

Of course, my helper was in on the hard part, and without him I simply couldn't hunt this early hunt. When he is home and available I can hunt. If not, I hunt another day.

Really big barren cow. Note the fat on the attached images.

First time to use the little trailer I made up to get back in on the forest roads. The funny ramps at the front of the trailer are to allow me to carry the 4 Wheeler on the short/narrow trailer

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

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[blikseme300]

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot, well done! Maybe someday I'll be up in your part of the world and be able to hunt there. That elk makes our white tail deer look like jackrabbits.

[TXGunNut]

Good job, great looking animal...and meat! Congrats!

[big bore 99]

Great job!

[ammohead]

Nice cow CDOC!

[Finster101]

That's a nice trailer too.

[Idaho Mule]

Ha!!! I knew you would prevail, you Crusty Ol Deary Coot!!! That is good news to hear. Man, that cow is sure fat. Mine was in very good shape, shot out of garbanzo field, but that one of yours has more fat on her. I bet her teeth are beautiful too. Any way, that is good news Crusty and I am glad to hear of your success. We should see if we can get together for breakfast again someday. JW

[Idaho Mule]

Nice cow CDOC! Hey there ammo, I will sure try to be at the rat shoot next spring. I hope you and Aaron have the same kind of luck that Charlie and I had and I look forward to hearing all about it. That 9.3 bridge is one that I will have to cross one day (just cuz I don't have one and it would be pretty cool). JW

[osteodoc08]

Nice looking harvests gentlemen.

[sixshot]

Good job, now hunt the gut pile & take a wolf!

Dick

[TCLouis]

Congrats to all.

MEAT in the freezer and nice and fat to boot.

Since these are essentially depredation permits to reduce crop damage are private landowners more agreeable to allow access/trespass?

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

TCLouis,

Not sure where the Idaho Mule is taking his critters. As the crow flies he lives 10 +/- miles away from me. but I'm hunting on timber company lands which fall in the required, outside National Forest lands and within one mile of cultivated fields zone.

I have a friend who has qualifying land that is close to me, and I keep touch with him on occasion to see if critters are coming around his property.

Some hunts specify no hunting on "corporate lands", but so far that has not happened where I have been successful, ON THIS HUNT/SEASON.

Last year, due to the really bad fire conditions. My season ended really early as the timber companies closed their lands.

Last years HOT/DRY conditions and a BIG!!!!!! white tail population set the deer heard up for disaster and it happened with blue tongue that devastated the deer population in some areas, my "spot" being one.

Thankfully it didn't effect the elk population. Maybe because they travel so much and maybe they just weren't susceptible to the bug that killed so many deer.

So, that doesn't really answer your question as I have not needed to go farm to farm for hunting areas, at least to this point, so hopefully Idaho Mule will chime back in with info from the other side of Moscow Mountain.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[sharpsguy]

I shoot a 475 grain flat nosed bullet, the Lyman 457121 out of my Sharps. The 45-70 gives 1244 fps, and the 45-110 goes1380. Cast out of 50-50 wheel weight and pure lead, it is absolutely deadly on game from hogs to bison, not to mention African plains game. If more people knew how well that cartridge/bullet combination worked, very few would shoot anything else.

Good job, and nice elk.

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Sharpsguy,

I like it! I'm running a bit faster then you are, but the results are the same. AWESOME!

Now, I have tested a number of powders and would settle for something a bit faster, PROVIDING it gave really fine groups. However I sure don't need the added velocity! 1650fps is just fine!

Plus, the first cast bullet critter I took with the 45/70 was with a Wide Flat Nose 355gr LBT (Lead Bullet Technology) bullet at 2300fps and I never ever ever want to see that size of a wound channel again!

The WFN as you have found, is VERY efficient and add that to higher velocity and as said, I never want to see that again.

I was still laboring under the hand loading methods developed from years of loading typical high velocity centerfires and had not yet figured out that the 45/70 was a different breed of cat.

As I've said other times and places, when I saw the results, I thought to myself, "just what in the world have I turned loose on the game population?"

One thing though, that cast bullet didn't mush and mince the tissue and bone, it just left a BIG!!! wound channel taking it all out of a rather normal size exit hole in the hide.

The 465gr WFN at 1650fps is just so VERY much better on both deer and elk.

Oh ya, I'm using the same alloy, but water quenched.

Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[runfiverun]

I'm pushing a 435gr flat nose with a little bit of rounding off to it to about 1600 so I'm not too far off CDOC's numbers.
I run mine water dropped from ww and soft 3-1 because of the LEE type T/L grooves lubed with my version of 45/45 lube.
anything I can get the sights on within 100 or so yds isn't standing too much longer.

[Idaho Mule]

TC, you ask a very legitimate,but somewhat hard to answer question. Most of our local area farmers hate the deer and elk, mostly elk, because they cause so much crop damage. On the other hand they like to see the elk and quite a few of them are hunters too, so it works out well for them to take elk. Troubles come when folks don't bother to ask permission to hunt private ground and cause excessive damage to crops. The biggest key is to communicate with one another. I am very fortunate that I have permission to hunt neighboring farmer's ground, but they have permission to hunt my ground as well. We work together, and all respect one another. As said earlier, the biggest problem is when someone is oblivious to the damage they cause by dragging an elk out of a field with a four wheeler or pick-up. The key is to be respectful of the land owner, not only in words but in your actions. JW

[Crusty Deary Ol'Coot]

Well Said JW!

CDOC

[JDL]

Congratulations Gents! I'm hoping to make one more elk hunt before I have to hang it up. Loved punching them with paper patched 510 grain running 1650 fps out of my .45/70 but, now I'd probably use a 335 grain FN because of the recoil. More than likely I'd use my .358!:wink: