After 20 years of putting in for a quality Idaho elk hunt, I was fortunate to draw. I started scouting late July/early August. Scouting and learning new areas is tough to do in a couple months. With the weather being so warm, scouting was hard. On average, I could find one or two bulls per trip. I set my goal at a 350" class bull, but I was struggling to find that quality of bull. After being a bit discouraged in the latter part of August, I was starting to see better numbers, but still no sign of that 350" class bull.
In late August, it was definitely starting to show signs of pre-rut activity as I was starting to see cows and smaller bulls grouping up. The weekend before opening day, I caught a glimpse of a bull in a burnt patch of timber. I could tell he had seven points on one side but could never get a good look at him. As opening day approached, I arranged with my middle son to join me in the hunt on opening weekend.
Opening day was on a Friday, and temps were high 70s. I hiked into an area where I had seen the highest number of elk. I’d been seeing 300-320" bulls in the area and was hoping to put my eyes on something a little bigger. On the weekend, my son joined me and we decided to scout out a new area. After driving around and glassing timber pockets and deep canyons, we had a couple areas to focus on. I returned home for a couple days to catch up on work with the thought of returning Wednesday morning.
Wednesday morning came, and I hiked in and set up on a good glassing area I had found with my son earlier in the week. As I was sitting there waiting for it to get light, I started hearing bugling bulls. I saw two different groups of elk with bulls pushing cows around. Even though the bulls were quality, they weren’t what I was looking for this early in the hunt. I was starting to pick more elk up moving around through the timber. Temps were still warm, so nothing stayed in the open for long.
On Thursday, I was in the same area and spotted a bull moving in the timber with a few cows. This bull definitely had potential. I decided to move in close to try and get a better look. I worked my way through the timber to a rock outcropping on top of a small ridge where I last saw the bull. After glassing the timber, I finally spotted some elk bedded. Not able to get a good look, I knew I would have to wait until they got up and moved around.
After waiting a couple hours, the elk decided to get up. Having phone service on top of the ridge, I decided to hike back up and get some opinions from friends on judging this bull. After a buddy replied 350" class, I was all in for trying my luck on him. I’d never killed a bull of this caliber. I took the same route back in and watched him until he disappeared in the tight group of trees. I knew it would be hard to sneak in and close the distance. I checked the wind and studied the terrain above where I thought the bull was bedded. The plan was to work straight downhill until I was straight above him. I walked down the draw until I reached an area 80 yards above where I’d last seen the bull. I felt I couldn’t get any closer and decided to set up and wait him to get up and feed in the area where I had first spotted him. After a short wait, I heard some movement and started getting excited. Unfortunately, the bull worked his way out to the side of the timber and never gave me an opportunity for a shot.
I went back the next day to try to locate the bull again. I was glassing and spotted another bull. He looked like the 7x7 I had spotted earlier in the season. I saw him with about 20 cows walking up a timbered draw. Immediately, I worked my way over and above him. As he came up the draw and I got into it, the timber got thicker and I was only able to keep track of bodies moving through the trees. They worked across the small opening and into a thick patch of willows and aspens. With the wind the way it was, I only had the option of getting in close and hoping he showed his face.
As the evening started approaching, the cows started to work out into a small open area. After 45 minutes or so, the cows all headed across the open ridge and into the next draw. At this point, I knew the bull had separated himself from the cows and bedded somewhere on his own.
The next day, my son came out to help me. We went back in the same area looking for the 7x7 from the day before. We spotted the bull right away, but at about two miles away, he walked around a small knob and dropped off the other side. We spent the rest of the day glassing.
The next morning, we hiked in on a trail that took us to the top of the ridge to glass, hoping we could locate the bull in the same area. There he was going around the same knob, heading the same way. After he dropped out of sight, we walked to the knob and listened and looked for sign of him. We did a little calling but got no response. Unable to locate him, I didn’t want to start walking through the timber. The weekend came to an end, and I headed home for a couple days of work and my youngest son’s football game.
On September 13th, I hiked in and was sitting on the ridge in the same spot where my son and I had spotted the bull last time. This morning, I was hearing bugles all around me. The rut was definitely on. As it got light, I spotted multiple bulls, including the 7x7, on the same knob with his cows all around it. He was doing the same thing he did before, pushing his cows around the small knob. This time, I watched when he went over and out of sight. I double timed it over to the knob, hoping to see exactly where he was headed. I caught him two ridges over working his way down another ridge. I kept the pace up and made it to the ridge he was on. Looking down the ridge, timber was on the right and open sage was on the left. I worked down the top left side, keeping out of sight.
After about 15 minutes, I caught movement. The 7x7 bull was coming from the right side over to the left side to scream at another bull in the bottom. I took my pack off as I was laying down and started crawling in the sagebrush to get to the top of the ridge so I could cross over to the other side and get out of sight. I worked down the ridge on the opposite side of him, hoping not to encounter any of the cows. I was able to work my way down about 60 yards when I heard a bugle that I could tell was close. Then I saw tines starting to come over the ridge, so I squatted down behind some brush and a couple boulders. I was about 70 yards away when he came over. He stood there bugling in plain sight. All of a sudden, he turned and started walking towards me. There was a small depression in between the bull and me that once he went in, I could see only tips of antlers but not him. My arrow was nocked, and I had good range markers. As he got to 40 yards, he stopped and let out a bugle. The bull off the other side bugled back and made him turn his head enough that I could come to full draw. I took a deep breath and let one fly. He turned 180 degrees and ran about 40 yards over the ridge. I hurried to the top and watched him go about 80 yards down the open ridge and stop. I nocked another arrow because I could see blood on his side. He then walked his way down another 60 yards and bedded on the open hillside. I knew he was hit hard.
As I walked down the steep side of the open ridge, I picked up his antler tips but could not see his head. I took my time closing the distance. As I walked up on him, I was in awe. This elk was a bull-of-a-lifetime for me. The pursuit, challenge, and overcoming obstacles made it one of the best hunts I’d ever had. Special thanks to my family and friends who helped and supported me.
In late August, it was definitely starting to show signs of pre-rut activity as I was starting to see cows and smaller bulls grouping up. The weekend before opening day, I caught a glimpse of a bull in a burnt patch of timber. I could tell he had seven points on one side but could never get a good look at him. As opening day approached, I arranged with my middle son to join me in the hunt on opening weekend.
Opening day was on a Friday, and temps were high 70s. I hiked into an area where I had seen the highest number of elk. I’d been seeing 300-320" bulls in the area and was hoping to put my eyes on something a little bigger. On the weekend, my son joined me and we decided to scout out a new area. After driving around and glassing timber pockets and deep canyons, we had a couple areas to focus on. I returned home for a couple days to catch up on work with the thought of returning Wednesday morning.
Wednesday morning came, and I hiked in and set up on a good glassing area I had found with my son earlier in the week. As I was sitting there waiting for it to get light, I started hearing bugling bulls. I saw two different groups of elk with bulls pushing cows around. Even though the bulls were quality, they weren’t what I was looking for this early in the hunt. I was starting to pick more elk up moving around through the timber. Temps were still warm, so nothing stayed in the open for long.
On Thursday, I was in the same area and spotted a bull moving in the timber with a few cows. This bull definitely had potential. I decided to move in close to try and get a better look. I worked my way through the timber to a rock outcropping on top of a small ridge where I last saw the bull. After glassing the timber, I finally spotted some elk bedded. Not able to get a good look, I knew I would have to wait until they got up and moved around.
After waiting a couple hours, the elk decided to get up. Having phone service on top of the ridge, I decided to hike back up and get some opinions from friends on judging this bull. After a buddy replied 350" class, I was all in for trying my luck on him. I’d never killed a bull of this caliber. I took the same route back in and watched him until he disappeared in the tight group of trees. I knew it would be hard to sneak in and close the distance. I checked the wind and studied the terrain above where I thought the bull was bedded. The plan was to work straight downhill until I was straight above him. I walked down the draw until I reached an area 80 yards above where I’d last seen the bull. I felt I couldn’t get any closer and decided to set up and wait him to get up and feed in the area where I had first spotted him. After a short wait, I heard some movement and started getting excited. Unfortunately, the bull worked his way out to the side of the timber and never gave me an opportunity for a shot.
I went back the next day to try to locate the bull again. I was glassing and spotted another bull. He looked like the 7x7 I had spotted earlier in the season. I saw him with about 20 cows walking up a timbered draw. Immediately, I worked my way over and above him. As he came up the draw and I got into it, the timber got thicker and I was only able to keep track of bodies moving through the trees. They worked across the small opening and into a thick patch of willows and aspens. With the wind the way it was, I only had the option of getting in close and hoping he showed his face.
As the evening started approaching, the cows started to work out into a small open area. After 45 minutes or so, the cows all headed across the open ridge and into the next draw. At this point, I knew the bull had separated himself from the cows and bedded somewhere on his own.
The next day, my son came out to help me. We went back in the same area looking for the 7x7 from the day before. We spotted the bull right away, but at about two miles away, he walked around a small knob and dropped off the other side. We spent the rest of the day glassing.
The next morning, we hiked in on a trail that took us to the top of the ridge to glass, hoping we could locate the bull in the same area. There he was going around the same knob, heading the same way. After he dropped out of sight, we walked to the knob and listened and looked for sign of him. We did a little calling but got no response. Unable to locate him, I didn’t want to start walking through the timber. The weekend came to an end, and I headed home for a couple days of work and my youngest son’s football game.
On September 13th, I hiked in and was sitting on the ridge in the same spot where my son and I had spotted the bull last time. This morning, I was hearing bugles all around me. The rut was definitely on. As it got light, I spotted multiple bulls, including the 7x7, on the same knob with his cows all around it. He was doing the same thing he did before, pushing his cows around the small knob. This time, I watched when he went over and out of sight. I double timed it over to the knob, hoping to see exactly where he was headed. I caught him two ridges over working his way down another ridge. I kept the pace up and made it to the ridge he was on. Looking down the ridge, timber was on the right and open sage was on the left. I worked down the top left side, keeping out of sight.
After about 15 minutes, I caught movement. The 7x7 bull was coming from the right side over to the left side to scream at another bull in the bottom. I took my pack off as I was laying down and started crawling in the sagebrush to get to the top of the ridge so I could cross over to the other side and get out of sight. I worked down the ridge on the opposite side of him, hoping not to encounter any of the cows. I was able to work my way down about 60 yards when I heard a bugle that I could tell was close. Then I saw tines starting to come over the ridge, so I squatted down behind some brush and a couple boulders. I was about 70 yards away when he came over. He stood there bugling in plain sight. All of a sudden, he turned and started walking towards me. There was a small depression in between the bull and me that once he went in, I could see only tips of antlers but not him. My arrow was nocked, and I had good range markers. As he got to 40 yards, he stopped and let out a bugle. The bull off the other side bugled back and made him turn his head enough that I could come to full draw. I took a deep breath and let one fly. He turned 180 degrees and ran about 40 yards over the ridge. I hurried to the top and watched him go about 80 yards down the open ridge and stop. I nocked another arrow because I could see blood on his side. He then walked his way down another 60 yards and bedded on the open hillside. I knew he was hit hard.
As I walked down the steep side of the open ridge, I picked up his antler tips but could not see his head. I took my time closing the distance. As I walked up on him, I was in awe. This elk was a bull-of-a-lifetime for me. The pursuit, challenge, and overcoming obstacles made it one of the best hunts I’d ever had. Special thanks to my family and friends who helped and supported me.