Nightly report came in from the "Over The Hill Gang". They be whackin anda stackin. 3 down tonight 3 to go. Wind finally laid.
Did the Geritol Group tag out?
WWWWEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, No.
Dennis/Bassin - If "Tha Edge" can take his "Over The Hill Gang" to the ranch and can only bang 3 for 6 in 5 days and our group can go and bang 6 for 6 in 2 days..............pregnant pause................then does that make our gang become known as "The Gang Banger's"?.......................just askin
Dennis/Bassin - If "Tha Edge" can take his "Over The Hill Gang" to the ranch and can only bang 3 for 6 in 5 days and our group can go and bang 6 for 6 in 2 days..............pregnant pause................then does that make our gang become known as "The Gang Banger's"?.......................just askin
Hey! I was just askin???????
The weather was against the "Over THe Hill Gang" from the git go. I think they did remarkably well considering what they were up against. They are all excellant hunters and know the ranch well. I have been on the ranch for 13 years taking 4 to 5 shooters per year and my success ratio is currently 85%. Dave has been there 14 years with a higher success ratio for about the same number of hunters. It was one tough hunt.
The weather was against the "Over THe Hill Gang" from the git go. I think they did remarkably well considering what they were up against. They are all excellant hunters and know the ranch well. I have been on the ranch for 13 years taking 4 to 5 shooters per year and my success ratio is currently 85%. Dave has been there 14 years with a higher success ratio for about the same number of hunters. It was one tough hunt.
I think I prefer being a gang banger to a geritol gang. 
I can agree with that.
Just finished cutting up the three elk because they did not freeze solid as usual. It was warm days and nights and the wind howled. Wind was from the west, changing to NW then SW several times per hour. Those who have been there know that all access is from the west side only(unless you have a helicopter). Brothers truck lost a clutch going out so it stayed in Woodward to be fixed. And that did not happen by Thursday afternoon when we came back thru. Call was made to Stillwater for his grandson and neighbor to pick up my old GMC that was being readied to sell as I had bought a new F-150 on Jan 10th. Good thing I had it as 3 trucks went on to the ranch and brother did not showed up with the GMC until after dark last Friday. Hunt started on a sour note and went down-hill from there.
We had basically three accessible elk in 5 days of hunting and we got all three. Fairly close shots of 400 to 550 yards for all. Had one runner that had to be tracked 6 hours in dark timber(snow up to chest deep). Ken found her and finished her as she could not get up. first shot was a chest shot at 500 yards running but bullet only got one lung. These animals are TUFF. By the time field dressing was finished they were in a white-out. Snowed 4-6 inches in 3 hours with high winds. We sent the 4-wheel drive chained up tractor out but it still took an hour and a half for them to find each other. They had walkie talkies and Corky could hear the tractor but visilibity was 50 yards. That was the third elk for the day. Ken and Corky had left the vehicle at 7:45am and got back to the road at 6:45pm. We sent them to the cabin and took the last elk to the barn. Had to put the elk back into the front-end loader on the tractor just to get it to the barn. Skinned and bagged her and we left to finally hit the cabin for supper and a warm pot-bellied fire about 8:30pm.
Elk hunts are just truck loads of memories.
Oh.... About forgot. The reason the truck was left in Wooward...It was to be finished in 3 hours but we did not have the time. While Corky and Ken were trying to get her down in the dark timer, they fell many times. Once Corky did a complete forward flip with a gun on each shoulder and going over a couple of logs under the waist-deep snow. Bad sprain on the right hand (2 fingers) and we had to get him to Stillwater Hosp ER for x-rays before 6pm Thursday evening. We thought they might be broken but was just a very bad sprain. Yep... Tons of memories.
Already making plans for next year. Probably leave here on Jan 11 for 5 days of totally unbelievable chaos.
Our rookie for this year was Tim. Told him "If you don't see 1000 elk per day, you never left the cabin or are blind" First time to the cemetery he had seen nothing. Pulled the binocs up to his eyes and, without moving them, gasped and said.....I'M looking at over a thousand elk!!!!!!!!! 3 seconds time lapse.
YEP Lots of memories.
dave
We had basically three accessible elk in 5 days of hunting and we got all three. Fairly close shots of 400 to 550 yards for all. Had one runner that had to be tracked 6 hours in dark timber(snow up to chest deep). Ken found her and finished her as she could not get up. first shot was a chest shot at 500 yards running but bullet only got one lung. These animals are TUFF. By the time field dressing was finished they were in a white-out. Snowed 4-6 inches in 3 hours with high winds. We sent the 4-wheel drive chained up tractor out but it still took an hour and a half for them to find each other. They had walkie talkies and Corky could hear the tractor but visilibity was 50 yards. That was the third elk for the day. Ken and Corky had left the vehicle at 7:45am and got back to the road at 6:45pm. We sent them to the cabin and took the last elk to the barn. Had to put the elk back into the front-end loader on the tractor just to get it to the barn. Skinned and bagged her and we left to finally hit the cabin for supper and a warm pot-bellied fire about 8:30pm.
Elk hunts are just truck loads of memories.
Oh.... About forgot. The reason the truck was left in Wooward...It was to be finished in 3 hours but we did not have the time. While Corky and Ken were trying to get her down in the dark timer, they fell many times. Once Corky did a complete forward flip with a gun on each shoulder and going over a couple of logs under the waist-deep snow. Bad sprain on the right hand (2 fingers) and we had to get him to Stillwater Hosp ER for x-rays before 6pm Thursday evening. We thought they might be broken but was just a very bad sprain. Yep... Tons of memories.
Already making plans for next year. Probably leave here on Jan 11 for 5 days of totally unbelievable chaos.
Our rookie for this year was Tim. Told him "If you don't see 1000 elk per day, you never left the cabin or are blind" First time to the cemetery he had seen nothing. Pulled the binocs up to his eyes and, without moving them, gasped and said.....I'M looking at over a thousand elk!!!!!!!!! 3 seconds time lapse.
YEP Lots of memories.
dave
Sounds like it was a dammed tough hunt.
They get that way sometimes.
Glassing at the cemetary this year showed tons of elk on our trip, most on the neighbors place. Without glasses, it is just specks that look like brush. We saw most at the purple gate. You guys see anything there on your hunt?
They get that way sometimes.
Glassing at the cemetary this year showed tons of elk on our trip, most on the neighbors place. Without glasses, it is just specks that look like brush. We saw most at the purple gate. You guys see anything there on your hunt?
Sounds like it was a dammed tough hunt.
They get that way sometimes.
Glassing at the cemetary this year showed tons of elk on our trip, most on the neighbors place. Without glasses, it is just specks that look like brush. We saw most of ours at the purple gate. You guys see anything there on your hunt?
They get that way sometimes.
Glassing at the cemetary this year showed tons of elk on our trip, most on the neighbors place. Without glasses, it is just specks that look like brush. We saw most of ours at the purple gate. You guys see anything there on your hunt?
Being color blind, I have to ask where the purple gate is? Gates are dark or light. Best view is from the gate at the cemetery looking toward the old Merino Ranch northeast.
