Bad night on an elk hunt…

[WapitiTalk1]

That’s all you get, let’s go. I will say that totally exhausted, throwing your sleeping bags on the ground in front of your old Dodge truck with no heater, driving 4 hours to an elk spot, late Elktember, and waking up with wet snow on your “situation” at 3:30 AM is no FUN NW Montana, late 70s.

[Elkhunttoo]

Bad times can = best memories…

First one right off my head was packing a bull out a few years back. Step slope with LOTS of nasty down timber. The ground was frozen and a heavy frost came on while I was working the elk up. Got done with the bull and threw a bag of meat on my back. Took about 2-3 steps and my feet and head switched places. It was like I was on an ice skating rink on that step mountain side. I could hardly stand up. Ended up being a kinda dangerous situation but made it out alive

[Elkhunttoo]

https://youtu.be/XYRM4X76OvM?si=UjVA1YySKHRiKyAi


Here is a link to my video of the hunt I mentioned above

[Lefty]

Some things were a nuisance or made me wonder for a brief moment what am I doing. The overnigh /sleeping is generally pretty good.
A few years back I ran up for the muzzle hunt after followed my wife's "orders" ( wait A DAY) I got to my elk area in for the nasty winds snow and fog blocked all visibility and access, I would have been up the mountain and killed my elk before everything got socked in for the year.

While deer hunting too much snow to take the route I had planned, Headed in another direction and got stuck on a narrow Forest service road. Got quite wet and then cold before I crawled into the sleeping bag

My daughter and I woke up to 12 inches of snow, and our boots were outside under the truck,FILLED with snow, not bad but a slow start

Muzzle load Two years ago I cut off the elk that were walking up to me, it was snowing hard, and I had them ar 40 yards and could have made the shot, but I didn't want an elk a hit elk going down the other side For whatever reason the elk headed up the ridge instead of walking past me,
Snow and wind coming down hard,1 1//2 miles to the ATV. I walked past the ATV in the storm.
It was an unusually entertaining walkout. I don't know if I pushed the herd or they led me. 3 1/2 hours to the camper. In the dark and blinding snow I was constantlynear the big herd of 500.

But on the worst nights, Wake up and need to pee

But the very worst night: Smoke came in, I got up to leave and so had the neighboring camp,,,

[7mmfan]

I've been lucky and have not really experienced any really dramatic or terrible nights. I've had really long ones, really cold ones, really wet ones, but no really BAD ones.

The scariest was laying in my 4 man teepee in the only green timber for miles in a giant burn in Idaho during a wind storm. We must have heard 200 trees fall that night. Multiple trees fell right on the edge of our little timber patch, but we were safe.

The longest was a spike bull I killed 6 miles in near the end of the day. Dad and I could have 1 tripped it, but we prefer to walk more than overload ourselves. We did two trips out, total mileage on the day close to 25 miles. Last load hit the tailgate at about 1 am.

Nastiest was a bull my Dad killed in Washington, late October. We were 2.5 miles or from the truck, with a mile of steep nasty ground between us and the trail. It was pouring rain and temp in the high 30's. Dad had no rain gear, I had brand new Gortex raingear. As it turned to night, it turned to mixed snow/rain. Last load hit the tailgate at about midnight. Keeping moving kept Dad going, but sitting down in the freezing cold truck at the end of the pack out Dad got hypothermic. We had to stop and change positions because he couldn't hardly shift gears in the truck he was shaking so bad. Left him in the running truck when we got to camp until I got the fire roaring inside the tent. Dad had good packable raingear the next year.

[Tigger]

hunting just after a snow storm one afternoon and it turned cold. Just at dark, as we are glassing, my brother says to me, "you see those 2 dots on the horizon way, WAY over there?". "yeah...". "That is our two partners." Oh my, they have a lonnnnng ways to get back to the ATVs. We were cold, so we hoofed it back to the ATVs and were of course then hot and sweating a little. Drove the ATVs to the meetup spot and got really cold again. Started waiting and froze our behinds off. Finally resorted to walking circles around the ATVs. barely got warm. Finally those yahoos made it back. The ride back to camp was soooo cold! Ate and still freezing we hit the sleeping bags all bundled up. Woke up sweating an hour later. took off some layers and went back to sleep but woke up cold. That was a yo-yo of a day with hot and cold but mostly cold.

[Swede]

I have had several "bad" or questionable nights out elk hunting. Three times I was out late or very late butchering and packing elk out.
Once I was alone packing out an elk quarter when it just became too dark to go any farther. I had no flashlight and had to settle in for the night. Fortunately, I had some matches and got a fire going so I could stay warm. That night it changed from raining to freezing, but I was ok just waiting the coming morning.
Another time it got late so I just laid along a downed log on the cold night until my cousin came out to pack out. I finally made into camp at about 2:30 in the AM.
The third time I remember, I believe I have written about here before. I had packed out a quarter elk on an overcast evening and went back for another load shortly before dark. I thought I had enough daylight to make a round trip before it got too dark to see. Just in case I was wrong, I took along a mini-mag light. When I got to the elk carcass, I saw that I still had a little more skinning left to do. I proceeded to finish that up in short order, but before I got another quarter strapped on to my pack frame, I had to break out my flashlight. Everything was fine until I started to get my pack on. Just then the bulb in the flashlight went out. I sat the pack back down and tried to find and replace the burnt-out bulb. It was no use. I could not get it done using the braille system. At that point I realized it was not just overcast, but it was nearly the dark of the moon. I could not see my hand in front of my face. I thought about it a couple of minutes and decided to try to walk out. It seemed an easy enough proposition. Just walk straight upslope until I hit the flat above about 1/3 mile away, then cross the flat until I hit the road and decide from there which way to go. It all sounds easy enough, but it is somewhat dangerous and easier said than done.
I made it out ok, but I was a little shook up. On the hike out I saw three things spaced far apart. The first thing I saw was the water hole where I had shot the elk. The second was a section of a bleached white log. I recognized the waterhole, but not the log. Finally, at the end I saw the wooden bar used to open and close the wire gate right in front of where I had parked my pickup. I was so nervous that I walked with my hands out feeling for the truck. When I got in and got it started, I drove straight home. I forgot I had left my bow leaning against a large pine tree nearby, right next to the road. I got up super early in the morning and drove back. My bow and the last three Forths of my elk were all still waiting for me.

[2MANY]

By far the 3 worst nights I have spent on an elk hunt were spent sleeping on the sidewalk in front of fish and game.

[7mmfan]

By far the 3 worst nights I have spent on an elk hunt were spent sleeping on the sidewalk in front of fish and game.

So that's your secret.

[2MANY]

LOL.

I wish it still worked.
That ship has sailed.