Today I was able to get out and go hunting elk with Dad. We left early in the morning and went up Little Blackfoot past Kading Campground. We left the truck and hiked for about an hour up a really steep draw before we got to the good hunting ground. Once there it didn't take long and we started hearing some bugling. We worked our way closer to the noise and started making some of our own. The bottom was 50-75 yards wide and then steep up both sides. I moved out in front of Dad about 100 yards and he started calling. We stayed in that set up bugling with the elk for about 15 minutes and despite lots of answers to the cow calls and bugles, nothing seemed to move closer to us. We both thought it sounded like there were three bulls ahead of us up the draw. The one that sounded furthest away sounded the most heated up. We moved forward another 100 yards and tried again. Again, they kept bugling, but would not move in. We moved another time and all became silent. Then, of course, we decided to see what the top of the mountian looked like. We hiked in a big circle around the area and came back to where we started. We saw lots of sign, but no more elk. We found a really well used, stomped out wallow, but it was in a really tough spot to get to, so I doubt a tree stand will be going up any time soon.
We stopped for lunch about 1:00 and Dad remembered that he had dropped his whitetail grunt call (the little can) sometime earlier in the day. I am pretty sure that we witnessed a miracle, because it could have been anywhere on that timbered, brushy, steep hillside and we were able to find it in the trail without back tracking too far.
Even though we didn't see any elk, it was really a fun morning. Dad and I were both pretty confident that we could get one of those bulls to come down and check us out. I guess we don't sound as attractive as we look (ha ha).
I had Dad drop me at home in the afternoon so that Celeste could watch Women's Conference. Dad went on to Boulder to hunt whitetails. I talked to him tonight. He said he had elk bugling all around him for most of the afternoon and evening but nothing would come in to his stand. He did have 3 little whitetail bucks walk by, but he opted to pass on all three.
It was a fun day. Hopefully we'll be able to get out again soon. Thanks for the fun, Dad.
