Elk Camp 2019

[Kellendv]

Rolled into elk camp this evening, we’re doing it right this year! I’ve been thinking about getting a wall tent and Drew kindly offered his up to borrow this year. I’ve got a tag and Reid has a tag. Matt’s along to help out and get some meat. Season opens tomorrow morning.

 

[TRICER]

Looks awesome man. Snow on the ground and everything. Gonna be a great hunt, can’t wait to see the results.

 

[Lungpopper]

That stove will be the hot ticket. Look forward to following along. Good luck

 

[nicapopolis]

Rad. What are the Cliffs Notes? Chasing bulls or cows? What state?

That tent looks too warm... I would for sure wake up late and hunt after a heavy breakfast.

 

[d16ridgehiker]

I see you have the most important thing to bring on an elk trip.....Bulleit Bourbon!! Cheers and have a great trip!

 

[GUNDOGLOVER]

Dam n decent of Drew to offer the use of tent. Now go get some Elk. We are all waiting for update.

 

[HATCHET1]

Looks like the Hyatt Regency!! I,d know! Good luck dude. Standing by.

 

[JakeSCH]

Looks like a perfect setup! Good luck!

 

[Kellendv]

Rad. What are the Cliffs Notes? Chasing bulls or cows? What state?

That tent looks too warm... I would for sure wake up late and hunt after a heavy breakfast.

Late season cow hunt in unit 9 AZ. No movement so far this morning. It’s cold though and lots of sign in the snow. We’ve got 5 days to make it happen.

 

[Deleted member 27310]

Drew, thanks for helping out a fellow hunter that's super cool. That tent looks killer. Guy's good luck out there, i'll be keeping track from my work desk.

 

[Hunt&Done]

Bulleit is all I could see. Cheers!

 

[Lungpopper]

Waiting for your report.

 

[Kellendv]

Real slow day at the office today guys. We hunted some knobs at the southern end of the unit where we were finding cows last year. Saw nothing for the first half of the day. Found a bunch of pronghorn midday and then I found 3 cows about 2 miles out from our knob. I texted the guys to come to my side of the hill and was planning my stalk and the elk spooked. I have no idea why, no roads over there. Maybe somebody taking their rifle for a walk.

Uneventful rest of the afternoon, until we drove back to camp. The roads that were nice and frozen in the morning were some of the worst gumbo slop mud I have ever experienced. We knew everything would melt but it was nothing like this last year. An hour of the most stressful 4X4ing I have ever done got us back to camp and some chili, beers and Bulleit has us in better spirits now. We’re going to head north and hunt some different country in the morning.

 

[TRICER]

Love looking for those big yellow butts. Good idea on moving first couple of days you will figure it out then you will pack it out.

 

[Lungpopper]

Looks like some good burn areas in the upper part of 9.
From what I had heard. And watched it happen when I hunted 7W.
There isn’t much water to hold elk in the southern part of 9. But they get pushed by hunters out of 7W up into 9.

 

[BOWUNTR]

Right on... keep it coming. Ed F

 

[Kellendv]

If yesterday was slow I don’t know what to say about today. Went up north toward Tusayan and hunted an area we hunted last year. Last year we saw a bunch of cows and some nice bulls in the area and today it was a ghost town. We followed some fresh tracks from two elk for a while in the morning but nothing came of that. Ended up doing 10 or 11 miles on two hikes and saw zero elk and no fresh sign other than the tracks in the morning. Pretty depressing. Just mule deer does all day. At least we can cross that area off the list.

Tomorrow is supposed to be 40 degrees, pissing rain, and blowing 20 mph... so I’m just hoping we don’t lose the entire day. We’ll get up and see. Time in camp is a blast and we’re in a better mood with good warm shelter and good food and beer and whiskey.

 

[Snake Charmer]

Break the mold, Think outside what you have done before, weather is a factor, Think about what the animals need to have feed and be comfortable, Change country you are covering. Get high any where you go and sit and look. If you think they are where you have been before set up high and look and wait. Patience.....

 

[Kellendv]

Break the mold, Think outside what you have done before, weather is a factor, Think about what the animals need to have feed and be comfortable, Change country you are covering. Get high any where you go and sit and look. If you think they are where you have been before set up high and look and wait. Patience.....

We did do that a bit this evening at the end of the day, drove further west out toward the planes where we haven’t been before. There is very little topography in unit 9.... that’s the reason we gravitate to the southern end, there are some knobs to glass from. Much of the rest of the unit is basically flat and covered in juniper and pinyon pines. But I agree with you, if there’s no elk sign they aren’t there. So we are crossing areas off the list and moving forward.

 

[NBK]

Enjoying the ride along Kellen. Keep at it and get that Sako busy! Luck and safety to all of you guys.