Pursue the Wild with Kristy Titus: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Oregon's Archery Elk Season Continued

The switch had been flipped…opening day of Oregon’s archery Elk season had been epic. The cows were mewing, the bulls were bugling, dad tagged out on a great 5x5 bull, I passed up a 4x4 bull. Week two of the season was off to a slow start. The rut had not yet consumed the bull Elk and once public land hunting pressure had set in, the bulls had figured out that they were being targeted. With more hunters in the area than I have seen in years past it was no wonder that the bulls quit bugling and coming in to cow calls.

With the bulls not cooperating, and unseasonably hot and dry conditions, I decided to sit in a tree stand over a wallow. The wallow is located in an area where I had patterned several large bulls moving through over the summer and was actively being used. This tactic worked perfectly as a young 3x4 bull came in to the wallow and stood broadside at 50 yards.

Unfortunately, the big mature bull that I was looking for did not come to the wallow. While sitting the wallow with only young bulls visiting, I had a big mature bull using a game trail down the ridge so I decided to move my stand with the hopes of intercepting this big bull on the move.

The vanishing bull...

I just couldn’t manage to be in the right place at the right time. While I was out of the wallow stand on the 3^rd - 5^th of September, two shooter bulls came to the wallow on two of the three days. The bull that had been using the game trail up and vanished on me. Sometimes a girl just can’t catch a break.

Taking some time to get out of the stand, dad and I stalked within 70 yards of two young branch bulls. There was no need to close the distance on them for a shot as I was still holding out for that larger more mature bull.

Warm weather conditions made many of the Elk nocturnal.

On the 10^th of September, dad and I headed back to town and off the mountain as we both had to return to work until the 17^th. On our way out, we just missed this bull but my trail camera did not. This guy was right above us and silent. Later in the season I had an exciting hunt featuring this monster bull, read my next blog to read the story and watch the video.

While we were off the mountain the following week, check out the photos and videos below of what we missed.

This nice bull was 50 yards from my wallow stand.

This guy came in, also 50 yards from my stand.

This cat was working this hillside all season.

During the course of the week that dad and I were off the mountain and working, we did not have activity on my trail cameras. It was my understanding that there was quite a bit of hunting pressure from out of area hunters. The additional pressure had a big impact on their typical behavior and habits.

Gear List

Under Armour Clothing for Kristy and her Dad

Camo Evo Cold Gear Pants

Camo Evo Cold Gear Hoody

Camo Full Zip Hoody

Quest Jacket & Pant

Women’s Camo Glove

Hurlock Glove

Camo Active Beanie

Speed Freek Boots

Hitch Lite Cushion Boot Sock

Early Season Ridge Reaper Jacket & Pant

Camo Armourloft Vest

Swarovski Optik

EL 42 Swarovision Binoculars

65mm HD Spotting Scope with 20-60x Eyepiece

8x30 Laser Guide

Misc. Gear

Bugling Bull Game Calls- Remedy & Mellow Yellow Mama Diaphragm, Select-A-Bull Bugle, Who's Yerr Daddy

Elite Archery- Hunter

Spot Hogg Real Deal Sight

Victory Arrows

Tight Spot Quivers

Ripcord Arrow Rest

Wilderness Athlete Performance Bars, Energy Gel, Energy & Focus Drink Formula, Protein Plus

Montana Decoy
Hunten' Outdoors Trail Cameras

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Opening Week of Oregon's Archery Elk Season

Archery Elk season here in Oregon is off to a great start. After scouting for two months, my dad and I were in the bulls first thing. We had set up two stands in separate locations that I had found big bulls over the summer. Using Bugling Bull Game Calls Remedy diaphragm, I cow called in and passed up a young 4x4 hoping for a chance at a bigger more mature bull as the season progresses.

My dad was able to take a nice 5x5 opening morning in another spot that I had scouted over the past two months. He was also cow called in an entire herd of over 70 Elk using the Mellow Yellow Mama diaphragm from Bugling Bull Game Calls.

The herd going up the draw.

Here they come in to dad's cow calls.

That is a lot of spike bulls to pass up waiting for the branched bull.

Well worth the wait!

Dad called in the huge herd of Elk and passed up a ton of cows and spike bulls before harvesting this beautiful bull.

At the end of July this location only had resident bachelor bulls but around the 10^th of August those bulls moved out and the cows, calves spikes and young branch bulls moved in. The evening of opening day, I was in a huge herd of cows and calves with no branch bulls (my dad shot the only branch bull in the herd). It was pretty amazing working my way up the mountain with Elk literally surrounding me. Thanks to a nasty thunder storm that rolled through the ground was wet and quiet and the wind was blowing steady downhill allowing me to sneak within 5 feet of some of the calves. I even managed to get it all on video. The audio on the footage is amazing. The herd was so loud, even the cows were bugling literally yards away from me. It was incredible!!!

We have a spike camp in over 4 miles off the road and I must say it is pretty awesome going to bed at night with the melody of mewing cows putting you to sleep. The big bulls are still in bachelor herds for now leaving me with the hopes of harvesting a larger more mature bull when one moves in and takes over this massive herd plus a plethora of statelight bulls looking to steal some of the cows. I will be there…waiting for my chance!

I am out of the woods today taking care of meat but will be back hunting tomorrow morning.

Happy Hunting Everyone,

Kristy

My dad and I packing out his 5x5 public land, DIY bull Elk.