Date: September 9th, 2024
The first day hunters got out was Sunday morning and the action was pretty hot with bulls bugling and some close encounters. One hunter sitting in a ladder stand had several bulls pass by with one raking a tree at 24 yards with no shot. Another bigger bull was working behind the stand and also never gave a shot. Eventually a shooter bull walked down the trail following a cow towards the stand. The cow split off the trail at 30 yards and the bull walked by at 15-18 yards and offered a broadside shot. The hit must have been a little high as the hunter said they thought the bull laid down 70 yards after the shot in front of the stand. But when we got there at dark and started tracking we didn't go 10 yards on the trail and we heard it get up and take off. So this morning we think we found it another 250 yards further South where a ton of birds are flying onto something dead that wasn't there the day before but it's on the neighbors and we are waiting to get permission to retrieve it.
Another hunter saw some small bulls and some whitetails and heard lots of bugling but nothing got real close. The 3rd hunter was settled into some pines on a ridge and watched 100-150 elk travel past them with some as close as 60 yards but in a thick creek bottom that prevented any shots. Despite some calling the bulls along with a pile of cows stayed in the creek and never broke out into the meadow. There was a lot of action and tons of bugling but no shots.
This morning we had one hunter come close as elk passed right behind his stand but the tangled thicket they where walking through was so tall he could only see heads at 25 yards. The other hunter had the big elk heard coming up to them but then had to come full draw on a sow bear with 2 cubs when the cubs shot up a tree next to them and momma wasn't to happy the hunter and guide where in their path. So far it's been a pretty eventful opening 2 days.
Also pictured is a new stand we set on a Spruce ridge.
