3 Years in a Row

[MtnMike2]

My partner Mark and I went to the same place this year as we have the last two years; it's between Craig and Steamboat Lake State Park (exact location is a secret). We backpacked in about 1.5 miles and hunted for over a week. We agreed to break camp and head home on Friday. We have a "honey-spot" where we've taken elk the last two years: Mark last year and me the year before. We take turns watching over the honey-spot while the other hunter still-hunts or whatever. It was Mark's turn on Thursday, the day before we were to leave. He was ready to go home that morning as we hadn't seen anything in that area. But around 11:00, as he sat down on the exact log he killed the elk from last year he heard a noise and looked up to see a bull staring at him from 70 - 75 yds out. He had shouldered his rifle and had to slowly pull it down for a shot. His shot placement was almost perfect. So our freezers will be full once again. This is the third year in a row we've taken a bull from a little area about 100 yd x 100 yds. It seems to be a kind of natural funnel for animals moving through on that part of the mountain.

We got him dressed and cut up on Thurs. Carried one load, head and shoulders, to the truck on Friday (truck was about 2 miles and 2000 ft below kill). Saturday made two loads: hind quarters, loose meat/ trash, then broke camp.

Still recovering...

Mike