firstcoueswas80

So have i. Later in the hunt more often than not it gets frustrating, so I'm happy to kill early in the hunt! Give me a decent Buck on day three and I'm happier than you snuggling up to mama bear

We will have to agree to disagree on that one buddy.

Ill take opening morning over the final morning/evening!

The XD line is my favorite! I've had one for 20 plus years the amount of miles that thing has had on my hip is immeasurable. If we were able to choose our guns at work that's what I would carry over the Glock that we get assigned.

Id be interested in hearing the numbers in regards to splitting.

Never have before but they got some mud on them from the last hunt

How do y'all wash your sleeping bags? After that muddy freaking mess of an elk hunt all three of my bags could use a cleaning. They're all the large 0° Cabela's style so just throwing them in the laundry is not a possibility.

I still rememeber the first animal I ever killed, a squirrel with grandpas 22. Watching my son when he killed his elk. He was jacked up. Watching my dad draw back on a bull in 4b. Stepped on a twig and spooked it, but he was shaking like a leaf. Thought he was going to fall down. My dad was a pretty even keel guy, so to see him lose it like that is something I'll never forget.

My son has a second bike it might need a little work I can't remember but I know him and his mom were looking at selling it. Let me get some info from them and I'll post back

Good luck to everyone who is about to head to the mountains with their kids for their hunts. Looks like it is going to be a wet wet weekend... Good thing the government is shut down and I have the week off, we might need it!

They were going nuts on my son's hunt. In fact we would have killed opening evening as there was four or five Bulls bugling their asses off if we had not gotten caught in a torrential downpour and opted to retreat for dryer pastures.

My boy did great in the draw this year drawing elk, deer, javelina, crane. He was on fall break, and I had the time off so we loaded up and headed to camp on Wednesday. My buddies parents were there so we hung out, enjoyed the weather and waited for the rest of the crew. Everyone got there and we waited..... for the rain. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. We stayed in my buddies dad's tent and got absolutely soaked. I was legit worried about my son. We ran the wood stove all day and night and eventually got stuff decently dry. With some borrowed bags, we survived. Threw a tarp over the tent and all was good. The mud was absolutely insane. We got atleast 4 inches and the roads were insane. We didnt hunt much the first couple days, but did help a friend's son pack one out. Sunday morning heading out, the voltage regulator got caked in mud in my rzr and absolutely fried. No luck Sunday morning but had to tow it back to camp. Sunday evening we walked from camp (truck batteries are dead too). Walked out from camp, the wind was bad but was hoping we could see something on either side get the wind right and circle. We got to as far was we were going to go then circled with the wind in our faces to slowly hunt back to camp. Glassing as we went, I immediately found a cow. As I was carrying the rifle, I extended the bipod legs and jacked one in. Levi asked me "dad what are you doing?" "There are elk up here buddy, and atleast one is a cow!" We got behind cover and snuck up about 100 yards. Peaked around a bush and saw the bull, a really nice 6x6 let out a bugle. Put eyes on his cows and got back behind cover and closed another 40-50 yards. We peek out and there is a lone cow, broadside shining in the sun. I range her, 281 yards. Turn the dial on the scope and tell Levi to get on her. Hes on her. Im ready. "Let her have it buddy, squeeze that trigger." He lets one rip. THUMP. "Good shot buddy, you hit her. Reload hit her again." My boy racks another round like a seasoned vet and lets it rip. "You rushed that shot, reload hit her again." THUMP. Great shot buddy! I put two more in his gun. She steps out. "She's still standing, hit her again!" THUMP. She lays down right there. I can hear her labored breaths. "Reload buddy, stay on her but dont shoot unless she gets up!" Needless to say she doesn't. She made it about 10 yards. Three shots in the boiler room. The supressor absolutely made the difference as they had no idea where we were or what was going on. Money well spent. I can not put in to words how proud I am of this kid. Hes persevered hunts with no luck. Lots of rain. Being cold. Not seeing much (these were the first elk we had seen). And then, during crunch time he handled his rifle like an experienced hunter. Not to mention trying to control blood sugar through all this. Writing this up and reflecting brings tears to my eyes. Rifle info: Bergara B14 in 7/08 shooting 120 TTSX, all 3 rounds blew through.

These things rock! I absolutely love mine. Plus Dustin is good to deal with!

Speaking of grammar, when people say seen instead of saw.

Best compliment a man can give another man. Thank you Houston.

Thanks Chris, ive got new batteries in the bed of my buddies truck ($519 expenditure during furlough, yipee). We're hoping to get everything out tomorrow. Im not TOO worried about my Dodge, but I am worried about the rzr and trailer in one specific spot.

Can't express how proud I am of my boy. Ill do a complete write up when we finally get home. Truck batteries are dead. Rzr voltage regulator fried in the mud. Not sure i can get my diesel out of where we are camped, let alone the trailer and rzr. But, my boy put 3 through the boiler room on his first elk, first Arizona animal at 281 yards. Supressors rock!

We are up here. Caught a lull in the downpour. Boy and I drove the rzr (nice and slow) about half mile front camp. Bulls going crazy. Absolute down pour. Turned around and slugged back to the rzr then camp to get warm and dry.

We are up here. Caught a lull in the downpour. Boy and I drove the rzr (nice and slow) about half mile front camp. Bulls going crazy. Absolute down pour. Turned around and slugged back to the rzr then camp to get warm and dry.

Headed out.... about an hour ago! After getting fuel snacks ice double checking the straps on the razor and picking up a shovel we're finally hitting the freeway to head out of town!

My boy and I leave tomorrow for his first elk hunt. I read this with a giant grin on my face. My absolute favorite part was "All these young kids filling their first tags is a great thing. I have a lifetime of chasing elk in front of me." There are plenty of full grown, very experienced adults that could learn a lesson from that sentence alone. I also commend you for letting him go alone. I don't know that I could do that, then again my boy is only 12, maybe when he is older....

I like seeing how other people set up their rigs. Ours is an older rzr, a 2012 900xp with a freshly rebuilt motor, little brother ran it out if oil. We also had the shocks revalved and eibach springs installed. Just put the rack and the spare tire holder on. Just need to mount the Kolpin gun boot and Im all set up!

Saw the name and wondered if she was part of the family. Great bull and even better shot!

How come I knew that was going to be the first response? The elk are where the elk are and at that time, they were working their way back to their bedding area crossing a two-track so that's where we hunted them

Years ago my dad had the highly coveted 4B early archery bull tag. We were working a bull and had visual on him coming on a line. Some guys who had the rifle hunt that started after his son ended drove down near where we were close enough to Spook off the bull. Later talked with those guys told him what was going on they were apologetic and I had to tell them like look man people are out here archery hunting you shouldn't be driving roads and shoot during Prime time. They were cool they agreed and they decided to not drive roads in prime time.