After applying for 11 years my son Matt,and I got drawn for Margaret Muzzleloader bull permits.Most of the area these permits cover are in the Mt St Helens blast zone.

We have been going up and scouting 3 very large drainages regularly since getting drawn 2 months or more ago.It was walk in only so we put a lot of hours and miles on our boots.

This area is filthy thick with elk.Seeing 30 Branch bulls a day would probably be an average day.Seems like mostly 5x5s.Quite few forked horns ,and a rare 6x6 or bigger.

The areas we were scoutin we watched a 6x6,and a 6x7,almost every time in.We did see a 7x7 or 8 once.Plus countless forked horns and 5xs.

The week or so before our opener we knew where we wanted to be.And what elk we were after.We had their areas pretty well figured out.The weekend before our opener we went up to scout again.Weyco opened the land up to vehicle access.So we drove in and figured we would check as much area as we could.

Well,thats when all of our scouting went down the tubes.We got into the first 2 drainages and the area was swarming with crews cutting fir boughs,and a helicopter was flying them out. We saw a total of 2 elk in an area we had been seeing a hundred or more in.

Talk about a let down!We knew we would find more elk.But not the ones we wanted.

After that our plan was to drive and spot till we saw decent bulls.Which we saw.But they werent as good as the ones we had scouted.About mid day we spotted a herd with a nice bull.But they spooked lower into the drainage.I knew there was a skid road that went down and parraleled the lower portion of the drainage.So we decided to see if we could cut them.As we worked our way down the trail we cut a few cows.We crouched down and waited to see if the bull would come through.We decided the if it worked we would both shoot on 3.Sure enough here he come.Stops broadside at a hair over a 100 yds.Matt counts 1...2...3 boom,click.The bull stands there a few seconds,then walks over the hill.Matt missed completely and my cap had fallen off and I never noticed it.

Hoo boy.

We head into the brush to see if we can find him again,but ended up walking clear around him.Time to call it a day and head in.

The next morning we meet at the house and are getting ready to go.I look at the sights on Matts m/l and see the fiber optics on the rear sight are broke.A peice is missing,but they are still functional.My Brother in law is looking at them and discovers the sights are also loose. So I grab a target and we plan on resighting as soon as we get a chance.

We get up to the far side of the drainage to glass the area we were in the day before.Spot the bull again and decide to go put on a stalk.But first we are going to get that gun sighted in.While I'm glassing Matt sets up to shoot.I hear his cap go off but no powder.This happens 3 times.Yikes.
Then it dawned on me that he cleaned his gun the night before and probably didnt get all the moisture.Sure enough thats the problem.We dissasemble clean and reload his m/l.He shots it a few times and its on!

I felt so bad for my boy,I knew how upset he was over all this stuff happening.But I tried to reasure him he'll get another chance.Its a good thing we saw that bull again.It really helped lift his spirit.

Matt and I went over to the other side of the drainage and My Brother in law spotted for us from about a mile and a half away.After about an hour or so of workin our way through the 20 year old noble fir he told us we were about 50 yards below and 30 yards to the right of the bull.I told Matt to keep easing up how he was going and I would drop down and over a hair in case they head down the hill on us.I go about 20 yards and look up.2 cows are looking at me.Uh oh,I'm made.As soon as this disheartening thought goes through my head I hear it! Boom!!!!.I see the bull jump up.Then stagger and drop.He's down. Everything went perfect. Nice 5 by 6

Fortunately we had a couple thousand feet of mule tape and a couple snatch blocks.Sure beats packing!

Monday its just me and Matt.Were into a ton of bulls.A nice one gives me the slip 2 or 3 times.We head home after a long day.I'm kinda bummed but know I have plenty of time left.

Tuesday We head up and see a nice bull in the morning.After a futile stalk we head to where we were seeing the one on Monday.We are looking over a bluff where there were 2 herds below and a herd behind us.I tell Matt I cant believe there arent any elk down there and head to the truck.Right then he says there they are.They were so tight to the bluff we just couldnt see them till the filed out further.

As Matt spots for me I work from bluff to bluff trying to see them.After about a frustrating 2 hour stalk I finally get to where a couple cows are in a small opening directly below me.
Matts telling me that the main herd is past me,but I just cant see how.I'm thinking his perception is off because of the distance and angle.I wait for about 15 minutes watching these cows,in hopes my bull will come out.Then I heard him bugle a few hundred yards past me.Back to making up ground.The only good thing is that hes headed for a nice opening of about an acre.The bad thing is I have to cross a couple open draws to get there.

I cant believe I made it without being busted by the cows.As I try to get into position I look into the edge of the opening and heres a forked horn and a couple cows.Where the heck is the bigger 1?I manouver over and down about 20 yards and start galssing.Theres a bull.But cant tell which one.He finally turns and starts to 1/4 away.Its the bigger 1 and hes giving me a great shot.I aim,squeeze the trigger,Boom.H'es down!!! Got him at a hair over a 100 yards right behing the shoulder.Nice 4x5.A little wider and taller than the kids.

It really worked out good ,cause by then he was about a 100 yards from a rd. We were able to get him to a high bank,back up and load him whole.




http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP15456.jpg

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP15455.jpg
http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP15454.jpg












Most of the pics of Matts are on a different camera.I'll try to get up one or 2 good ones tomorrow.

This ended up being the funnest most exciting hunt I've ever been on.Great memories.


HntnFsh

Sorry the pics didnt come though the way I did this and I dont know how to post pics.Hope you enjoy the story though

Nice work, as for the pics.

Below the post click on file manager upload the image.

jy

Nice job!

If you e-mail thepics to me in jpg format I can post them for you.

meso@centurytel.net

I'm getting closer I'll get it figured out tomorrow

Nice bulls! Here you go.

Thank you Dog fish. I'll get a better pic of my boys up tomorrow.

What am I doing wrong when posting them.So I can go to a pic instead of url ?

It sounds like your brother in law was spotting for you from quite a distance, was he telling you the locations by radio? If so I would be careful it is highly illeagal to use electronic devices to locate or put someone on animals. If I'm wrong sorry it sounded like he was a mile and a half away on two seperate occations, to use hand signals to direct would be legal in that case, not sure what you did there you didn't specify.

Step one, open two internet explorer windows, one for your post, another for the photos. This works best for me.

Once you have the image loaded, right click on the photo and select properties, highlight the website address for the photo and copy it, then switch over to the page where you are creating a message.

Above the dialogue box where you type you'll see a world with a paperclip, an envelope, and a JPG symbol in red boxes, plus a few others for "bold, Italics, etc". Click on the JPG symbol and a separate box wil open, and this is where you paste the web address that you highlighted earlier.

You could also paste the web address of the photo, and in front type " [img] " and behind it type " [/img] ' without any spaces between, and no quote marks (').

Nice bulls, congrats.

Now, are you sure about the electronic device statement. I looked through the regs, what page did you see it on. I see people using walki talkies all the time, CB's all different kinds of things. Shoot those new hand held GPS have built in radios.

JY


N

M-Ray,

I think you may be confusing the electronic call/decoy issue relating to birds with walkie talkies, which are two different issues entirely. I know other states have such regulations, but there is nothing in the hunting regulations pertaining to radios in the big game regulations, nor am I able to find anything in Title 77 of the RCW's.

They clearly cover private planes and helicopters, battery powered decoys/calls for birds, but nothing is mentioned on using radios.

I'm willing to accept that I'm wrong, but I've read these things from cover to cover every year, looking for specific changes, and have never seen this regulation in Washington State. I'd be interested if you could show where you got this info.

Take care,

Andy

Your right I may have confused similar laws for Idaho and Oregon on reporting game locations and Montana clearly states it is illeagal to use two-way communication to hunt big game and game birds I assumed Wa would be the same. Everyone I know has allways said that it was illeagal here too and I am surprised not to find it in the pamphlet. It would be just like one of our officals to ticket you though and have you go through the courts to prove yourself. I would like to hear it from Olympia though cause I have found lots of grey areas in our pamphlet before. Sorry for any confusion I was trying to be careful I wasnt trying to start something.

Thanks again Dogfish.I think I finally figured it out.After about 5 years of not posting pics on this board.Couldnt of done it without your help.

Hntnfsh,
Once again nice Bulls, also Dogfish etal- thanks for the info on radios. I see so many people using them that I was very supprised to read that they were illegal.

Its nice to know that the people I see are hunting within the language of the law.
JY

Heres a follow up to my original post on the two-way radios, as I said I wanted to here it from Olympia so I called WDFW enforcement on Friday. The women that answered the phone told me at first she agreed that it was illeagal so I asked her where it was at in the pamphlet and she said " Well it's not in there" Of coarse my response was -"Well how are we supposed to know if you dont print it" Then she said "Ummmm I thought it was leagal hang on I'll get an official on the line" and she proceeded to call a Game official out in the field by two way while I was on the line.

He didnt know off the top of his head and had to look it up so she put me on hold and about 5-6 minutes or more later she came back on and told me " IT IS LEAGAL" so I guess take from this what you want I could have sworn sometime in the past a game official told me face to face that it was illeagal but the way that conversation went down it scares me a bit into thinking it may come down to a wardens interpitation in the field but for what it's worth I stand corrected it is leagal in Washington. I personally dont think I'll use them cause I dont trust them (WA) but I hunt so many other western states and many of them dont let you use them I'll keep it consistant across the board.

Thanks for the update and follow-up!