![\"northwest-elk-academy-vol-1_lrg\"](\"http:\/\/www.pursuetheoutdoors.com\/field-journals\/troy-neimann\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/northwest-elk-academy-vol-1_lrg-400x400.jpg\")
\u00a0<\/p>\nWhat an\u00a0incredibly blessed year for both\u00a0family and friends! The\u00a0season\u00a0started\u00a0with good friend\u00a0Gary Lewis\u00a0as we traveled throughout the NW conducting\u00a0“Public Lands Elk Hunting” seminars that’s now in production for DVD called\u00a0“Northwest Elk Academy – Your Pre-Season Boot Camp”.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Sportsman's Warehouse<\/p><\/div>\n
Gary and I\u00a0share a passion for mentoring\u00a0non-bias elk hunting information passing on what others have been so kind to\u00a0teach\u00a0us. Through\u00a0seminars combined with\u00a0over twenty years hunting\u00a0experience and\u00a0studying private elk herds\u00a0we’ve been able to fine tune our skills while helping others\u00a0become successful in elk country. Here’s a few photos\u00a0showing success applying techniques that work!\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/a>Gary's 1st Cow<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>James's 1st Bull<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Todd's 1st Bull<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>James's 2nd Bull<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a>Todd's 2nd Bull<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>James's 3rd Bull<\/p><\/div>\n
Gary and I\u00a0discovered that as we traveled and spent time meeting folks, we learned a lot more through other people’s experiences\u00a0while comparing their information with what we\u00a0observed studying elk in the field.<\/p>\n
Once the seminars came to a close in late August and the temperatures started to climb, Gary and I would spend time at the elk ranch observing\u00a0behavior\u00a0while recording elk language associated\u00a0with\u00a0activity\u00a0and responses.\u00a0Observing this\u00a0proved to be a\u00a0great way to\u00a0learn more about\u00a0elk language\u00a0with an\u00a0understanding of where\u00a0elk are\u00a0during the season of change as their antlers\u00a0begin shedding velvet\u00a0while they\u00a0tune their\u00a0voices for the upcoming breeding season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/a>Aggressive Rubbing<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Seeking Water<\/p><\/div>\n
Conducting over eight seminars and\u00a0studying\u00a0private elk herds, the day had finally come when the spirit of preperation really kicked in and drove us to\u00a0venture\u00a0back to elk country for some early\u00a0season scouting. I remember packing the Jeep and feeling the excitement\u00a0to re-visit some of\u00a0our favorite spots.\u00a0As you\u00a0can see through\u00a0early season scouting and staging the elk were up to their usual behavior leaving various\u00a0elk sign for us to journal.<\/p>\n Sign at the Wallow<\/p><\/div>\n Early Rubs<\/p><\/div>\n Bull Sign<\/p><\/div>\n Checking the Stand<\/p><\/div>\n Based on what we saw, the elk were back in their usual summer migration habitat. Bulls were starting to break up\u00a0marking territory challenging other bulls for\u00a0rights to earn a canyon and\u00a0herd\u00a0cows once the full moon approached. This grouping effect\u00a0can cause cows to estrus through feremone exchange\u00a0driving bulls into breeding behavior. Typically bulls will break up in the “pre-rut” stage of the season (usually late Aug. thru the first couple weeks of Sept.) then once they have\u00a0established their territory, move into harem gathering to earn cows for the “rut” or breeding season (mid. Sept. thru late Nov.). Since cows can estrus anytime, the dominant bull will remain nearby\u00a0checking the herd for scent of a “hot cow” and fight off other\u00a0challenging bulls.<\/p>\n Since\u00a0tuning our skills\u00a0and conducting pre-season scouting, we were ready to load\u00a0gear and head to elk country in pursuit of “Wapiti” – The Great White Rump as native indians use to call them. It was time to monitor the “awareness factors” (wind, moon, temperature, barrometer, pressure, sign, etc.) when planning our strategy. Opening morning came as Lyn, Jeff & I executed our game plan to approach a stationary herd located in a small isolated pocket far from\u00a0human access.<\/p>\n Strategy & Approach<\/p><\/div>\n We moved in slowly at first light utilizing scent control\u00a0while monitoring\u00a0wind direction to maintain concealment.\u00a0The weather\u00a0remained stable with a high\u00a0pressure air mass\u00a0running\u00a0mid-day temperatures into the low 80’s.\u00a0Knowing the elk would be feeding up from\u00a0lower meadows and water sources, we attempted to place ourselves in their path\u00a0cutting them off to\u00a0bed.<\/p>\n Naturally as many of you have experienced, other hunters beat us to the spot where\u00a0elk were enroute about to be “spooked” by other hunter\u00a0pressure creating unfamiliar\u00a0human scent. Bummer for us as we had snuck over three miles to access the “honey hole”\u00a0come to\u00a0witness “dust and butts” as the elk checked out\u00a0running\u00a0across the front of us\u00a0from pressure. I remember\u00a0feeling the ground thump as I drew my bow for a possible quick shot however no chance.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n “Dang” – the elk were right where we expected them. From there the season offered multiple opportunities where one thing or another\u00a0occured creating\u00a0low percentage shots. Bulls\u00a0proved to be in\u00a0their regular\u00a0haunts with cows holding\u00a0in\u00a0deep NW timber during the days bedding by springs where\u00a0air was humid about\u00a0ten degrees cooler than the open slopes with direct sunlight.<\/p>\n Third week of the season came when I got the opportunity to hunt a bull I had scoped out the year before. This was no ordinary bull, this was a beautiful 7X6 herd bull that’s been living in a particular area for about six years. The bull offered a shot last year at 22 yards head on\u00a0where I held and chose not to release and wound him. I told myself… if the bull showed himself this year I would commit the rest of\u00a0my season pursuing him as I had not seen any bulls\u00a0this class anywhere\u00a0on public lands. Word came that the bull had been spotted back in his normal rutting area so I rushed right to the area and set up for a chance to ambush.<\/p>\n Now here’s where the story gets exciting. Knowing my wife and I were expecting our third child to be born some time around October 5th as a due date, I\u00a0drove home from wilderness hunting to be close in case of early labor.\u00a0September 17th\u00a0we visited the Dr. who conducted an exam and stated the baby was close however, should be born in about a week or so.\u00a0Knowing how much I love to hunt elk,\u00a0my wife\u00a0granted me permission to head out and hunt close to town in case something happened. Guess what???? Yep, 7:30 pm rolled around and the bull came right to us after we made a few soft cow calls with estrus. The bull came in hot moaning all the way as if to breed. My partner Lyn was on my side watching as the large herd bull ran down the hill at dusk looking for us hidden in a ditch. The 7X6 presented a close shot quartering away at approx. 22 yards. I drew back and landed the pin on his vitals near the \u00a0center of the shoulder since the light was low and my peep sight made it hard to see. Lyn asked if I was going to shoot when I released hearing the “whoomp” sound as the arrow penetrated the bull’s deep cavity. After the shot, the bull walked off as if he had been stung or hit by a sharp branch. He walked halfway up the hill\u00a0leaving blood spray on the ground, trees and brush allowing us to track easily. Lyn and I decided to give the bull 45 minutes before tracking as we knew he was hit solid.<\/p>\n Once we got up to track and confirmed heavy blood, we decided to let the bull rest and come back in the morning\u00a0for discovery. On the way out we visited a friend who had told us the bull was in the area come to hear my wife went into labor and delivered a 7lb. baby girl at approx. 6 pm. Hearing this, I was in shock and denial as I could not believe what\u00a0had taken place with the bull and our newborn that evening. Emotions were high to say the least! We rushed to the hospital where I was blessed to see my\u00a0family\u00a0and hold our new gift from the Lord –\u00a0“MAN…\u00a0WHAT A NIGHT”!<\/p>\n Ok – so I know your wondering…. what\u00a0about the bull? The next morning we were back at the site and on the trail to discover where the bull was come to find\u00a0blood all over the place. Lyn hung green tape in the trees to mark where the\u00a0elk had walked. After about 200 yards, we began to loose the blood trail however, could see\u00a0tracks where the bull\u00a0went to gather with\u00a0cows. The blood would be coughed in\u00a0half circle\u00a0patterns wherever\u00a0he would stop to catch his breath and swing his neck. Where the blood was steady on the trail, we confirmed blood was only coming out his left side and there was no arrow at the site where we shot him. At this point we knew the shot did not pass through and that he was bleeding heavy in his mouth. By noon that day, we started to lose the trail towards a fence line going onto private property where a thick Mahogany patch existed with Aspen in the bottom near water about 500 yards away.<\/p>\n This is where the story gets tough since my camera bounced out of the razor on the way to the hunt so I was unable to\u00a0current photos of the evidence. We tracked the bull to the fence line area and spent four days searching bedding areas, water holes and other places the bull went while watching for birds. “No luck” as the next weekend approached causing us to notify the State Police that the bull may have died on the private property over the fence line.<\/p>\n Similar Bull<\/p><\/div>\n Tracking<\/p><\/div>\n Sorry to say, the season came to an end and we were unable to recover the bull however, had feelers out everywhere that the bull may be found or picked by somebody honest that would notify the Fish and Game or State Police. Not a great feeling as I knew the shot was solid at 22 yards with a strong blood trail coming out of the bull’s mouth. I could not believe the bull did not go down in a few hundred yards. To obtain the bull now would be such great closure to such a wonderful story with my daughter Brooklyn’s birth\u00a0at the same\u00a0evening the large bull was shot. I know the bull is out there and rumors have been floating around\u00a0about its\u00a0recovery, so I know a “certain” person\u00a0may have\u00a0the bull!!! For now I’ll wait patiently as official\u00a0discovery and investigation\u00a0conclude allowing us to bring this chapter to a close. I have the blood\u00a0and hair samples so\u00a0testing\u00a0is not out of the question…\u00a0<\/p>\n On another not, friends and family experienced a great year as well so I thought I would share a few notes with photos for all you elk hunters out there. The first story is about my two brothers\u00a0who hunted familiar areas where we’ve had numerous success. Opening morning rifle season came\u00a0when their excitement had them deep into a favorite “honey hole” come to find other hunter pressure once again. Elk were in the area however, escaped! The second morning came and due to sore legs and fatigue my brothers chose to hunt a much flatter area on the top of a ridge where elk frequent quite often as a travel route from morning feeding. Sure enough two bulls with a herd were on the move at light offering\u00a0vocalizations that allowed my brothers to ambush and cut them off.<\/p>\n Tree Line Crossing<\/p><\/div>\n 1st Bull Down<\/p><\/div>\n 5X5<\/p><\/div>\n Scott's Bull<\/p><\/div>\n 2nd Bull Down<\/p><\/div>\n 6X5<\/p><\/div>\n Chris's Bull<\/p><\/div>\n Headed Home<\/p><\/div>\n Congatulations\u00a0guys on a great year! Enjoy\u00a0that elk meat and don’t forget to share some jerky out on the river fishing…<\/p>\n Now my buddy Phillippe who is a great long range shooter had the opportunity to harvest a great bull from over 750 yards which he practices at regulalry. Not something hunters should\u00a0attempt unless\u00a0comfortable with long range shooting and wind –\u00a0elevation adjustment.<\/p>\n Scouting the Bull<\/p><\/div>\n Phillippe's Bull<\/p><\/div>\n 725 Yard Shot<\/p><\/div>\n Congrats. Phillippe and all\u00a0other hunters that sealed the deal\u00a0hunting in elk country this year… Here’s to another great year\u00a0full of\u00a0memories that\u00a0fill the soul till next July when we begin to observe\u00a0elk through their\u00a0summer behavior\u00a0for another opportunity to “pursue the outdoors”!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>