Elk hunting pictures

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That remined me of a friend who lived in the country on a wheat and sheep property. They had been losing sheep for a while and couldn't figure out what was taking them.

One day the local primary school kids had a show n tell of what they did on the weekend. A few kids got up and spoke about their adventures and then this little Aboriginal kid gets up and starts telling the class about how he and his uncles went hunting wild sheep on the weekend. They got 3 of them.

The news spread to the local Police station and they went out to pay the sheep poachers a visit and found sheep ID tags in the bin. They matched the tags to sheep from my friend's farm. Problem solved.

Be very very quiet. We're hunting wild sheep :)
Kind of reminds me of "Waltzing Matilda." Where's that jolly jumbuck that you put in your tucker bag? You'll come a waltzing-Matilda with me...

It isn't against the rules to post pics of hunting rifles, but I probably won't post one because people get all weird about guns, even simple hunting arms. @Fishmanic and @connorlindeman It's a Winchester model 70 (though mine is made by Savage), .270 caliber, with a left-handed action and a 3x9 scope. You can image search Winchester 70, imagine it with the bolt on the other side, and you'll see exactly what mine looks like.
 
I am often very grateful that my ability to feed my family does not depend on my ability to harvest game with a primitive bow. :lol:

Between some very adverse weather and very limited mobility, I knew my odds were even lower than usual this year. The wind roared for three solid days, which makes it impossible to hear the elk, and tends to make them hunker down and move about less. Incidentally, it also makes camping out a lot less fun. It was COLD. And my foot is still in a cast, and pretty sore, and I have to carry a stool to sit on, all of which severely limits where I can go and how far I can hike.

But it was a good, safe hunt, we both stayed healthy; I got to spend many hours gazing at beautiful things, hanging out with chickadees and ravens. So I'm not complaining. And rifle season is coming up--that's not nearly as fun, but it's when I generally put some meat in the freezer.
 
I am often very grateful that my ability to feed my family does not depend on my ability to harvest game with a primitive bow. :lol:

Between some very adverse weather and very limited mobility, I knew my odds were even lower than usual this year. The wind roared for three solid days, which makes it impossible to hear the elk, and tends to make them hunker down and move about less. Incidentally, it also makes camping out a lot less fun. It was COLD. And my foot is still in a cast, and pretty sore, and I have to carry a stool to sit on, all of which severely limits where I can go and how far I can hike.

But it was a good, safe hunt, we both stayed healthy; I got to spend many hours gazing at beautiful things, hanging out with chickadees and ravens. So I'm not complaining. And rifle season is coming up--that's not nearly as fun, but it's when I generally put some meat in the freezer.
That's what matters. Having fun in nature.
 
Well, archery season is over, so it's time to grab the rifle and try to put some meat in the freezer. We went out to the Red Desert Saturday. We spotted a herd of desert elk, spent about four hours sneaking up at them (kind of wrecking my hurt foot in the process)...and I missed a shot at a nice bull. 😢 Not seeing elk is a bummer; missing a shot at one is just awful. We misjudged the distance and I shot under him. Well, at least it was a clean miss.

While tooling around the desert, I saw the funniest road sign I've seen in a while. See all that dirt and sagebrush in the background? It looks like that as far as the eye can see in every direction.
Green Acres.jpg

(pardon the terrible quality; I forgot my camera and only had my old cruddy phone)

Sunset on the Jack Marrow Hills. There are worse places to feel like a complete failure. :/
Jack Marrow Sunset.jpg
 
So, yesterday after Bible study, lunch, and a nap, I decided to drive up to the Sweetwater Plateau and try to find an antelope. Got a pretty nice one. Going to make this guy into jerky and sausage, and have a nice set of horns to hang on the wall. Might try to brain tan the hide, but I skinned him in the dark and didn't do the best job, so might just make rawhide for bow backings instead. Either way, I feel good that I made a good shot on him, took out both lungs and the heart, and he was dead almost before he realized anything was wrong. Redemption of a sort.

WARNING: You are about to see a picture of a dead animal. If you are offended by being reminded of where meat comes from, please scroll no further.















20221009_180926[1].jpg


The buck stops here...
20221010_073148[1].jpg
 
Our family's chief of financial operations (AKA Mrs. Badger) has promised me that, if I get one this big with my bow, we'll get a head mount done. I don't usually go for head mounts (I prefer skull mounts, for various reasons), but pronghorns are so beautiful and exotic looking, I'd make an exception. They really look (and act) more like African game than anything you'd expect to see in the Wyoming deserts.
 
I'm sad to see the dead animal but I'm happy you were able to get a nice buck.
Congrats!
 
I'm sad to see the dead animal but I'm happy you were able to get a nice buck.
Congrats!
Yeah, always some pretty strong mixed emotions with a kill: Sadness at removing a beautiful animal from the flow of life, a sense of accomplishment bordering on euphoria, relief at providing some meat for the winter, deep gratitude, and some other things that are hard to hang words on.
 

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