2014 Elk Hunt - The Hunt...Day Three...

Day three of our hunt started as the others. Vicki, the camp cook and wife of our guide Jack, made breakfast, we assembled our gear, and soon were bouncing up the ranch road to our hunting area by a little after 6:00am.  Our plan was for Dad and Jack to slowly hunt/hike along an aspen ridge near an open meadow known as the potato field, and for me to take my time to get to a stand location along the potato field.  The hope was that Dad/Jack would either catch elk moving out  of the potato field into the aspen, or they would push elk out into the it toward me, or I would catch elk still in the potato field as I quietly entered it.

The strategy didn't bear fruit...or elk, as the case may be.  Dad/Jack did not see any game. I did not see elk either, but did have some excitement. As I entered a smaller meadow beneath the potato field in the low light of pre-dawn, I heard the clashing of antlers. I scanned the area with my binoculars, and soon found the source of the noise. Two small mule deer bucks were locked in battle, establishing their pecking order with their rut soon approaching. I had heard this noise before, but never actually seen it happening....it was quite a site! I then noticed several other mule deer enjoying the show with me.

1880's Log Cabin on Private Ranch we Hunted

I pressed on, up a scrub oak laden hill alongside the small meadow. At the top of the hill was the potato field. I cautiously moved through the oak, keeping myself in the cover of the small trees. I scanned the potato field with my binoculars and saw 15 more deer. After making certain that none of the deer were elk, I slowly hiked along the edge of the field to my stand. Over the next hour, I saw over 20 more deer walk by...some 20 yards away, some 200 yards, some does with yearlings, some small bucks. By 8:30am I had seen 44 deer...and over 70 by the end of the day. I wish I would see half that amount in a full season of Wisconsin deer hunting!

Sunset over Potato Field

We had our lunch after hiking back to the truck near an old homestead log cabin (pictured) and spent the afternoon hunting through a new area with some steep hillsides and awesome views of the mountainside. We kicked up a couple elk, but did not get a good look at them. We closed the day sitting alongside the potato field...and while we scored a spectacular sunset, we did not see nor score an elk.  Maybe tomorrow...our last day.