Spike Elk Hunt - Final Update

A spike is a yearling male - he gets his name from the antlers that look like spikes - duh. This is what a spike elk looks like.


I had to remind myself because I have not seen one since the buck hunt last year. SATURDAY morning Dave & I went out before conference and saw five elk, but no spikes. The weather was just how I like it - cold and snowy. MONDAY afternoon I went out alone and saw five more elk - but no spikes. The weather was clear and in the upper fifties - warmer than I like for hunting. TUESDAY I went out and saw no elk - just fresh sign. I also hiked way too much and was fearful I wouldn't get out alive! And I ran out of water - I was eating snow to replenish fluids. It was also warmer - in the upper fifties - way too warm for my liking. WEDNESDAY Dave and I went out again. The weather was about the same - and so were the results - two cow elk but no spikes. THURSDAY Joe, Annie, and Andy (Joe's coworker), and I went out together. Just before dusk we saw two elk off in the distance. We hustled to get closer to see if one was a spike. No such luck. FRIDAY the four of us went out again. I decided to "stealth hunt" - I hiked as silently as possible looking at everything for any sign of elk, with rifle in ready position just in case. Whilst stealthing, my 7:30 phone alarm sounded with the "old telephone ringer." I fumbled to get it out of my pocket to shut it off - but not before three or four rings. So much for being stealth. But I continued on anyway. I started to notice a slight downdraft coming from behind - sending my non-elk scent in the direction I was heading - telegraphing human presence to any elk ahead. I was now processing a second guess of my plan, thus breaking concentration on my surroundings. It was at that moment of mind-wandering that an elk stepped out of the scrub oak at the ten o'clock position - not twenty yards from me. Joe had previously told Andy that spike opportunities come in only three-second chances. Well my current three-second opportunity came and went in one fluid motion as the elk turned back into the scrub oak with me raising my rifle while pushing the safety off as I desperately looked for two spiked antlers growing out of the elk's skull. Every branch in the scrub oak spiked skyward looking exactly like the prerequisite bone growth I needed to see on his head before firing from my deadly accurate Weatherby .300 magnum (thanks boys!). As I searched resolutely to distinguish between vertical bone and scrub oak my three seconds expired and I never saw another Wapiti that day.
While I was having my excitement for this day's hunt, Joe had a similar experience - only with a big six-point bull elk that hustled out of a draw and stared at him from a ridge and posing for a photo - as if knowing Joe couldn't legally shoot him. After a nap Annie & I left for home to get some things done and take grandma on a date as Dave arrived to help Andy & Joe find ... nothing but beautiful wilderness. Before bed I started feeling queezy and only got four hours. So SATURDAY Annie & I remained behind letting Joe & Andy go out to get their spikes without us, leaving Annie to spend time with grandma, and me to recover. As soon as Andy sat down on a ridge to start glassing for elk, there was a herd - with a spike - out in front of him around 500 yards. Three other hunters appeared and took a shot at the one and only spike any of us had seen all week. As they missed the herd bunched up so as not to be able to get a clean shot off. Andy repositioned himself further up the ridge. And as he set up for a possible shot, the herd spread out and moved towards the trees. Andy tried to mentally calculate the trajectory of a shot that would be more than twice as far as he had ever fired before - and at an upward angle he had never attempted - and as he did so his spike moved into the trees, never to be seen again. Around two o'clock our dynamic duo came home soaking wet from rain. They changed and warmed and took me out with them for one final chance at the elusive yearling elk. Arriving at the trail head we found fog had moved in and visibility was about thirty yards max. We decided we had to try anyway. We split up with Andy branching off to sit on a ridge overlooking the same area as before. Joe & I went out further to hike down the ridge East of Andy. Within an hour the fog cleared and we could see farther than we would shoot. We found deer - but no elk. With about an hour of shooting light left in the day, we spotted an elk about 600 yards away. We tried desperately to determine if it was a spike but our binoculars kept fogging up. So I set up my bipod and used my rifle scope - which is lower power but doesn't fog up. Because of the distance and the low light we still couldn't make a positive ID, but we did spot a very nice buck for Dave to shoot next weekend - I had it in my crosshairs and wished it was a week later - and that I had a deer tag, of course. We radioed Andy to get a closer look and the elk turned out to have no antlers. So our hunting trip ended with no meat - but great, great memories - and a nice buck for Dave to bag this weekend. I love hunting with my sons.