Laurel Ridge Farm: Thorofare Elk Hunt

This may be a long post - I'll try to be brief (ha!). A lot of stuff happened.

Here's a few OnX tracks to get oriented. First an overview of the camp and hunt area. The camp is the dark blue tent waypoint. The green line is the boundary of WY Elk Unit 60 which is also the boundary to Yellowstone National Park.

The below map is the hunt areas on the park side of the camp. I wrote in letters (A, B, C...) to help identify what I'm talking about in the narrative.

And this map is of the "Airplane Plateau". There are two branches of Elk Creek. The guys in camp refer to one branch as "Shits Creek" and the other branch as Elk Creek. The circled areas are the hairiest parts of the ascent/descent.

Day 1 - Poor Pooch

At dinner, Jon informed me that Eric and I would hunt together on Day 1 with Pooch and Garrett. On Day 2, the plan was for Garrett to take Eric up to the plateau. The two old men (me and Pooch) would hunt the less rigorous areas near camp. I wasn't sure I liked that plan but I didn't throw my body in front of it.

Anyway, pancake breakfast at 4:00. You always make your own lunch (PBJ or lunchmeat). Since we were hunting close to camp, we weren't due on the horses until 6:00. When my horse arrived, it had the saddle for another hunter (Tim). We adjusted and made do. Pooch, his two dogs (Sam and Cinch), Garrett, Eric and I rode up to a knob (B on the map).

We tied the horses off and Pooch told Garrett to take us up to a log to sit and glass. You can see the horse a short way below me in the photo. Pooch slowly made his way up to us after we were settled.

This knob has a blind made from piled stones on one side of the ridge for glassing that side. Our side looked down into a drainage and over toward "white rock" which is the southeast corner of YNP. Pooch showed us the normal travel patterns, told us that we had too much orange on, and he went over to the other side to glass. Said we were too visible to be over there. Eric and I reversed our vests.

While glassing we saw a runaway horse with a saddle on it (Derek had an issue that morning), 4 mule deer does, and a grizzly bear at about 3 miles. We later heard there was a bear within 100 yards of camp this morning.

It was a lovely sunny morning spent glassing but no elk in sight. At about 11:30, we walked the horses down to camp and had soup for lunch.

At 3:00, we mounted up and headed out to Nate's Meadow on the park boundary (E). It was a gorgeous ride along the river with beaver lodges, dams and ponds.

We started to ride in toward a bluff and crossed a bunch of deadfall logs. We tied up horses and split up to walk the last 100 yards or so for a spot to sit the afternoon hunt.

During the walk it was very clear that Pooch was in a lot of pain. He told me he pulled a shoulder a couple weeks ago throwing a saddle around. During the walk, he had to stop every 10 steps or so to catch his breath. Said that he'd been meaning to get to the chiropractor. He apologized to me and said this is not normal. The shortness f breath was new. I told him that I was worried about him. Shoulder pain and shortness of breath could be heart symptoms. He said it was my choice for tomorrow - I could go up on the plateau with Garret and Eric or I could hunt close to camp with him. He couldn't go up on the plateau. The old mountain warrior wanted to do it but the body wasn't cooperating.

It took a long time for him to to get up a little rise so that I could get set up in a pinch point 100 yards from the park border. We sat for a couple hours and never saw anything. I thought about what may be going on - heart attack, Covid, etc. As we walked back to the horses, I told him he should rest and I'd go with the youngsters.

On the ride back to camp, we saw a moose crossing the beaver ponds in the river.

First day done - no elk seen by us. Others saw them. We had a ham dinner and hit the sack. No shots taken on day 1 by any hunter in our camp. We were due to be on the horses in the morning at 4:45 for the ride up to the plateau.

Day 2 - Epic Events

We made a fire in the stove and slept well until the dogs woke us up. They were chasing a bear out of camp at about 2:30. The next thing I knew, it was 4:20 and we were due on the horses at 4:45. I hustled to have breakfast (scrambled eggs and ham), make my outhouse run, and get to the horses on time. Both Eric and I forgot to refill water - we started the day 1/2 full.

Jon, Garrett, and Pooch's dogs were coming with us today. It's a 2 1/2 hour ride in the dark - up, up and up. On one of the hairy steep switchbacks, there was a log down across the trail. My horse refused to cross it and started to do a 180 in the most impossible spot. Eventually control was regained and we got across it. Up more switchbacks then into a section of small pines and deadfall where we lost the trail. After some hatchet work by Jon, we proceeded.

Eventually, as the sky was starting to lighten, I could see steep drop-offs on both sides of the trail. Now I know why it's "Shits Creek". Holy shit! It just kept getting narrower until we were riding on a narrow rock "knife edge" with the Grand Canyon on each side. It was more terrifying than the ride in on Deer Creek trail. All I could do was hold on and try not to look either way.

But then we hit the meadow, tied up the horses, and started to glass. At first we didn't see anything but then Jon and Garrett started to pick up groups of elk but way out there. Snow on the ground helped (elevation). There were 20 or 30 elk in different groups with at least 3 bulls. At one point Garrett spotted a bull and said "that one is a toad". He was close to being skylighted in the meadow at the top of the picture below. Then the sun hit him just right and you could see the shadow of his rack on the ground.

We watched for awhile and all the elk were way out there and moving right toward an area Jon called "the sanctuary".

So we made the move to ride and walk a few miles over to them. There were bear prints everywhere. We we more than an hour on the move. We tied up and glassed a big meadow.

It was about 10am when we tied the horses off again and sat down to have some lunch. As we were eating, Garrett heard a bugle directly behind him.

We hustled to move in toward the bugle and we started entering timber. Garrett did some cow calling and a bull bugled. Eric got set up and the bugling continued.

We moved some more and there was more than one bull bugling. Jon and I separated a short way from Eric and Garrett. Both Jon and Garrett were cow calling. A bull was answering and he was very close. But the cover was thick and if he showed, it would be at 20 yards. At one point a bull seemed to be coming right in but he broke off and bugled as he left. Jon thinks he saw me set up on a stump.

This went on for some time. One bull lost interest and another one came in. It was crazy - these bugles were right on top of us but we never saw a patch of hair. It was a "cat and mouse game" - who was going to show itself first? When sneaking thru the deadfall, Jon tried stepping on (instead of over) a very large log. It didn't work - he did an amazing full somersault landing on the back of his neck and spreading his entire hunting kit in an arc around him on the ground. Once we were sure he was ok, we started doing dive judging. The consensus was a 10. It seemed like an opportune time for a short break.

We tried stationary setups a couple times and they would get very close but not show. Garrett tried bugling and got an immediate response - but same deal - right there on top of us but couldn't see them. This went on for hours - in bugles the whole time but in thick cover. All the time we were working lower and lower in the timber. Jon split off and the three of us were working chasing one bull that kept answering Garrett's calls. Garrett started bugling and raking trees with a stick. He was very close as the timber started to open up just a little bit.

We got to an area with a little visibility and were still hearing bugles. Eric set up standing on sticks while Garrett traded bugles with the bull. Here's a video during this set up - listen for the bugles. Just before the Shot The video ends when it occurs to me that I might have to back up with a follow up shot.

Anyway, while Garrett was talking to the bull, I spotted some cows moving at 260 yards. There was a one body length opening where we could see them pass between trees. Eric set up with his 308 on the cows as they passed thru the opening. And then there was a boom! Garret was watching thru the binos and Eric turned to him and said "Sorry, was I supposed to wait for you to call the shot?" Garrett said "Yahoo, he's down!" This photo is just after the shot. The bull was down in that area above Eric's hat.

It was an awesome single shot kill on a moving bull in a tiny window at 260 yards. The bull had been herding his cows to get away from the intruding bull (Garrett). Elation erupted. It was now 3:00.

It took a few minutes to get thru the ditch and over to the bull. Garrett went ahead and found it. Jon converged from uphill to the right. Here's Eric as he walked up on it. First bull down!

And it was an awesome bull. A traditional 6 point on one side and a 5 with a "kicker" on the third tine of the other side. The end of the one beam has a little fork in it that could arguably be called another point.

Shot placement was perfect just behind the shoulder. Arrangements were made for the photo shoot.

We took a gazillion shots.

We learned that not only was it Eric's first bull, it was Garrett's first kill as the primary guide. And he did an awesome job in the timber talking to the bugling bulls.

We did all the photos and sent Garrett off to recover the horses. They were way uphill were we left them hours ago before we got into this prolonged bugle-fest.

Pooch's dogs went with Garrett so Jon posted Eric and I on bear watch as he started work on skinning. One of us was always on this bear lookout post.

Jon told us to be vigilant but he also told us that he'd never had a bear come into a fresh carcass during daylight like this (now 4:00).

As Garrett went for the horses, Jon got one side skinned and quartered. We found war wounds on one ham of this bull (which we attributed to the Toad).

Garrett got back with the horses and dogs just as we needed to turn him over. At about this point, Eric noticed the sound of a helicopter that seemed to be coming into camp. Jon checked the radio and, sure enough, Pooch was on his way out on a medivac. Sheila insisted that he get some medical attention. There was not much Garrett could do for his Grandpa so he just kept butchering Eric's bull.

At 5:00, right as we were finishing bagging the quarters and getting ready to load the horses, Eric piped up from the lookout post. "Bear - BEAR BEAR!" Both guides and hunters drew pistols waved arms and yelled. The dogs took off like a bullet into the deadfall right at the bear. He was huge (to me). And he was on a beeline in at us.

He got to about 20 yards undeterred by the commotion. That's when the dogs intercepted him and somehow got him turned. Jon got off a warning shot near its paws. But those little dogs were the heroes - they took a determined grizzly on a charge - turned it and ran it off.

We were all pretty shaken. That bear was charging downwind - had he been circling for awhile? Anyway, we hustled up to get the meat packed out. At 5:40, we started moving to climb out of the drainage we were in. Here's the bull's head lashed on Superman (Pooch's horse).

The guides started walking and leading the packed horses but they had Eric and I mount up. Two quarters and a head on Superman, and two quarters on another horse.

We went about 200 yards when Superman went bat-shit crazy. He broke loose from Garrett and went off bucking thru the woods. Apparently some part of the rack was stabbing him and he wasn't quitting till it was gone. We could see him bucking back and forth thru the woods dragging the head underneath him but still attached.

Eventually he settled and was recovered by Garrett. Eric and I were still in the saddle as Jon and Garrett assessed damage and started to figure out next steps. They were about 75 yards away from us when the dogs lit up again and headed out in front of us like a rocket. Jon fired another pistol shot - that bear had come in on us again. Eric and I were trying to steady our rides from the shot.

Once we recovered from that excitement, Jon and Garrett secured the head on the other pack horse.

Superman still had two elk quarters to haul in spite of whatever injuries he had incurred.

Now it was 6:30, who knew what the bear was up to, and we had a 2 1/2 hour ride/walk to get off the mountain. Sundown in about 30 minutes.

Garrett had to walk the whole way back leading Superman. Jon had a saddle horse and a pack horse but he walked the majority of it. Eric and I rode up out of the drainage to a meadow on top. We went over to the steep drop off on the Elk Creek side (opposite of where we came up). Jon thought he found the trail down and we dismounted to lead the horses down. If there was a trail on this steep section, I think we lost it pretty quick and the light was fading fast. We zig-zagged and side-slipped down a bunch of loose stuff. If we knocked a rock loose, it didn't stop rolling for a long way. It was pretty exhausting and terrifying in more than a few spots. It didn't seem to bother the horses or the dogs. At one point I almost hung myself. I had walking sticks on the back of my pack (which I never used) and I somehow got the lead rope for the horse around my neck, stuck on the sticks while side-sliding down a steep section.

By the time we got to where it was a little less steep and we found the actual trail, we had completely lost light. Eric and I mounted up again but Jon and Garrett continued to walk as we followed the drainage down thru the timber in the dark. At one point, Jon called the camp and had Derek and Tate bring a saddle horse out to meet us. We all got to ride in for the last section including the river crossing.

Into camp at about 9:00 for a chicken enchilada dinner. I thanked Jon for going out of his way "to insure that we got the full experience".

Eric and I were whipped puppies but Garrett and Jon did so much more. Those guys are tough.

What a day. Too tired for a celebratory bourbon - we went to sleep.

Day 3 - The Park Bull

After that long day, we were staying close to camp which allowed us a later start. We had breakfast burritos and were at the horses at 6:15.

We were riding out to the same spot as Day 1 (B on the map). On the trail on the way out, the dogs were doing their normal thing - darting back and forth under the horses, chasing chipmunks, etc. Cinch, the 11 month old grey dog, somehow got in front of a horse and got kicked. He let out a big yelp and disappeared.

We started the climb up to our tie off spot and we heard a faint bugle. We hustled up to tie off and took a look off both sides - nothing.

This is Sam - a seven year old female and hero of yesterday's bear encounters. Sam and Cinch are loveable except for their habit of eating fresh steaming horse piles. It's a minor flaw that I gladly accept given their success with the bears.

Over time, Garrett picked up some cows moving at about 1000 yards. Then a raghorn and finally a nice bull. He claimed it was a better bull than Eric's - I couldn't tell. But he and his 10 cows were already inside the park boundary and grazing their way deeper in. Since Eric was tagged out, he spent more time on photography - here's a time lapse video of us glassing. Glassing Time Lapse After we watched them for a couple hours, they went into the timber and to bed.

Garrett got a Garmin update that Pooch had been admitted to a hospital in Billings MT. He had a case of pneumonia that they suspected he had for about a month. They were still checking out the heart.

So we made a plan to come back after lunch and hope that they would come towards us and out of the park. We made our way down to camp for lunch.

When we got to camp, we found out that Cinch had come straight back - nobody knew why. But he was fine. Here I am goofing around trying to get a shot to show how big these horses were.

After lunch we returned to the same spot. Soon the cows started to appear from where we put them to bed. And then the bull came out. Garrett estimated him at 320. He beat up a tree for awhile and then laid down for a nap. He and his cows never moved more than about 100 yards - all inside the park. We saw five mule deer in another meadow. Then it was time to head down for dinner. Meat loaf, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn.

Over dinner we heard that Steve had scored. He shot a bull at 150 yards off-hand (wow) and it slowed him enough that he could kneel down for a better rest. His wife, Kim, came along on this trip as an observer and she did all this crazy stuff we did. She was a pretty good sport in a camp full of guys - even if she did accuse us of entering "jerk-mode" on occasion. Anyway, what a great photo.

Day 4 - Squirrel Attack

We might have found the bourbon last night - Eric said that I snored. He also said that a mouse had been exploring our duffel bags during the night. And, he said that he had endured some difficult decision-making during the night trying to decide whether to get up to pee. He wasn't sure if the body moving around outside the tent was a mule or a bear. Necessity eventually won - and it was a mule. The dogs did chase bears out of camp - twice. I slept thru it all.

Happy 10th wedding anniversary to Eric and Jeni.

French toast for breakfast. We're going for the park bull again but getting an earlier start. Garrett thinks that the bugle we heard on the way in yesterday may have been due to us pushing the bull. He may have been rounding up his cows to get back in the park. So we are up to point B again but early. No bugles and no elk today.

While Garrett and I slipped over the knob to the stone bunker, Eric stayed to glass. Soon debris was raining down on him from above. We came back over and found Eric contemplating what a 10mm would do to a squirrel.

The dogs joined Eric in this contemplation.

But no elk so we spent our time glassing for evidence of the park boundaries and speculating on where the southeast park corner was exactly. We had previously seen Tim and Tom over at "white rock" (point A) which is on the ridge sort of across the way in this photo.

So we walked the horses down, and rode over past camp...

...and then rode them up to take a look at white rock (Point A).

The whole drainage looked different from this side and we could see that there was a lot more timber where the park bull was disappearing. During this excursion, I did what Jon did and chose to step on a log instead of over it. My wipe out wasn't nearly as dramatic and the judges only gave me a 5.

Curiosity satisfied, we went down for lunch. After lunch, we headed to Aspen (Point C). Smoke from western fires had blown in and the wind had picked up. I wore a different hat that wouldn't act like a sail. Eric captured this video of me tentatively approaching the stone bunker on the edge of the earth. Approaching Aspen Bunker

This one seemed especially steep to me - I was doing a bit of ground hugging.

It was smoky and windy and chilly and we didn't see a thing. Day 4 ending - no shot for Tom.

We were looking across the valley at the airplane plateau (where the elk were). That's the drainage we ride up and I think that finger is the rock ledge on Shits Creek. Our best chance is to head up there again tomorrow.

We had chicken fried steak for dinner with cheesy potatoes and green beans. I'm pretty sure that this was the day that the other Tom shot a bull. Maybe Jeff too. Only Tim and me left.

Day 5 - Back to the Plateau

I woke up at 2am tossing and turning. Was it the chicken fried steak or the return to the site of the bear charge? Biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Filled the water bottle. 4:45 at the horses. Just Garrett with us this time but he brought a mule and a shotgun.

Up Shits Creek again. It's still scary. But the log that had caused me panic the first time had been removed. And that rock ledge trail with major chasms on both sides is still panic inducing. But we made it to the top, tied off and sat down to glass.

It looked different to me - less snow. It took awhile before Garrett started to pick out cows - some pretty close and a bunch way out there. We saw a large group of cows moving toward a meadow and decided that "there must be a bull with that many". We rode over and set up where we thought that they would emerge. Video Checking Meadow

So we moved over a meadow and tried again. Video of some of the (in)action. Setup and Calling

After doing that for awhile, we decided to move.

We tried a couple areas, heard no calling and saw no movement. So we kept moving.

We went across the plateau and checked out a drainage on the other side.

Yeah, I wasn't as brave as those guys. We had a bite of lunch in this spot. The Hidden Creek camp is down there somewhere.

So then we moved back across the plateau and entered some timber while carefully avoiding the site of previous carcasses and bear encounters. We tied off and took a walk down into some major deadfall.

The sun was warm, the spot was comfy, not much was happening, a snooze seemed in order.

That's when Garrett glassed a humongous grizzly coming over the crest of that hill (I didn't get a photo - too far). So we watched this guy with telephone pole front legs amble around up there for awhile. Incidentally, over that hill in the next drainage is Eric's carcass.

Anyway, the day was getting late, we had a 2 1/2 hour trip ahead of us to get back to camp. What a different day up here - we saw some cows but not one bull. And no bugles like the symphony of Day 2.

We went back down Shits Creek and the knife edge trail was still no fun. After that the walk thru the switchbacks was not so bad. We made a very civilized return to camp at last light. Here's some videos of the walk down. Walk Down 1 Walk Down 2

Day 5 complete - still no shot for me. Tim had an opportunity on a bull - but had a misload. Pork chops for dinner with apple pie for dessert. Last chance tomorrow.

Day 6 - Dead Horse

I woke up because some asshole was letting his alarm ring without turning it off. It seemed to go on forever until I realized it was mine. There had been bears in camp again overnight - twice. I got up, did my routine, had breakfast (eggs in cupcake pan) and made it to the horse on time. Eric was late. When he finally arrived, he said "you can't imagine the trouble I was having with my makeup".

So we headed downriver towards Nate's meadow. We were going to a ridge that Pooch had described to Garrett (Point D). But Garrett hadn't been there before and he seemed to be breaking a new trail as we headed straight up the side of a mountain. We just kept climbing until we got to the last trees before a rockface. We tied off the horses there and Garrett led us up further on foot. Check out this video and notice the horses tied up. Tom Sucking Wind

It was pretty steep and the uphill on foot was as challenging as we had done before. Garrett helped with my rifle.

Eventually we settled in at the base of a cliff with a view of Hawk's Rest and the valley. We could see a ranger cabin down there somewhere. Eric did a creative time lapse of the shadows as the sun rose. Sunrise Time Lapse

We glassed there in the cold shade for awhile without spotting any elk. Eventually Garrett decided to move and we went up around the cliff and found a big flatop with views in all directions. I've dragged these gaiters on multiple hunts and never really used them - I gave them a try and really liked them (warm, no draft).

So we sat up on top in the sun (much better) until it was time to go down for lunch. We could see across to the stone blind at Aspen. As we were sitting there, Eric started to notice some moisture on his butt. He shifted around to see if he was in a puddle. Eventually he discovered his camelback valve open and as he was leaning on his pack, he was squishing the bladder to release a liter of water into his many layers of clothes. Nice. No elk spotted.

We slipped down the steep side and came around the knob to the horses - Sam barked for some reason.

Garrett got there first and found his horse dead. He apparently got on the low side of the tree, fell down, couldn't get up, and choked himself out. Garrett didn't waste any time getting the bridle and saddle off him. He said "lets get out of here - it's just another carcass to the bears".

He radioed camp and asked Tate to bring another saddle horse down to Nate's Meadow. He threw his saddle on top of Eric's and the three of us walked the two horses down a thousand or so feet of elevation. It took a little while waiting at the trail but eventually Tate showed up to the rescue. We saddled up and headed in for lunch.

We ate a PB&J while waiting for Tate. We got back to camp at 2:30 and decided to go up to White Rock for one last chance at the Park Bull. We headed up there at 3:30. I've done last day, last light heroics before (a couple times).

We glassed until Garrett picked up something moving in toward us from the left.

It was a grizzly and he meandered across directly in front of us. If you're impatient, here's Eric's time-lapse of the action. Bear Time Lapse For those with more patience, these videos were zoomed a little more. Grizzly 2 Grizzly 3 Grizzly 4

He was on an angle headed to the horse tie off so Garrett and the dogs headed that direction. He came within 75 yards but just kept going. We had hopes of him stirring up a bull out of bed but it didn't happen. The day ended without a shot opportunity for me.

Ribeye steak dinner with baked potato, beans and cinnamon rolls.

On this last day, my big toe felt irritated. It seems that either my toe nail had grown during the week or my boot wasn't tied tight enough. All of the downhill walking must have pushed the nail into the front of the boot. Left shot is day of, center is one week later, right is two weeks out.