Hunting & Fishing The luckiest elk

[esorensen]

I (still) have a late season cow tag that I was hoping to fill. I decided to try a new area. When I arrived, I spotted the herd immediately. The 1500' + elevation gain to them was going to be a bitch, which is probably why I haven't gone out to hunt yet this season. A storm was moving in and I elected to take my 7WSM as I was unfamiliar with the area and unsure of weather. I love this rifle and rarely clean it. It seems to shoot the same with or without the cleaning. This 505 yd. shot seemed to be a slam dunk. However, I somehow over looked the fact that there was a small cotton cleaning patch left in the chamber. WTF! This caused a total FAIL of the hunt. NO round would chamber. I got some cool pics though! Enjoy. I still have till the 31st! Eric

 

[460mag]

Re: The luckiest elk

Man, that would suck. Did you kick your own ass all the way back to the truck? I think Id still be kcken mine. Great pics.

 

[alaska guide]

Re: The luckiest elk

Well next time,better to have a patch in the chamber,most likely weren't chamber a round. Then in the barrel.Wish you the best of luck on your elk hunt.Be safe.

 

[Mag 300]

Re: The luckiest elk

Great story,
Thaks for the pics must be nice to be that close to Elk
I am a goof 1200 miles from there

 

[esorensen]

Re: The luckiest elk

I wasn't too upset. The way I look at it, that 1" square piece of cotton kept me from freezing my ass off, trying to dress and quarter an elk in a blizzard at night by myself. After all that was done, carry the thing back to the truck. Granted, the majority of it was downhill, but still no party.

I don't think the patch would have caused a catastrophic failure of any kind. It was lodged just right in the throat/shoulder area so nothing would chamber. It came out so easy, I didn't think the cleaning rod picked it up. It would have been blown a mile with the air compressor hooked to it @ 100 psi, I can't imagine having 62k+ psi below it causing anything other than a small fire a few yards from the muzzle. Then again...

The bottom pic shows where the ridge starts in the background. It's straight up. I was post holing on the Northern slopes and shady areas, but snow in the open wasn't so bad. We'll see what it's like after this storm. The parking lot was ~8000' and change, the spot where I took the pic was ~9620' If I remember right.

 

[esorensen]

Re: The luckiest elk

Better to have goofed a few miles from home than halfway around the world on some primo high dollar one. I'm quite sure this will NOT be the last time I screw the pooch on something.

 

[psinclair]

Re: The luckiest elk

I was guiding a hunter one time and had that happen....it cost him a 30" mule deer buck....pretty quiet walk back to the pickup...

 

[coldboremiracle]

Re: The luckiest elk

I had a kind of similar event, but mine was due to a bad primer. I'd never had a primer fail to go off. (except in cheap store bought ammo, and even then every time I hit them a second time they went boom)
My brother and I had cow elk tags and a pair of hungry 300wsm's. after three days of nothing, a storm blew in, and at next to last shooting light we spotted a couple cows crossing the ridgeline in front of us 450 yds away. We both dropped to the ground, and as my brother had never killed an elk I told him to pick one and shoot first, then I would take the next one.
Well, he shot, and as soon as I heard the fleshy impact, I put all 4ounces on the trigger just to hear a click, I knew it was loaded so it had to be a misfire, my few experiences with misfires made me think to just hit it again, which I did, click again.
As more elk ran over the ridgeline in fornt of me, I threw another round in, picked the last cow in the line, and let it go. that one found its way there. did the trick too.
Never happened since, they were 215m primers.

This pic was taken the next morning, we gutted it in the dark but couldn't get it out until morning. peeled her lip back draggin her up the hill.

 

[esorensen]

Re: The luckiest elk

I can't imagine how bad that would have sucked! Especially on a trophy.

Had I taken the time to troubleshoot, I could have taken a flashlight and looked in the breech, seen the obstruction, removed the tape from the muzzle (so that nothing gets in the barrel, hmmm...) and blown the patch far enough out so I could have been able to clear it and fire.

I called my wife from up there and she said that someone is trying to tell you something. No joy. I figured she was right and decided it was time to get off the pot since I wasn't going to...

I'm going back. I'll just be wearing snowshoes and dragging the kids sled to help with the haul out. Then again, I might just eat the tag and chalk it up to experience. It's a lot of work and even tougher when solo.

 

[mdesign]

Re: The luckiest elk

Great pictures! Sorry about the oops with the patch but you still have a few days.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Re: The luckiest elk

No way!! you gotta get it, I haven't let a tag go to waste forever, it kills me to know I could of had one more. I dont know how you can let em go.

 

[Mag 300]

Re: The luckiest elk

Crap federal 215M primers!!!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: coldboremiracle</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I had a kind of similar event, but mine was due to a bad primer. I'd never had a primer fail to go off. (except in cheap store bought ammo, and even then every time I hit them a second time they went boom)
My brother and I had cow elk tags and a pair of hungry 300wsm's. after three days of nothing, a storm blew in, and at next to last shooting light we spotted a couple cows crossing the ridgeline in front of us 450 yds away. We both dropped to the ground, and as my brother had never killed an elk I told him to pick one and shoot first, then I would take the next one.
Well, he shot, and as soon as heard the fleshy impact, I put all 4ounces on the trigger just to hear a click, I knew it was loaded so it had to be a misfire, my few experiences with misfires made me think to just hit it again, which I did, click again.
As more elk ran over the ridgeline in fornt of me, I threw another round in, picked the last cow in the line, and let it go. that one found its way there. did the trick too.
Never happened since, they were 215m primers.

This pic was taken the next morning, we gutted it in the dark but couldn't get it out until morning. peeled her lip back draggin her up the hill. </div></div>

 

[eddief]

Re: The luckiest elk

My mouth is watering, elk meat is sooooo good.

 

[strick9]

Re: The luckiest elk

I am bettn with your wifes statement, you never know what the man above saw in the minutes ahead. Still a great trip.

 

[SonicBoom]

Re: The luckiest elk

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: eddief</div><div class="ubbcode-body">My mouth is watering, elk meat is sooooo good. </div></div>

Got my first taste this year... I'm a convert

 

[msuhunter]

Re: The luckiest elk

I had the same thing happen to me but it was at the range. The bolt would not close for me so I pulled the round out inspected it and put another one in. Same thing. I finally pulled the bolt out to see the patch, man I felt blessed that it didnt chamber and blow up when I shot.