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A last-minute trip to Benezette gave us exactly 1 hour of daylight to see as many elk as we could, and once again we were not disappointed! We made it to a couple of our favorite viewing areas and found a few herds in the distance.
While there, we met a couple that seemed very nice as we watched a cow and her small calf roaming in the valley. We lent them our binoculars and told them where they could see a couple herds around the area. Josephine was amazed by the "baby elk" and kept asking for the "nocolars" to see it. As our conversation with the couple went on, the man informs us he was selected for the hunt and that they were there scouting areas for next week because since he only got a cow tag he wasn't willing to pay for a guide... he'd only pay for a bull!
I couldn't believe he was telling us as we are snapping pictures that he was there scouting the very same elk we were admiring! Oh the irony! Then to top it off, when he said "I just don't know where to go." and I replied "Well there are different zones and you will be assigned to one." he tells me that Benezette IS his zone. UGH!!! I completely understand the concept of population control, but I'm kind of attached to those elk and this guy was a complete buzz kill!
Luckily on our way out a nice bull decided to cheer me up by relaxing just a few yards off of the road. It was a very intimate moment with the sun going down and him trying to get comfortable to sleep. Anthony positioned the car just right so I could try to get a couple pictures and that was it. After looking, I now notice that he seems to have a cut above his right eye, possibly a battle-wound from the rut? All in all an amazing hour but very few photo-ops and a little bit of frustration but totally worth the 5-hour round-trip!
