This year was especially hot and dry! Lot's of elk activity at night...the last few days of the season my son and his buddy found a big bull that was bugling after dark, the next morning they went in after him and got him pretty wound up! Wouldn't shut up! They worked in on him pretty close until some other hunter came in to the bugling and blew up the hunt!!! Unfortunately, that's how it goes on public land! The next morning the bull was bugling across the canyon...a big canyon! So, they drove around to the other side only to find that some other hunter had driven into the herd and blown them up again! Arggg!!! The road hunter claimed it was a 420" bull!!! Ya, sure it was! My son said it was as big a bull as he has ever seen while out hunting but was no where near that big!
Bummer about the road closures! It deffinetely pays to have as many locations as possible, some years area's that hold elk one season will be devoid of any fresh sign period! Every year is different!