This years elk ,,, the short version

[Lefty]

My new phone gave me a notice vibration, I thought to myself; what's my wife doing up this early.
It ended up being a picture of a coyote that my snow goose hunting partner Tim had trapped, for some clients.
Now a bit about Tim
My buddy Tim, my snow goose hunting partners we had reconnected on a snow goose hunting page. I had only seen him once in over 40 years. Tim had sold me the bow. I was shooting a Bowtech Revolt. Draw length at 31.5 inches, 70 lb draw, 125 gn Montecs on a carbon stainless Victory vap 300 VI 457 gn total chronoed at 327 ft/per/sec.

Tim is a big whitetail archery hunter and chased white-tails in a number of states
We trapped red fox and coyotes together in the early '80s. And somehow he found me laying in a field in South Dakota hunting snow geese four years ago. Rekindling a our friendship.

While sitting on that hillside. Two satellite bulls were bugling back and forth every few minutes.
Tim and I kept talking on the phone. Tim was dying traps.II was keeping track of the elks location
During part of the conversation Tim mentioned it again,, Always shoot your bow before going out.

We covered all the important subjects
...The coyote Tim trapped that morning and the client he was working for
....Our long ago 1983 fox and coyote trap line.
....Minnesota Otters
....My lack of proficient archery with my new bow which I bought from him, And we both have the same issue right eye dominate,
….shoot a gun left handed and a bow right handed.
....Kids and grandkids.
….Our brothers
....Current pickup trucks
…And a bit more trapping.

then there was definite sound of a herd bull,
“Tim I gotta go”

At camp,
I shot a few arrows
Showered
gobble down a meal Clean clothes no snacks but plenty of water then
head on down in the elk country where those bulls were singing and calling me in
Hoping for some good wind all day, and trying to find the exact location of the bulls and the herd bull.

Time to shoot something!
Well I'm in the woods the wind is as good as wind gets. In this country
Monday’s rain and today's frost/ dew. My clumsy feet are relatively quiet.

I've dropped down in elevation down looking for fresh tracks, and smell elk ,,, over and over, I've covered 900 yards in 45 minutes.
Sat down to text my wife where I'm headed.
Turned on my phone, sent her a text, Then another bugle, so off that direction now.
I was taking my time, moving down the ridge carefully and slowly miticulaly placing my big feet.
The wind was constant with very little swirling.

I think I'll wait until another' bugle to move
1:51
If the big bulls bedded maybe less than 140 yards. So how many cows? Will it be the 32 cows and calves I saw last night couple miles away?
I was hoping for a nap, I was tired even with all the excitement of midday bugles. I tried to travel carefully with the constant smell of elk in my nose.
I crossed the ridge where I had sat a couple years previous; Andrew had sat waiting 30 yards from a bull for hthe bull to stand up for a shot, the shot was never presented after sitting that close to a bull for 45 minutes.

I glassed with my binoculars, looking for elk especially those cows that would run off.
No elk,, I walked 40 yards, sat under an old fir tree. More glassing. Picking out every dark spot in the thin grove of quaking aspen, I dropped into he bottom of the narrow drainage where a seep came out of the ground for 50 yards . I crossed the bottom and started up the steep tarsal on the far side .
Another bugle. And another, and the herd bulls bugle
The herd bull I was guessing less than 100 yards away. The closest bull.
Three bulls, where are the cows?
Do I go up and around the fir thicket in front of me,, or play it super safe with the wind, and travel the trail through the fir thicket just above the drainage bottom? Another bugle,,, That didn’t sound like the exact same location, I moved ahead
Another bugle from the big bull , then two more bugles from different bulls.
The big bull was moving towards me. I thought he was working some trees over. The herd bull was coming towards me working his way through the willows at the bottom of the seep.
I could see antler, I sat down along the steep sloop, 15 yards above the seep.
My neighbor Jhons words came through. Kind of interesting every time Im in on bulls his words come through my mind
“Belive your range finer”
I ranged the antlers 40 yards.
Then that slurping then sucking sound of every footstep the bull his worked though the willows
There he is!
20 yards

Thick and wide! Hes huge!
I think hes the same bull I have a trail pic of and who stayed in the quakies last year
Did I mention he’s huge and heavy, And the words of a fellow Washington elk hunter were also immediate,
“Look for blondie”
I ranged through the thicket,,, the only hole , I ranged his forehead 13.5 yards, he is facing straight at me.. The big bull steps sideways , the small qaickies and fir trees blocked any shot possible, he was now walking the trail along the willows
I had a small hole to shoot through; the size of two footballs, Was the hole low enough for a lethal shot?
I knew the bull was going to head into my scent plume. Somewhere about that hole. All the thoughts running through my mind.
A Christmas sized fir was between me and the shot.
I drew
Both eyes open
I put my top pin in the football sized shooting hole
Again what all was going through my mind, I killed my first Idaho elk slipping my shot between two trees inches apart.
Close your left eye, close it I said in my mind. Tims words from an hour before ,,, “you know which pin to use” Im seeing the same pin with each eye giving me double pins,
Close that eye, the left pin disappeared

The bulls nose hit that shooting hole. My top pin is at his nose, I ever so slightly lower the pin.
The bull winded me and busted out so hard.
I cow called twice, he stopped , I let out a third call, he stomped his feet He was on the other side of the thicket I could see his antlers,
At slightly less than 40 yards he starts tearing up a lone little quaken aspen He thundered over to another tree and starts tearing it up

I try to let down on my draw, the arrow sunk into the ground 15 feet in front of me.
I call cow again ,
Maybe Just maybe he will come back. Another bull bugles.
Its Squealer from the other night
The big bull walks to the top of an ancient beaver dam. Another bugle from Squealer, Then a third bull bugles

I was slightly shaken from the excitement of a huge bull.

I knocked another arrow and waited. Waited a few more minutes.
Bugles all around ! The big bull wrecking another tree.

I heard a little twig break. The chipmunks on the trail; I turned my head, above me; 20 feet away, a 5x5 bull.
Staring at me!
And staring some more!

Fuzzy Branch right beside me. Totally in the way, no possible shot.
I scooted my butt down about 3 inches Drew, leaned forward in what would have been a really a poor shooting position.
He bolted.
 I cow called
He stopped 32 yards at the only possible hole to shoot through
I put my 30-yard pin high
The bull was close! Tim’s coaching words came through my mind, “top down”
Looking through my peep sight no branches, no twigs,
Faster than you are reading this, my 40 yard pin passed the perfect arrow location straight up the leg , just a bit of leg muscle
I released.
I heard the hit, not loud,, but defiantly that hollow sound, I didn't see the arrows flight. I didn’t see a hit, the bull took off, I cow called.
The bull slowed to a walk and stopped at the pinnacle of the ridge, In the sunlight the bull coughed brilliant spray of red. Then the bull disappeared, headed up the ridge I heard a crash, anther crash
I heard the first big bull trot off .
I called my wife and whispered into the recorder what had just happened,
I call Tim He assured me it was a great double lung shot and to go get a picture.
I unpacked my pack, dug out my knife and tag, I inched my way through the last 10 yards of the thicket, Once clear of the thicket, there he was. I later ranged my shot at 32 yards.
The bull made the fatal mistake of stopping in the only place where I had any type of possible shot. The bull ran nearly 40 yards then went uphill slightly dying 37 yards from where he has been fatally hit.

[Swede]

Congratulations on a successful hunt Lefty. Go back to that location next season. It sounds like you left some bulls there to look for.

[Lefty]

Congratulations on a successful hunt Lefty. Go back to that location next season. It sounds like you left some bulls there to look for.

I do spend a lot of time looking into that area,, ever year,,,
Last yea, last day, last elk experience I had shootable cows, a shootable bull,,, but I was waiting on the big bull,,, which I believe was the one at 13 yards
One year at full draw, and some clowns dove in on an ATV,,,
Another year 3 bull and a line3 of cows passed me,,, under 20 yards on the other side of the willows,,,
Lots of close encounters in there.

the past few years I hadn't hunted it much, my healthy was just too miserable

This year one of the first days there were cows barking all over,,, I was putting the blame on a lost sheep dog,,, The next today there were eagles ravens and magpies,,, I wasn't going to chance a possible grizzly kill,,, Tuesday was the first time I hadn't seen birds of prey in there. But still hadn't heard any bugles since what ever was dead ( ended up being a black angus yearling. and likely not a grizzly kill

I had cameras in the canyon trying to catch the big bull ,, I wanted to hunt the perimeter of his bedding area,,, so maybe3 if he makes it another year,,,

[2MANY]

Congrats on a great hunt!!