My Season

[poisonarrow]

I had a great season, did I kill one? No, but I was into elk a number of times and missed a perfect shot, broadside at fifty four yards.

The first encounter was hunting with one of my hunting partners in his area. I was sitting on a ridge when an elk bugled in some timber several hundred yards away. I went up to timber line, it was evening and the breeze was uphill . I didn't think he would go any higher than that. I eased toward him and than saw there was a rock slide between us. I cow called and he bugled back. He was moving down. I slipped down the edge of the rock slide until I heard him raking. He bugled but would not come any closer, he was about 20 yds away but behind some thick timber. To the right was the rock slide and to the left open meadow. I waited for him to move. After several minutes he moved, directly away from me. I stepped out into the open and displayed my decoy. He looked back shook his horns and kept walking.

The next encounter, I hiked into an area that we had seen a lot of cows before season. I was slowly hunting through scattered timber and meadows when I heard a bugle not more than a hundred yards away. I dropped my pack a crept towards them. suddenly I saw a satellite bull about sixty yards away in the open. I got behind a small pine tree and ranged the tree behind him, sixty yds. I knew he was five or so yds closer but my mind was locked on to sixty. I put my sixty yd pin on the kill zone and released. He dropped eight inches or so in preparation for flight. The combo of shooting high and his dropping, I shot just over his back. He ran off.

From now on I will practice with my range finder and random yardage. It is amazing how your brain goes into the trained mode when you are under pressure.

I will post my other encounters in another post.

[ElkNut1]

James, it looks like you had a couple good encounters, sweet! That's half the battle, finding elk! (grin) Thanks!

ElkNut1

[poisonarrow]

After missing the small bull I set up camp a quarter of a mile or so away from where I had shot.

What a night! Bugling all night long. In the morning I was after them. I heard one bull moving to the NE bugling about every five minutes. I followed as close as I dared but couldn't quite keep up with the. Suddenly through the trees I saw a small bull. I knocked an arrow and crept forward. I was at 20 yds or so when my packed squeaked. He left in a hurry. Lesson learned , drop your pack before you get close.

I followed them until they went over the edge into thick steep timber. I figured they were going to bed.

I hiked back towards my camp. I cam across a little spring and stopped to fill my water bladder. Suddenly a bull bugled not 150 yds away. They were moving through scattered small pine trees. I moved forward about 30 yds and waited. The wind was perfect and they were moving to my left. If they would continue it would be another perfect shot. 40yds or less. The herd bull a nice 6x6 was about 70 yds out when here comes a calf. He actually had horns. One horn went up and one down by the side of his face. I told him a dozen times under my breath to not come over here. It didn't stop him. He came within a few feet before he saw me. He spooked but wasn't really afraid, he had'nt smelled me. he went back to the herd and they started to move a little more to my left. From across the meadow maybe a 1/4 mile away a cow barked. They trotted off.

Any Ideas about how I could have changed that encounter?

That next evening I sat were they had gone down hoping they would return but no luck, I heard the bull bugling down the mountain.

A couple days later we went back, trying to find them. We stood on the edge were they had gone down and waited. There was a bull bugling so we headed down. It was the start of an epic afternoon.

We waited for the wind to start blowing uphill and set up above where we had heard the bugle and called, nothing.

We moved about a 1/4 and bugled. We didn't hear a response so move anther couple hundred yds. when we heard a bull bugling and was he hot! He came another fifty yds and bugled a challenge that said " This is my territory and I will whip your butt if you come a step closer. " We beat it to the top of a ridge and bugled at him. Soon is was a fight of words and that bull was pissed. He came crashing in wide open. We did not have time to get in good cover and he caught sight of one of of us. Too bad , he was a great bull, a heavy 5x5

We moved on another 200 yds or so and another bugle. This time it was the herd bull. We never got a chance to see him his cows caught our scent.

We went 1/4 mile or so and another hot bull. He was going someplace and would not come fight but he would bugle back every time we challenged him.

It was time to head out so we hiked out of the bowl we were in. It was super steep and blow downs every where. It was no wonder elk were in there.

We got to the road and were about to the pickup when just below us another bugle. It was just light enough to see so we went after him. We got a hundred yds from him and he caught our scent . The thermals had changed and were moving down hill towards him.

We got back to the pickup and headed home. What a grand finale to a good season.

I didn't kill one but should have. I did learn alot and also I found an area of unpressured elk that will be the next year, bigger than ever.