Most notable 2011 elk story

[BowElkDwn]

I thought we could share one of our most exciting elk hunting story's of 2011. Feel free to put whatever story that has really stuck with you for this whole last year.
Here's mine:
Last year we got on a bull with cows but they kept moving up the hill away from us. We didn’t call much other than to get his location but he was still going further away. We finally got to a spot just below a ridge top that we thought we could call him in which was close to where he wanted to bed. My dad and this bull were going bugle for bugle but he still wasn't coming any closer. I decided that I had to go after him to get him to commit while my dad stayed back and kept him vocal. I snuck straight up hill until I thought he was within 50 yards. Right after one of his bugles answering my dad, I let him have it with a scream to let him know I meant business (trying to take his cows from him). He erupted with a bugle of his own that sent chills up my back. I suspected that might happen so I already had an arrow knocked. As soon as I saw his horns coming over the little nole I started to draw back. In all the excitement my arrow fell off my riser and I thought for sure that he would see me. I caught it with my finger and let my bow down and readjusted the arrow back onto the shelf. Luckily his head was behind a little tree so he couldn't see me. I drew back again with him now at 17 yards right behind the little sappling. I just knew he was going to blow out of there after all that. Instead he was so full of rage (knowing there was a bull challenging him) that he walked right around that sappling to give me a frontal shot that I just knew would put him down. I released the arrow and saw it sink into his chest. I immediately radio'd my dad and said that I just hit a bull hard. Although I don't think he could understand me with the excitement I had in my breath! I was waiting for him to come up and just then I heard the same bugle that I had been hearing about 100 yards away. I couldn't believe my ears! I snuck around and got up on the little nole and there was a 6-point standing there at 70 yards. I told myself that there is no way that is the same bull - there is no way that there are two 6-points that look that similar. So I grabbed another arrow and was going to shoot again but by that point he started moving up the hill so I couldn't get another shot. I kept second guessing myself about what happened until my dad got there. I told him the whole story and we decided to go back to where I had shot. Not 20 yards from where I shot we found the arrow. A complete pass through. I felt more confident that the bull I just saw bugling was not the one I just shot. We followed minimal blood right to where I had seen the bull bugling and that proved me wrong - that was the same bull. I couldn't believe it! We followed him until the last place that I had saw him but there was no more blood. There were way too many tracks with his whole heard around him. After hours of circling and looking we were out of options. We decided to give it week and come back to see what happened.

We came back to the same area a week later. We bugled and the same bugle came back. We looked at each other and both thought there is no way that is the same bull then went after him. We knew the general area from before and thought we could out smart him and get to his bedding area first. We got there but he had beat us there. We started spotting cows from about 150 yards away so decided to just glass the area and ended up seeing the 6-point around the cows. We watched him for about 30 minutes and noticed a blood spot on his chest (maybe a little low). We kept glassing him until he turned and we could see his opposite side and sure enough another blood spot right behind his front shoulder (again low). We were shocked! The same bull and he hadn't skipped a beat and was still running his cows just like he had been a week earlier. I decided since the thermals were changing that I would get above the heard as they were bedding and wait for them to get up to get a shot. The closest I could get was 80 yards from a cow that I saw bedded so sat down and waited for them to get up. It was about noon and I sat there for about an hour listening to the bull glunking and courting a cow. I just knew that he was going to show himself at any time and present a shot hopefully a within bow range. It was really thick where they were but I had a good shooting lane and saw cows crossing at 40 yards so I was hoping one of those cows was the one he was after. About that time I felt a little wind change that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I could feel a little coldness on the back of my ears and I hoped that the thermals were a little different where they were. It took about 15 seconds before I saw the ears on the cow that I was watching bedded stand up and by that point I knew it was over. She stood up and took a couple of cautious steps and then blew out of there. The whole herd went with her. Man, what a feeling of being so close and couldn't close the deal for a second time.

From then on we nicknamed that bull the "Houdini bull". We looked for him in every basin in a 5 mile radius but could never locate him again..... There's always next year.

[JJ Overkill]

Heres mine. I had seen a bull and some cows just above timber line right at first light. I went up there after they went down into the timber. I wanted to follow them but the wind and thermals we're against me. There was a wallow that they were stopping at just before going to bed. The next morning i was up at the wallow around 5:30am. I sat there and nothing, they should have moved through there by now i thought. As i sat there wondering what to do next. I heard a bugle from the draw behind me. I grabbed my bow and headed down the draw. I had the thermals in my favor. I was heading down and remembered i dropped my pack under a tree and my grunt tube was in im pack ( rookie mistake ). I said heck with it and kept going. The bull had went quite so i gave a cow call. The bull light up. Along with another bull i didnt know was there. He was still below me so i started to move as fast as possible down to him. After moving about 100 yds i gave another call. He answered back with an impatient bugle and chuckles. I head down some more. After about another 100 yds i gave another call. The bull erupted again but this time his cows got really excited and calling. I know at that time i was dealing with a herd bull. I was so excited from that thought you would have swore id already put him down. Lol. Anyways, i started to go down further but i ran into a medow and out of cover. I didnt see anything. The only options i could think of was move back up the hill a ways and give some pleading cow calls and give a small spike type bugle ( no tube) . I was hoping that the bull would think that a smaller bull was holding this cow back. WRONG!!!!!! As soon as i let out that little bugle all i heard was hooves running down hill. Im not sure what really happened. Im still wondering if a century cow had walked in on me and i didnt see her. All i know is, ill never forget that experience.
Jeremy

[Goneelkn]

Wasn't me, but i wish my luck was this good.
On the land that i lease, the next week's hunters came in on Friday, to drop some of their supplies off. I told them they could hunt if the wanted to(their part of the lease starts on Sat). Well it was the first time elk hunting for one of them. He and another guy were the only ones to go out(out of 4). They walked out together and the first time hunter was dropped off at a water hole with a little blind. As the other guy is walking away, the first one whistles for him to come back. He didn't put any broadheads on any of his arrows!! Well the second guy gives him one broadhead and goes off.
Later a cow comes in to water and keeps looking over her shoulder, so he thinks a bull is coming. Right, a 5 point bull. Well the bull starts drinking, and as he draws, he hit his release and the arrow flies about 10 yards. The bull spooks a little and just looks toward him not knowing what happened. He figures what the heck, walks out from the blind, picks up his arrow, knocks it and draws. The bull is still staring at him. He shoots, and kills the bull.
Talk about beginners luck!!

[wideangle]

On the last day of archery season I decided to set up on a drainage crossover area by myself my partner having already left due to family commitments.
I was there a bit before dawn and set up in a natural blind on a good trail with water nearby. The wind was perfect. I shoot traditional.
Less than 45 minutes later I could see a decent six point coming down the trail toward me. He got within 20 yards, stopped and swapped ends.
He then trotted off in a different direction. I heard the ATV a few seconds later coming down a nearby road. Just hearing the ATV spooked him.

[BowElkDwn]

Those are good ones. Sometimes lucky and sometimes not so much. Keep them coming, Im sure everyone has a story from 2011that either taught them somethime or just got them excited and they will never forget.

[Lefty]

I was able to get out archery elk hunting 6 evenings and 6 mornings to all day hunts
My last day to archery hunt I left camp early to be in the area the elk were in when I heard repeated bugles back towards my tent, a fast hike back to camp.
I set up on a rocky ridge 260 yards from my tent a ½ hour before shooting listening to bugles. As I sat I saw a coyote moving below me, A couple lip squeaks and the coyote was right on me. He was looking at me kind of funny, cocking his head. Just three feet away and he winded me. It was like he turned inside out to get away. As the coyote disappeared in the dark I had an owl just feet above me, evidently the squeaking worked on the owl too., after a couple minutes the owl gave up and glided off.

I was debating; do I head for the next ridge? Or stay put? How far off were the elk?,.. I had know idea. I lifted up my binos and I could see something sky-lighted not too far away. I realized it was a bunch of elk. I kept glassing them, as soon as I could see well enough I ranged the nearest elk. 70 yards. More elk filtered into the small bowl. It was getting light enough where I could now pick out horns through my binoculars. It still wasn’t shooting time. I slowly slid so I had some cover.
I watched as the herd move thru, 40-80 yards away. As it got light I followed the feeding herd. Generally I was 100-180 yards away. About 9:00 the herd turned back where it had come from in the dark. I rushed to keep up and out of sight. Most of the morning I was running from rock pile to rock pile, sage brush to sage brush to stay hid.

A bugle was close. I dropped my pack, ran 30 yards and sat down, I looked up and a symmetrical 5x5 was staring a hole in me. I messed up,.. I’m on a naked rock pile, absolutely nothing concealing me. I didn’t dare reach for my range finder. I guessed the trail distance at 37 yards. The cows distracted the 5x5 as the cows feed past me. Three of the cows winded me, they put their noses straight up in a comical fashion. However they kept moving, 22 cows and calves passed, and fed straight down wind of me 50-70 yards. Then a cow and calf, a yearly and an old big cow made their way along the trail. I decided on the big back cow in back without a calf. As I was sitting up the huge wide bull bugled 90 yards away on the same trail as the cows.
New plan.
Wow: what a rush. This big bull walking on the trail towards me. This is what most rifle elk hunters never get to experience! Heck Ive never experienced. Guys pay a lot of money to try to be in a situation Im in right now
The bull hit my wind sooner than where the cows had winded me,.. he let out a bugle and began side hilling the trail about 15 yards further ( actually 16 yards) his attention was on the cows in front of him and those on the little side hill in front of me. I now had a cow at 22 yards, a calf at 15 and its cow at 17. The big 6x6 was covered with drying mud, I sat up, and drew my bow. The nearby cows and calves looked at me, more out of curiosity then anything, they looked and continue grazing. I felt steady I placed my 35 yard pin 6 inches below his back. The bull turned towards me. No shot. I held and held, then began to tire. I swung to the nearby feeding elk, and placed my 15-yard pin just above the lone cows heart. At this time she was only 11 yards away.
The bull turned, stepped his right leg forward and offered the most perfect shot. I placed my 35 yard pin on his heart, and released the arrow. The bull jumped. I lifted my binoculars and could see the perfect shape of my broadhead made three distinct clear cuts very low on the chest. I felt sick and realized I hadn’t raised my pin for a 55 yard shot. I was 8 inched low. I was mentally beating myself up for wounding such an animal. The bull turned, the arrow was hanging buy its fletchings out of the bulls side. I had promised myself I would never make a bad shot. And I had. The sound I had heard was the broad-head hitting the bottom of the bulls ribs.

For the next 4-5 minutes I watched the bull,.. every move. I waas now able to range him, he was at 70 yards. I wasn’t about to send another bad arrow. Looking and watching the bull I figured the wound was far from fatal, the herd barely reacted, and continued grazing slowly. The majority of cows were 60-95 yards off. Some of the cows seem distracted, I realized they were looking at my pickup, and my tent flapping in the wind. The two cows and calves were still 10-15 yards away. I stayed put.
It appeared as if the big bull was angered by the 5x5 that I can only speculate the bull thought the young bull just took a cheap shot. The big bull pawed at the ground then ran the 5x5 over the knob. The cows followed. Three to four minutes later I heard a crash. Did a cracked rib cut an artery? Was my shot higher than I thought? But the entrance and exit were so low!I ran to the knob and peaked thru a large rabbit bush. The bulls had gone over a small knob . 200 yards away the big bull had the 5x5 pinned to the ground thrashing the smaller bull, sagebrush and dust flying everywhere. What a sight. 600 yards away another 5x5 bugled with the herd. The big bull covered the 400 yards quickly. The big bull faced off on with another 5x5.
The big bull locked antlers, drove the smaller bull to the ground and bulldozed the small bull for 60 yards until it was stopped against a sturdy 4- wire- fence. The smaller bull tried to get away. The big bull turned and trotted to the herd. The other 5 bulls ran the exact opposite direction
What a fantastic encounter, but I blew it again.
In February I spoke with the rancher running cows on the land, the bull I messed up on, The 6x6 I had “guessed” scored at 350 went a clean 360 green when killed in the hay yard by a ranch hand weeks later

[elkmtngear]

Awesome Story, Lefty!

In 2011, my hunting partner and I took an opportunity to bowhunt moose in Alaska, so I was unable to hunt elk. The moose hunt was a great experience, but nothing to compare with being in the elk woods.

Since I do not have a story of my own, I'll share a story we got from one of our Customers from his 2011 Bowhunt:

From an e-mail on 11/17/2011:


Jeff,
So I thought that I would write a product review for the slip system that I got this year. I had an amazing encounter with a massive bull while bow hunting here in Montana. I was hunting with a friend of mine, when we spotted 3 bulls bedded down on the edge of a timber patch that was surrounded by open sage brush country. We quickly closed the distance, and we able to get inside 100 yards of these bulls, and I set up with the slip system while my partner moved ahead of me. I began to call, and a bull immediately started to bugle.

After sitting there for about 20 minutes my partner came back to me and said that he thought the elk had moved through the timber, so he decided that he would follow the elk while I hiked about 1/2 a mile to the top of the timber patch to see if the elk came out at a different place. Once I got to the top of the hill I could hear a bull bugleing just down in the timber, so I once again set up my slip system and began to cow call. We played cat and mouse for a little bit, and I finally found myself on a little ridge with a small ravine in between the bull and myself. The bull had moved out into the open sage brush, and I was set up on the edge of the timber.

Finally the bull came to his side of the coulee, and I ranged him at 80 yards. When the bull disapeered over the edge of the hill I moved the slip system out into the wide open and staked it in the ground, and I then ran down the coullee and made it half way up the other side when the bull came back to the ridge. The bull immediately locked onto the decoy, and was staring right over the top of me.

Now here comes the best part, and the worst part. I ranged the bull and he was 42 yards on the dot, and uphill from me. I drew my bow back, got a solid rest and let the arrow fly. To my disbelief the arrow sailed right over the top of the bulls back, he jumped a little bit and spun 180 degrees, never taking his eyes off the decoy. I once again ranged the bull and he was now 40 yards. I put my 40 yard pin dead center on his chest and let another arrow fly. Unbelievablely the arrow once again sailed right over the bulls back. I could not believe what was happening, and you might think I am lying but the bull just stood there and kept looking at the decoy. I again ranged the bull and he had not moved and was 40 yards on the money. This time I put my 40 yard pin on the bottom of his chest, got a solid rest and squeezed my release. The arrow flew true, and you would never believe it but I hit him right in the brisket. It was just before dark so my partner and I backed out and decided to come back in the morning.

After a sleepless night we went back and found some blood about 400 yards from where I shot the bull, and he bled only a little bit for about another 400 yards, and then the bleeding stopped. To my dismay we never found the bull, and I am sure that he is still alive and well. My partner guessed the bull at 350+ and I only knew that he was big. I shot my bow the next morning, and I hit the target dead on at 40 yards, so I am still trying to figure out where I went wrong.

The point of this story is that without the Elk Mountain Slip system, there is no chance in hell that I would have ever been able to sling 3 arrows at a herd bull. This system without a doubt works, and will keep bulls interested even if a hunter makes a mistake. Even though I don't have the massive bull on the ground, I still can not thank Elk Mountain Inc. enough for producing such a great product. Thanks.

Justin Jenness

[Lefty]

Awesome Story, Lefty!,,...

I learned a lot in those 5-6 minutes, this year 5 pins
I wish it had a P&Y story "book" ending