Downright Whooped!

[POk3s]

Left Friday night after my sister's volleyball game and crawled in the sleeping bag about 11 if I remember right.

Day #1 brought very few sitings from a high ledge I sit on to overlook steep country. Saw a cow and a calf and one bull walk across a meadow. Decided I'd dive in after the bull...it's what I"m here for right! Took me until after 9:00 to get down off my side of the valley and up the other side. I get over there and of course the wind is blowing the exact way I don't want it to blow. I climb higher hoping the thermals will take it over the elk I plan to hunt that day. Climbing up the spine I bump another cow and a calf. Get ALLLL the way up on the opposite mountain of where I started and there's bugling below me in the valley bottom.....typical. I wanted to stay high so I could be above the elk for evening and by this time it's after 10:00. I'm thinking the bugling will shut down shortly and sure enough it did. By 11 there wasn't anymore bugling and I couldn't get a clear read of where the bull was. I catch a quick nap, wake up at about 1:30 and think....well only 4 1/2 hours left until I start hiking around. I decide to take a short 200 yard walk to the edge of an avalanche chute to see if anything is feeding in any of the breaks by chance. I make it about 100 yards from where I've spent most of the day sleeping, cooking, not being quiet.....and all hell breaks loose. I have a call in my mouth so I cow call it all stops. I take a couple more steps and all hell breaks loose again. This time I didn't bother calling, just let them go. I get back to my "nap area" start gathering stuff together and the bugling starts back up.

It's 2 PM and this time I notice it's multiple bulls. I decide that if they're starting now there probably won't be a lull in bugling for the rest of the day so I head back down the mountain it took me 2 hours to climb. I get down below where I've spent most of the day by about 300 yards heading towards the bugling and spot elk right below me. I see a 2 cows and a calf but never could see the bull I know was there. He sounded small, but who knows. I guess the wind switched and sent everything down the mountain. I bugled and the "little" bull bugled back. I kept heading down as there were 3 other bulls sounding off. I get close to the biggest sounding bull and cow call a few times. His next bugle is farther...and the next one even farther....heading back up almost to my morning glassing area. The other bull is up the other side quite a ways so I start heading back up. I have my sleeping bag on my back as I planned on spending the night on the mountain, but once I started back up the mountain close to my truck I decided I wasn't going to head back down this tonight and I'll just go back to camp. I start climbing over shale, sliding down the mountain every few steps when all of the sudden a bull jumps up! a good bull!!! I was chasing the bugling as I was sure the bull I was on wouldn't crest the ridge and head towards roads and civilization. Regardless, this bull jumps up ,I cow call and he stops. All I can see is his butt as he's broadside to me but trees blocking everything else. I come to full draw and side step and he takes off again. I cow call and he keeps on going....let down bow. Of course I get all the way back to the top of the mountain about 5:30 pm and there's bugling going on below me where I just came up. Sounded like the same little bull I bumped earlier.

Day #2 I wake up realizing I don't have my bugle tube. I figure I left it back where I was at when I crested the hill and stripped everything off to take a break. Regardless, I was going hunting in a different spot this morning because if I got one down, I didn't think I would have enough energy to head back in there 2 more times to get meat out. Crested the ridge and there's bugling all over the place. I see one good bull way up high and he's bugling every 5 minutes or so but he's 1500 yards away and once again to get to him I have to go straight down and straight up. I then spot 3 bulls feeding lower on the mountain so I take off. I didn't even get to the bottom of the mountain when I see one bull walking from my right to left and 2 others trotting to catch up to him. I don't think they smelled or heard me...I think it was just time to go to bed. The only bull left was the one way up the mountain...typical. I get all the way up there and he's silent. I cow call a few times....nothing. I try cow calling about 10 minutes later....nothing. I decide I'm going to hike a big loop and drop back down. I'm already up here...I might as well stay for a little. Just as I'm starting my loop I hear bugling below me and south of me. I decide to head after it. He of course leads me back down the mountain and finally when I fell I'm within 100 yards of where he last bugled I stand there....and stand there...and stand there just hoping he bugles on his own. Nothing. I only have a few hours left before I head home for the weekend so I figure. Well I've got nothing to lose. I start cow calling...do a little herd talk.....nothing. I start up again and get slightly more excited and throw in some "other elk" into the mix. Finally a response and sure enough he's within 100 yards. I answer him with light calling and no response. I get a little more revved up and he bugles again....hasn't moved. I do this again....he bugles...not moving. Here is where I wish I had my bugle tube!!! hahaha. I knew it would happen. Rarely do I run into a scenario where I NEED it hunting solo but this is a time I wish I had it. This bull sounds big and I'm running out of time.....so I'm going after him. Slowly I start creeping towards him praying that the swirling winds don't give me up. I inch closer....and closer....and every 10 minutes or so he bugles on his own. I get about 50 yards from where I think he is and I have to cross a little strip of nothing but grass. There's really no way around it. I don't want to cross it as I know I'm close. He's in the thick timber across this open strip and up on a little rise. I can't hardly see through it. I cow call a few times behind me and with cupped hands hoping to fool him into thinking I'm staying in the same spot as well. He lights up a bugle right in my face. He still hasn't moved. I try it again about 5 minutes later....another heart stopping bugle and again he hasn't moved. I wait and he bugles on his own a few minutes later....not budging. I decide well I have to try it. I get about half way across this little 20 yard strip and sit down next to the only little pine tree. I even layed down and glassed hoping to spot him at all. Nothing. I take two steps out from behind that tree and I see him take off. He's running right to left so I cow call and he goes behind a little rise but was slowing down. I quickly make it to the rise in the thick timber and he's standing there at about 30 yards. He's slightly quartered to me and all I can see is the front of his shoulder and his head.....no shot. I come to full draw just hoping I can get a shot somehow. He whirls and turns and I cow call again and sidestep. He stops again and I have a clear view of him. Only problem is he's facing dead away and looking over his butt at me....no shot. He takes off for the last time and I don't even call. Let down my bow, sit down and go over the woulda coulda shouldas. It's 11AM and I've got to get going. I get back up to my truck about 12:30 and still have to hike back into where I climbed out of the canyon the day before and try and find my bugle....yes I did find it.Friday I'll be back up there for round 2!

I don't believe the rut is in full swing but man did I hear a lot of bugling. The small bulls are with cows and the big guys are bugling just to bugle it seems. Next weekend should be "the time"!

[planebow]

Good read,leaving tomarrow for 2 weeks. Hope tohit it just right for a change. Good luck next weekend.

[POk3s]

From what I saw you should. At least if you were hunting my area. Little bulls are with cows and the big guys are walking around bugling and are by themselves. I plan on taking some days off next week. Right around the 15th...never fails.

[Vanish]

I am so jealous. Your weekend there just topped anything I have experienced.

[POk3s]

haha thanks Vanish.....I think. Not for lack of effort. I figure I walked about 15 miles. I'll add some pics later of the steep terrain. Staying out all day in the heat of the day is really where I accomplished the most. If the wind wasn't swirling so bad I'd have a bull right now. I'd get close, wind would switch....gone. Happened a ton. I blew out way more elk then I actually saw.

[JimKirk]

that wind is responsible for more blown opportunities that all of the other variables combined!

[POk3s]

Yea I know...I just don't know how other people even hunt the wind mid day. I'm there to hunt after all. Can't hunt for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening when the wind is right. Must take chances. Dang mountain winds made me shake my head more this weekend then I can ever remember.