No lack of elk ... solo hunt report

[JGH]

Thanks to all on this forum who have helped me learn a lot this year. I thought I'd document a hunt report from last week in WY.

This is my 6th year of bowhunting elk, though some of those years were weekend-only "armed-scouting". I've managed to scratch one down with an arrow in 2011, and another with a rifle in 2012. Elk meat has become addictive, and this would be a hunt for "any elk".

Wife was good enough to drag a horse into camp loaded with essentials, and then take both her horse and mine home for the week. Last year I kept one in camp, but that is a mixed-blessing, as they say. I figured to try sans horse this year.

[JGH]

Got to camp and set up the tipi. After a week of heavy rains I was glad to see "relatively" dry ground to set up on. The tipi is a great shelter ... and I love the floorless concept, but if there is one problem with it, it is when you are setting up while it is raining. Luckily, Mother Nature let up on the day we set up camp.

[JGH]

Got out yet that night, and chased a bugling bull a bit near camp.

By "near camp" I mean probably within 400 yards. It was getting dark, though, and there was a lot of deadfall ... I backed-out hoping not to blow all the elk out of the area on the first hour of the hunt.

[bnsafe]

sounds like a good start an fun. cant wait to hear more

[JGH]

Sunday ... slowest day ... I dogged a herd to the east of camp as they went down into a real Hell Hole. Eventually, I gave up, figuring that there is lower-hanging fruit. I headed back up to the rim, walked a hundred yards, and did the same thing all over with another bull.

Climbed back up to the rim and bugled to find the one I was looking for ... a bugling bull on level ground to the west! All this before 8:30, so I was feeling good, until, looking for bull number 3, I bumped a cow out of her bed.

(At 8:30 ... in bed? Lazy elk, I thought, would be easy to hunt.)

I barked and she stopped at 30 yards, but her vitals were covered.

Evening hunt was quiet ... Rain came back in, hard. Saw a bugling bull a few hundred yards away, but he went back to the shelter of the trees as I snuck in.

Oh, well ... good start, I thought ... except for the rain.

[JGH]

Monday. A bull in a drainage west of camp got me going downhill early.

Bugle ... response ... bugle ... repeat. Eventually, though, he stopped. Further down, though, I found another bull, and we had quite an exchange. Though close, <100 yards for sure, I could not see him. We traded insults for a while, then another bull joined-in.

Eventually, I chased the second bull, which had better wind.

Soon, I saw him ... a 4x4 at 75 yards, walking to me. Then, to my left, a spike showed up ... 20 yards ... broadside ... let me draw ... and ... the shot went right over his back!

What went wrong? I replayed things ... I remember the yellow pin right over his vitals ... WAIT! ... check sight ... my yellow pin is for 45 yards!

What was I thinking? I have no idea how that happened.

Walking back out of the drainage (I had gone down 600+ feet in 2+ miles) something was going to die! Thus, a grouse became a meal.

It turned out that my 20 yard pin worked just fine ... but shooting the grouse would be the beginning of a bad chain of events.

[JGH]

Monday (more) ... after getting back to camp, I crashed ... but only for a second ... a bull was chuckling right behind camp!

Fine ... "Let's go" ... I got the wind right and snuck in ... couldn't find the bull, even after calling, but a cow was oblivious at 60 yards ...

Sneak/tree/sneak/tree .... getting closer ... then she trots off. Damn.

I walk all 150 yards back to camp and realize I forgot my decoy.

Tromp back ... grab decoy ... start walking to camp through the trees ... come face-to-face with a BIG 6x6. I have trail camera photos (I think) of this bull, 1/2 mile away.

If I didn't have bad luck I'd have no luck at all today!

Evening hunt went slow until 6:30 ... bull bugling and chuckling started spontaneously and I followed in the woods. I was trying to get as close as I could (be aggressive, right?) when I realized he was walking to a meadow. He hit the meadow first and was looking my way as I walked up. The very wide 5x5 was with a raghorn ... I raked and bugled, but it was the wrong call ... should've cow called ... I think that's what he was looking for.

Overall, encouraging, but a lot of unforced errors on Monday!

[cnelk]

I want more! I want more!

[JGH]

Monday ... extra find ...

I had seen NO TRASH/LITTER on this trip ... until a mylar balloon ... with a handwritten note ... I won't post the whole thing here, but it was an "I miss you" note, with a name and date of death ... a little googling has revealed an obituary that I think tells the story. In short, a 32 year-old woman died about a year ago.

I'll try to contact the family or church and see if they want the balloon.

Somehow, I feel like there is an open loop of some sort, that they may feel some peace if it is "closed".

Thoughts?

[Blue Falcon]

Keep it coming!

[JGH]

Tuesday ... 2 miles from camp, got on a bull and closed to 80 yards ... mature, but couldn't tell how big ... busted by a cow, though, and so I tried a "Threat" ... thinking that the bull didn't see me. No go.

I went to a rock overlook and listed below to a couple bugling bulls. Chasing either would require a decent down a boulder slide, so I decided to practice my bugles. The bull on the left would answer anything ... so I just tried to replicate what he did. For 15 minutes, he gave me a lesson on how to bugle.

What a great coach.

Finally, I thought ... "What the Hell?" and started toward him, down one boulder field, and up the other. In the photo, you see two slides ... the bull was 200 yards to the right of them.

[JGH]

Tuesday, more ... down one side, up the other ... not as difficult as I thought it would be ...

He's still making noise now and then ... I slip in to about 75 yards ... set up ... cow call ... he bugles ... I "threaten" him with a bugle, he walks in.

The very DARK-antlered 5x5, wide, stopped at 15 yards, behind a tree.

I'm at full draw. I can see a shot ... his trachea marks the entrance to his chest ... I can hit that if I adjust just 6 inches to the left ...

But he isn't having it. He slips away, calling, but not coming back.

Two different 4x4s wind me on the way back up the hill.

[JGH]

Wednesday ... bad night ... high wind ... rain ... and ... I overslept. Left camp at 6:50.

Got to where I was a year ago that day ... (I stopped and a big 6x6 stood up next to me) ... I cow called, and a 4x4 stood up and walked away with 6 cows.

I walked further down the ridge ... and stopped at the photo ... heard a bugle 200 yards below ... (Why are they always down boulder fields?)

Got down there and thought that last year I was too timid ... I got too close this time ... busted setting up a decoy at 55 yards by him. He was a 4x4 or 5x5.

I climbed back up the hill and down the other side heard a bugle. I decided to "BigDan"-him, i.e. work him with just bugles. He was pissed. We closed on each other. I raked a tree. I could hear him doing the same. The saw him at 55 yards, raking. I worked in to 44 yards. started to adjust for the shot ... if I could just see his vitals. Maybe if he took a step or two.

The dark, big 6x6 saw me move. How many times would I have to put up with this?

The evening hunt was uneventful. I scouted an area north of camp ... nothing. Not a bit of sign. At least I know where NOT to look.

[JGH]

Thursday ... quiet morning ... I scouted east of camp ... not much activity around there. Evening, though, I got on a bull and we both tried to get the wind in our favor for about 20 minutes as we called back and forth. I knew the area well ... found a "trail" that would take me to the perfect spot ...

Except he thought the same thing!

Turns out he knew the area pretty well, too. At 15 yards, a heavy 6x6 with 6-8 cows barked.

It seems I was having no trouble finding the bulls ... and getting close ... but every fumble, every flag, every tipped pass seemed to go to the Elk. I couldn't catch a break.

[JGH]

Thursday night ... Back to the grouse ...

I had eaten the grouse that day for lunch and thrown the carcass out 100 yards from camp and watched camp robbers clean it up. I have never been that good about bear precautions, and I joked to myself that if I ever baited bear I'd end up coming home with a camp robber.

That night, as I sat and wrote down my hunt, enjoying a glass of wine, I heard a "BURP".

Odd sound for an elk to make.

Then again. "BURP, BURP, BURP." Down by the carcass. Some critter was down there. I walked out with my headlamp and saw two eyes looking back at 26 yards. I said "Get out of here, elk" ... hoping it was an elk.

The eyes were small, and very wide-set. Then, they growled.

He turned sideways and in the moonlight I could see his size. I honestly didn't think there were bears that big in this area. I had always thought of blackies as "big raccoons" ... This was no raccoon, though.

"GET OUT OF HERE" (Those were NOT my exact words).

He started walking toward me.

I retreated to the tipi, now known as "The Alamo".

He spent the next 10-15 minutes (which seemed like an hour) walking around about 75-100 yards away, barking, burping, growling and panting.

I spent the time weighing the merits of a lightweight .357 versus the stopping power of a .454 Casull -- neither of which I own, but one of which I soon will!

[JGH]

Friday ... best day yet

One day left ... it's going to be a big one, I thought ... and it was.

I covered 12+ miles by GPS that morning. I called in a 6x5 (twice) ... the second time to 15 yards, but he stopped short of an opening. I think he could hear my breathing. I could not control my air as he walked toward my shooting lane, and I thought "You, sir, are going to die!"

I called to another 6x6. He was hard-to-get, though, and I saw why: he had 6-8 cows. After trying everything I could think of, I ran and scattered the cows, then bugled as mean as I could. It almost worked. I think I didn't scatter them enough, and he rounded them up and took off.

I called to another 6x6 ... he seemed to hang up at about 75 yards ... key words = "seemed to". As I moved forward, I came face to face with him at 20 yards.

At this point, 11:00 a.m., I sat down to stretch and take a nap. A bull bugled below me further. I cow called and tried to say "You're going to have to come here ... I'm not coming down there!" I refused to move. He got madder and madder. As the 4x4 came up I got ready to "direct traffic" to my left. He didn't get the message and came to my right at 20 yards. I couldn't move, and the wind shifted ... BAM! ... out of there.

I crawled up out of the drainage and gave a frustration bugle ... and was answered by yet another bull! How many bulls were down there?

[JGH]

Saturday ... My last day ... one more quick morning hunt before Wife and Cavalry came to pick me up at noon.

It was like most days ... Bugle ... response ... get to within 100 yards ... set up ... lose confidence in setup and think another 15 yards away would be better ... move 15 yards ... come face-to-face with a BIG, HEAVY 6x6 at 10 yards, walking right into a perfect shooting lane.

Here's a photo of my cavalry ... including a relative who had never ridden a horse before who got a real introduction to Wyoming on her first trip out here. Awfully good sport to spend part of her vacation riding in to pick me up.

[JGH]

Summary

I found out that it was possible to find bulls, and big ones. I found out that I can call them, and bring them in.

And I found out that hunting solo is tough.

Being the caller and the shooter means you have no room for error at all.

But most of all, I found out that I need to shoot better. I'd have been done on Monday with that spike!

If I was a football coach, I'd say that "We just got beat, fair and square, by a good team, and we need to take some time off and then go back and work on fundamentals."

[Sucobowhunter]

Awesome!! Sounds like a great hunt. I also have a problem with the patience part of sitting and waiting, I always try to get closer and end up face to face. I also hunt solo. Thanks for the recap of your hunt..

[cnelk]

What a great depiction of your hunt John!
Thanks for sharing!

[ The bull on the left would answer anything ... so I just tried to replicate what he did. For 15 minutes, he gave me a lesson on how to bugle. What a great coach.

Paul has some competition in the elk woods!

[fm]

Great story John. Thanks for sharing.

[bnsafe]

thanks for sharing that. I learned a lot just by reading it, and it ramped me up for the final week.

[>>>---WW---->]

Sounds like you had the hunt of a lifetime without the back breaking chore of having to pack one out. I'll bet close to 80% of all the DIY solo hunters would like to have the good fortune of a hunt like yours. I'm betting you will nail one next time!

[Elkaddict]

Loved your stories! I am hunting in AZ now and your posts mirror some of my experiences, if I could just write! Beautifully done, now it's got me thinking of the bulls I left bugling this morning.

[JGH]

WW ... I bet 80% of all DIY hunters would've bagged an elk on this hunt ... I just keep falling into that 20%!

Really, after hunting them for 6 years now, I'm aware that I was really "in them" this last week. It was really frustrating to see people on the trail coming in as I was leaving elk-less ... because, I feel like I was very "successful", I just didn't look like it.

Or ... as you said ... I just didn't have the work of packing one out!

Or the winter meat supply.

I'm really mad I missed that spike on Monday ... but the education that I got from the elk in the next few days ... how to call, all the variations of bugles, how to find them, how to avoid wasting time in elkless areas ... it was almost worth it.

Almost.

[Buglemaster]

Terrific recap John! Agree with WW, you had the hunt of a lifetime. You didn't win the " Super Bowl"' but ya made it through the playoffs. With that many close calls, your gonna pull it off eventually. Thanks for sharing. Great photos to boot!

[Backcountry]

Very cool writeup! Had me hovering.over the refresh button for a while!

[diggerson]

great recap! Talk about sensory overload! What few days I have had in the field this year, I've only had one brief encounter with a cow and a small unseen herd (heard thundering hooves) that winded me in a bedding area, and I was giddy over those instances. I'd be on the forest floor, curled up and quivering, if I could find myself into that many elk, that many days in a row.

Good stuff!

[BRazz]

Sounds like a pretty epic hunt. I'm sorry you missed that spike - keep your head up and keep at it!

[elkflunky]

Great story reminds me of my old MT spot!

[Washington Wapiti]

Wow! Thanks for an awesome play-by-play John! Epic week . . .
I don't know what you ended up doing with the balloon, but I think you had the right idea. I'm sure the family would be quite touched.

[>>>---WW---->]

Gee John, I hope you didn't misunderstand me. What I meant was, probably close to 80% of the DIY solo hunters don't have near the success you had.

Keep up the good work! With those horses you have the ability to scout more territory than the average guy.

[JGH]

No problem, WW, I know what you meant.

I think you're right, though ... scout, scout, scout ... get to places others don't go. That's the plan for next year.

[Huntography]

What an amazing season. Just getting in on so many elk is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Congrats on naming skins great memories and stories for all of us.

If you ever want a caller/ filmmaker with you, I may know of someone

Rudy

[WapitiTalk1]

Hmm, what will I do on this first day of GOVT shutdown (damn politicians)? I know, I'll read JGH's account of his 2013 solo hunt! Great read friend and congrats on such a fine season (as WW said, without the backbreaking chore of packing one out). Thanks for taking the time to share your hunt with us.

[flopdrop]

John awesome details to your story. 5 years chasing and all 5 years together could not have written a better journal. Thanks for sharing.

[Z Barebow]

Thanks for sharing your story John! I loved it!