Your first archery shot on an elk

[Steve G]

I've been out successfully punching lethal holes in paper out to 70 yds. Though I have been shooting targets up hills and down into canyons, I'm wondering what will happen when I run into my first elk.

What was your first shot like (hit or miss)? How far was your shot? Did your many hours of practice pay off, or did things fall apart? Please share anything that you think is instructional or even entertaining.

[WapitiTalk1]

Mine involved a big Montana bull bellowing from the vicinity of a wallow on steep side hill 100 yards above myself and my high school buddy, and, a tall spike surprising me as he silently appeared over the top of a thin finger ridge 25 yards away, rendering me incapable of drawing back the 50 lb bear recurve I was armed with. Knees knocking (literally), I knew on that day in the fall of 1975, I was hooked. My buddy had received an answer using his PVC pipe tube and old diaphragm. We'd worked our way toward the bull and set up. We were both sophomores in HS. As the big guy screamed back a warning to the caller, I sensed something moving up and to my right. The spike had came in quietly and was standing on top of the narrow little finger ridge, looking directly at me. I couldn't pull the bow back Shock, awe, adrenaline, etc., etc....... Yep, that's when it started for me.

[Swede]

I made a lethal 15 yard shot into a broadside branch antlered bull. I had made plenty of rifle kills before that first archery kill. I was okay in making the shot, but got nervous after.

[Indian Summer]

6 point bull at 20 yards perfectly broadside in a wide open burn with zero cover. Rut crazed to the point where it was like he was blind. Down in 100 yards.

[BrentLaBere]

Cow called in a bull, he came running at me just over the crest of a hill. I had a couple small bushes I was hiding in, in the wide open terrain. Bull chose the up wind side of me and trotted by me to an open point for a 15 yard shot.

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Cow elk at 30 yards. Nerves? Not really, but she ducked the shot (longbow) and I caught nothing but elbow bone. She didn't even limp as she trotted away. I watched her stand at 60 yards for 15 minutes as other elk milled around. She didn't know what had happened, and was nowhere near looking injured, let alone sick (follow up after the event confirmed this..She trotted away and didn't leave any blood except a few drops where she'd stood for so long).

So I shot the 6 point when he walked within range (had a 2nd tag for the cow and all day to follow up, so I didn't mind shooting again). That bull is the one in my avatar.

[Shawn032]

Cow at 45 yards in Arizona 1994

[Screaming_btf]

My first Archery shot at an ELK came after cow calling in late august just before dusk. I had to wait about 15 minutes for this guy to take slow steps one after another for what seemed like forever. He came in silent and I had a feeling it was an ELK with the loud cracking sounds that were being made I wasn't sure. He stepped out and was frozen just looking around and his ears were turning a Little bit trying to hear things. I got sort of lucky as I look back because it was only the 2nd time I had ever been using a mouth reed in the field. He stopped broadside from me about 20 yards and started licking the minerals on the ground. I had shot all summer, allot almost every day at least a little. I was nervous before the shot but thankfully he took so long walking in that my nerves settled and as he came to a rest in front of me I made the shot just like I had practiced all summer... Practice makes you better and gives you confidence... and that makes the difference when it comes time to take the shot imo.

[pointysticks]

20 yard shot at a javalina. I about came unglued. I could barely pull back my bow. That was the days of 65% let off. Haha.

Elk ? I have not had the pleasure.

[easeup]

I had hunted elk for 20 yrs and taken a number of bulls with a rifle. At the spry age of 48 I switched over to bowhunter. that first bull that came in looking at me at 25 yds and I too could not pull my bow. It wasn't because I wasn't strong enough to sling arrows all day long either.
Two days later I drew on a small raghorn at 15 yds. To this day I still have no clue where that arrow went, but it did not hit that bull.
Stupid...I know. hey! that is exactly how it happened. But I was hooked and a changed man by then.

[Trophyhill]

CO cow at 20 yards. Deflated both lungs and watched her pile up. What a great memory this was a cold calling set up in a drizzling rain.

[Gypsumreaper]

My first shot was checkin an area on an old shut down logging road after jumping a few spikes that am, we were headed back an I spotted yellow outa the corner of my eye about 100 yards off the road, I snuck down to the bedded 5 point laying in his bed facing downhill. I made it down a good way in the aspens when for no reason he rolled over in his bed to face me. I was somewhat behind an aspen and had tunnel vision on my first bull that close, as he watched me I snuck down 10 more yards and he stood up so I slowly pulled out my range finder and ranged him at 60 yards. I was comfortable with the shot taking 80 yards many times in practice, I drew back set my 50 yard pin high and let her fly, I watched the path of the arrow go just under his chest, then the rest of the trees came alive I coulda shot a bigger bull 40 yards to my left but that tunnel vision got me. I walked down after they took off to find my arrow an there it was in the dirt 5 yards behind his bed. After ranging a second time it was 70 yards and I found one twig 60 yards down with my range finder. Lesson learned check the whole area all around don't get tunnel vision and get 2 readings on the bull not just a vital zone but somewhere else on the bull jus in case that one twig is there and you get lucky enough to hit it. I have messed up 2 other times after that, the second time I didn't even have my bow when the. 7 point I had been chasing showed up at 25 yards broadside, I shot him with my rangefinder 3 times. But couldn't get a lethal object to throw at him, and the last one rangefinder wasn't used an I shot him in the backstrap from a bad guesstimate of range. That one no tunnel vision but 10 seconds to range him might have been my first dead bull, live an learn

[Lefty]

My first year, 4th evening sitting on a water hole a younger 6x6 at 11 yards and a miss, bounced it off his mainbeam and G4 when he was glunking

[elkmtngear]

My first shot was similar to Gypsumreaper. My buddy and I were stillhunting a semi-open ridge about 100 yards apart in Eastern Oregon, hoping to catch some deer moving in between us. There was a forest service road down in the bottom, and we were sidehilling parallel to it.

I heard a couple of limbs popping down in the bottom, and I thought "moo cows". All of a sudden, there were elk charging up from the bottom. 5 or 6 cows just blew by me. Then I see the bull, a heavy horned 6x6 with bright ivory tips. He's so fat that he seems to be laboring to get to the top as he is following up the cows.

He stops broadside at 60 yds (or so I guessed)...lays his head back, and rips off a bugle. I'm already at full draw, so I let 'er fly. Watched my arrow go just underneath his brisket (paced it off at 70 yds when it was all over).
Watched his fat butt jiggle up and over the top. My buddy was within 30 yards of him when he went over, but he couldn't seal the deal, due to obstructions.

That encounter firmly set the hook in my mouth; I was hopelessly addicted to elk hunting after that trip!

[Fridaythe13th]

1st elk the nerves were on high alert when I see him walking on a trail that would pass by 15 yard away, he stop 35 yds out behind a tree no shot, bugled, walk straight up the hill stop behind some pine trees right before he hit a big opening. turn around walk straight down the hill and was walking away I had a small hole he stop in I sent the arrow. No go hit a branch and sent in low.
2nd was my bad, nerves, frustration, lack of experience. I plain choked 45 yrd sent over the top.

[pointysticks]

"pending"

[stringunner]

My first elk taken was in Wyoming. We were on day four of a 10 day hunt. Day one we called in several bulls and cows but no shots. On day two, we had hunted the morning and were walking back out to the truck when a herd of about 10 came running by at about 40 yards. I was packing a bull tag and my dad a cow tag in a hard to draw unit. The last two elk in the herd was a 5 point bull and a cow. I told my dad I was going to try and stop the elk in the rear and to get ready to take the cow. I didn't see the bull yet. Just as the cow was coming into view (broadside, 40 yards) I saw the bull behind her. So I also drew back at the same time as my dad. I did a quick mew with the call in my mouth and both elk on a dime stopped, almost exactly at the same time, my dad and I both shot (my first shot at an elk), he at the cow and me at the bull. Both elk blew out of there and we looked at each other not really believing what had just happened. After further inspection, we both missed! Imagine that. Both arrows in two different trees about 6 yards apart. We laughed all the way to the truck. Looking back on it now, it is easy to see how that was not a great idea, both shooting at the same time, though it wasn't planned, it could have been bad had we not both released at the same moment, great potential for one jumping the sound of the first release to result in a bad shot on behalf of the second shooter. Luckily both were a clean miss. Lesson learned.

The next day we were walking in slow on an old logging road and caught a glimpse of some tan up ahead about 80 yards. We watched for a moment and saw that it was two cows and a calf feeding in a small opening with decent cover for a stalk. We both dropped our packs and my dad in front, we began working our way in. I stopped about 50 yards out and stayed back to direct my dad. He worked from tree to tree up to the point that he was about 30 yards from the feeding cows. The wind was perfect. The tree he was behind was big enough that he could draw his bow and lean out for a shot, he made a great shot and the cow went less than 30 yards. This was day 3.

The next morning (day 4) we started up on a ridge calling in two spikes from several hundred yards out, not having arrowed an elk yet, I would have happily taken one of the spikes had they presented me with a shot. We had set up two Montana butt decoys about 50 yards behind me and to my left. My dad was behind the decoys hunkered down in some brush cow calling. The spikes came running and when they saw the decoys (it was very open terrain) they halted and paced back and forth for 15 minutes about 50 yards from me (about 100 yards from the decoys). I could tell that they wanted to commit but because the decoys never moved and with all the cow calling my dad was doing, they got nervous and finally walked off. I could see a nice 6 point bull about 200 yards out who was chasing cows trying to steal them from another bull. When the spikes left he started to walk our way. I immediately grabbed by bow and sprinted to the decoys, picked them up and threw them down the mountain side. My dad was looking at me like "what the heck," I whispered "big bull coming, keep calling." Half way back to my spot I saw antler tips coming up the other side of the ridge, I knew it was the 6 point, and I was going to be busted in the wide open, I darted to my left and squatted behind a 6 inch small pine tree and immediately drew my bull. The bull came walking right past me at 11 yards, I was shaking very bad...he saw my movement as I was now in the wide open next to the small tree. He stopped and the stare down began. After nearly a minute, of being at full draw, the shaking got the best of and me and my arrow fell off the string. The bull only at 11 yards twirled and ran. I let down feeling totally defeated. My dad hadn't seen any of this as his head was down and he was going to town on the calls. I happened to look up in time to see the antler tips coming back but this time on the left side of the tree...I quickly re-positioned and drew back again, at 18 yards the bull came in and immediately stopped to take another look at me, he whirled again as he knew I was there, but this time I was a bit more steady and for a split second after he whirled he stopped, I took a hard quartering away shot at the bull. Thinking I made a bad shot, I stood up and threw my bow. My dad came running up to try and console me but I needed a minute. He walked about ten yards up to the point where he could see over the otherside and said "when you are done throwing a fit, you had better come look at this." The arrow went in just in front of his back leg and lodged in the offside front leg. He ran 100 yards and started rolling, never to get back up.

I ended up killing a muley buck the next day and then to another unit and shot an antelope three days later. It was a season we won't soon forget. And boy did we ever learn a ton on that trip.

[stykbow67]

My one and only shot came from a treestand several years back in CO. I didn't have time to think about it everything happened way to fast! It was a perfect heart shot with a 56# Longbow and a cedar shaft tipped with a homemade steel broadhead less than 15yds away. I haven't had a shot op since then maybe this will be the year!

Steve

[Steve G]

Awesome stories guys.

[Bullwinkle]

20 yards on 5x6. It happened so fast there was no time to get nervous. (Except) after the shot, he didnt know what happened and made a circle ending up 3 ft from my face with head hanging. Long story ending with my hands empty and shaking like a banana tree full of hungry monkeys!

[Gselkhunter]

I had met a seasoned elk hunter in the woods and spent the next 3 days with him. He was heading to his honey hole in the morning and I was not invited. I did not hear the alarm go off but did hear Bob when he yelled he was leaving. I flew out of my sleeping bag, dressed and jumped into the truck. When I got out of the truck it was a run to try and catch up on the hour I was behind. The wind was horrible and I still got into a bull with 3 cows while heading up to the top of the ridge. The wind stopped any chance of working this group so I just let them walk. I hit the top of the ridge and bailed off the other side. The wind was so bad and I was pissed because I overslept. I got down into some heavy timber and sat down to eat something and calm down. I heard a noise up the hill and was sure it was the wind until I saw the cow and calf moving down a trail heading right at me. I half way put stuff in my pack and got my bow, 60yds, 50yds and I looked down at my string to knock an arrow and hook up my release. I looked up and the cow was gone. The calf was coming straight down the trail. I looked and looked for the cow, no where. The calf got to 25yds stopped and looked to the right. I let my gaze drift that way and there was the cow 20yds from me. The cow was moving up the hill to the calf. When she stopped at 13yds quartering to me I drew and released. The cow spun and fell down. I was thinking man that was easy, then she got up and ran away. I heard the crashing and banging then all went quite. I looked up and the calf was standing there perplexed. I got up and she just looked at me. I walked over to her and she finally ran off. I went to where the cow had fallen and there was no blood. I marked everything and looked for my arrow, no arrow. I started down the trail the cow had taken and no blood. I started to question what had happened. I went a little farther down the trial and found one small drip of blood on a root. I eased down a little farther and found a pool of blow. Then nothing for a while, then another drip, then further down was more blow. Then I heard her moaning and gasping for air. I moved down the trail then I could see her wedged between trees. She tried to get up twice and couldn't. I listened to her suffer for a little while and couldn't take it. I snuck down and put another arrow in her to end her fight for life.
I had butchered a lot of meat but on a table but not wedged in between trees. I finally got her done and started leap frogging quarters up the hill, the sky was turning black. The lightening and thunder was closing in fast, the rain started then so did the hail. I bundled the quarters together lay on top and pulled my space blanket over me. I got pounded by hail and rain for the next hour and a half. There lightening strikes that were so close that the thunder was instant.
Once the storm pasted I got up and marked the quarters and headed down the wet slimy hill marking my trail. The quarter I was carrying bounced off the ground a few times as I fell going through the aspen meadow. Once to the road I dropped my prize and humped up the road to the truck. Once at the truck I ate 3 sandwiches, 3 apples and drank a quart of water. Drove back to the quarter loaded it in the truck and went back up the hill to fetch the other 3.
I shot the cow at 8:15am and drove back into camp at 6:47. Bob popped his head out of his trailer and asked where I had been. When He got a look at me when I got out of the truck he said I looked like $$$$! Then said cut a steak lets eat. The best elk steak I ever had.

[Steve G]

I had met a seasoned elk hunter in the woods and spent the next 3 days with him. He was heading to his honey hole in the morning and I was not invited. I did not hear the alarm go off but did hear Bob when he yelled he was leaving. I flew out of my sleeping bag, dressed and jumped into the truck. When I got out of the truck it was a run to try and catch up on the hour I was behind. The wind was horrible and I still got into a bull with 3 cows while heading up to the top of the ridge. The wind stopped any chance of working this group so I just let them walk. I hit the top of the ridge and bailed off the other side. The wind was so bad and I was pissed because I overslept. I got down into some heavy timber and sat down to eat something and calm down. I heard a noise up the hill and was sure it was the wind until I saw the cow and calf moving down a trail heading right at me. I half way put stuff in my pack and got my bow, 60yds, 50yds and I looked down at my string to knock an arrow and hook up my release. I looked up and the cow was gone. The calf was coming straight down the trail. I looked and looked for the cow, no where. The calf got to 25yds stopped and looked to the right. I let my gaze drift that way and there was the cow 20yds from me. The cow was moving up the hill to the calf. When she stopped at 13yds quartering to me I drew and released. The cow spun and fell down. I was thinking man that was easy, then she got up and ran away. I heard the crashing and banging then all went quite. I looked up and the calf was standing there perplexed. I got up and she just looked at me. I walked over to her and she finally ran off. I went to where the cow had fallen and there was no blood. I marked everything and looked for my arrow, no arrow. I started down the trail the cow had taken and no blood. I started to question what had happened. I went a little farther down the trial and found one small drip of blood on a root. I eased down a little farther and found a pool of blow. Then nothing for a while, then another drip, then further down was more blow. Then I heard her moaning and gasping for air. I moved down the trail then I could see her wedged between trees. She tried to get up twice and couldn't. I listened to her suffer for a little while and couldn't take it. I snuck down and put another arrow in her to end her fight for life.
I had butchered a lot of meat but on a table but not wedged in between trees. I finally got her done and started leap frogging quarters up the hill, the sky was turning black. The lightening and thunder was closing in fast, the rain started then so did the hail. I bundled the quarters together lay on top and pulled my space blanket over me. I got pounded by hail and rain for the next hour and a half. There lightening strikes that were so close that the thunder was instant.
Once the storm pasted I got up and marked the quarters and headed down the wet slimy hill marking my trail. The quarter I was carrying bounced off the ground a few times as I fell going through the aspen meadow. Once to the road I dropped my prize and humped up the road to the truck. Once at the truck I ate 3 sandwiches, 3 apples and drank a quart of water. Drove back to the quarter loaded it in the truck and went back up the hill to fetch the other 3.
I shot the cow at 8:15am and drove back into camp at 6:47. Bob popped his head out of his trailer and asked where I had been. When He got a look at me when I got out of the truck he said I looked like $$$$! Then said cut a steak lets eat. The best elk steak I ever had.

I think you just won the John Hemingway award. Right on!

[Csrbowhunter]

Four years ago I was on the next to last day of my hunt. A buddy and I had hiked about 8 miles back and were in elk most of the day with no shots. As night was falling and we were walking back to my truck, I heard a faint bugle. My buddy and I laughed in disbelieve and he said he was to tired to try one last setup. I put my mouth call in and cow called a few times. The bull answered but sounded a long ways off. We continued to walk up the logging road towards my truck. As soon as we could see my truck I looked to the right and there stood a nice 5/5. I was a few yards in front of my buddy so he hadn't seen him yet. I stopped and loaded an arrow. I put out my left arm and stopped my buddy while pointing out the elk. As I came to full draw my buddy tried to get a arrow out of his quiver and hit his bow with it(tink)! The bull was at 15yds but shot out of there and stopped again at 50 to get a second look. When he stopped I settled my pin on him and released. By the time the arrow got there he was turning to leave. It went in behind his right shoulder but out his brisket. The bull tried to run away but stumbled and stopped again at 90 yards. The arrow broke into two pieces as he went away stumbling up and over the hill.
I knew the shot wasnt the best but I thought for sure I'd find him if I gave him enough time. I told my buddy to NOT go look for him and help me find both pieces of my arrow but as I looked he went up over the hill. In his excitement he jumped the bull and we never found him! The next day I looked most of the day but I lost the blood where he had laid down the got back up when my buddy jumped him. So the next year when I got my chance again I put three arrows in the elk until he collapsed in site. No tracking job this time!

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Four years ago I was on the next to last day of my hunt. A buddy and I had hiked about 8 miles back and were in elk most of the day with no shots. As night was falling and we were walking back to my truck, I heard a faint bugle. My buddy and I laughed in disbelieve and he said he was to tired to try one last setup. I put my mouth call in and cow called a few times. The bull answered but sounded a long ways off. We continued to walk up the logging road towards my truck. As soon as we could see my truck I looked to the right and there stood a nice 5/5. I was a few yards in front of my buddy so he hadn't seen him yet. I stopped and loaded an arrow. I put out my left arm and stopped my buddy while pointing out the elk. As I came to full draw my buddy tried to get a arrow out of his quiver and hit his bow with it(tink)! The bull was at 15yds but shot out of there and stopped again at 50 to get a second look. When he stopped I settled my pin on him and released. By the time the arrow got there he was turning to leave. It went in behind his right shoulder but out his brisket. The bull tried to run away but stumbled and stopped again at 90 yards. The arrow broke into two pieces as he went away stumbling up and over the hill.
I knew the shot wasnt the best but I thought for sure I'd find him if I gave him enough time. I told my buddy to NOT go look for him and help me find both pieces of my arrow but as I looked he went up over the hill. In his excitement he jumped the bull and we never found him! The next day I looked most of the day but I lost the blood where he had laid down the got back up when my buddy jumped him. So the next year when I got my chance again I put three arrows in the elk until he collapsed in site. No tracking job this time!

You might need a new hunting buddy if...they cost you a wounded bull because they can't listen!

[Fridaythe13th]

"Bullwinkle"] shaking like a banana tree full of hungry monkeys!

Ha ha. I like it, I well have to remember that one

[Triplebhunters]

Walking through a meadow to my evening spot, I hear a bugle about 11:00 pos. so I let one rip, and I hear bugles at 11 12 and 2:00 o'clock. I rip out another, the bull at 2:00 ripped one back and started running at me, watched him run down a hill, over a creek, and up hill to me. I recall dropping to my knees balancing my level at full draw thinking we will be face to face. I ended up with a quater to shot at 25 yards.
Come on September!!!

[Csrbowhunter]

Four years ago I was on the next to last day of my hunt. A buddy and I had hiked about 8 miles back and were in elk most of the day with no shots. As night was falling and we were walking back to my truck, I heard a faint bugle. My buddy and I laughed in disbelieve and he said he was to tired to try one last setup. I put my mouth call in and cow called a few times. The bull answered but sounded a long ways off. We continued to walk up the logging road towards my truck. As soon as we could see my truck I looked to the right and there stood a nice 5/5. I was a few yards in front of my buddy so he hadn't seen him yet. I stopped and loaded an arrow. I put out my left arm and stopped my buddy while pointing out the elk. As I came to full draw my buddy tried to get a arrow out of his quiver and hit his bow with it(tink)! The bull was at 15yds but shot out of there and stopped again at 50 to get a second look. When he stopped I settled my pin on him and released. By the time the arrow got there he was turning to leave. It went in behind his right shoulder but out his brisket. The bull tried to run away but stumbled and stopped again at 90 yards. The arrow broke into two pieces as he went away stumbling up and over the hill.
I knew the shot wasnt the best but I thought for sure I'd find him if I gave him enough time. I told my buddy to NOT go look for him and help me find both pieces of my arrow but as I looked he went up over the hill. In his excitement he jumped the bull and we never found him! The next day I looked most of the day but I lost the blood where he had laid down the got back up when my buddy jumped him. So the next year when I got my chance again I put three arrows in the elk until he collapsed in site. No tracking job this time!

You might need a new hunting buddy if...they cost you a wounded bull because they can't listen!

Dwarf ,
He moved to Georgia so no worries on that anymore! It's amazing how important it is for both people to be on the same page. He showed me the area in Montana and that was great but since I started hunting by myself of with a different guy I or my new hunting buddy has killed an elk every year! The other guy was more into hiking then hunting!

[ishy]

I was calling for a buddy and if the bull would have read the script would have been a 15 yrd slam dunk, but he didn't read the script. Gave the shooter only a 40 yrds straight on non shot, then went back to his cows. The next 30 minutes was one of the coolest experiences in the woods I've had. The whole time we were within 40-80 yards and screaming at each other but never offering a shot. His cows kept trying to get to us and he was doing his best quarter horse impersonation he would cu them off by dropping his antlers in the face of any that dared try to leave him. Finally his cows took off, and we assumed he was with them. It was right at last light and we were headed towards each other to talk about how great a night it had been. When all of a sudden he steps out 45 yards slightly quartering away and the elk gods smiled on me! I was really nervous earlier, but was calm as could be at the shot because I really thought the show was over a few minutes earlier and the addrenalin didn't have time to make a cycle that quick.

[Bails]

Ok a little back ground first, I live in England, UK, over here the biggest Deer we have are the Red Deer, Basically an Elk with a slightly different antler formation. Also as I was to find out , Red Deer are smaller by quite a lot, but I always thought Red Deer were a big animal and would be similar in size to an Rocky Mountain Elk...... Anyways I've hunted Elk on two trips previous to 2013 and seen multiple Elk on both occasions, just never had chance to draw up on one. So to my trip last year, I had the good fortune of hunting with Rudy from Huntography(no pressure then), what a great Guy(Big friendly giant ).
My first and only shot was on the 2nd day of the Colorado archery season, I was hunting with my Longbow and was effective out to 25yds, we had set-up on an aspen meadow at 10'500ft, we had Rudy filming and calling at the rear of us and my two hunt partners were 20-30yds apart to my left. After 20 minutes of calling we caught sight of two Cow elk coming into our set-up from the right, the route they were going I thought would put me in range. As the Elk came across the front of me I did not work out the distance, but looking at the Cow she looked like she was right on my maximum range for a shot. Rudy called for her to stop, I drew, shot and watched that Cow run clean out of the unit, my heart sank, I was sure I did everything right!!! . I looked back at the Guys, Rudy was like "what happened", what happened was I walked the distance to where the Cow had stopped and my heart sank 39yds!!. I had guessed that a Cow Elk was going to be the same size as our native Red deer Stag, where in fact the Cow was way bigger, giving me the impression that she was closer. I was gutted, but I learn't an important lesson, don't under estimate the size of the quarry you hunt. I put it down to experience and am just glad it was a clean miss, rather than a bad hit. I'm back in 2014 to hopefully redeem myself....... fingers crossed!

Keep an eye out for Huntography's Elktour 2!
http://www.huntography.com/blog/2014/03 ... lkhunting/

[Yotkilr]

Smaller 5X4 Montana bull snuck into 60 yards while he was bedded got him to stand up and double lunged him. He made it 40 yards and dropped. Practiced all summer out to 100 yards but 60 is about the max I would take on an deer or elk.

[Clip-Shot]

After 4 years of learning what not to do, things finally leaned my favor. Even though I was solo when I released that first arrow towards an elk, the vivid memory has been easy to share just like it happened. The biggest factors- being in the right place at the right time & having perfect wind conditions. I have yet to get a bigger bull and may never anywhere close to where I live here in NW Montana. Actually, I never had an opportunity at a bull this size even during the 25+ years I riffle hunted. Experiencing what happened next caused me to gain a lot of confidence in archery equipment and what can be possible through discipline and a well placed shot. He flinched as if a limb bumped into him unexpectedly and took a couple quick steps and stopped for maybe 30 seconds to look around. Took a few more steps and collapsed. I waited a couple minutes, nearly in disbelief, expecting at any second he would jump up and crash through the trees down the hill. All said, he went less than 15 yards. That will be 12 years ago, this coming fall. I've always be crazy about elk hunting, but for the last 12 years, a bow has remained my 1st and only choice...

A picture of this bull is on [Post 10] here: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1547

[elkmule123]

My first archery elk was last year on the opener. I wasn't able to head out in the morning, so I missed out on the opener morning. My BIL and his cousin decided to try and sleep in their tree stands, in hopes that they would be ready for the morning trip to the water hole at one stand and bedding area for the other stand. The cousin had a coyote come into area right before the elk came in and he saw/heard them turn around. My BIL didn't have anything come in. Because neither one had any luck in the morning and didn't need my help packing out an elk, I decided to hunt in another stand over some water. I sat for a couple hours and then heard a cow call and then a weak bugle. I gave out a small cow chirp and it came running, it stopped and called again. So I let out another chirp and it came busting into the little meadow that my stand sat over. By that time I was already at full draw. It turned out to be a calf. I had a bull tag and a control tag and with the morning result of my BIL and his cousin, I decided to let the arrow fly. It went about 150 yard before it toppled over. Hopefully this will help with the nerve, even though it was a calf (which turned out to be a male) it sure did get the adrenalin going with its response to the call and having it run in.