My kill... but - just can't close those final yards...

[mjblowers]

Let me preface by saying I used the advertising sequence around 7 pm and filled my tag on a cow while hunting by myself. As funny as this will sound to some (we sure thought it was) I met up with my hunting buddy at camp after tracking a poor shot and we whipped out the playbook on elk tracking. It put our minds at ease knowing that a gut shot elk can stay alive a long time and shouldn't be tracked for 6 hours... as I found out as I about came nose to nose with the girl the next morning, alive, just not willing to get up truly a sad experience but I'm glad no meat was wasted.

ANYWAYS - I finally found my own honey holeish and I'm trying to help my buddy fill his tag. Yesterday morning, we walk in, set up around 6:45am just about day breaking in we planned on sitting along a trail we glassed some elk on over a couple days. As soon as we set up and our buts his the ground, we hear a light chuckle about 300 yards out. (THIS is where I freeze up) I immediately don't know what to do and I panic. So I did some light mewing with my thinking being : he's rounding up his cows to move out to a bedding area.) He responds a couple of times, not immediately, and makes no attempts to come closer. We move up about 150 yards and do more mewing. I break some twigs and what not while doing so. My buddy catches a glimpse of a fair sized 5x5 and said that he was feeding and not really paying me any attention when cow calling.

I don't feel like the ruts on and I'm hesitant to do any bugles so they move on a ways and we follow some 2-3 hours later, not making much of any cow calls. We start heading down the hill thinking we may bump them, and sure enough, out of no where one storms off about 20 yards away - (I kick myself now thinking maybe I should have done a nervous grunt, as that's how I stopped my cow from leaving when it spooked) but since I had been only doing cow calls, I did some there again. Well... the crashing stopped and my buddy is waiting as it sounds like this elk is turning around and sneaking back in. Meanwhile, I look past my buddy down the hill about 70 yards from me and 30 from him, a huge set of antlers rise above the leaves, and mosey parallel to us. I cow call some more, nothing excessive, but he simply wouldn't come to us. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE HERE. They came back, the bull wasn't scared, but he wouldn't come? Why can't I get these bulls attention? What would you have done with the first bull sighting? "Sprinted" up to him and done a scream within 75 yards? BLAAARRGG.

Also - thanks for all the help, just cows for some, but I'm 2/2 now since coming to this place and getting the Elknut stuff (need to get the audio CD I've decided...)

[ferris bugler]

I would have ripped a bugle right at him. If he bugled back I would have done it again right on top of him. I think you were in the perimeter of what would have brought him in.

[ElkNut1]

Not sure what else you expected? You had the bull 30 yards from the shooter! As far as calling bulls, when you have them in sight at 70 yards they also have you in sight! Beware of calling at that time it can be tricky!

ElkNut1