Big Bull Down ?

[Huntrgathr]

If you've seen the thread I started asking about big bull tactics then you know that my partner and I have been in pursuit of a few exceptionally large bulls. We've passed on several smaller bulls hoping to have a crack at the big daddys. We've had herd bulls very close on several occasions but, by some act of God or Karma, haven't been able to seal the deal. All of that changed on my most recent trip out to our hunting area here in Idaho. Here's a track from one of the bulls we saw.

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I headed out solo on this round as my partner had to work. I was still hunting for 2 or 3 specific herd bulls that we'd encountered on previous trips but I wasn't going to pass on a decent bull because I knew my chances were less without a caller behind me. Wednesday I hit a talkative bull before the sun even came up. I worked for 45 minutes to position myself for a stalk and call. I was able to sneek to within aproximately 60 yards of the bull before I started encountering his cows. At that point I had to make my play so I screamed a challenge bugle right at the herd. The cows took off, the bull screamed...maybe not in that order, but before I knew it, all the elk blew out of there, leaving me scratching my head. What had i done wrong ? Everything you read tells you to get close and "bugle in his face". I did exactly that and they just picked up and left. The same thing happened on other trips and twice more that day... I listened to recordings on my phone of challenge bugles to make sure I had done it right and felt like I had replicated them pretty well. Still scratching my head...

I was in bulls all day long and at one point had 2 herd bulls, one on either side of me, both hung up at 75 yards. "WHERE IS MY PARTNER ?! ", I said out loud. The day was action-packed but came to a close without a bull on the ground.

The next day I worked back up "Wallerville Canyon" (named because if it's copious amounts of "wallers"), in the dark hoping that a bull would finally make a mistake that day. Unfortunately, the elk had chosen a different canyon that day and it was almost 2pm before I got any action...

[zpd307]

that is a big hoof print...... good luck on your adventure!

[mjblowers]

What zone you hunting?

[Indian Summer]

That's unmistakably a moose track. Way too big but the dead give away is not pointy enough in the front.

[Huntrgathr]

A front was moving through and it rained all night. The next morning the weather broke about 15 min into my hike. There's nothing like hunting the morning after a good rain. "I'm killing a bull today", I said confidently as I hurried up the trail under moonlight with my boots making hardly a sound on the wet soil. I ditched rain gear and pack frame as it started to get light, leaving them where I could pick them up on the way out. But it was quiet in Wallerville that morning. The elk are always in some canyon - you just have to guess which one.So, after I realized I had picked the wrong canyon (again), I sat an aspen patch on an escape route where I knew elk had been bedding midday. Still nothing. So, I climbed to a high vantage point to glass and eat lunch. As I crested the ridge top I saw heavy rain clouds moving in quickly from the north. It sounded like a freight train was coming down the canyon. Being on top of the ridge suddenly seemed like a real bad idea, as did leaving my rain gear in the bottom. In less than 10 minutes it went from Bluebird skies to "holy **** !". I tucked up under a spruce, breaking off a few branches to make a hole for myself and tried to think of something other than getting struck by lightning.

As I tried to come up with a game plan, I saw two elk come running over a saddle across the canyon from me - about 800 yds away. Maybe the microburst was spooking them or maybe another hunter bumped them. Either way, they were flat moving. I wish I had had a video camera as all the other elk started to pile over the saddle with black clouds and lightning flashing behind them. As an old timer once said to me, "there's nothing like being there". Close to 45 head cut across the open ridge top and made for the creek bottom 600 feet below me. I noticed a hard line cut into the slope at about a 45 degree angle to the bottom and could see right where those elk were heading. We had already had multiple encounters at that exact spot before. Almost simultaneously, a bull started bugling just 120 yds below me (that I could tell by his deep, bellowing growl was a big herd bull), the microburst started to dissipate as quickly as it had started, and the herd on the other side of the canyon hit that trail and started making their way to water. I glassed the herd bull bringing up the rear and I was excited to see he was one of the bulls we'd been after. He had broken about 6" off his royal and most of his 5th on the right side since I'd seen him last but still would net 330. But now I had a dilemma - I knew right where the herd was going and I had time to get there if I left immediately, and I had the wind. BUT, I would have to bypass, and probably blow out the bull that was right below me bugling his head off. As I contemplated for a long minute I saw the herd bull on the other side of the canyon spin around and chase two other smaller bulls out of the herd - a sign that the rut was heating up big time. "That's my bull", I said to myself. I waited just a little longer until all the elk were in the bottom of the drainage where they couldn't see me descending and took a direct line at the bull.

I stuck to cover, using trees and shadows to shield my approach. The wind helped also. As I passed by the other bull on my way down I hoped I had made the right choice. I made a few pleading cow calls hoping he might just come charging over. He sounded interested but i knew it would take a lot more to get him to commit so I pressed on. This was more of an ambush/intercept approach and I wanted to avoid getting the attention of too many elk. I made a few more cow sounds as I neared the herd and then the bulls really fired up ! I had elk all over me, bugling, glugging, glunking - I was in it now. A bull was raking a tree not 50 yds from me but I could still hear the herd bull about 90 yds below me, bellowing out an almost evil sounding growl. One of those bugles that makes you duck down instinctively when you hear it from close up because it sounds dangerous. Like the bull could just take your head off with his bugle alone. The big bull I had passed on my way down decided to come on down and join the party too. There were now at least 3 big bulls having a screaming match and multiple satellites bugling from the perimeter. I was slowly picking my way past a spike and he almost blew up the whole thing. I knew the herd was feeding up out of the bottom and if they got past me the ambush was over. I pressed my luck by going a little faster past the spike than I normally would have and also leaving my boots on. I knew that they would tolerate a lot of noise since the herd was up moving. I just couldn't get seen or winded. If just one elk saw me it was over and there were at least 50 within 100 yds of me. I had gone about as far as I could go, picked an opening where I thought the herd bull would walk through, ranged it, and steeled my nerves as I heard the guttural scream of the big bull and saw tines coming up through the trees.

[Huntrgathr]

Um... that's unmistakably a moose track. Way too big but the dead give away is not pointy enough in the front.

I'll take your word for it since you've got a lot more years in the woods than me but keep in mind, it is a hind track - not front. And I don't have huge hands . I always thought moose tracks were pointier than elk tracks but I only cut a few per year....

I googled "moose track pics" and the pics don't look anything like that. Don't want to start a tracker's debate... My first thought when I saw it was that it was a beef track...

[Huntrgathr]

When bulls are coming in I make a conscious effort not to look closely at their rack to maintain my composure. I knew it was the big bull and didn't need to verify it. My mind raced to calculate the bull's vector and identify my shooting lanes. I had two openings of less than 3 feet each and I hoped to stop him in the first opening as I crouched at the edge of a small jack pine. My eyes fixed in the bull's front leg and vitals. Two more steps and he would be mine ! I tried to overcome the adrenaline rush that hit my system like the storm had rocked the canyon just a few minutes before. As the bull began to take another step I came to full draw and cow called ( I know, I know. Stop them with a nervous grunt. In the heat of the moment I fell back on my old method of cow calling to stop a bull. It worked. But, as they are prone to do it seems, the bull stopped with his front leg behind a small tree, barely obscuring the bull's heart. I slowly leaned out around the tree to open up a shot, aware that my shooting form was compromised because of this. It took an extra second to adjust and calm my pins down. I held my 35 pin tight to the tree and squeezed. I never saw my arrow in flight but I was 90% sure when the bull ran off that I had made a good shot. I hadn't hit the tree and I thought I saw a dark spot on the bull's hide straight up the front leg about 1/2 way up the body. I called frantically to try to stop the bull from running too far if I could.

I DID IT ! I KILLED A HERD BULL ! I threw gear all over the place, fist pumping and jumping around .... I was beside myself. I enjoyed the moment for a good 10 minutes. Then I went back to where I dropped my pack and managed to get a text out to my hunting partner. I JUST KILLED A BIG BULL ! It said...

I waited another 20 minutes and decided to look at the hit site. I had to know if I had seen it correctly. I had to know if I had really done it. I found almost exactly half of my arrow, broken off, covered in blood...

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[ElkNut1]

Chris, nice write up bud! Look forward to the rest of the story & photo!

ElkNut1

[six]

I say elk track. Great read.

[Indian Summer]

Hey.... I've been wrong before. And now that you mention it.... it does look a lot like a cattle track.

Congrats on killing that bull. It seems to tough... until you're standing next to it right. Nice when it all finally comes together. I hope you're going to finish the story with a pic! The suspense is killing me.

[Huntrgathr]

As I sat there with the arrow in my hands, trying to decide how long to wait, the storm picked up again and started to spit rain. I quickly worked the first 10 yds of the blood trail, finding some blonde hair and a few drops of blood. I looked further down expecting to see a red stripe down the mountain but there was very little blood. I started to think maybe I got a liver hit or maybe a high lung hit. The blood seemed lighter than liver so I assumed lungs/heart and pressed on. The blood was almost nonexistent as I tracked the bull down the slope. I had to keep telling myself " it's okay, you made a good hit", but then the rain started to pick up. I had tracked the bull about 100 yds at that point and the blood was all but gone. I started tracking more quickly as the trail started to wash out. Fresh tracks started to look old in a hurry. I knew I had to get everything from the blood trail that I could in the next few minutes because it would be washed out in no time. I was about 175 yds from the hit site now off the side slope, leading down to the creek. I could see almost to the bottom and there was no dead elk there. The whole time, the first bull that I snuck past just sat there bugling his head off - probably wondering why he wasn't getting any more answers. I knew I had very little time left so I went to last known blood, sighted back to the hit site and tried to imagine a line that would connect the hit site with a dead bull. I wrapped around the hill, traversing along a game trail. I thought I could still see the track but wasn't sure. Then I broke into a very small clearing, or meadow and saw tines sticking up from the grass. I got momentarily excited but then something didn't seem right. As I got closer I felt excited, relieved and confused all at the same time. There was a bull down in that clearing but it wasn't my bull. It wasn't the bull I had shot. I thought to myself, "somebody else got a bull right here next to me ? Crazy !". But I slowly figured it out. I was in shock. I had shot the wrong bull.

It seems like a terrible thing to say that I was disappointed at that moment, standing there looking at a nice 5 point bull laying on the ground but I'd be lying to say that I wasn't. I replayed the whole thing in my head again. I had heard the bull bugling, getting closer, getting closer and then I saw antlers come up through the trees. I didn't verify that it was the big guy but there was only 1 other branched bull in the main herd. The other bulls came in from the opposite direction...He must have got past me as the herd fed up or was just a few steps behind the bull I shot.

This is not a story to try to justify the bull I shot or to make it seem like more than it was. I was 100% sure when I shot that I was arrowing a 330-340" bull. It took me 10 minutes standing there staring to accept what had happened. I chastised myself for being disappointed. This was a good bull and I had been living on borrowed meat for two months. I thanked the elk, thanked the mountain and set to work. I was solo and I had a 4 mile packout ahead of me...

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I couldn't believe how little blood there was with this hit. The entire track was about 250 yds start to finish and there was maybe a cup of blood spilled.

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Highlights of the packout -3.2 miles off trail. 13.4 miles and 2300 feet of climbing in two round trips the next day to get the rest out.

Packed neck meat, tenders and backstraps out that night in my tiny daypack. Had to grab the haul handle over my shoulder and pull up on it the whole way out as the 60# load started to tear my pack in half.

Packed out 2 hinds at once the following morning because it didn't sound like any of my buddies were going to make it in. One eventually did and packed out a front for me..

Bruised hips, havalon puncture wound, pain , pain, pain....

I came home and bought another tag. This season ain't over yet ! I'm going back for that big bull.

[Indian Summer]

When we're talking elk one in the hand is worth 10 in the bush! Good job. You can buy 2 bull tags in Idaho?

[zpd307]

When we're talking elk one in the hand is worth 10 in the bush! Good job. You can buy 2 bull tags in Idaho?

great story! indian, Idaho was willing to sell me a 2nd tag as they had 8k out of 12k 2 weeks before we went out...... at 1/2 price also.

[Huntrgathr]

When we're talking elk one in the hand is worth 10 in the bush! Good job. You can buy 2 bull tags in Idaho?

great story! indian, Idaho was willing to sell me a 2nd tag as they had 8k out of 12k 2 weeks before we went out...... at 1/2 price also.

Yep, between the Medels and the wolves, the elk herds are decimated. They're pretty much giving tags away..

[Elkbowhuntr]

Great Job ! Nothing like the ELK woods.

[Csrbowhunter]

good story and nice bull! Plus good shot. It makes you feel good when you make a good shot.

[ElkNut1]

Very nice bull Chris! Great job & patience exercised there!!

ElkNut1

[Huntrgathr]

So, just to give an update, we hunted 4 more days and were able to call in 2 herd bulls and 3-4 satellites but neither of us filled another tag. I passed a shot on a nice black bear at 30 yds that was a little too quartered to me. All in all - one of the best elk hunting seasons we've ever had. We both (my HP is Screaming btf ) agreed that we earned 5-10x as much experience (action, encounters, call ins) than we had in any previous year. We hunted a close to 20 days (it's a little fuzzy now ) in some of the best elk country you could imagine. even as hunters showed up in droves we were able to stay in elk. Next year expect to see a couple of very nice additions to the Elknut forum Meatpole ! Congrats to everyone that punched a tag and good luck to those of you that haven't. Now, on to the Mulies !!

[twinkieman]

Still a nice bull, and congratulations!