busted in the bedroom

[powderhogg01]

I got out and up the hill at first light. nothing came past the saddle i was in so i figured i would hustle around the mountain and get into an area i have found elk bedding. when i got close i caught a.strong whiff of elk and went into sneak mode. knowing i was close to either animals or their beds i let a few cow chips out. no response so i slide forward by about ten yards. I see the first elk now, 30 yards below me, the wind is perfect so i inch forward to see what's in the herd. unfortunately a yound spike saw my movement and barked alerting all the others. i quick guess the nearest cow.at.30 and sent an arrow under her belly and the rest left with her. now.. wind is not good to pursue, but i think i know where they are going. with o.ly 1 day after today i would hate to give up and back out but do not think its wise to push them. oh the dilemma. i may just go sit at some water and hope for the best... though the wind is getting.more and more unstable today.
its a bummer i missed that chance, reality is it may have been the last

[ElkNut1]

Nothing wrong with hunting the bedroom! That's where most our elk are taken! You almost scored there as well, good luck as the hours wind down!!

ElkNut1

[powderhogg01]

holy cow what a day. I was able to nock an arrow 5 more times throughout the day but was never able to get another shot. I was able to dog the herd and stay with them ALL DAY. I am completely beat, but in good spirits. I spoke with a fella who said he had just shot a 6 point on the wallow I planned to sit at.. never made it that far as the elk were closer then the wallow. One more day, I will try the same thing I did today, hiking in a bit earlier perhaps so I can be in the bedroom when they arrive. moving to water around 10 and I will sit there until the thermals shift.
I was able to cow call a cow, she came in to 5 yards then peeked around a tree. I was at full draw but she never did step out.. could have put the arrow through her head.. but thats not an ethical shot I do not believe..
all in all an awesome day in the woods, while I am not giving up, the reality is setting in that this may be yet another archery season without an elk, but I have learned a lot, I have called in elk, and was able to dog a herd for a full day. If only a cow had fallen behind I would have had the chance.

[ElkNut1]

Sam, way to go bud, you must be part gazelle to keep up with a moving herd all day! Well done, we're pulling for you!

ElkNut1

[CurlyTail]

Don't get discouraged and keep on 'em. You persistence is going to pay off big time!

[powderhogg01]

I was in the bedroom this morning by first light, sat there by myself for several hours. It was silent today.. no bugles or cow calls.. just plain silent. I decided around 10 that I would make a move to a water hole I know about in their security cover.. its a pain to get to but it usually has lots of visitors. I sat at 25 yards to the water and about the same distance to the 3 different trails coming into the trees where the water is weeping from. 2 hours went by and nothing came in except for a few birds and of course the squirrels. it was about noon when some doe decided to come get water, they trotted off leaving my wondering why, only to be answered by a black bear(did not get the bear tag before the cap went up). that bear hung out for about 20 minutes before moving on his way. it was still for about an hour when a grouse came in for water, poor move on his part as me and my girlfriend are eating grouse tonight! no elk came to water by 6 so I decided to ease over the hill and see if I couldnt find any on the other side. Upon crossing over the mountain I jumped a herd of deer, they ran down and crossed paths with some elk all animals ran down the hill and away from me faster then I could ever keep up.
As for the gazzelle legs... they were feeling the burn this morning.. but hey some good encounters to add to the memory bank