Call them in in November, bull down

[Elkhunttoo]

Well, as elk hunting usually goes, the hunt was nothing according to plan and on the second to last day I was able to get it done:D ...and now for the rest of the story!!!!

My hunt started October 15, I had to work that morning and then my father in law and I (we both had the same tag) headed to the hills for an evening hunt. No elk
On the 16th we had a guy at work quit that changed all of my plans, I was going to hunt the 17, 18, and 19 but with the changes at work I could no longer take all of those days off so it was a few more late evening hunts all that week, and the next... I found the elk but no Bulls in range. My father in law did get a shot at a bull but didn't connect. My hunt ended on November 9th. I went on the 7th and still no luck... I was able to take the 9th off so I headed up on the 8th for the afternoon and all day on the 9th...
After voting I got the the hills around 1. With the time change this doesn't give a guy much daylight left to work with but I guess this year in a ton of ways, it was take what you can get. I had to use my duck hunting waders because the creek at the area I chose to hunt on the 8th is thigh deep... I crossed the creek, changed boots and headed into a canyon I had never before been in. The week before I had hunted way up above this canyon and spotted a bull around dark a long ways a way from me. After google earthing the area the bottom looked like the best way in...I crawled up this canyon, I've always considered myself to be a good athlete but I fell down more times heading into this jungle then I have in the rest of my 20+ years of hunting combined. And this was just on the way in in the daylight. After stumbling and crawling on my hands and knees through some of the nastiest stuff I've ever been in, I had finally got to where I thought I needed to be. I hadn't really crossed any thing that really looked fresh and was really starting to kick myself for picking this area on the second to last day of the hunt... at that moment I realized my binoculars were missing, I had just used them about 100 yards back but it was willows and thick down timber all 100 yards and they had fallen out of my case on my chest as I was crawling through that jungle... now I was really mad at myself...I took my pack off and threw it down and started looking for binoculars because as far as I was concerned this was a waste of a my second to last night hunting. No luck with the binoculars I went back to my pack and on the side of my pack was one of my bite and blow cows calls(one I never use ironically). I figured it was November 8th but I didn't care, if a bull didn't respond I was just going to look for my binoculars for the rest of the evening and then head out... I went nuts of that cow call, probably 10 hard quick mews.. immediately cows answered me about 200-300 yards up canyon... so I played back and forth with them for a few minutes when I heard something brake about 100 yards out. Just a second later I see a bull jogging on in ...I only saw him for about 2 seconds and wasn't sure how big he was, but it didn't matter that night because he was big enough... 1 shot 1 kill (nice when they are at 80yards with my 30'06) I made my way up to him and he was a young 5 point. As I was deboneing him it got dark on me. I carried one bag of meat out that night and it was maybe the hardest night I've ever had getting out of the hills. As I said it was thick and slick on the way up, but as soon as it got dark the frost became a thin sheet of ice on that steep ol side hill and I might as well of been wearing ice skates... it was a long trip out and crossing the creek with 50 ish pounds of meat after being completely worn out wasn't all that fun either... I was able to get the rest of him hauled out the next day and no luck with finding my binoculars the next day so I know what I'm getting for Christmas. The great news about this year(besides getting the elk) was that I was able to learn lots of knew archery hunting areas that I'm really excited about

[six]

Thanks for sharing

[ElkNut1]

Ha Ha, good story bud! Way to stick it out & way to get aggressive with the cow call, heck you never know! Bummer on your binos though! Congrats &Thanks!

ElkNut1

[Swede]

Great story. I enjoyed going along with you as I read the account. I too have had a hard time finding things I misplaced in the woods. I just took off my release to wash my hands this year, and for the life of me I could not find it. And I knew where I laid it down. Anyway I know what I will get for Christmas too. Congratulations on the bull.

[WapitiTalk1]

Yes! Congrats and thanks for sharing hunt with us.

[CurlyTail]

Nice story. Not sure I have had the pleasure of hunting a canyon that thick.

That will be a good eating Elk for sure

Glad to hear that I am not the only one who loses stuff in the woods. I try and get blaze orange everything that I can walk away from. I even put little strips of red electrical tape on stuff so it is easier to notice .

[njdoxie]

nice read!

[Elkhunttoo]

Thanks guys, sorry no picture but I filmed a lot of the hunt this year and when I get it posted I will put up the link...thanks again