Over 11 years ago my wife and I spent our first night together laying on an air mattress in the back of a small toyota pickup. That night we laid watching stars in the eastern Colorado sky. The next morning we awoke early and tried a coyote stand. On that first stand I hooked my wife on hunting forever! 10 minutes into that stand found my future wife face to face with a large male coyote eyeing her at around 10 yards. That fall I taught her the finer side of elk calling. Her first night with calls in hand found her calling in a large bull to 80 yards... The next day found us elbow deep into a 5x5 bull she brought into just 7 yards.
Since that time she has spent many days in the field with me. Always content to call, never willing to take that step of actually hunting for herself with a bow.
Everything has changed this year. Our daughter age 8 is now shooting her own bow, and inspired in part by the hunger games, is eager to hunt small game this with her bow. This interest expressed by my daughter has pushed my wife into being a hunter (a bow hunter)...
I am so excited, but what was I thinking? I had the perfect set up! A good looking hunting partner that was content to call and pack meat!
As our journey unfolds, I will give periodic updates. For now enjoy a few pics of our past hunts!
coelker's Link
This was a bull we called midday to our truck. He came to about 10 yards before leaving...
The family setting up hunting camp...
And don't forget to update us when you can.
What a great family you indeed have brothaaa.
Good luck, Robb
Oh, your daughter is going to look like your wife, and hunt like your wife, which wont' be a good combination when it comes to attracting boys!
You'll live...some of them may not. :-)
At first light we sat in a canyon that always has opening day elk. We managed to spot only a lone cow. We decided to move north a canyon and look it over. As we entered the canyon it became apparent why my honey hole was not so good. A pair of ATVs had acceded the canyon to the north on an old cow trail. To get into the spot where they were they drove the better part of both canyons and within 50 yards of the spring where all the elk drink.
Needless to say we had to get a new plan.
Immediately we could see 2 bulls down in the hole... After a short discussion we headed down.
I need to pause for a minute And mention that I also decided to take a coworker hunting this year. He is a bowsite member and seems tone an ok guy.
So the three if us bail off the top down a steep nasty hill side. We manage to kick up a small buck on our way in. Once we got to 500 yards from the last known location we set up tying to call. It was just to steep and thick to get closer. We had a great spot, but 30 min of calling did not produce a bull. We decided to call it a hunt and climb back up.
Before heading back up I had to sneak up just a little further. As we got a 100 yards from where we had set up. I froze in place. I waved to Melissa but she did not se me right away. So I whistled and motioned that I had a bull. She tried to sneak up and got busted the bull was 20 yards in front of me broad side... I called once he stopped at 80 yards and was gone!
It was a good start. So far no real rut activity. We have seen a couple cows with out bulls and the bulls we have found were together.
Hope we have some luck this evening!
It was leaping over sage and bouncing towards us. I quickly scramble to get set up. The cow ces in perfect. And fast. My wife came to full draw and the elk passed in front her at 20 yards. The second guy was nearly full draw when the cow spoted him. My wife nearly got the shot off.
She was pumped! She was so excited to have drawn on an elk on her first day. That evening we had no other action. The elk very quiet and not calling even the herd on the private river bottom were silent.
Wish is luck. Sorry pics not transferring well to phone!
Wish is luck. Sorry pics not transferring well to phone!
Opening morning we had a luck dropping into a steep nasty timber patch. Of course I ended up with a shot on a little dink, but passed as my two hunters need to kill an elk first.
That evening we sat up on this canyon. It is a good location and every year I walk into the location saying we will kill something in here.... Every year we get real close... We started by simply sitting, glassing and listening.
I am very proud that she kept her cool and did not take a rushed shot or let the arrowfly when the animal spooked...
The rest of that evening we spent glassing and calling different locations...
We went back to camp to relax and adjust everything for the evening hunt. I dropped all extra weight from my pack. Having hunted for this bull in the same location last year, I knew it would be a challenge just to get to him...
Camp was nice and relaxing, although I was on edge thinking about a bull that consumed most of my hunting thoughts for the last year!
We hiked hard for 3 hours to the last known location of big tops. We arrived right at last light to the location where we thought we could find the elk. As we entered the edge of a burn we ended up face to face with a cow. I made it clear to both of the hunters that packing a cow out of this spot was not an options (ok it would have been fine but still a lot of work for a cow). As the cow spooked out we decided to call for a few minutes. The calling worked, just not as we had hoped.
This little bull charged in and gave us some entertainment... He would have been easy to kill!
I was extremely proud of my wife. When I got on google earth and traced out hunt for Sunday evening I came up with a round trip hike of just over 9 miles.
Unfortunately she was pushed to far and could not make it out of bed on Monday!!!
We will be leaving camp on Saturday morning at 4:30 am and heading directly to the Big tops. Hope we can find the big guy this next weekend!!!
Like I said it took time to get to this point! I am still trying to convince her that a guided hunt in Africa, New Zealand, etc. Could be a vacation! She is not sold on that yet but hopefully in the next 10 years!
For now she is thinking a Texas hog hunt with the bows might be good!
We will keep you up dated! To late to hunt dtonight!
As we neared the 5.5 mile mark the sun was high. We decided to stay on the mountain for the day. The three of us found a shady tree and took nap.
Around 3:30 we got up and started a 5 mile hike hunt back to the truck. At last light we were heading down a trail when we ran headlong into our first elk. A single cow was watching us closely. I slipped back and let out a couple calls. I could see my wife come to full draw and hold... Then the agony of wind on the back of my neck... The cow slipped away. She was 42 yards out head on never gave a good shot. We at least seen an elk in a 11 mile hike. The entire time we kept seeing the foot tracks of the other hunters...
At very last light we did find a little tiny legal bull... Like 100 inches but a full four point. We tried a move and got a laugh as he tried to pee on himself and act all big.
Sunday morning my wife could not hardly move. The day before was brutal... Hot dry long, hard. She never managed to get out of bed.
Daryl and I hunted lower and found a single bull and a couple cows near noon. Everything we would call it made the elk move further away....
Daryl headed home at lunch time Sunday. Leaving the afternoon hunt to my wife and I. We headed out and looked over some great country. At first things looked really bleak. At 4:30 in the afternoon we were driving past the same area where we killed my bull last year. This year instead of being thick trees, the area burned hard to bare ground. As we passed the area, I got the urge to empty the bladder. So I pulled over and tried watering down the black ash.
Mid stream a good bugle sounded from up on the ridge. Good enough I had to cut off mid stream.... LOL!
The hunt was back on. That afternoon we travelled around 4 miles. Again, we ended up seeing lots of tracks and no elk. We never again heard the bugle. We covered a lot of ground with no luck.
About 30 minutes before sun set we sat up and called off into some private ground. While we sat things were quiet, still and boring...
About 20 minutes into the sit we hear all hell break loose behind us. We turn just in time to see 2 cows busting out.
My wife was frustrated and let down. I pushed her one last time before dark. A 1/2 hour later we found our selves in the middle of a small group of elk. My wife eased up and in the trees she could smell the. Hear them and knew she was close. As the light faded we had to slip out and leave the elk. Good weekend, but not what we had hoped!
I will share photos soon.
Wish me luck... Hopefully I do not see a bunch of smoke pole guys running around!
She wants me to shoot a dink... I know that if I do she will shoot a bigger one and I will spend the next year hearing about it!
What to do?
Mark
We will back up to last weekend. We made a huge push to find a really good bull. It was a 4.9 mile hike in a straight line according to Google earth. Of course we wondered back and forth and on Saturday of the second weekend we easily hiked over 10 miles. The sunrise that morning was great.
My wife would kill me... Lets keep this a Bowsite Secret!!!
On Friday I sat anxiously in the worst professional development ever. At lunch on Friday I hustled home to pack the truck and get ready for my solo weekend. I finally was freee for the weekend at 5:00 pm and managed to make into a hunting spot around 6:00. I made a 2-3 mile loop before dark on Friday evening but ended legal light with only a couple tracks 2-3 days old. As I headed up to my camp I stopped in feeding areas and listened for elk. On the 4th or 5th stop I heard a faint small bugle down in a sage bottom. With that I had a starting point for the next morning.
I called my wife and asked her what she thought. I was tempted to pass as I knew it was a smaller bull. She talked me into hunting for the bull. Afraid we might run out of meat (that has never been an issue). I think she wanted me to shoot a dink so that she can have bragging rights for shooting a bigger one.
I settled into camp on Friday night imagining what the bull behind the bugle looked like. I also envisioned where I would kill the elk.. Funny I had 2 places in mind. It just so happened that the first place I thought of happened to be where I killed...
On Saturday morning I slept in a bit. Instead of getting up at 4:30 when my alarm sounded, my feet instead hit the camper floor at 6:30 am. Knowing I was a little late I hustled and left camp without breakfast. I drove to where the I heard the bull the night before... Shut the truck off and stepped out with a bugle. I got an answer first thing, and the chase was on. As I head east down the road I got another nice Sunrise.
As I made my way to the last location I watched the wind closely. It managed to stay cross, despite a few scares of cool breeze on the back of my neck. As I neared the side canyon where I thought I would find the bull another truck with muzzy hunters drove the main road. This was somewhat concerning but since the truck passed without slowing etc. The bull would stay put. I snapped a quick shot while sneaking through the tress. At this point the bull was about, 500 yards out dead ahead, but I did not know for sure!!!
The launched hitting the bull with a very solid whack. I knew the shot was good, but as the bull turned I could see a good chunk of my arrow still sticking out the entrance hole. Not sure how much I Watched as the bull spun and ran back across the open burned bottom.
The bulls head was behind the little tree in the middle here facing to the left. Luckily he stopped with he full vitals showing from behind the tree. The close little trees on the left side of the picture was the tree I stepped out from behind...
Sorry is it blurry, but the bull is in the middle getting ready for his dirt nap.
I then took a second to document the scene... Here we have the spot where the arrow made contact. Not much but he definitely dug in...
I gutted the bull as quickly as I could and managed to get a few logs to prop up the bull on a full logs to help with air flow. Luckily it was only 32 degrees out when I killed the bull. By the time I finished gutting the bull the temp had only rose a little. I managed to get the broadhead and remaining arrow out.
As I snapped a pidc of the arrow (note I was still shaking by the blurr? I realized I was only 10 yards away from an old 2 track road we used to drive deer hunting when I was a kid. However years ago the road washed out really bad in the bottom and was impassible. Overtime the the washed out road turned into a nasty cut bank. About 10 years ago the BLM came in with a dozer and damned off the cut bank hoping to keep it from cutting more. As I put all of this together I realized I could easily drive the fence line road to the dozer damn and drive up the 2 track.
How lucky am I? So instead of breaking it down for back packd and trying to figure out how to scale the cut banks, I was able to get things handled fast. I hauled but back to my truck without any of my gear.
By the time I hit the truck I called and confirmed that Daryl and his dad and son were only about 10 minutes out. So I grabbed a water and waited. We were able to drive right up to the bull and managed to find a dip that lowered the tail gate. in a matter of seconds the bull was loaded...
Eat your hearts out... No need for packs and all that hard work (although I have done that plenty)...
I was close but did not get the right the shot...
At any rate thought I would share my new favorite way to shower. Heat the water on the stove and the little 12 volt pump works great...
So far 3 have died close enough to a road to be taken out whole. Others have ranged from 500 yards to 1.8 miles from a road.
60% of them have been shot on the opening day of muzzle loader. 30% were taken the 2nd weekend of the season or earlier and only one has been taken on the 2nd weekend of muzzy and none taken the last weekend.
In the last eleven years I have had one clean miss and a single animal hit and not recovered. The single animal hit was wounded due to a small branch I did not see and the arrow cut the bottom of his brisket. The clean miss was a solo hunting shot where I was trying to call move etc. And totally misjudged the yardage shoot straight downhill missing high.
Some other fun facts. According to my log, up to this mornings hunt we had waled just over 32 miles going into today's hunt. I added only about 2 miles today.
I managed to get up late today and not actually leave camp in the truck until almost 6:30 and had the bull down before 7:20... Do not tell my wife that you can sleep in and still kill! She is not fond of the usual 4:30am get up....
Have a saying that is not original with me, but holds true quite often "I kill animals on my time" Doesn't always work that way, but enough to believe it!
Congrats again!
Keep posting of the hunts and when your wife gets one.
Mark
Not with a now but the kids got in on the action
I had to work today and kids had school. As soon as I was done for the night at work I hustled home and picked up the kids. Melissa is a night nurse and works a crazy 1 pm to 1 am shift.
We loaded up in the truck and were at KFC getting a dinner to go by 5:30. The kids ate as we drove up to the canyon where we had seen the bear sign.
At around 7:15 we made it to the canyon. We eased down the road with the truck. Just as a little ways down the road I spot this bear laying down under a tree up the hill. I look quickly to make sure it is solo and not with cubs etc. My daughter is getting upset telling my to get after it...
I eased out of the truck while my kids sat and looked on. I made a small stalk in order to get off the road and get an angle on the kill zone as the bear was bedded behind an aspen tree. Once I was clear I raised the gun (Yes it is a rifle kill, but there is no way I could pull off a bow kill with my kids at this point).
With a squeeze of the trigger the bear bolted from its bed running straight down hill. It rolled into a ball about 50 yards from the truck. I screamed jumped up and down as my kids were exiting the truck like they were heading down stairs on Christmas morning.
Once we confirmed the bear was dead we checked out all it parts, posed for a few pics and headed to the packers. My daughter is so excited to tell all her friends and teacher at school.
