TBM Pic Weak Elk Hunt Recap
Elk
I left Alabama on Monday the 8th headed for Montana in my no air conditioned Dodge over packed Dakota. It's been a reliable truck ever since I picked it up in chadron Nebraska in 2003 after I blew the engine on my old Trooper. I had too much of everything but socks. How I could only pack 6 pair of socks and 12 pair of underwear I really can't explain, especially since the odds of getting wet feet are better than a wet rear but anyhow, here I went. My plan was to go I-20 to Dallas and turn north on 35. By the time I reached Dallas my left side had blistered and would eventually peel. All the wind noise made it impossible to hear the radio so I put ear plugs in and just thought.
One of the things I pondered over was why don't they pack tuna in fish oil instead of water or vegetable oil. The other thought was what makes a trip like this special. Because most of my trips are solo, comradery of friends is a non factor. After much thought and debate and arguing, I came up with this conclusion...a good trip is all about going to a better time and place.
My earliest trips were whitetail hunts in Ohio. I would leave Alabama where it was often still hot, and the rut was still 2 months away and head north where fall was at its peak and whitetail bucks were chasing like crazy....a better time and place. My early spring trips to Florida I left an Alabama where winter still had its grips on and turkeys were barely gobbling and headed to a place where spring was in full bloom and turkeys were at their peak. Even the late spring turkey hunts were special because summer in Alabama had spring in a rear naked choke yet 400 miles north spring would be just entering the cage in Missouri or Kentucky.... a better time and place. Yet after 2 days of driving it was still summer...I was blistered, hot and sticky as I layed in the back of the truck that night, wondering when things would get that special feel.
The following day things changed rapidly, but not for the better. Summer quickly changed to winter as rain, than slushy snow, then snow began to fall. This would have been great if I had already located elk, but for finding sign like droppings snow was the last thing I needed. Plus I had planned to get things rearranged once I got there but I couldn't get anything out and on the ground because it would get wet. Just raising the bed cover meant snow all over my sleeping bag and everything wet in seconds...it was a miserable start and I didn't even put boots on the ground until the middle of the day on Thursday. Then I didn't get far from the truck. I was in awe of the mountains and a little bit scared of what could happen if I were to get turned around out there under these conditions. My weather raidio wouldn't pick up a signal so I had no idea what might be coming. Mule Power offered GPS concordances but I didn't have a GPS..or topo maps...just a compass and some el cheepo maps. Somehow I found a spot he advised checking and was in elk before I ever saw an elk track or a dropping. Problem was I was just on an elk locating tour and didn't have my bow. They saw me first and the sound of antlers hitting bushes proved there was a bull in the small herd. I hunted that evening and the following day with a couple more sightings of cow and calves but I was seeing as many people as elk. I pulled out of the areas Friday evening. It seemed a week had almost past and I had not been close, plus I was starting over with no idea where I might try next. I called Dave, the owner of Simmons broadheads because I knew he lived in Montana and loved elk hunting. He gave me some vague directions of where I might find elk. I planned to scout the area he recommended the next evening, but first I wanted to check out a hunch I had based on my public land turkey hunting experiences. My hunch was that the same way I find unpressured turkeys could be used to find unpressured elk. I had a spot that fit the description of what I was looking for and it was only 10 minutes from where I pulled in to sleep for the nite. The next morning my legs were so stiff and I felt like I just needed to sleep in and get some good rest in preparation for a hard day of scouting. I finally woke at 8 am and took my tome getting going. Some time later I was out of the truck and scouting "my" area. There were no cattle in this area and immediately I found huge cow size tracks and clump droppings...moose I thought. Dave had warned me about them. Said they scared him worse than griz. I pulled out of the low area and walked up higher to get away from the moose. I wonder which bowsiter might have a moose tag. As I climbed up I heard the most beautiful sound...There was no mistaking it. It wasn't somebody on a bugle.. it was a real bull elk and it sounded like a big one. He started with a standard squeal but ended with a deep bellow. I ran back to the truck, got my bow and headed his way. I had no clue how far he was...this was my first bugle I ever heard. Before I could pinpoint him he stopped sounding off. I kicked myself for sleeping in. It cost me. My confidence soared but little did I know that this would be his most vocal morning. The temperature was about to heat up and the elk cool down...way down. The following morning was Sunday and a full week of my vacation was gone. I climbed the mountain in the early light near where I heard the bull. To my surprise there was a fairly nice bull feeding in a large meadow on the mountainside. He was unaware of my presence and the stalk was on.
I crawled to around 60 of the bull and would have to stand to make sure he was still there and than drop down out if site and crawl some more. He was feeding when I last looked but after closing 10 yards I looked again and he had vanished. I still don't know what happened, but normal thermals were not proving reliable. My wife had tested me the 10 day forcast and light and variable was in for the next 4 days...and hot.
Right after the bull dissapeared I heard the old bull across on the adjacent mountain. Went down, waided the stream and started up. Ran into a spike right about the time I was starting to slow down. He didn't spook hard but had seen enough. The old bull had stopped bugeling. I eased up and across slowly but it was too quiet and I was making some noise. The vegatation was knee high almost everywhere, not clean undernieth like you might be thinking. A few steps later the bull busted out from under some spruce and away he went. He was bedded early...The moon. It was past overhead. The sun chasing the moon is a bad scenario. 3 bulls spooked already this am.
I went up top and ran into a fellow. He said I was only the second person he had seen in the area in 2 years. We laughed at how we both used the same thought process for finding unpressured elk.
That evening I heard the old bull across the drainage deeper into the mountain and away from the truck. It was late. I pushed towards the elk and soon had him spotted 80 yards up the hill. We Bugled at each other and I thought he was coming. He didn't. Rather than go out that nite I slept in the woods...for about an hour all nite. The bull stayed close. For 12 hours he didn't get off 40 acres. That gave me some insight as to why fresh droppings are so important to locate.
The following morning I would be in great shape to kill him. He was right there. He bugled, I bugled, he vanished. I made a big round...nothing. Slept in the woods again...nothing the next morning. It was now Wednesday of the second week. A range of emotions had hit me over the week. I was starting to feel despair.
"I put on a clinic on how to mess up this am...I'm looking but ain't always seeing. Got close on a dink but he just decided to quit feening and pull out...couldn't catch him after than. He might not have Bern legal. Called to a bugling bull and when I mooved down wind to catch him another bull snuck in from the side and caught me moving. He was around 320ish. Very nice bull. Bigger than the herd bull I've been chasing. They turned it on a little more this am. One bugles out 12 times in an hour. Heard one or two more. Going back. 3 more days."
This is what I typed while at the store in Townsand after an exciting day. The bulls turned it own for a bit. As it turned out they were talking because they were moving...just like turkeys. I wouldn't hear this old bull again until the last day of the hunt because he moved over 3 drainages. I guess I was putting too much pressure on him.
Friday, 9-19. "Today I put in a clinic of poor shooting. I just came apart. Everything I ever learned went in the garbage I I just started flinging arrows. One or two hit the bull and he looked hurt pretty bad but kept on going . Not much blood but a fair amount. Letting him lay for the nite. I hate too but he might be alive in the am."
Flinging arrows might not have been the best choice of words but it wasn't far off either. This was a big bull...a lot bigger than the one I killed. Probably 300 inches. I spotted him in the evening with about 2 hours of daylite to spare. He was working a scrape. I think we spotted each other at the same time actually, but I had a low sun at my back and fullcamo face paint job. I think he was really worked up and thought I might be an elk. I squatted down slowly and decided to bugle. He had little reaction. I was pretty much hidded behind a tree from the bull and was watching his antler. That gave me an idea. I picked up a stick and gave him an antler to look at. That did it...He he came...slowly...stiff legged. Like what you see moose do when Shocky pulls the boat paddle trick. It was then I saw the problem.
The problem was I was too close to the rise that seperated us. The bull had dropped below it and all I could see was his antlers. He was going to have to get within 10 yards to expose his body. I was not hid well either. When he went behind some trees I drew. He came out and marched straight towards me. My bow was moving some and he spotted me. About a foot of his neck was all I could see. I estamated him to be just over 30, put the 25 yard pin as low as I could and planned on the arrow dropping over the hill and down into the vitals. What happened next I am unsure...either my arrow clipped some low growth that I was trying to clear, or the elk was closer than I thought making my arrow go higher. I do remember the elks head dropping and my arrow went between his antlers.
He trotted out some and turned facing me. There was a small opening right in his chest. I didn't really think I would get through it clean but unfortunately I did and the bull had turned before the arrow got there. He went a short distance and stopped again. I thought he was hurt but in hindsight he was all stiff and walking slow before I shot the first arrow so I don't know. I was able to getccloser and shoot a third arrow guessing 45 but it was actually 52. I missed or hit low on a front leg. Did not find any arrow but the first.
The next morning I went in with pack on my back expecting to find him. The problem was there was not much blood. I hit and lost a raccoon that left more blood than that elk. I put forth a great tracking effort, even tracking by tracks only for at least 200 yards. An occasional smear of blood confirming I was on the right track. Before long I new it was a fruitless effort. It was weird.. I felt bad for not feeling bad. . Had I been on a guided hunt where my only obligation was to make a killing shot then I would have probably felt like a dog. But the way I was doing it there were too many victorys to feel too bad. I had found elk on my own, hunted them, found one, called him up close....I just failed to close. I knew I could make the shot..I just didn't. I was more confident now than ever.
There was a drain or two I wanted to check down low where water was seeping and there were some old wallows were. In the process of checking those I heard another big bull and called him in. I made yet another mistake by setting up in too open an area. He knew he was suppose to see something and gave a blast and chuckle and turned and left.
Sunday 9-21 would be my last full day of hunting, so I planned on taking in my pack and shooting the first legal animal I could see. I had been close to some cows several times but none had tempted my too much. I wanted meat, so I planned on shooting one if I could.
I started out that morning about an hour and a half before day and hiked in to where I heard the bull the day before. He was obviously not the old herd bull because he was all squeal and did not finish with the deep moan like the old bull. As day began to break I started to climb out if the drainage to the top overlooking where squeeler was the day prior. I had just reached the top when he let out a bugle...and another. The wind was blowing right at him and I wondered if he could smell me from one ridge to the next. It was over a 1/4 mile over there. I dropped down and went up and over there and he never bugled again.
Despair was starting to take over. It wasn't going to happen. But I had the rest of the day to see what would happen and I wasn't going to quit now. Besides, I was the only one hunting. I hadn't heard another person all morning.
After waiting for about and hour and bugling 3 or 4 times, I got up and moved back to the ridge where I was when I heard him earlier. It was a hard climb, espicially the second time in about an hour and a half. But it connected with a series of flats that allowed me to work around the top of some drainages. I was high but many of the elk sightings were around 1000 feet lower. I knew I needed to drop down but I wanted to work my way around to where I would go down via the top of a ridge. I finally worked through some dead falls and onto a nice looking ridge that I had not been down before. As I worked down I came up on a nice looking meadow, smallish is size...About an acre. Elk tracks were in the meadow and I soon saw droppings that looked fairly fresh. I mashed one easily between my fingers and thought less than 24 hours old. A few more steps and I saw pellets still shiny. The sun had not hit those yet...less than 8 hours. I remembered the elk earlier in the week that stayed within 40 acre area for a whole day. I knew elk were close. I moved down to the bottom side of the meadow and backed up against a tree with several small cedars around it and faced down the hill. The wind was in my face and carried my scent behind me and into the meadow. And elk can't get my scent without moving out into the meadow...this is perfect I thought. I got out my turkey call and wiffel ball bat and let out a squeal. I waited a good while and emitted another. A few seconds later a bugle rang out from below. Should I close was my first thought. The bugle sounded like it came from 2 to 300 yards below. Almost immediately I saw antlers 60 yards below coming my way. I misjudged that bugle I thought and I analised to see if he was a legal bull. I saw brow tines and thought settle down and kill this bull. He worked a bush over about 40 yards below my and a was soon coming forward again. He went behind some trees and I drew. He came out and turned towards me then turned almost broadside and stopped. He started walking again before I could trigger the release and I was afraid he was going to get behind a tree that looked like a dead version of Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Sure enough he stopped right behind it and looked right at me.
Now I had a problem. One of the small limbs on the sickly looking tree was coming into play. I raised up from sitting on my heels to up on my knees but still was scared my arrow would hit the limb so I aimed a little higher on the bull. Because the bull was quartering a little to me thatput the shoulder blade into play so I tried to aim tight against it....and let the arrow fly.
Good story, lots of learning and adapting.
Well you got it done and learned some things for your next elk hunt. Your first bull is one you will remember forever. I'm happy for ya.
"One of the things I pondered over was why don't they pack tuna in fish oil instead of water or vegetable oil."
If you ever tried fish oil pills you should know why they don't put it in tuna. No one would eat it.
" Before long I new it was a fruitless effort. It was weird.. I felt bad for not feeling bad"
I like that, very honest....congrats on your bull!
Well told Steve you covered an honest wide-range of emotions. Thanks for sharing
Great story Steve, thanks for sharing. That's a major accomplishment.
great story man... thanks for sharing
Tell us about the raccoon was that an opportunity just presented itself to ice that varmint or was there some next level thinking they went in to the kill
You just blew your cover Steve! Just when you had some folks convinced that you were a half cocked unethical bloodthirsty 6th grade drop out you come clean with a thread like this! You barely remembered to spell anything wrong. lol
I think a good title to this thread would have been "Perserverance"
People who never hunted elk before might think it sounds somewhat easy. After all you were a true rookie and you did get the job done. That's the bottom line. But the hint of emotional roller coaster ride in your posts doesn't really depict the realities that an elk hunter, especially a solo one, faces.
Everyone should remember that although there are many many stories of first timers killing elk... for every one of those there are at least 10 of unpunched tags... and a few of true disasters told by people who vow never to hunt elk again.
While any animal taken with a bow is a trophy the obstacles that we need to overcome to kill public land bulls are what makes them such an accomplishment. Anyone who has never killed one will never know what goes through the mind of elk hunters when they look at a mount of a bull hanging on a wall. It really does bring to mind a thousand words. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the weather, the aching bones and muscles, the ones that got away, and the times when you thought you might have to face the reality of going home empty handed after dreaming all year. The points in time here and there where giving up may have crossed your mind.
But those things are what makes elk hunting what I consider to be the most challenging.... and rewarding hunts a guy or gal can go on. I'm sure you'll never forget your experience Steve. Congratulations on a job well done. Even though I was pretty confident I have to admit I thought you were crazy running your mouth before you left. But I guess that makes your success even a little sweeter. lmfao
Like I said in some thread way back... no matter what anyone says credit is due to people who don't just dream or talk about it but get off their a$$e$, buy a tag, hit the road and DO IT! This season you were that guy.
Going back next year for another round?
If so... tell us what you might do differently than you did on this hunt. Just curious.
Very good story. Again, congrats on the hunt.
Congratulations Steve! I'm glad you were able to close the deal. That was my big problem when I first elk hunted. You make us southern boys proud.
"The sights, the sounds, the smells, the weather, the aching bones and muscles, the ones that got away, and the times when you thought you might have to face the reality of going home empty handed after dreaming all year. The points in time here and there where giving up may have crossed your mind."
Couldn't agree more along with a really cool thread and write-up. Well done.
" I'm happy for ya "
Me too ! You got more grit than I do. Again, congrats on your bull.
Wow, still no pictures...Imagine that!
Steve, and any solo hunter... you need one of these. It's called a Clip-Shot. Weighs next to nothing and priceless. Even if you have partners... you can get them in the pics of you want. With a dead elk on the ground who has time to wait before cutting it up anyway?
See the link above to order one. Made in the good ol USA in Montana.
TBM PM me your address and I'll mail you one for free. Your welcome gift since you're one of the elknut family now.
Mule, that's a mighty interesting looking little gadget there. Might have to get me one. I am prone to not take enough pictures and that would make it a lot handier.
great writeup Steve, enjoyed reading about your hunt, congrats on the bull.
Awesome write up TBM!!! And congrats again.
Congrats on a regular Joe nothing fancy no $1200 camo suit, no $450 boots, no $150 long john's, no Guide and their 6,7, or 8 spotters, no $60,000 pickup just old fashion hard core hunting and determination.
So, since you were by Townsend, were you hunting in 380? Kinda looks like it by the pictures.
No..not 380. Heard some boys talking about that unit. Mostly private with great bulls on it. I was general liscense area public. Not a draw area.
"Someone has missed the 540 post threat. Imagine that!!"
No, I try to stick with 'post/threads' that make sense...
Congrats Steve and thanks for the great story.
Typing on a smartphone is likely the trouble TBM was having with his "typical" posts. Also the cause of his double and triple posts. This thread was likely started on his computer or he's getting better at the smartphone entry.
No..not 380. Heard some boys talking about that unit. Mostly private with great bulls on it. I was general liscense area public. Not a draw area.
Great read Steve, really enjoyed your story. Let us know when that grin finally comes off your face, as I'm sure it will be there a long, long time. Congrats again. You think you'll ever share some of your secrets, the turkey/elk ones?
Doesn't look like Clip Shot attaches to I-Phones...bummer. Then again I am not sure an I-Phone has a timer delay function anyway? Does anyone know?
Downloaded the free I-phone app called CameraTimer. Now only need a holder for it. Lyn...I will e-mail you for photo of Smart-Shot.
I personally was disappointed when I read that you didn't feel bad about wounding an elk and not finding it. Who knows how long it took that bull to die. He could have spent hours suffering and bleeding out slowly.
He should a stood still and took it in the chest or got completely out if the way.
"The points in time here and there where giving up may have crossed your mind."
Those thoughts came early in the hunt well before I had heard a bugle. Although I had seen a few elk I hadn't got close and everyone I talked to had not seen nearly the elk I had yet they had been there longer. A couple guys had been there since the 2nd and had only seen 2 cows. I don't think I could have took that. Once I heard a bugle and felt like I was in elk I was ok but it still got frustrating on the days when the woods were dead.
Nice Bull....Way to get it done!
The ClipShit is a great tool for the pack....
"He should a stood still and take it in the chest or got completely out if the way." That is the most pathetic comment I have personally seen on here. Whether you actually educated or not you will always be an ignorant POS in my eyes.
I have a ClipShot and they are the real deal.
A big thumb's up to Joe's generosity.
Just bring an old nock for an arrow and screw the camera right on to the nock! Works great with no cost! C
This is what I carry in my pack...
Well, I see some still don't know how to take TBM.
There is no other way to take it, anyone that wounds an elk and doesn't even feel bad about it is an asshole. Simple as that.
I agree with HuntinFoolUtah. That comment made by TBM really ruined it for me. His claim to fame 217 turkey kills and then all this BS comment. You just showed us your true colors!!
Have you ever thought about all the times you've bleed...and your still bleeding every time you post. I don't worship the animals I just kill them for food. Now, go look for that dove you feathered last week and come back and tell us you found him
Now that was funny. Welcome back.
Funny how that works, huh, TBM?
Used that same analogy with someone complaining about wounding rates on archery, yet he's a very avid duck, pheasant and quail hunter.
Drop a leg on any of the above and they die -- eventually, and a lead wound had to hurt a lot more than a razor-sharp broadhead wound.
Took a scapel-sharp knife wound to my lower belly this summer - NO pain until the Drs. started messing with putting me back together.
Still having trouble getting on bs on the computer that has my pics. The number they send me want work. I guess I will just take pics of the computer pics. Want be a good but ok I guess
Just as I found him
Fake smile..I was worried about the challenge ahead.
Keep in mind that this is a huge shoulder blade...5x the size of a deer. The hole the tigershark created is 2 inches long x 1 inch wide.
One heavy load...prolly 140
Not much pressure on me for a while...especially if I can continue to get help like this from the boys.
Bou that was all the gear in my back pack, 3/4 of a full load of meat, head and horns, and my bow. Before shouldering the load had to get a pair of longhandle underwear tied to a tree as a marker. Coming back I noticed the I was almost to forget a full backstrap still hanging in a tree. I stuffed it into the underwear and tied the legs together and tied it to the frame making a full load of meat...probably 60 pounds of meat. With all the rest of thestuff it had to weigh 140..possibly more. It felt like I was carrying a fat girl on my back.
It's not the fact that you wounded one that upsets me, it is the fact that it didn't upset you. You take on a lot of responsibility when you release an arrow.
That's right, TBM, true bowhunters reach down and, using a hatchet, chop off one of their fingers when things go bad.
Five or six screw-ups and they don't have enough digits for bowhunting, and the problem is solved. :-)
Were the longhandles clean or used? Guess that's one way to keep the flies off!
They were basically clean as I had only wore them that morning....but then there is the fact that I had not had a bath in 6 days, so.... Anyhow we ate steaks off of a back strap today and they were lovely. The elk meat is superb and I can't see not shooting one of any size for that reason.
I didn't think I would ever utter - much less type - this phrase, but it is so incredibly appropriate at this juncture of this thread:
Haters gonna hate!
TBM, what you did was awesome. You are completely unvarnished and plain-spoken. You bulldoze through disparaging comments with authenticity and an unique ability to turn a phrase. And, you drive the haters crazy. LOL Thank you for sharing your hunt with us.
Looks like the boys are on their way to next LEVEL!CONGRATS to those boys!!!!! Ive been on bowsite 10 or so years and this one has been the best!TBM and others here have inspired me to get after the elk again after not going for 13 years. NICE job gettin it done on a shoestring!Nice shades.
I'm going to go on a limb here and say that I doubt every single one of your clients over the years were role models for conservation. I bet you still took their money though.
Nice deer your boys got there TBM ! With one elk and both your sons deer, will you be mostly buck hunting this year ?
I think it was his first Elk he had EVER drawn on, hit it, and tried follow-up shots. Then he tracked it for two days. He felt it survived. What is proper, a prayer & a few tears?
As to the person encounter, he said he was shooting at a chipmunk or squirrel and a camouflaged hunter (that he didn't see) happened to be nearby. So?
TBM, thanks for your hunt write-up. And, again, congratulations on your hunt. Yes, you had a lot of victories to celebrate on your hunt and can understand your comment about not feeling bad. Wounded animals happen, despite all we do to try to prevent it. I too have hit elk and not found them. I'm not pround of it, nor am I bragging about it. It happened, I hope it doesn't again, and I try to learn and improve to prevent it from happening.
Regardless of the choice of words (he could have said that he was devastated by the wounding loss), after all he had been through, getting a shot a bull with all the odds against him, only a person with a positive attitude could see through all the negatives and continue to be positive & continue to try....
I will not judge, especially black ink words on a white screen, way too easy to misinterpret....
Congratulations also to your boys! Looks like they Got R' Done!
>>>>-------->
It has nothing to do with "haters". I just spent over 20 days on one of the biggest prettiest ranches here in sw Colorado guiding bow hunters. I had a 15 year old kid hit a big bull in the shoulder under 15 yards. The kid knew he screwed up and was ready to punch his tag. It took me and three other guides, plus his dad and outfitter to talk him out of out and to finish up his hunt. That 15 year old kid had more respect and responsibility then TBM showed by making that comment. It has nothing to do with "haters".
He made a comment about how we always bleed, but there is a huge difference in cutting your finger and getting an arrow shoved through your guts. We don't bleed all the time, and that comment made no sense.
This is a prime example of why I, personally, would never post anything about a hunt on any website. Someone called them "haters." I have a different word for them. Congratulations on a successful hunt TBM.
Buglmin- So imagine how hard it must have been for TBM to continue on with his hunt...he didn't have six cheerleaders giving hugs and kind words of reassurance. The man admitted that he came apart...happens to all of us, sooner or later. If you were guiding TBM on that big, pretty, ranch, would you have given him the same encouragement you provided the young hunter you mentioned?
About the raccoon, could it be that he had once shot a raccoon that bled more than this elk and he wasn't able to recover it?
Most people said don't call...this is what I called my elk with. I stalked on windy rainy days and called too, but I mostly called on dry still days.
Yes, the coon was years ago during coon season. I put a snuffer through a lung and the arrow was coated with blood. He bleed good after that but I never found him.
Hunter II, quit trying to make sense! You make the post boring that way! LOL!
What Id like to know is...Steve, did you get a chance to use that there flyrod? Sounds like you may not have had enough time. What did you eat? And how did that part of your trip go compared to what you had planned? Sorry eating on hunting trips is a big deal for me, I like to eat!
So Steve are we going to see a clip of you on YouTube using that elk call?. Think about it.
No chance to fish and didn't shoot any mt chickens either. Probably want see me giving any bugling lessons but I could. I got a good chuckle and can cluck ok too. Bulgmin the kids only job was to shoot and he messed his part up and felt like he let everyone down. His part was a total failure. I had 3 successes and one failure. You just can't control your emotions and feel bad on purpose... you feel like you feel. The hunt was a success. If you don't put bulls in front of shooters you feel bad...if you do and they miss do you feel just as bad. Probably not. You did your part. The sad part of your story about the kid is not that he hit one in the shoulder...The sad part is he probably thinks he went hunting. I was hunting solo at 10years old and killed my first turkey and deer solo at 11. These kids now are having everything spoon fed to them. I don't think we are doing them any favors by doing that. Ps...I was driving to my hunting spots at 10, sitting on 2 Sears and robuck catalogs. HDYLMK
Good story. I'm starting to like this TBM guy. Actually better than most articles I pay to read.
All I know is TBM is batting 1000 and he used a plastic bat. Say what you may, but he talked the talk and he walked the walk. Then again he had all that fancy gear to help him. Not!.
So, TBM, did your kids get out and kill those deer 100-percent on their own -- buying their own rifles, driving themselves to the field, picking their own spot?
Congrats again on the elk hunt. Your earned the bull, and will appreciate every bite.
I'm still entertained with your story and I've even read all of your other threads! lol. You've got a great team of support and defenders too. Kudos to Mule Power for the insightful reply. This is only my second year owning a bow, so it is kind of like being a kid again for me. I called in my first bull after a month that included killing a mtn goat after an easy hunt and failing to get an antelope again after 2 yrs of after work spot and stalk around the house. I have killed many an elk, including 6 points and very close range shots. However, nothing compares to shooting a spike last year to break the ice with my bow and calling in that 6pt satellite bull that would probably go about 280-300(I don't claim to be able to judge within inches like a lot of people think they can). Even the goat didn't get my blood pumping like that bull coming in. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot since I didn't think to consider that he would be coming in 70yds downwind of me. I Unfortunately, I have used the saying "Coyotes have to eat too" in order to try to make light of the situation when you fail to retrieve your game. The hunters that deserve the criticism are those that don't look carefully, for much time, or not at all. I will openly admit that if it were not for my brother "letting me have it" in regards to ethics, I would not have learned to be a more prudent tracker. The thought crossed my mind "at least I can keep hunting." I know, I must be evil for looking for a bright side. One thing I am certain of; A hunter doesn't set out to wound an animal. Granted, it is better to educate in advance how to be patient and take good shots than learn the hard way. Learning through others is one of the great things about this site. I echo the sentiments on doing it the blue collar way on a shoe string budget. You displayed serious physical and mental toughness! Your kids are blessed to have you as a role model. Now tell me, how much did all your hype help to motivate you to persevere?
TSI you're spinning your wheels with 95...Lol!
This fella from Alabama went on an elk hunt, alone, drove thousands of miles, humped his rear off and got it done. He makes no apologies for doing so, nor should he. Yet he still gets these detractors trying to pick apart his accomplishments. Man it must hurt being you guys. I guess you boy's didn't get an elk this year? Maybe next year TBM will guide you and show you the ropes? That is depending on him agreeing to it and you being able to keep up with him if he does.
"Now tell me, how much did all your hype help to motivate you to persevere?"
When things were not going well early in the hunt the thought did cross my mind that I was going to catch it on here if I gave up. I felt stupid for having such I thought because I've wanted to hunt elk longer than bowsite has existed and I was out there hunting elk and I just needed to keep pushing and when the snow melted and I started putting boots on the ground the stupid thoughts went away because I was doing what I love to do. After hearing the first bugle then I knew my chances of killing was really high. Near the end of the hunt and I felt I was not going to kill I knew I was going to catch it on here but it didn't matter because I already had success just not in the form if a dead bull. Really, elk killing is not as fun as the hunting part but a necessary part none the less. It feels good to walk up to a dead bull but what comes next is fulfilling as well...kind of like how you feel after a really hard day at work where a lot was accomplish.
TBM, don't worry about the guys on here that are critical of you. They are just jealous and upset that you are a much better elk hunter than they are on your first trip out.
Just a quick thought on wounding game:
Who is more unethical? The hunter who wounds an animal... or one who made an even worse shot by missing completely?
Obviously the clean miss is a lucky and more fortunate outcome but if you think about it... that hunter either made a worse decision by taking a shot he wasn't capable of... was a victim of the many things that can go wrong, or for those who like to judge, sucks so bad he shouldn't be hunting.
Everyone has the right to hunt. Or privilege, call it what you want. We don't have to be able to shoot like Randy Ulmer to qualify for a license or to be considered ethical in our pursuits.
I'm sure Steve feels bad about it. I'm sure he'll do everything he can to avoid letting it happen again. But I don't think a person has to feel like the lowest living thing on earth because it happened to him.
Many of the same people who criticize tv because everything is fake and staged don't want to hear about reality either. Double standard? I think telling the truth takes guts. Many people never tell a soul when they wound an animal. Is the truth any better if the words are chosen with more care? If you can't handle the truth you shouldn't be here.
If you take every word TBM types seriously then you definitely shouldn't be here. Not on his threads anyway.
I have always watched as TSI bashes people. And yes for the record, you did state that a law was broken. And for the record, I DO encourage my kids to shoot whatever is legal. Doesn't have to be on the license to be legal chump!! Why do I want my kids to do that? Because I want them to have as much kill in me as possible. Be careful of that glass house your living in TSI. There's a lot of rocks in this crazy old world
"8 of 10 have shot unfortuneately some were lost.". TSI
Some of those rocks have boomerangs attached to them.
I keep waiting for the day when TBM comes on here and says.... ok folks I'm coming clean. I'm actually a Harvard professor and the whole reason I came on this site is because it's been an experiment in human behavior. Some of you have turned out to be truly great people who care about their peers. Others have failed miserably.
From now on it's Professor Steve to you!
That wouldn't surprise me in the least, Mule. There are times when I think he's playing certain Bowsiters like a fiddle.
You have to love a guy who can call in an elk with a wiffle ball bat.
Jimbo, anyone that has an elknut bugle tube is calling them with a wiffle ball bat! Don't believe me, look inside the tube and tell me what you see.
some guys on here need to rub some vagisil on them selves
TBM lets criticism roll off him like water off a ducks back. Haters hate. TSI I'm sure bridges are not the only thing you've been suspected of burning!!!!
"TBM if you were just a little humble sometimes "
I'll get humble when I stop killing stuff I say in going to kill before I kill it . Some people give themselves more opportunities to be humble. For me saying I'm going to kill an elk, 4 deer, and 5 turkeys is humble. I've got twice that many worth of capabilities. The governor of a full freezer has me choked back that's all.
Sounds like you have to break down and buy another freezer or two. Keep stacking them up like cord wood.
That's a great offer, TSI. Go for it, TBM. It'll be Steve & Dave's excellent adventure. You can't pass up an offer like that! It'll become a Bowsite Instant Classic!
A plane ticket and permit make it a little more likely. Steve's stock is rising. He might have accepted the first offer before the elk, but not now.
TSI "Only trophy class boars aloud"
Um... it's "allowed". Are you originally from Alabama or what? I wouldn't want to set a bad example for kids and compromise the future of spelling.
lol, couldn't resist.
TBM tell him you'll take him up on it if you can bring a guest, ME!
Good opportunity TBM, You can stop by on the way through, I'll give you a lesson on hunting yankee birds Turkeys.
Drive to Pa TBM. I'll drive from there. I have friends in New Brunswick too. Lobster and clam dinners. Free place to stay on the way up and back.... oh yeah... I wasn't invited. :-(
Haven't killed my first bear yet. Where in NB are you located?
I've sat and read his threads for awhile now and wondered what this guy is all about. Mostly thinking what an idiot and who does he think he is coming onto Bowsite trying to tell some of the best bowhunters in the world how to get it done. And I do think he is playing some of these guys just to get their feathers ruffled.
But on this hunt he went and did it all on his own. Having never been there, done that like so many others on here. Heck it took Pat 13 trips? to get it done and he was with a guide. I'm thinking he was successful maybe because he was on his own with nobody to tell him it wouldn't work. Nothing worse than someone who thinks they know everything about something is there? Normally they are the ones who know the least. It sounds like he did get a bit of advise from some locals on where he might find some elk. Nothing wrong at all with a little help once in awhile. Good job and congrats on the bull TBM. Ok I'm done talking nice about you and giving you props. And I'm sure we will all be reading more of your typical BS very soon. LOL
OK, just maybe this could be the new dream team. We have TSI, TBM and Mule Power. The quest is a 400# plus boar black bear. Could this happen?. Stay tuned. And keep checking this thread.
Always wanted to do an upstate hunt and then hop up to Maine and hunt toms and eat lobster. Might can just keep going and kill a bar too.
Always wanted to do an upstate hunt and then hop up to Maine and hunt toms and eat lobster. Might can just keep going and kill a bar too.
Always wanted to do an upstate hunt and then hop up to Maine and hunt toms and eat lobster. Might can just keep going and kill a bar too.
I see where you said September so the spring turkey combo is out and so is a western elk hunt if I go for this...wonder if moose is open anywhere near there inSeptember.
Newfoundland. Just a little farther and you catch the Ferry over. I have just the place. Although it's mandatory by law you have a guide. I think everything else in the area is a tough draw.
NB moose season was last week.
you're pretty brave hanging him off that flag pole :)
OK can someone explain to me while TBM killing a raghorn bull on his first Elk hunt is anymore impressive than the 100's (maybe 1000's) of other guy's who do it every year?
Rock
Sorry I can't help you with that one.
We were engaged with him through planning, preparation and hunting . WTF is wrong with you people tune out and don't listen or chime in if it bothers you.
Rock,
My hunt was an unprecedented first where the nation's best bowhunter for turkeys came out west with basically zero elk planning and the highest tech equipment I had was a compass....1700's technology. I used only turkey tactics and knowledge to find a spot once I got there , on public ground where anyone can hunt without prior applications that mozt if the hard core elk guys so each year to get in better areas. I turned a 8% success unit into 100% and believe I can do better in the future. I proved that the deep south turkey training has my leather tested, and I did what many believed impossible. It really waden nothing for me. It wasn't a hole in one luck shot, or even an eagle or birdy...this was par for me and I should have killed a 300 plus bull instead of the smallish one. I achieved a little respect for the toughest bow animal on earth...The southern wild turkey. The respect will not be fully realized until some of the elk guys and possibly some of the top turkey guys on bowsite hunt out southern easterns using the same tactics they use on elk and turkeys elsewhere. They will NOT kill one...they want even get a shot. They more than likely will not even draw their bow...only then will they realise the level that someone with over 100 southern bowkills is operating at. That's is the unvarnished truth. If I can tell the truth about an embarrassment of bad judgments on my elk hunt, you know I am reliable to tell the truth. Not trying to get a rise out of anyone...that would get old for me and anyone else. The truth never gets old...you either get mad and don't accept it or believe it or if you got any grit in your craw you will try and prove it wrong...but you can not ignore it because it will always be here.
So I do not see an answer to my question in your post anywhere.
100's or possibly 1000's of guy's do the exact same thing every year so I do not see this as being anything special.
JMHO
"I do not see this as being anything special"
It was very special to me and I will likely never forget it. The drive out there was not too special but challenging, but once I saw those mountains and breathed that mountain air, and saw the many colorful birds that my eyes had never seen, and saw the mule deer, and trout in the streams, and when that first bugle sounded from across the way, and the first sighting of that magnificent beast....I was hooked...and it was special. I can't wait to do it again, even if it means turning down a free bear hunt in a great place with good folks.
I still do not see this as any big deal, I did the same thing 40+ years ago when I lived in MN. Elk are no harder to kill than any other animal.
Several years ago a young guy came to Colorado on his first ever Bowhunt and shot a doe mule deer for his first ever bowkill then 2 days later killed what at the time was the new world record Elk 397 or something like that and it was only his second bowkill ever. So does that mean he is the best bowhunter ever?
Congrats on killing an elk, but I'm with Rock. I don't see what is so Special. A lot of guys killed their first elk this year but people arent Making it a huge deal. I'm not hating just stating an opinion.
I killed my 1st elk when I was 12 years old! But who cares. Killing 1 elk doesn't make you amazing. But that's just me I guess.
I am more impressed by the thread "Colorado hunt of a lifetime"
well, I tried to like TBM, but every time he wins me over he comes out with a post that rubs me the wrong way and makes himself sound like a pompous ahole......so that's the impression of him I'll walk away with, and it's a shame, because he may very well be someone who knows what they're doing.....and I'm sure I'm not alone.
95, trust me that is the way it happened, I was 3 years out of high school when I did it. Not the first or the last time I will do a solo DIY hunt, friends are great to hunt with but when I want to hunt something new I go even if no one else wants to join me.
Don't really care if you believe it or not, the only one who really cares about it is myself and that is the way it should be.
Hunting for me is a personal thing and not a spectator sport or something to brag about, just me and the critter I am hunting.
It just goes to show you...after all these years I thought Elk were smart...It turns out they're just as dumb as Turkeys...
40 years ago was a long time and a lot has changed. 40 years ago my dad had 19000 acres of public land just about all to himself in the spring turkey season. 40 years later and there was only 2000 acres of prime turkey woods and 100 people hunting the 10 gobbling turkeys there. I probably saw 200 campers while in Montana. 40 years ago you probably wouldn't have seen 3. Not to argue against my own self because you Rock are making the same point as I am...odds wise, a healthy Hunter who is mobile and has good skills and time and doesn't quit should be able to turn the low odds into success...The elk thread proves that each and every year. The southern turkey thread, archery only proves very few can get it done on southern turkeys. We archers by nature like things tough or we would be gun hunters...but there is a breaking point in each of us. The southern wild turkeys have broke almost everyone who has dared to try them with archery gear.
Rock, I understand exactly what you are saying. Not to diminish what TBM did. I enjoyed following along and rooting for the underdog maybe almost as much as he enjoyed himself on the hunt. He kind of reminds me of myself when I got out of High School and decided to do it very much the same way. TBM thinks it's his Southern Turkey training that aided him, another guy from another part of the country chalks it up to another animal that he hunts for his prowess, likely neither are wrong in their thinking. Basically if your comfortable in the woods and comfortable hunting and don't need to rely on someone else to get you a shot then it really doesn't matter what you hunt, you can generally figure out how to get it done.
40 years ago, I couldn't afford a guide even if I knew how to go about finding one, an outfitted hunt was something that never crossed my mind. There was no internet then, information was limited to ads in magazines.
Good Lord, archery95, do you think everyone that goes out West to hunt elk the first time hires a guide?
And if you don't think TBM had help, you haven't been paying attention. I would love to read some of the PM's TBM has received with offers and advice on areas.
This forum has all the help any first timer would ever need...all you have to do is ask, search some past threads, then have the balls to buy a tag and head west.
Wrong Midwest...you are the one who has not been paying attention. I did get some suggestions and even GPS coordances were offered...I did not have a GPS so that was of no good to me. The areas suggested were really vague and led to a high pressured area. I left there and headed to another general area suggesttion but on the way decided to scout an area I felt might hold elk and based on my skills at finding low pressured areas during turkey season, I figured that there would be less pressure in that area. It had elk and few people. I have never heard any elk hunter suggest such an area and..CLUE..big CLUE...that is the reason there was only 4 other hunters seen in 7 days hunting. 3 were together so I essentially had 2 sightings of people in 7 days. No help in finding this spot...no help from any locals..no range finder, no GPS, no elk experience. I did read Matt's book on public land elk.
should have made this thread debate free to keep the trolls and negativity off of it. maybe bowsite needs a section for douches to douche one another. I think TBM kicked ass, nobody has a higher elk kill to hunting trip ratio than TBM.
You were given help, TBM....you were given a general area to hunt before you left 'bama. An area known to hold elk. You didn't pick out an area based on your own research. Getting away from pressure is not turkey/rocket science.
Trust me, 95, I'm not a big time elk hunter. What TBM accomplished is admirable. Even with the help received. I like how he did it on a shoestring budget and I hope it encourages others, like you, who think it's impossible, to give it a shot.
I stand corrected... I did get an gerneral area if advise...It was unit # Montana. But I also had other units called Colorado, Utah, and Idaho. Narrowed it down alright...ought to be considered a high fense hunt. They didn't have anywhere to go all trapped by the Pacific and Atlantic.
I see what's going in here...there is a fresh batch of concrete walkers getting back from their paid hunts where they got mints under their pillows and back rubs and colonics....but no elk and they are pissed off because I got one.
Good point about the odds thread. Would be fun to copy and paste some if those comments now. But I want do it because I'm gone. No more post here. Time for a recipe thread. I'm going to ease on off now, kind if like I do when I slip in tween a gun hunter and a gobbler, arrow it and ease on out without saying a word.. The sound of his latest Promos diaphragm flapping in the wind, calling to the wise old Tom that went silent on him. ,
And you all missed the really tough part of this hunt. Driving through Alabama in early September in a dodge without AC!
TBM, You said above you went to areas suggested to you. Nothing wrong with that.
Sorry if I bruised you humongous ego.
Must have been 1 Special Raghorn Bull to inflate a guys ego that much! David
You guys sound like a bunch of teenagers fighting. Good job tbm on your solo success I wish I could just go elk hunting
He arrowed a Raghorn. I guess? Never saw much for photos! He made a Crappy comment 3 times about Smelling a Skunk on Dans thread. Said the Bull he wound should have Took It or Got Out of the Way! I do like the Selective Spelling Mistakes! David
95 my first elk trip was a diy as well, also in montana , in a public area and I scored on a 332" 6x6 herd bull on 5th day and 40 plus miles later. Tbm's not the only first bow hunter to pull off that feat. Maybe I was lucky ;-)
And as tbm said what's important is if the trip was meaningful and special to him.. I agree as mine was also and so is every trip and hunt. Spike, cow, herdbull or tag soup elk hunting is special!
All hunts are special & everyone gets some help in 1 way or another! Humility is a great thing to have when things are going your way! David
I killed my first elk with a bow at 15 years old while all alone miles into the wilderness. That was 19 years ago. This year I spent 10 full days including a six day elk hunt (NM 3rd season) in that same wilderness. I had an elk tag, a deer tag, a bear tag and a turkey tag. All my tags departed that wilderness just as intact as they arrived. I've killed nice bulls before. Regardless, I've never killed an elk that is as special as my first (a cow). I don't really understand this whole TBM situation which has infected Bowsite. I do understand the incredible feeling of killing one's first elk while alone in a wild mountain setting. I personally don't wish to diminish that feeling for the OP regardless of any opinions I have formed based on other threads/posts. Congrats on your first elk TBM!
"Would be fun to copy and paste some if those comments now. But I want do it because I'm gone. No more post here."
nice sentiment, but highly unlikely.
I assume two days later the answer must be no?
TBM, sounds like a great offer from TSI. I know the being guided part is not your thing, but it just might be a fun time.
I have to give TBM credit. I havnt said much but I have watched this whole thing play out. I watched TBM get ridiculed, mocked, and used as joke by alot of forum members. He just proved them all wrong and they have a hard time eating crow. Love him or hate him he WON. Good job TBM and congrats on your first bull!
I'm out back...grilling elk burgers. There is something about grilling soft, suckulant, fresh elk that makes the condescension just ease away... But wait..some of you don't have fresh elk meat....awwwhhhhh ha ha ha ha ha.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth Dave. Any thread that is started by this character that goes dormant is a gift from God. Like all gifts from God consider it a blessing, give thanks, and share the good word with others
Its always nice to click on a TBM thread and get a good chuckle. That alone makes it worth reading. Congrats on your elk TBM, burgers look good.
Has the word "Polygraph" entered anyone else's mind? Or "Snopes" perhaps.
Bringing it up for bigeasygater
there is also some of us who have plenty of many types of game meat but don't feel the need to constantly brag about what awesome hunters we are....
in the history of hunting tv show types you have to clearly be the person who so dearly wanted a tv show more than any other hunter in the world yet failed to achieve it. How exactly is that?
michael
Just bringing this up for BEG. He wanted to see pics
I'm sure he will be inspired by ""Today I put in a clinic of poor shooting. I just came apart. Everything I ever learned went in the garbage I I just started flinging arrows. One or two hit the bull and he looked hurt pretty bad but kept on going ."
Can't believe this thread showed up? Did he shoot the elk or find it dead? His photos were great until the dead bull showed up! I always have crappy photos of the hunt but take time to get decent "Kill Photos"! Wonder if?????? Maybe sleeping under a map ruined his camera??? Forgot! He had a Space Blanket but used it in a tree to find his way back to the Bull he took????? Unbelievable Still!!!! David
It was shot with a gun right?
Hammer, You asking me? How should I know? David
I think it was the one he shot days ago and it started stinking more than him and thus he was able to find it
Weak was the only accurate part of the thread title.
"suckulant" now THERE is an adjective! :-)
Bowsite aka: TBM, is Steve Grace's current landing spot, an unfortunately he found the audience he is looking for - an audience that makes him feel worthy and feeds his illness.
If you do some simple Yahoo / Google searches you can see his self glorification/promotion pattern of behavior is not new. Go to his YouTube channel or Facebook page and look at his comments - even when he tries to compliment someone - he beats them down. Since he wasn't able to promote himself and have everyone recognize him as the worlds greatest turkey bowhunter, he is now moving on to Bowsite.
Somewhere out there he has an argument with himself regarding who is the best turkey hunter ever - him or his dad, and in the end he proclaims that his 200+ archery kills is greater than his dads 400+ shotgun kills. Go to his Facebook page and see how he is upset because an article regarding new potential world record deer upstaged his article related to a 6 bearded turkey. His behavior on Bowsite is nothing but a continuation of that - yet he has found a receptive audience.
There was a posting regarding starting a a Bowhunters Bugles and Screams club. Steve didn't bite because maybe that's a sore spot for him. Try Googling Bowhunters Beards and Spurs club (go to the archery talk link). Steve tried to start a Bowhunters turkey club that now appears defunct (don't think it ever got much further than the press release really). He even says he has paid to go turkey hunting (now that's not DIY).
I wonder who won the bowhunter of the year award. Maybe it was your ego and arrogance that got in the way of that club becoming something. Unfortunately - Bowsite appears to feeding his ego at the expense of Bowsite quality. If we all just ignore him, he will go away or change his ways - we can only hope.
ttt bbb mmmer
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Ttt. Just cuz I find it amusing how much this guy pisses everyone off but yet are always a mile long thread. As a guy who is neutral in all this I have to say im impressed at the hunt. As a northeasterner I plan one day to make it out west for a diy elk hunt and he showed its possible. Good job TBM
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