7 Days to get it done
Elk
The three weekends prior to September 6th were spent mostly scouting and dodging spike and cow archery hunters with the possibility of getting into a big bull. The rain we received in August was amazing considering we hardly received a drop in the month of July. This made archery hunting difficult to say the least. Thick brush and rain can soak you to the bones in a matter of moments. Sitting a tree stand at water was almost pointless when water was available everywhere. Quietly stalking in heavy timber was the best option at this point. In those three weeks I was within 30 yards of 6 different bulls I could have shot but nothing worthy of filling my tag on this hunt. Spikes, 5 points and small 5x6 was all I could turn up in my site at this point. I knew the second week of September would bring more opportunity to chase bigger bugling bulls. I had planned on taking that entire week off from work and dedicate it to hunting. Here are a few fun photos from my trail cams the first 3 weeks.
The elk like the Trophy Rock!
My brother took the week off to come help me hunt and be my caller. I can’t thank him enough for his help. The morning of the 6th we decided to stop at the bottom of a canyon before sun up and cow call to see what kind of response we would get. I hit the same spot a week prior and had a bull respond within seconds so I knew some larger bulls were in the area. We got the same instant response this morning. 3 different bulls responded within 60 seconds after hitting the cow call. We began the stalk up the bottom of the canyon to keep down wind from the bugles above us. None of the bulls seemed very interested as they kept their distance and would only send out locator bugles. We attempted to put the sneak on a couple different bulls but the 4’ high thick brush made it impossible to do. We got within about 100 yard of one bull but never did see him due to the thick brush and timber. The bulls had stopped responding to any calling by 8:30 that morning. We found 4 different wallows that had been hit that morning in the area and things looked good. By 12:30 we decided to head back to camp for a little rest and some food. After a quick bite to eat I decided go sit a tree stand we set up at place we call salt lick. The pictures above are from that same place and elk had been coming through randomly in the middle of the day. After sitting for some time and nearly falling asleep numerous times I heard some soft noise behind me. I turned around and saw this.
One soft cow call and he was heading my way.
I was hoping maybe a bigger bull would be around and check out the activity but no such luck. This was the 6th bull I passed up on this hunt.
For the evening hunt I decided to sit a watering hole that had plenty of activity and a good 370ish bull that we captured on a trail cam back in early August. The elk were not talking until after dark in the evening, so call and stalk was almost pointless. It was dead quiet the entire night and we left for camp at dark. I had one of those brief intuitions to stop my atv at the top of a canyon on the way back and cow call. It was completely dark and we could not see more then 50’. I blew the cow call once and had 3 different bulls reply within moments. One elk was down below us in the trees maybe 50 yards. It started snorting trying to figure out what was going on. We knew right then what canyon we would be hunting the next morning.
5:30 am rolled around and we quickly got back to the top of the ridge we heard the bulls from the night before. A quick cow call and three bulls started bugling back and forth at each other. They were about 1 mile away near a pond we knew, located in the bottom of a draw. The bulls kept sounding off every 5 minutes and we got within sight distance as the light began to rise. Two of the bulls had moved up the draw and into some bedding areas 400-500 yards above. One was still near the pond and we had a steep hill about 80 yards high covered in thick evergreens to climb before we would be able to see them. We slowly snuck through the thick trees and up the hill. As I crested the top I was instantly busted by a cow facing me that came around an evergreen tree on the same trail no more than 5 yards away. The lead cow and a half dozen elk scattered and moved up the draw. I never did see the bull. We called and tried to get anything to come back with no luck. We pressed on over the ridge and down into the next draw where a bull was bugling closer to the top of the draw. We set up in hopes of calling the bull down to us and tried for a good 40 minutes but he was not moving. He would just keep bugling every 5 minutes so we assumed he was bedded. We decided to put on the sneak attack and found a good trail heading his direction. About 150 yards below him in the thick evergreens we found what must have been the doorway to his house. He had decorated it nicely by shreding a few smaller pines from top to bottom. Adding a nice fragrance for his guest was a stench overwhelming the senses. It was a nasty smell and we knew we had to be close. He gave us one more bugle and we had his location pegged give or take 30 yards. We snuck in another 70 yards to where my brother would call from. I moved up about 40 yard in front of him and set up in a group of trees with a lane coming down both sides of me. It was the only place I could set up without being spotted or heard by the bull. I knocked an arrow, looked back at my brother and gave him the head nod. The bull bugled back instantly as he stood up about 60 yards away behind a group of trees. He began moving as the sound of that cow (my brother) was too much for him to resist. Through the trees I could tell he was a good bull and quickly counted 6 points on each side as he walked. I had a clearing below me that he would have to move through and give me a shot. I drew back just as he moved into the clearing and set my 30 yard pin on his front shoulder. I knew he would stop to look around any second and he did.
Boy, this one sure did get left hanging...
Awesome. I am so satisfied with how that story ended.
Actually couldn't feel more satisfied right now.
Where's the rest of the story???!!!!!
Broadside at 30 yards with all his vitals directly behind a very large aspen tree, I had no shot. I held for a few seconds and he began to move again. I had my reed in my mouth and tried to blow it to stop him again for a shot. That is not easy to do when your holding your release against your cheek and your string touching the tip of your nose. All I could get was a thhhhhhhhhhhhh and a little hisssssssss. I quickly spit it out and gave the bull and little “HEY HEY”. He stopped, quartered away at 35 yards. I set the pin on his vitals again. It was too early in the week to end my hunt, not on this bull anyway. He was a solid 6x6 300 class, and if it was within the last 3 days of my hunt I would let the arrow fly. Holding for a moment, I let off as I felt a slight breeze across my face. The bull winded me and whirled off into the thick pines. I finally had a decent bull that I could have shot and I passed. My heart raced with a smile across my face as I knew I had made the right choice at that moment. One more cow call and a bull responded to the north of us. We began another stock, with no luck this time. The plan for the evening hunt was to sit a wallow that had been productive for us in the past. My niece had this bull at 10 yards in the same wallow the week before.
Too bad she only had a spike/cow tag so she settled to shoot it with her cell phone camera. The evening hunt turned out to be a bust with no elk in site. The plan for the next morning was to return to the canyon we hunted the first morning. All was quiet as we slowly made our way up the bottom stopping, calling, looking, and listening.
We need to resurrect Paul Harvey to tell the "Rest of the Story."
We hiked up the canyon about 2.5 miles when we stopped to enjoy some brunch. It was 10:30 and we made plans to work our way back. Just as we started to load up our packs a bugle rang out from about 150 yards up the hill. A bull had snuck into our earlier cow calls and was now wondering where we were at. We set up and tried to get a look at him but he would not show. For 20 minutes we called back and forth as he moved off over the ridge. That afternoon I decided to hike up a canyon I have never been up before. The north face was so thick with deadfall and brush one could hardly move through it. Elk sign was everywhere and I did jump a spike out of his bed. The top of this canyon would be a good area for the morning hunt. Again the evening hunt was quiet with no elk sounding off and nothing moving.
Only 4 days left in my hunt and the weather was crazy from day to day. Rain and cold one day with hot and dry the next, then more rain and cold. It had rained most of the night and walking through the brush soaked everything I had on within minutes. Even with the rain gear on, hiking in waist high brush and thick trees made it impossible to keep anything remotely dry. We cow called again from the top of the canyon at first light. Two bulls replied down near a wallow below about ½ mile. We dropped down off the top to get in position. The fog was slowly moving up the valley floor and soon our view would be limited. This is a picture I took of the fog rolling in across the valley floor.
We set up and began to call. Both bulls answered each within 200-300 yards. As we raked trees, cow called, and stomped, one of the bulls began getting closer. My brother moved into the thick timber behind me about 60 yards. He kept calling and raking trees as I set up for a shot. Just as planned the curious bull came looking. As he moved through a small group of trees I knew right away he was not a shooter for me. He was a small 6x6 so I pulled out my phone and tried to get a couple photos of him at 25 yards.
By 9:30 everything was quiet. Soaked to the bone we headed out to try and dry off. The rest of the day and that night were unproductive. The bulls would not make a sound until close to dark. We had a couple going right as the light began to fade but not enough time to get anything done.
With only 3 days left in the hunt I had set my mind on taking the first decent 6 point that gave me a shot. With more rain throughout the night, everything was soaked again. Our game plan was to try a different area where I had called in 3 smaller bulls 2 weeks prior. On our way there I had an intuition to stop on top of a different ridge and cow call. 1 bull responded below us right away. We loaded up and drove the atv’s down the canyon so we could get down wind before we did anything else. Half way down we found a good place to park and hike in from that point. We grabbed our gear and gave one more cow call to decide what direction to take. Five different bulls started bugling back at us and each other. Four to the south, and one to the north, all within ¼ mile. We found a good trail heading south directly in line with the bulls. 200 yards up and over a small ridge and we set up with my brother again 80 yards behind me trying to call one of the bulls into us. He hit the cow call and all five bulls started going off again. Two of the bulls stared working closer to us, one bull north and one slightly above us to the south. I had no idea what one I should position myself for. Suddenly a few elk busted out directly behind me. They had snuck in from below and winded my brother. We brushed it off as the other bulls kept coming as they would bugle back and forth every minute or two. Finally one from the south cleared a group of trees and I could see he was a small 5 point. My brother called that bull to within 10 yards of him before they could identify each other. The bull to the north had gone quiet on us. We played cat and mouse with three bulls to the south for another hour trying to get them in and have a look. We got within eye sight of 2 more five points before they went silent. It was 10:30 by the time we worked back to our atv’s. We loaded up and began heading down the canyon. I noticed a well used trail leading up the hill to the ridge north of us. Curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to have a look at the canyon just over the ridge. After all it was only about 400 yards to the top and it would only take a few minutes to go check it out. I asked my brother if he was coming and he declined. Half way up the hill, a thought crossed my mind that the bull bugling to us from the north may be bedded just over the ridge. I started to see some serious fresh tree rubs and could smell elk again. The wind was blowing right in the direction I was heading so I thought anything would bust me and be gone before I ever got a chance to see it. As I approached the top I thought I would find a nice place to call from and see if I could get a response from the next canyon over. I found a spot where I could see down into the pines below a little bit. Just as I reach for my call I notice movement below. A nice bull stepped out from behind a group of trees and stood broadside to me right in the open and he was looking down hill. Luck would have it I brought my bow with me. I dropped to my knees so I would not skyline if he turned and looked my direction. I pulled an arrow from my quiver as I counted, heavy antler with at least 6 on each side. This was the biggest bull I had laid eyes on yet this season. Only 2 bigger on trail cam’s. I knocked my arrow and stood as I came to full draw. I went to look through my peep and the arrow fell forward off my bow. “What the hell I thought” The bull did not move as the wind had covered the noise from my arrow. I thought for sure he would be gone. I dropped back to my knees and knocked my arrow again making sure it was on tight this time. Only I forgot to cover the nock with my hand to muffle noise. It sounded like a twig snap and the bull whipped his head around and locked in my direction. I thought gig was up now and he would bolt. He turned his head to look back down hill and I stood up coming to full draw again. I looked through the peep, found my pins lined up with his front shoulder, set and hit my release. I watched the arrow fly and heard a distinctive “thwack” as the bull whirled and bolted through the brush and downhill. A small calf followed him that was behind the trees. I did not see an arrow sticking out, no blood on his side. “Did I really hit him?” I grabbed my cow call and quickly sounded off to try and calm him down. Suddenly 6 cow elk busted out from behind the other trees to my right and followed down the canyon. How in the world did they not smell me, the wind was blowing right in there direction. “What pin did I set on, how far away was he?” All raced through my mind when suddenly I heard that chilling, yet comforting sound of his last two gasps for air just below the trees he ran through. Within 20 seconds after I shot, he was dead. At least I thought so at the time. I could not believe what had just happened. “I think I just killed the herd bull.” To be safe and not push anything, I cow called a few more times to see if anything was moving. I pulled out my marking tape and GPS to mark the spot I had shot from. I headed back to the ATV to get my brother and tell him the news. Just as I got back one of my brother’s friends who also had a tag, pulled up. We grabbed the rest of our gear and headed out to see if this bull was down.
There's dragging it out, and then there's dragging it out. C'mon man lets wrap er' up!!!!
My wife tried to build the suspense a few years back by dragging it out. She was sure it would be awesome as the tension built. Then she finally figured out that was a bad idea when she heard snoring! LOL, Mike
"7 days to get it done" and so far 18 days to tell the story. LOL
Sorry it took so long to get this posted.. I am a busy man.
After 6 days of scouting, 12 days of hunting, hours and hours of shooting, it all came down to one instinctive shot. This is what I found about 60 yards from where he stood when I took the shot. Perseverance and patience pays off.
Beautiful bull and well worth the wait! Congrats!
