Setup I was setup in a tree stand at the bottom of a deep ravine where the elk cross and water. I had placed my Montana cow decoy 40 yards behind me on the opposite side of the ravine.
First shot Shortly after first light I did a few cow calls. I immediately got a response from a bull. It sounded like the bull was on top of the ridge at the head of the valley; a long way away. I waited at least 30 minutes with no sounds before I did short calling sequence with my cow call, the bull answered right back. He had cut the distant in half. From that point the bull bugled every 5 to 10 minutes and I would answers with few mews. He was coming in, but he was coming in where I would have very few shot windows. As luck would have it, he was on the only trail that would give me a chance. I could have not planned it better the bull stepped into, stopped, and started bugling in the only real shot window I had. It was perfect; his bugle masked any sound that I may have made when I pulled my bow back. I set the 20 yard pin right behind his shoulder and let loose; he was still bugling.
Second opportunity Instead of the sound of the arrow entering his body I heard that disgusting sound that all archery hunters hate but most know the sound of arrow that hit a twig. The bull took off at the shot, I had no idea if the arrow and hit him or not but I immediately gave a few mews on my call. He stopped turned and started looking to see what had happened. He was now facing me and was on the hill where we were at the same eye level. He was staring right through me. I had no shot as he was facing me and his body was screened by a bunch of brush. He stood there for what seemed like hours but probably was only a few minutes, I could tell that he was getting nervous and if I didn’t do something soon he was going to take off. I slowly turned my head and did a few soft mews trying to cast the sound down the ravine. At the sound of the mews he turned and walked down to the bottom of the ravine behind some trees and bushes. I took this time to nock another arrow. When he got to bottom and before he left cover he stopped. From my stand I could see him peeking his head around the tree trying to find the origin of the mews. As luck would have it he looked right at the decoy. At spotting the decoy he stepped out at 35 yards and giving me my second opportunity. At the shot I saw the arrow impact but it was a little farther back and higher than I would have liked. He ran up the other side of the ravine and into a patch of dark timber and stopped. Like I had done earlier, at the shot I started cow calling. There was a lot of down trees in this patch of timber and I could hear him move and breath heavy every once in a while. I waited 30 minutes after I heard last sound of movement coming from the timber before I got down to search for him.
Contemplation on the shots As I was seating there waiting, I ran the shot through my head a million times. How had I missed my mark? It did not actual dawn on me until back at camp that I had got caught up in the moment and had not waited for or had tried to stop the bull before I shot; the bull was walking when I release my arrow.
The recovery I spent about 15 minutes looking for my first arrow, but I never found it. Although I was pretty sure I knew exactly where the bull was, I wanted to follow the blood trail. The first blood I found was about 10 feet after impact. I followed the blood for another 20 to 30 yards before I lost the trail; there was not a lot of blood. After 10 minutes or so of not finding the trail, I decided to go look where I had heard the last sound in the dark timber. About 30 yards from where I lost the blood I found him upside down in steep nasty timber. My arrow had hit a rib going in and was partially stuck out of a rib on the exit side. The arrow had gone through both lungs.
Score I attempted to measure the elk myself and this is what I came up with. Gross just short 300 PY. Net around 290. I have not decided to have it official measured. I’m leaning to no.
Equipment Bow: Bowtech Destroyer 350 Draw Length 29 ½ inches Draw Weight: 72# Arrow: Beman ICS hunter Brodhead: 100gr G5 Montec
Best of Luck, Jeff
