I have been following Bowsite pretty closely for a few years now but I've never posted. I know, shame on me, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts and recount my first archery elk this year. First off, I wanted to say a sincere thanks to so many of you that have shared your experiences and expertise over the years. After hunting elk in Colorado with a rifle for several years, I thought I knew a thing or two, then I succumbed to peer pressure, picked up a bow and found this site. Since then I've done a couple OTC, DIY (at least I think they qualify as DIY, but I'm a little confused on the standard for that) backpack hunts, as well as a handful of drop camp hunts. Along the way I've learned what feels like a hundred times more than what I thought I knew as a rifle hunter.
These days, 4 of us from our old rifle camp get together to do a drop camp hunt the last week of archery season. 3 of us fly in and link up with our fourth, who still lives in-state. We spend the first day in town taking care of last minute logistics and enjoying a good steak dinner and some home brews before we pack in for 8 days to hunt on foot in a wilderness area along the continental divide. It's a great group, as we're all former army, all former rifle hunters, and we all transitioned to bowhunting at pretty much the same time. The camaraderie is fantastic and the trash talk is relentless- exactly what you'd want.
We've been fortunate to hunt the same area for 6 years, and seeing as how this is the story about my first archery elk, I'm forced to admit that I'm a slow learner, but thankfully not the slowest in camp however :) it's a great area, and we routinely find ourselves in elk. Maybe not always 40-50 yards from elk, but very often on the fringes, trying desperately to find a way close the distance. BS lesson #2- Elk don't always come to you. Sometimes you've got to be aggressive.
As we learn the area and the elk patterns over time, our number of close encounters has gone up each year. We have had plenty of full draw moments, but for any number of reasons that most of you can picture, things have seldom played out. BS lesson #3- Real elk hunting is real hard. One my buddies got the first elk in camp three years ago, a nice 6x6, but otherwise no one else has connected. Last year I was pretty excited as I called in a satellite 5x5 to 30 yards. Just as he was about to clear some brush, another partner chose a great time to check in on the radio, just to say "hi". He's a great guy that way, always looking out for us. Flustered, I let down, shut off the radio and cursed his name, only to see the bull reappear about 55 yards uphill. I drew again and took a quick shot, over his back. It was a rushed shot, I blew it and I was crushed. BS lesson #4- Know your limits.
So this year, I was determined to make better use of everything I've picked up over the time spent on BS, from fitness, to elk behavior, to calling, to knowing your shooting limits. On opening morning, I left camp about an hour before the rest and headed north, down valley to where we've often had bulls bugling just inside the tree lines before first light. We've always gotten there late, and have ended up chasing them up to their beds, up from the valley floor. This first morning, I was determined to get above them, and angled up in hopes of catching them as they headed to their beds.
At first light, I had a bugle a few hundred yards straight up the steep slope of dark timber and deadfall. I rushed to cut the distance, never calling, but slipping in to about 100 yards. I cow called softly, and within seconds, the bull responded with a train whistle and moved downhill. About a minute later, a cow appeared to my eleven o'clock, and soon after that I heard another cow coming in from about my two o'clock. I saw her at forty yards, where she passed behind a tree and allowed me to knock an arrow. BS lesson #5- I remember Big Dan saying for your first archery elk, take the first legal one you see. At 30, she passed another tree which allowed me to draw. She cleared at 20 yards, quartering hard to me, slightly uphill, completely unaware. Sound familiar? I picked my spot and watched my arrow disappear just inside her left shoulder. She trotted across the slope, and I watched her go down within 30 yards. I guess Now I'm 100% on frontal shots. BS lesson #6- Under the right conditions, the frontal shot is lethal and they often go down in sight.
As I moved up, the bull was still bugling and looking for his cows. Knowing my hunt was over, I decided to try and call him into range, just to get a look at him. I decided that I wouldn't chide myself for not waiting to try for a shot on the bull, no matter how HUGE he might be. Thankfully I never had to put that theory to the test, as I watched the spike bull for a few minutes cross back and forth about 15 yards above me until he trotted back up the hill.
It was 7:30 on the first morning of our trip, and my hunt was over. I had laid out my game plan months before, and had even picked a spot on the map where I was going to be. I was only a few hundred yards south of that spot as I tried my hand at the gutless method, BS lesson #7.
That night the Colorado Bourbon flowed, and we feasted on butcher steaks and chanterelles. Sometimes the stars line up, sometimes they don't. Either way, cherish the hunt, have respect for your game, and enjoy the company of those who share your passion- Bowsite Lesson #1.
Thanks a lot, Bowsite.
Doug
Congrats and a good read Ty!
Truer words were never spoken.....
Thanks for posting.
Rick M
Thanks for sharing the adventure with us.
Great post - very happy for you. Now get back at it again next year and shoot some bone.
I'd never heard of CO Bourbon either?
Congrats on the elk!
With the radios - keep them off until a pre-arranged check in time. If someone doesn't respond, then keep your radio on or have it set up so that you check in 15 minute intervals. You never know when you;'re going to be into animals!
If it gets light at 6, then check in at 9, then 11, etc. or whatever works for you. If you have success and kill something, fire 3 arrows into the air! : )
>>>>----Congrats again!---->
Coelker and Matthewsman- Colorado Bourbon was a random discovery a couple of years ago. It's made by Boathouse distillery in Salida (no, I promise I'm not on their pro staff). Solid bourbon, great find.
Bowuntr- you're a man after my own heart. As a KY native, I drink ALOT of bourbon and am faithful to KY labels. Having said that, if I was stranded on a desert island, Stranahans is my hands down favorite.
Russell- yep, us army guys gotta stick together.
Jack Harris- mistaking me for TBM? You flatter me, sir :)
Curvebow- sage advice about the radios, funny how they went silent when I called to ask for help quartering and packing the cow out...
Congrats to you for your first successful archery elk hunt!
Best of Luck, Jeff
BH- great job and congrats on your first. That brand has some how missed my radar, but I've been in Salida and will be back soon. Took a bottle of Buffalo Trace with us on our hunt in IL.
DJ
Great story!
Ky Eyebrow- I've been meaning to try some Elmer T. Lee, I hear it's good stuff.
Straight Shooter- Buffalo Trace is my favorite value buy bourbon, and we've brought a few bottles along to our camp over the years.
6x6 Bull- I really can't overstate how much I've picked up from this site, and definitely wanted to give credit where it's due. I had forgot to mention that I had spent a lot of time reading up on the frontal shot, and my hat's off to BB for continuing to make a patient, eloquent case for it. Heck, with all this knowledge, I can't imagine that there aren't a lot of bulls in trouble next year.
DJ
