Photo thread '16 elk
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
No time for fancy titles and wordsmithing this year so pics will have to do. Some would probably rather just see pics. I'll give some brief descriptions where necc. Enjoy! Sept. is less than 6 months away!
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
This lil dude came into my life a few months before the season so time was limited. We still managed to fling some arrows :)
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Opening day, had a cow tag but passed this at 40yds cuz I didn't want to mess up the bucks I had on camera. Mistake! Never saw the bucks
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
We got a lil wet on this river crossing :)
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Don't slip
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Whenever I draw a sheep tag I'll be ready. No bubbas up here
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
God Bless America
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Elk thread not official without crappy wallow pic :)
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Not what we're looking for
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Hiked in to a new spot on like day 4. 6 miles in and had a half dozen shoots and basins to ourselves. Good decision
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Pretty spot and full of elk!
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
After passing a few smaller bulls, my buddy from WY shot his first CO bull early in his visit
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Whale tail 5x; Where's the whiskey?!
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Happy crew! LONG walk back to the truck. One shot with the bull and camp. What torn meniscus?
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
This evening was ridiculous! Had a bull inside 30 yds for like an hour. At one point he was rolling rocks down on me from less than 10 yds and I had no clear shot. Bugled at him from point blank, drew my bow 3 times, charged right at him inside 20 yds and never got a shot. His lucky day I guess? This area is so steep/thick there is very few places you can draw without getting tangled or rolling off a cliff. I love this stuff!
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Last few days. We decided to try a new spot that would require climbing around the face of this cliff to access a secluded basin. Harrowing to say the least. Pics don't do it justice
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Sure you want to do this?!
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Only an idiot stops to take a pic :)
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Close call that night but not quite. On to the last day
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Pandemonium on the last evening of our hunt. Another new spot. On a whim we decided to check out a spot we'd never been. It was on fire. I damn near called in a great bull for Joe but he hung up. So close! The bull I would soon kill is in this pic
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Last minute of the last our of our last day. We were actually on our way out expecting to leave the big bull for the last AM before we had to leave. A decent 5 trotted out right in front of us. I drew, guessed the range at 40 and let fly. Bull was quartered away and turned back to look at us, sorta bunched up. Shot felt good. Long story short, I made some mistakes on the blood trail and we didn't recover him until well after he'd been eaten. A combination of making the wrong assumption as to where he'd go, being pressed for time, and leaving the blood trail after it got sparse led to lost meat. Glad to have closure and learned some things. Hope y'all enjoyed the pics
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Backed out that night and found sign like this the next day. I think I got one lung, stomach, liver?
From: otcWill
05-Apr-17
Bittersweet but certainly glad to have found him. Is it September yet!!?
From: Shiras42
05-Apr-17
Bittersweet for sure, but like you said it's good to have closure. Thanks for sharing and reminding me I need to get my fat butt into shape, but will be harder than usual with a torn meniscus.
From: elkmtngear
05-Apr-17
Nice photo recap, Will...loved it !
Best of Luck, Jeff
From: AZBUGLER
05-Apr-17
Thanks Will! Looks like Heaven.
From: Julius K
05-Apr-17
great photos as always will. How did you knee hold up?
From: RonS
05-Apr-17
Great photos Will! It looks like you had a great adventure last fall.
From: Ron Niziolek
05-Apr-17
Thanks Will. Loved it!
From: grossklw
05-Apr-17
Excellent photos, much needed in the offseason with nothing else going on.
From: HUNT MAN
05-Apr-17
Always look forward to your threads. But this one coming up has me even more excited. Can't wait and see you soon! North to Alaska ! Hunt
From: Bowfreak
05-Apr-17
Thanks for the pics Will. I am glad you were able to find your bull.
From: JH
05-Apr-17
Great hunt. They are one tough critter. Looks like some awesome country.
From: orionsbrother
05-Apr-17
Great pics. Sorry you lost your meat. Glad you didn't slide off the cliff. I got a little azz pucker from those pics.
From: Destroyer350
05-Apr-17
Love your pics and stories! Thanks for sharing!
From: Dyjack
05-Apr-17
Thanks for helping my wapiti withdrawals. Looks like it was a ton of fun!
From: midwest
05-Apr-17
Excellent, Will! So fired up for September!
From: WV Mountaineer
05-Apr-17
Livin' right bro. God less men
From: Brad From Hebo
05-Apr-17
Great pics! Loved following along.
Here is my photo. Right before my shot. I wish my bro in law was videoing instead of this cell phone pic. Not complaining! I am just to the left of the picture. 20 yards.
From: Stoneman
05-Apr-17
Good stuff Will... feeling the September burn!
From: PoudreCanyon
05-Apr-17
Thanks for sharing Will. The terrain you hunt is insane. You guys are animals!
From: Charlie Rehor
05-Apr-17
Nice scenery! Easy climb???
From: Bowboy
05-Apr-17
Nice pictures Will thanks for sharing.
From: Z Barebow
05-Apr-17
Another epic adventure Will! I look forward to your recap every year.
From: beginner
05-Apr-17
Love the pictures!!!
From: Jaquomo
05-Apr-17
Great reading in the turkey blind, buddy! Walleyes await us as soon as I get home!
From: cnelk
05-Apr-17
Pictures are worth a thousand words.
Good writing :)
From: TEmbry
05-Apr-17
Awesome pics of what seems like a great hunt. Can't wait to share camp with you in a few months bud!
From: Native Okie
06-Apr-17
Good pictures, Will!
From: BULELK1
06-Apr-17
Very nice Will
Thanks for sharing
Good luck, Robb
From: SBH
06-Apr-17
Hey Will, Thanks for posting up. Great pics and looks like lots of fun.
That blood looks sadly familiar to me.....I lost a bull on that same shot you are describing.
From: otcWill
06-Apr-17
Thanks guys!
Julius, the knee was ok. Bothers me a bit with heavy loads but constant PT has kept it in check.
Hunt/Trevor, Bowsite Classic in the making my friends!
Lou, my rods are ready to roll. Very much looking forward to doing some fishing while talking some bowhuntn! Safe travels to STL
From: otcWill
06-Apr-17
SBH, most painful part is he was only a few hundred yards away. I just used the available sign to make the entirely wrong assumption about where to grid search. It happens and I've learned from it
From: SBH
06-Apr-17
It's amazing how something so big can be so close and you can't find it. I feel ya. Like you said, it happens and you learn from it. Glad you at least found him albeit too late for the meat. Better then no recovery at all, always good to be able to put the pieces together.
From: jordanathome
06-Apr-17
Great Pics and Story Will!!!! Hit me a text when you have time........still hoping to get a little guidance on 20 for this fall. I hope you are well and feeling better since our last exchange. Sometimes life sux.
Here is the 5x5 I kept running into scouting in 34 last fall.......until season opened and he went stealth on me. His sign was there but I never saw him again.
From: Brotsky
06-Apr-17
Great pics Will! Thanks for sharing them with us!
From: GF
06-Apr-17
Brad's photo - no adrenaline working there!
That's one heck of a hell-hole you hiked into, Will; probably lucky you DIDN'T get anything back there...
But I gotta wonder... what ate that bull? Bear? Yotes?
From: otcWill
07-Apr-17
GF, the area I shot him is infested with bears. We didn't recover him until well after the meat would have been spoiled but I bet he was nearly gone within 48 hours
