So, Paul ll also has a WY elk tag in his pocket so we head out there to see what trouble we can get into! We took a 1-1/2 day scouting trip to WY in early Aug. We saw quite a few a elk in the open sage & heard a few bugles but no branched bulls, just spikes & smaller raghorns. It was a fun trip with my Son as usual as we put on as many miles as we could becoming as familiar with the lay of the land as possible in a short time frame, we also sat behind the glass for a few hours! Man it was a lot of driving up & back in such a short time span but it helped us out in where to camp & start the hunt & where to avoid.
We headed out there a day before the Sept 1st opener to check things out & to see where the camps & pressure may come from, it helped some but it appeared our worst enemy was the heat, man it was brutal in the 90's! I do think that every hunter out there owned an ATV as there were countless ones everywhere! Definitely more pressure than anticipated but there were both Deer & Elk hunters as both seasons were open! Couldn't blame them with ATV's as it's really the best way to get around in that country besides we had our own side by side as well! It's the kind of country with roads that look like a well scripted maze, no way to get a mile away from one without another being somewhere close by, this was going to be a challenging elk hunt but aren't they all! (grin)
ElkNut/Paul
ElkNut/Paul
ElkNut/Paul
We head over their way through chest high sage, we check the wind & notice it is heading east so we slip in with it in our face which put us on the side we wanted to be on of this small mountain. We are doing everything possible to stay concealed through the sage on our approach, we haven't found the need to call since these elk are plenty vocal themselves & provided us with a solid direction. We get to the edge of the Aspens & silently slip up the mountain staying to the left of all the cow calling & bugles we were hearing, we still have not seen an elk since glassing them over 2 miles away. As we slip up the mountain we notice an old wooden fence line 20 yards to our left that is barely seen in this thick covering, it's heading straight up the mountain, the elk are to our right so we slowly follow it up listening & looking intently for any movement. Out of nowhere steps a cow at 90 yards up the hill, she approaches the fence & jumps it, then another cow & another. Looks like the elk were heading that direction so we cut the distance 10 yards very quietly & one of the cows jumps back over to our side? I have no idea why but she did & a second one did the same thing! We are kneeling motionless seeing what the rest of these elk are going to do?
ElkNut/Paul
Mark
ElkNut/Paul
We back out of there in time to see these elk exiting the area at mach 10 speed! Back down the mountain we go in 80+ deg heat! When we get back to our rig we look back & see a white Toyota pickup driving that road we didn't know how to get to, it was coming exactly where all the elk were. Thanks bud!!! -- It's so hot this first week we decide we are heading back to Idaho for a few days then return back on the 10th-11th. During our absence in WY is when my Son took his Idaho Bull in the previous story!
ElkNut/Paul
We head out in the Razor to cover ground quickly as it's a 10+ mile trek on some real crappy dirt roads to where we need to be. No glassing today in this area. On our way to our spot we see a couple of cows & a -300" bull head up the mountain in front of us, they are running like hell & seem to melt into the timber to our right. We stop wait one minute & I toss out a bugle to check the temp of this bull. He responds immediately, nice, good sign but we move on. After another 1/2 mile we see more elk heading across this two track road, hard to tell what they are at a distant but the bright side is we see elk heading to the area we intend to hunt. We decide to head up another 1/2 mile or so & get in front of everything we've seen so far, who knows what else may be on this mountain that we haven't set eyes on. We get to a spot just as its getting lighter & like what we see. We park there & shoulder our packs for what the day has to offer & what an offering it has in store for us! (grin)
ElkNut/Paul
ElkNut/Paul
Generally as you bugle every 75 to 100 yards once a bull is located these unwanted bulls or cows will move on & out of your way. (don't do this to a bull you're interested in taking) We attempted to do just that. After 3 different bugle spots (no challenges) covering a few hundred yards this bull was accommodating us nicely! As we side-hill around this mountain we notice a burn in front of us, it was open for 5-10 acres then back to the thick pines again. He was just on the other side of this burn 200-300 yards away in the green timber. I said to my Son, let's see if we can call him into the burn & show himself & we'll get eyes on him & size him up! He was for it so I proceeded to call this guy in for an interview! (grin) I didn't have high hopes he would be anything special but it couldn't hurt at this distance to check him out! -- My Son had a decent tag but nothing real special. We had talked with the game warden in the area on our first trip & he said this area isn't like it was once noted for. He mentions you used to see 350" plus bulls here but not any longer as of a few years ago. He says if you see a 320" bull these days you'd better seriously consider him! We had already decided that the first 300"+ bull we called in was going for a truck ride back to Idaho! (grin)
ElkNut/Paul
With the bull still 300 yards out I wait for him to bugle! He will eventually because he wants to know if we are still a safe distance! It takes 2 minutes or so & he bugles, I wait a minute & respond with a lazy bugle. This is repeated a total of 3 times between the bull & I, he hasn't moved & neither have we. This is good & what we expected. Now I wait for him to respond to our last bugle & this time when he does I am ready to cut him off mid bugle, this raises the ante real quick! I bugle quickly & he responds within 10 seconds, sweet! I again cut him off mid bugle & this time he cuts me off! I start raking a tree pretty violently so it can be heard at his distance. He immediately appears at the edge of the burn & the green timber & starts racking this huge tree shaking it like it was a spindly Christmas tree! (grin) My Son throws up his binos to size him up & looks over at me 30 yards away & motions to me that he's a good bull. I'm like 'really'!! OK, if he says it's a good bull then it is, no 2nd guessing from me! I proceed to work him closer for a shot!
ElkNut/Paul
I now give him a Round Up Bugle, this asks him to come over! He moves quite a bit closer to around the 150 yard mark & gives me the same bugle! He wants to physically see me to size me up. I continue to rake & toss out 3 voice pants through my bugle, this shows excitement coupled with frustration on my part. The raking is to draw him closer, it's not a challenge but more for asking him to come over & size me up in a displaying action. He doesn't buy it so hits me with a short round up bugle again, this shows more of a demand now for me to come out, I can't of course so I retreat 15 yards more into the timber & rake & give him a nervous grunt & a round up bugle all in one breath, this sound carries some serious weight to any bull & demands him to get his butt over to me as I want to see HIM. He does just that! He covers that 150 yards in seconds as he comes to the edge of the burn & the green timber, this puts him 20 yards from my Son who is already at full draw & only a couple yards inside the timber, it's a full frontal shot in his face at 20 yards, the bull never sees him or the arrow! I hear the arrow fly as it leaves his bow & the loud impact of the arrow sinking into the bull, no doubt that was a solid hit with no bone being impacted.
I quickly bugle 3-4 times (this is more out of instinct) to slow the bull down & head over to my Son, as soon as I get there with a look of wonderment??? You know like what was that all about? It's less than an hour & a half into the hunt on our first day & you shoot!!!! He says it's a pretty good bull over 300 & maybe up to 320. I say wow, perfect!! I would not have guessed that wimpy sounding bugle came from a bull like that? I was fooled! I wasn't there 30 seconds & I heard the death moan, we knew we had him then & he wasn't too far! My Son said at the shot he saw blood flow from the wound instantly, that's generally a good sign! He pointed to the direction the bull had headed & it was straight for the closest sage & timber. We talked for a few minutes there on low volume & were excited at how quick it all happened & about the calling sequence! I will tell you all right now that my Son has ice water in his veins, he has pulled off shots like this countless times in high adrenaline encounters & it doesn't phase him a bit, he's like a rock under pressure! I usually get a bit more excited, heh it's my nature! (grin) Man what an awesome hunt I had the privilege of sharing with my son once again, it doesn't get much better than that! The bull measured out to 345 4/8" -- Very good bull for us!
Check out that broadhead wound channel, it's no wonder blood flowed out so freely on impact! ElkNut/Paul
Experiencing and carrying on a father son/daughter hunting experience never gets old!
Tracker, yes that was a 100 grain exodus standard head with a total arrow weight of 410 grains. The nock of the arrow was 8" inside of the bull. The broadhead was darned near reaching its rear. Plenty of penetration! Thanks!
ElkNut/Paul
SteveB, the bow was an Elite Energy 32 @ 70# & 28" draw. The arrows were Victory RIP .340 with a 50 grain insert tipped with 100 grain Exodus Qad heads. The arrows top out at 410 grains. He's taken a few other bulls with this setup with most being pass-throughs! Thanks!
ElkNut/Paul
I would usually wait 10-30 minutes once a bull bugles on his own or responds to me if it's a lethargic or lazy bugle. A lot can be gathered by his bugle, it shows his present state of mind. I do my best to evaluate that then proceed according to what may fit next. I would hope when he did bugle back no matter the time length that he was still in the same spot if I was interested in him! That would fall heavily into a hunters favor!
I do agree that in so many instances hunters do not wait long enough & more important they do not read the bulls bugle well so things turn into a crap shoot & most hunters resort to cow calls trying to receive a response in hopes of not pushing the bull away! Understanding a present bulls desire will tell you whether cow calls will be effective or a waste of time!
ElkNut/Paul
