Contributors to this thread:
The long anticipated day has arrived for my sons limited entry elk hunt in Utah. My dad will be joining us for a 3 generational adventure. Gear is being loaded into the truck. As soon as the bell rings for close of school today we will be pointing the truck towards Reno Nevada for the first leg of the trip. Tomorrow we should arrive in camp in the late afternoon and hopefully not sleeping tomorrow evening as the bugles will be making too much racket and big 14 year old dreams of a first bull elk will be almost too much.
Knock down a good one. Temps are cold, bulls are talking. Roads up here are a mess. 38 degrees this morning.
Nmwapiti thanks homie! I have surely enjoyed following along on your hunt and hope to return a good story of our own. Let’s get it!
For some reason I’m logged in on a second account “archer” but most of you on here know me as “NorCalVineyards”
Heavy rain to this weekend, with lows in the 40's and highs in the 60's until Wed and then lows in the 30's with highs in the upper 50's up near "The Sinks" up Logan Canyon.
Something should be talkin'...
Have a great hunt. That’s pretty special to have all 3 generations. Makes me smile. Enjoy it and keep us posted please
Best of luck, and hope to hear a great ending to the story. But, some long term valuable pics will do.
Arrived in Reno shortly after 9pm. Grabbing some shut eye and back on I-80 before the sun comes up.
Heck Yeah!
Pick-a-$pot-------->
Robb
Good luck! I assume this is an any weapon hunt. If so, curious of your son’s strategy.
Have Fun!!!
Archery only hunt. The smoke in Reno was terrible last night due to the Mosquito fire in the Sierra’s, thick smoke very low visibility.
Got to camp at about 9pm, little later than we hoped for but we lucky enough to find out desired camp site unoccupied. My son Brody heard the first of the trip tonight from camp which got him all fired up for the morning…. Here’s a pic from of the tag holder in Logan earlier this evening.
He sure has grown up in just 2 years from when you guys' where here skiing and pic of him Fly fishing!
Tj, page 52 of the Big Game Guide Book, September Archery hunts September 1st thru September 30 list the units available.
They took out the LE Rifle hunts and LE Muzzy hunts to do this in those listed units.
The other option in these same units is on page 56 the HAMS hunts October 1st thru November 15th.
Now back to the Young Fella's LE Bow Bull hunt!
Good luck, Robb
Outstanding. Good luck! Have fun!
Morning started off with a bugle about 10 min from when we left the truck. One bugle led to two and then and decisions based on the wind were mad. A quick set-up and some cow calls didn’t produce anything from the target bull a growler the next drainage over was really jockeying for our attention.
A decision was made to dart after him and before you know it we what felt like 50 yards or less from him but in the quakie jungle and couldn’t see him.
Behind us approach two cows at 15 yards and a bull trailing. The cows about walked right to us before taking the bull with them.
All in all we chased bugles until about 11:00am and we’re within 59 yards of two different bulls, then split to situate camp before the rain.
Action packed first morning!
Yesterday evening was uneventful. This morning we got on a bugle at first light, trailed the bull up the mountain, for about a half a mile. Hit a bugle and he immediately came running in. Brody was in the process of sneaking up on him and he just didn’t quite have a lane at 42 yards. Big 6x6, dad and I got a good look at him. Couldn’t get a picture as he we were pinned laying in the grass. Pretty awesome morning. Tonight uneventful again with no bugles and no elk sightings. Hoping that Monday morning people go back to work and things ramp up
Bulls been bugling in the mornings. Evenings hit or miss. Bugled the “growler” bull into 15 yards but he came in the on the side where Brody had no lanes for a shot. Very cool encounter. Had a couple bulls hang up and bugle just outside of view. Bulls do not seem competitive over cows. We haven’t seen more than 2 cows and most bulls do not have any cows from what we’ve seen. Bugle is where it’s at. Cow call has been ineffective.
Looking forward to the rest of the story!
Exciting morning, Brody got an arrow in one, confirmed blood and backed out. 8:00am mst hit, gonna give it 3 hours!
Good luck.. Can't wait for the update.
Oh man - I think we need a live blood trail challenge! Kidding aside, good luck when you take up the trail, and can't wait to read of a successful outcome.
We will be waiting for updates!
Good luck! Hopefully a short tracking job!
Long tracking job but ended in sweet success! Long day, just got back to camp 10:14 mst. More to follow.
That’s awesome looking forward to the story.
Yes sir!!!! I love it man!
HaHa!! Perfect----->
I just got home from the OTC/North Slope Uinta's, I've been hopeful for y'all
Congrats Young Man,
Robb
Congrats on the recovery! Well done boys!
Best feeling ever! Congrats!
About as proud as a dad can be. It took 7 days, 13 hunts, 5 close encounters, lots of sweat and positivity in the end but consistency prevailed. Wouldn’t have it any other way euther. Thank you to all the BOWSITE members who help my son find success on his first bull. Lots of gratitude and appreciation this morning. Special thanks to Robb and Travis on here.
Congratulations that’s awesome
Well done ! Congrats to you both on an awesome adventure. Thanks for sharing it with us. Kudos to the bowsite fellas who helped out as well.
Spectacular! What an awesome hunt and results! Congratulations!
AWESOME!! Congrats on your first bull, Brody!! Way to stay with it!
Congrats to you and your son!! Memories that will last forever.
That's the most awesome feeling ever. Way to go dad! He'll be telling his own kids the story soon enough.
Well done Men!! Well done! Hunt
That’s as good as it gets. Congrats
Beautiful bull! Congrats to your son!
Heck ya. Doesn't get any better.
Awesome, father and son, well done!
Congrats bud! Can’t wait to read the story!
Love those 3rd's & 5th's ---------->
Travel home safe y'all,
Robb
Unbelievable hope to share a similar photo with my son some day, amazing journey!!!!
Thank you everyone! You know how elk hunting can be, when you feel like your doing everything you know to do but it’s not working, it’s really easy to get discouraged - Especially for a kid, 7 days into a hunt that hasn’t been victorious on a elk hunt before. Then when it comes together all the sudden and it’s almost, easy… he shot the bull in the pounch angling forward. He didn’t know where he hit the bull and I didn’t see the shot, Just the bull going over the ridge - but couldn’t see the arrow. When I found a little blood we backed out. Gave him 4 hours, then went in. Very little blood mostly just on his track. About 600 yards (straight line OnX - maybe 3/4 Mile of real distance) later, feeling defeated, i stumbled upon him. Good thing my dad was there he found a track or two that I would of never found and we stayed in the game a little longer, eventually we caught up to him expired. The bull never bedded just went on a walk until his demise. Pretty lucky to have found him.
REWIND TO THE MORNING OF DAY 7 (last day) The last morning we heard a bugle on top of the ridge and I had an idea of the direction the bull was traveling so we ran up the ridge as fast as we could. About half way up the hill he bulged again and that was all I needed to get on his line. Once at what I believed was the right elevation, I set Brody up by a pine tree and dropped back about 60 yards. I bugled, and heard a bull about 300 yards out or so in his direction. I thought that didn’t seem right a I thought we should of been much closer based on the last time he bugled. I waited another couple minutes, bugled again and then he ripped off, just out in front (there was two bulls) . By the time he bugled he was in already in sight of my son and walked on a line 25 yards above him. The bill stoped between two trees and Brody was already at full draw. (He said he held for about 30 seconds as the bull walked in).
I couldn’t see any of this from my position but heard some limbs break and watched the bull skirt out to the top of the ridge just above me. I could only see the top of the bull and I let out a small bugle. The bull stopped, looked my way for a second, then looked around for about 10 seconds, then proceed to walk slowly over the ridge out of sight. I was thinking to myself when I could see the bull “go down, go down” . As the bull went out of sight, I proceeded towards my son who was knocked and creeping his direction.
I looked over at my son and gestured “did you shoot, did you shoot”? He said yes. I asked him did you hit him and he said, I don’t know. (He threaded the needle between two trees) We creeped up to the location of the shot, looked for the arrow, nothing. Looked 20 yards down the trail and found a few drops of blood. At that point I got really excited and Brody said “yeah I hit him”. At that moment I said a quick prayer and backed out. I knew it was gonna take a small miracle but I knew we had a chance. We drove to garden city for breakfast.
The bull carried the viper trick in the cavity the entire way. The arrow was inside him at least a foot. I could only imagine how painful that must of been for the old bull. I made sure Brody gave the bull some final respects for giving up his life to feed our family. Still to this day I’ve never lost a bull with that broadhead and will shoot nothing else.
One with grandpa, aka “super tracker”
Great thread to follow and congrats to the young man on his bull! TODDY
That’s a great bull, and even better that you got to share it with your son and father. Cheers to the three of you!
SO happy to see this! Congratulations!
Congrats on a great bull and fabulous family experience. What great memories!
Congratulations to your son! Having you and grandpa there will make for a memory he will never forget.
Good on you Dad!
A memory never to be forgotten. May there be many more. Congratulations to you both.
Great bull...congrats to your son! Thanks for sharing!
Wow archer, that is a great memory to share with 3 generations! Nice bull, congratulations to your son.
Very nice bull! Thanks for taking the time to post!