THWAK1
New member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2011
- Messages
- 787
As everyone who lives in Montana knows, it's been hot so far this hunting season. Because of that, I'd been waiting to go elk hunting and yesterdays weather forcast called for cooler weather. My alarm went off at 3:30 am and I contemplated getting up but decided to stay home to see my kids off to school and my girlfriend off to work, so I fell back asleep. I finally left the house at 7:30 and headed out to look for some elk. I had planned on BBQing last night, so basically I had planned on a little hike and to scout for this upcoming weekend.
After arriving at one of my favorite hunting areas, I made sure I had all of my gear in my backpack, grabbed my bow and I headed into the mountains. I was about 3 miles in and still hunting the timber and looking for sign when I saw an elk ahead of me. I glassed and saw he was a spike and watched him walk by at 67 yards. Knowing the area very well, I guessed that if there was a spike around, there was probably an elk herd around, so I headed another mile in to an area elk frequent quite often. Almost immediatly I started seeing some cows and finally saw a decent 6x6 bull moving and feeding among them. As I was watching the herd of about 25 elk from around 250 yards, I heard an elk bugle below me and to my left. The herd bull bugled back and then headed to check out the intruder. As he was dealing with the smaller bull, a 5x5, a 4x5 snuck into the herd of cows and was poking his nose around where he shouldn't have been. The 6x6 came back and chased him away from the herd, bugling the whole time (it's now around 1pm). With the two smaller bulld harassing the herd and the bigger bull, I took the opportunity to circle downwind and moved in close to the herd, hoping the bigger bull would circle his harem chasing off the smaller bulls, thus offering me an opportunity at a shot. At one point, the 6x6 was heading in my direction and veered off at the last minute to scream at the 5x5 and check some of his cows. Now the majority of the cows were up and feeding and moving slowly away from me in the timber with the bull in tow. Not knowing where the smaller bulls were I kept within 50-100 yards of the herd as they milled around. Thinking this tactic wasn't working, I waited for the 6x6 to bugle, as I could see him about 150 yards from me, and I mimiced him with an inferior sounding bugle. This got the other bull bugling also, although I could not see him, and got the 6x6 worked up even more sending him running around his harem, screaming bugles. Everytime he would bugle, I would bugle back and move closer to his location when I could. The cows were talking and I was doing some cow talk also to give the impression that his herd was getting spread out. At this point I saw movement out of the corner of my left eye, and slowly turning my head, saw the 4x5 sneaking in looking for stray cows. He was no more than 70 yards away, and was warily closing the distance to the herd and the back group of "cows". As I watched him, I really had no intention of shooting him as this was just my first day out after elk. As he moved closer, he went behind a pine tree and still I didn't draw or plan on shooting him. After he cleared the pine tree he came into the only opening he would give me, maybe 25 yards away, and stopped. My body was facing the 6x6 and his herd and this raghorn was directly to my left. As I knelt there, watching him, he turned his head away from me to watch the 5x5 that had moved into the picture, to his left. I figured that was as good a sign as any. I rotated my bow to the left and drew at the same time, settled my 30 yard pin near the bottom of his belly, took a deep breath and released it, then hit the trigger on my release. My arrow hit the bull just behind his right shoulder, making that resounding "THWAK", and burried almost to the fletching. The bull took off, right into the middle of the herd and sent them all running for parts unknown. I watched him come to a stop, stagger left and right a couple of times, and fall to his side. The mountains at that moment were as quiet as they had been all day. I walked up to where the bull had stood and ranged back to where I had been, 24 yards. Walking 10 yards toward my downed bull, I found the fletching end of my arrow, broken, and missing the business end. I walked up to my bull and looking back to where he had stood, he hadn't even gone 70 yards! It was 3:15pm. As I was taking off my backpack and getting ready to take pictures, I realized that this bull died only 10 yards from where I shot my bull last year! Now tell me thats not a honey hole!
After taking pictures, I quartered and boned out the bull and placed all the meat in game bags and cut the antlers off his skull (I found the business end of my arrow on the opposite side from which I had shot him, right behind the left shoulder with the broadhead just penetrating the hide). Then I grabbed my cell phone, walked a ways to where I know I would get service, sent a picture out and contacted my dad to give me a hand packing him out. He arrived many hours later and we packed him out in the dark.
He's deffinitely not the biggest bull I've ever killed, but it turned out to be a fun and exciting hunt and he will eat great! Now I can help my family and friends get their elk...and try to fill my antelope and deer tag.
After arriving at one of my favorite hunting areas, I made sure I had all of my gear in my backpack, grabbed my bow and I headed into the mountains. I was about 3 miles in and still hunting the timber and looking for sign when I saw an elk ahead of me. I glassed and saw he was a spike and watched him walk by at 67 yards. Knowing the area very well, I guessed that if there was a spike around, there was probably an elk herd around, so I headed another mile in to an area elk frequent quite often. Almost immediatly I started seeing some cows and finally saw a decent 6x6 bull moving and feeding among them. As I was watching the herd of about 25 elk from around 250 yards, I heard an elk bugle below me and to my left. The herd bull bugled back and then headed to check out the intruder. As he was dealing with the smaller bull, a 5x5, a 4x5 snuck into the herd of cows and was poking his nose around where he shouldn't have been. The 6x6 came back and chased him away from the herd, bugling the whole time (it's now around 1pm). With the two smaller bulld harassing the herd and the bigger bull, I took the opportunity to circle downwind and moved in close to the herd, hoping the bigger bull would circle his harem chasing off the smaller bulls, thus offering me an opportunity at a shot. At one point, the 6x6 was heading in my direction and veered off at the last minute to scream at the 5x5 and check some of his cows. Now the majority of the cows were up and feeding and moving slowly away from me in the timber with the bull in tow. Not knowing where the smaller bulls were I kept within 50-100 yards of the herd as they milled around. Thinking this tactic wasn't working, I waited for the 6x6 to bugle, as I could see him about 150 yards from me, and I mimiced him with an inferior sounding bugle. This got the other bull bugling also, although I could not see him, and got the 6x6 worked up even more sending him running around his harem, screaming bugles. Everytime he would bugle, I would bugle back and move closer to his location when I could. The cows were talking and I was doing some cow talk also to give the impression that his herd was getting spread out. At this point I saw movement out of the corner of my left eye, and slowly turning my head, saw the 4x5 sneaking in looking for stray cows. He was no more than 70 yards away, and was warily closing the distance to the herd and the back group of "cows". As I watched him, I really had no intention of shooting him as this was just my first day out after elk. As he moved closer, he went behind a pine tree and still I didn't draw or plan on shooting him. After he cleared the pine tree he came into the only opening he would give me, maybe 25 yards away, and stopped. My body was facing the 6x6 and his herd and this raghorn was directly to my left. As I knelt there, watching him, he turned his head away from me to watch the 5x5 that had moved into the picture, to his left. I figured that was as good a sign as any. I rotated my bow to the left and drew at the same time, settled my 30 yard pin near the bottom of his belly, took a deep breath and released it, then hit the trigger on my release. My arrow hit the bull just behind his right shoulder, making that resounding "THWAK", and burried almost to the fletching. The bull took off, right into the middle of the herd and sent them all running for parts unknown. I watched him come to a stop, stagger left and right a couple of times, and fall to his side. The mountains at that moment were as quiet as they had been all day. I walked up to where the bull had stood and ranged back to where I had been, 24 yards. Walking 10 yards toward my downed bull, I found the fletching end of my arrow, broken, and missing the business end. I walked up to my bull and looking back to where he had stood, he hadn't even gone 70 yards! It was 3:15pm. As I was taking off my backpack and getting ready to take pictures, I realized that this bull died only 10 yards from where I shot my bull last year! Now tell me thats not a honey hole!
After taking pictures, I quartered and boned out the bull and placed all the meat in game bags and cut the antlers off his skull (I found the business end of my arrow on the opposite side from which I had shot him, right behind the left shoulder with the broadhead just penetrating the hide). Then I grabbed my cell phone, walked a ways to where I know I would get service, sent a picture out and contacted my dad to give me a hand packing him out. He arrived many hours later and we packed him out in the dark.
He's deffinitely not the biggest bull I've ever killed, but it turned out to be a fun and exciting hunt and he will eat great! Now I can help my family and friends get their elk...and try to fill my antelope and deer tag.
