drahthaar
Active member
Sitting here very tired but super happy. We all set up a hunt and try to visualize how it could happen, whether it be in a basin, around a wallow, or out of a treestand. We can see it play out in our minds, but it rarely ever does. Today it played out EXACTLY how I planned.
With a new job, I have only been able to play weekend warrior so far this season. With nothing to show for it. Last weekend I really put in a good effort, hiking, climbing etc, you saw my post with the mountain goats. I visited my "go to" spot last Sunday after my death march, not really expecting anything, as it is logged over, dry, and low elevation, but was surprised by the amount of sign I saw, then on the way out, bumped a bull, but never saw antlers, just heard them clanking off of brush when he cleared out.
Last night, my 6 yo son and I hiked up and put up a treestand in what I figured is a great spot right on a big trail leaving a clearcut. There was even more sign, in the timber next to the unit, like elk running all over, I figured it could be a bull chasing cows all around in the clearcut and in the timber because they were just willy nilly all over. So, as my son put it, we "set the trap".
At o'dark-thirty I get up in the stand this morning, wait until light and start doing some really slutty cow calling. Not over doing it, just every half hour or so. Texting my buddy, telling him its dead and if something doesn't start happening by 930 I am going to go hike and hunt. Well, I just sent off the last text, and heard a big stick break clear across the clearcut, about 200+ yard away. As this spot is very close to my house and in a highly recreated part of the valley, a big part of my thoughts were, oh brother, some guy heard me and is sneaking around in the timber across the way. But, no! Antlers appear on the edge of the far timber line. Glass him up, nice 6!!! He has his mouth open and he is coming!! Thought about texting my buddy, to give him the play by play, but the rate this bull was coming, I didn't have time to mess around.
Pocketed the phone, and grabbed my bow off the bow arm, started to get my heart to slllllooooowwww doooowwwwnnn. I sat there thinking how amazing it was that these elk can pinpoint where a sound comes from from so far away. One minute he is coming right at me, the next, he starts to vere off toward the other edge of the clearcut where he will be in the brush and no chance at shooting him. I made the decision that he knows where the sound was, I ain't saying a peep. There was also a pretty big windblown tree that had fallen over which would "funnel" him down the hill right under my stand. The roots have come clear out of the ground so the bottom of the tree was elevated about 4 feet off the ground. The trail I am on runs right by the root wad, 10 yards from the base of tree I am in. He came clear across the cut and then stopped up the hill from the downed tree, you cound see the wheels turning, which way should he go??? His mouth is open, he looks frazzled. He turns down the hill,(yesssss!!!!!), 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 20, 15, then the dummy turns and tries to go under the butt end of the tree just above the root wad. Practically on his knees, he sticks his head under, probably thinking he will lift it and slide under the tree. I draw right when his head went under the tree. But noooooo!!!! That tree doesnt budge, and dipwad is stuck!!!! Can't go forward, can't back up, he is kind of in a panic. And so am I, I am at fully draw, how long can I hold this??? Felt like an eternity as I had no good shot there. But he finally frees himself, turns left and goes right around the root wad, steps broadside and stops to sniff something. Not exactly where I wanted to stop him, but it's 10 yards, dead to rights. Center the pin and drop the hammer. Watch my fletching disappear right into his ribs. He runs by me to 20 yards into the timber, and is just standing there. Seemed like another eternity. I lean forward and strain backward to see a little 12 x 12 window with his vitals right in it. He isn't going down, so I figure, may as well. knock another arrow, lean forward and let it fly, right into the area of the heart. There he goes off into the timber. A few seconds and the woods echo with a HUGE crash of sticks and limbs. Then the woods fell silent.
I sat down, texted my buddy to bring the pack frames, he is thinking "yeah right". No, seriously dude. "Alright, bastage, I'll be right there". About 6 hours later, its all home.
One of these years, I will pass up these bulls and go all or nothing for a giant, but right now, I am just all too pumped for bulls like this. This is tough country to kill in, ain't passing on a bull like this right now.
He died on a steep azz slope so the pics look kind of funny.
Even better, called my wife and she brought the kids up with my buddy so they could see the bull on the ground and watch the quartering and such. My daughter has been on my case about the fact that she wants a "bull head" in her room, as my son got my spring bear soft tanned hanging in his. So, I am dad of the minute as she got her bull head.
Set my pack down to take down my lone wolf climbing sticks on the last trip out, found my along the way, thought this was just a good pic.
With a new job, I have only been able to play weekend warrior so far this season. With nothing to show for it. Last weekend I really put in a good effort, hiking, climbing etc, you saw my post with the mountain goats. I visited my "go to" spot last Sunday after my death march, not really expecting anything, as it is logged over, dry, and low elevation, but was surprised by the amount of sign I saw, then on the way out, bumped a bull, but never saw antlers, just heard them clanking off of brush when he cleared out.
Last night, my 6 yo son and I hiked up and put up a treestand in what I figured is a great spot right on a big trail leaving a clearcut. There was even more sign, in the timber next to the unit, like elk running all over, I figured it could be a bull chasing cows all around in the clearcut and in the timber because they were just willy nilly all over. So, as my son put it, we "set the trap".
At o'dark-thirty I get up in the stand this morning, wait until light and start doing some really slutty cow calling. Not over doing it, just every half hour or so. Texting my buddy, telling him its dead and if something doesn't start happening by 930 I am going to go hike and hunt. Well, I just sent off the last text, and heard a big stick break clear across the clearcut, about 200+ yard away. As this spot is very close to my house and in a highly recreated part of the valley, a big part of my thoughts were, oh brother, some guy heard me and is sneaking around in the timber across the way. But, no! Antlers appear on the edge of the far timber line. Glass him up, nice 6!!! He has his mouth open and he is coming!! Thought about texting my buddy, to give him the play by play, but the rate this bull was coming, I didn't have time to mess around.
Pocketed the phone, and grabbed my bow off the bow arm, started to get my heart to slllllooooowwww doooowwwwnnn. I sat there thinking how amazing it was that these elk can pinpoint where a sound comes from from so far away. One minute he is coming right at me, the next, he starts to vere off toward the other edge of the clearcut where he will be in the brush and no chance at shooting him. I made the decision that he knows where the sound was, I ain't saying a peep. There was also a pretty big windblown tree that had fallen over which would "funnel" him down the hill right under my stand. The roots have come clear out of the ground so the bottom of the tree was elevated about 4 feet off the ground. The trail I am on runs right by the root wad, 10 yards from the base of tree I am in. He came clear across the cut and then stopped up the hill from the downed tree, you cound see the wheels turning, which way should he go??? His mouth is open, he looks frazzled. He turns down the hill,(yesssss!!!!!), 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 20, 15, then the dummy turns and tries to go under the butt end of the tree just above the root wad. Practically on his knees, he sticks his head under, probably thinking he will lift it and slide under the tree. I draw right when his head went under the tree. But noooooo!!!! That tree doesnt budge, and dipwad is stuck!!!! Can't go forward, can't back up, he is kind of in a panic. And so am I, I am at fully draw, how long can I hold this??? Felt like an eternity as I had no good shot there. But he finally frees himself, turns left and goes right around the root wad, steps broadside and stops to sniff something. Not exactly where I wanted to stop him, but it's 10 yards, dead to rights. Center the pin and drop the hammer. Watch my fletching disappear right into his ribs. He runs by me to 20 yards into the timber, and is just standing there. Seemed like another eternity. I lean forward and strain backward to see a little 12 x 12 window with his vitals right in it. He isn't going down, so I figure, may as well. knock another arrow, lean forward and let it fly, right into the area of the heart. There he goes off into the timber. A few seconds and the woods echo with a HUGE crash of sticks and limbs. Then the woods fell silent.
I sat down, texted my buddy to bring the pack frames, he is thinking "yeah right". No, seriously dude. "Alright, bastage, I'll be right there". About 6 hours later, its all home.
One of these years, I will pass up these bulls and go all or nothing for a giant, but right now, I am just all too pumped for bulls like this. This is tough country to kill in, ain't passing on a bull like this right now.
He died on a steep azz slope so the pics look kind of funny.
Even better, called my wife and she brought the kids up with my buddy so they could see the bull on the ground and watch the quartering and such. My daughter has been on my case about the fact that she wants a "bull head" in her room, as my son got my spring bear soft tanned hanging in his. So, I am dad of the minute as she got her bull head.
Set my pack down to take down my lone wolf climbing sticks on the last trip out, found my along the way, thought this was just a good pic.
. Very well done on a beautiful bull, congratulations.
