Mjay
Member
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2020
- Messages
- 21
Cant wait to see him!
Average Joe's 2020
- Thread starter sn.outdoors
- Start date
RobertD
Well-known member
Hey man, I'm just across the GA line, I hunt and do some taxidermy work and that is an A+ awesome Florida buck. Something about big Florida bucks in that kind of country is really appealing to me. Looks like North Florida or panhandle/coast? Either way awesome buck dude
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2016
- Messages
- 1,969
You nailed it! Panhandle buck off the Eglin AFB reservation. There are definitely some nice deer that can be grown down here!
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
I was helping a buddy try to fill his tag the last week, and just got back off the mountain today. Came home to no working internet, so I'm not entirely back to civilization yet. 
I'm going through photos, editing, and cleaning my gear tomorrow. I'll have everything up as soon as possible.
I'm going through photos, editing, and cleaning my gear tomorrow. I'll have everything up as soon as possible.
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
After hunting the same unit, same season last year... I guess you could say my expectations for this 2020 NM elk hunt were very high; almost to the point of "it's gonna be a cakewalk" mentality. The 2019 season was exceptional. There were tons of elk bugling nonstop, and the 2 of us were tagged out on the morning of day three. It was "easy" as far as elk hunting goes. We basically listened to bugles all night from camp and just went after them in the morning. It worked out great. Other than being solo this year, I thought it would be the same as 2019... It didn't take long for me to realize 2020 was going to be a very different hunt.
I headed up to the mountain 3 days prior to the start of the season to get re-familiarized with the area and to stake my claim on my side of the mountain.
The first stop was for the essentials.
(Nothing like a little DQ and Gal Gadot to get you motivated)
After finding a level-ish spot to park the truck, camp was set up in 10 minutes. If you're looking for a super easy, cheap and mobile setup, I highly recommend this camper shell and EZ-up combo.
The most glaring difference in the 2020 camp from the 2019 camp was the numerous tire tracks on the road and a lack of fresh elk sign all around the meadow I was parked in. I didn't hear any bugles the first 2 nights I was parked there.
I spent the next 2 days driving and hiking around the mountain a bit, checking on other access points to see if there were other hunters hitting this side of the mountain and to see if there were other options for packing out an elk. I found a lot of human presence at the bottom of the mountain, but very little after the first 1000ft of elevation gain. I assumed I would have the top half of the mountain mostly to myself unless some other motivated hunter decided to hike up and visit.
The mountain was dry, hot, and ominously SILENT.
I headed up to the mountain 3 days prior to the start of the season to get re-familiarized with the area and to stake my claim on my side of the mountain.
The first stop was for the essentials.
(Nothing like a little DQ and Gal Gadot to get you motivated)After finding a level-ish spot to park the truck, camp was set up in 10 minutes. If you're looking for a super easy, cheap and mobile setup, I highly recommend this camper shell and EZ-up combo.
The most glaring difference in the 2020 camp from the 2019 camp was the numerous tire tracks on the road and a lack of fresh elk sign all around the meadow I was parked in. I didn't hear any bugles the first 2 nights I was parked there.
I spent the next 2 days driving and hiking around the mountain a bit, checking on other access points to see if there were other hunters hitting this side of the mountain and to see if there were other options for packing out an elk. I found a lot of human presence at the bottom of the mountain, but very little after the first 1000ft of elevation gain. I assumed I would have the top half of the mountain mostly to myself unless some other motivated hunter decided to hike up and visit.
The mountain was dry, hot, and ominously SILENT.
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
Despite the dry hotness of the mountain, I did find a few elk and plenty of sign that they were still living on my side of the mountain. I would just have to work a bit harder for them this year.
I went to bed the night before the opener with a game plan but reduced expectations. I just had a feeling this was going to be the year I'd really have to work for it. The weather was forecasted to be warm and very pleasant... but that makes for terrible elk hunting. Clear skies with lows in the upper 50's and highs in the mid to upper 70's is not a recipe for rut crazed bulls in the middle of September.
My excitement grew exponentially when I was woken by a bull bugling not far from camp at 3 am. I tried, but couldn't fall back asleep, so I got off my bed before 4 o'clock and sipped my hot coffee and listened to the sweet sounds of elk just up the ridge. They were in the same place as the year before, but not bugling nearly as hard. No big deal though, I knew where they were, and I knew what I was going to do at first light. Plan A changed to "walk up the hill and kill that bull." Simple, but not easy.
As we've all experienced, the bugling stopped as the light began to peek over the hills.
No worries though. I had a good idea where the elk were and was in bow range 20 minutes into legal shooting light.
I was covered up in cows and could hear the bull raking trees just up the ridge. So I just waited to see what would happen...
Well, the bull walked straight to me behind an excessive amount of brush and stopped broadside 25 to 30 yards away from me. One big problem... I never got a good look at what he was. I couldn't tell from the hints of antler through the brush whether he was a raghorn or a big bull. His bugles sounded big, but I just couldn't tell. I immediately regretted that choice when his head and rack came into view, but his body was behind cover... He was BIG. I tried, as stealthily as possible, to maneuver to get a shot, but I never had another window. The bull had about 10 cows and calves to himself, and with all of those extra eyes, I just couldn't get in close enough without alerting the cows. I let them feed off to about 100 yards and let out a very soft and wimpy bugle...
The big bull responded with a chuckle, gathered up his cows, pointed his nose into the downward thermal, and headed up the mountain away from me. He bugled a few times as I got close to the herd, and I bugled back... Which only seemed to motivate him to get out of Dodge as quickly as possible. He had his cows and he was happy. A fight was not on the agenda for today.
I tried to shadow the herd, but just couldn't keep up after a few cows spotted me. The big bull disappeared and I got distracted by a few distant bugles on the other side of the mountain.
I chased those bugles and eventually bumped into a group of 3 small bulls, which I followed up and over the top of the mountain... It sucked, but I ended up finding a ton of deer up top.
This fawn hopped straight up to me and stopped at about 2 yards. I was a little slow on the draw with the camera.
I didn't hear another bugle the entire day and didn't get into any elk that afternoon. I knew my tactics needed to change, but I didn't know exactly what they needed to be just yet.
I went to bed the night before the opener with a game plan but reduced expectations. I just had a feeling this was going to be the year I'd really have to work for it. The weather was forecasted to be warm and very pleasant... but that makes for terrible elk hunting. Clear skies with lows in the upper 50's and highs in the mid to upper 70's is not a recipe for rut crazed bulls in the middle of September.
My excitement grew exponentially when I was woken by a bull bugling not far from camp at 3 am. I tried, but couldn't fall back asleep, so I got off my bed before 4 o'clock and sipped my hot coffee and listened to the sweet sounds of elk just up the ridge. They were in the same place as the year before, but not bugling nearly as hard. No big deal though, I knew where they were, and I knew what I was going to do at first light. Plan A changed to "walk up the hill and kill that bull." Simple, but not easy.
As we've all experienced, the bugling stopped as the light began to peek over the hills.
No worries though. I had a good idea where the elk were and was in bow range 20 minutes into legal shooting light.
I was covered up in cows and could hear the bull raking trees just up the ridge. So I just waited to see what would happen...
Well, the bull walked straight to me behind an excessive amount of brush and stopped broadside 25 to 30 yards away from me. One big problem... I never got a good look at what he was. I couldn't tell from the hints of antler through the brush whether he was a raghorn or a big bull. His bugles sounded big, but I just couldn't tell. I immediately regretted that choice when his head and rack came into view, but his body was behind cover... He was BIG. I tried, as stealthily as possible, to maneuver to get a shot, but I never had another window. The bull had about 10 cows and calves to himself, and with all of those extra eyes, I just couldn't get in close enough without alerting the cows. I let them feed off to about 100 yards and let out a very soft and wimpy bugle...
The big bull responded with a chuckle, gathered up his cows, pointed his nose into the downward thermal, and headed up the mountain away from me. He bugled a few times as I got close to the herd, and I bugled back... Which only seemed to motivate him to get out of Dodge as quickly as possible. He had his cows and he was happy. A fight was not on the agenda for today.
I tried to shadow the herd, but just couldn't keep up after a few cows spotted me. The big bull disappeared and I got distracted by a few distant bugles on the other side of the mountain.
I chased those bugles and eventually bumped into a group of 3 small bulls, which I followed up and over the top of the mountain... It sucked, but I ended up finding a ton of deer up top.
This fawn hopped straight up to me and stopped at about 2 yards. I was a little slow on the draw with the camera.
I didn't hear another bugle the entire day and didn't get into any elk that afternoon. I knew my tactics needed to change, but I didn't know exactly what they needed to be just yet.
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
Day two was designated as a day of exploration. There was a lot of mountain that I hadn't walked on yet, and I didn't find as much water as I did the year before. I knew it had to be somewhere, I just had to find it. It certainly wasn't on top of the mountain. As light was gaining, I heard two or three bugles, and got zero responses. I didn't hear a peep after the sun was up. So I wasted no time in covering ground.
I found a ton of water at a specific elevation on the moutain. I was thankful for all of those geology lessons I snored through in my training and schooling. I had doubts about whether or not this side of the mountain had enough water to sustain the same number of elk it held last year, but when I found all of these springs and wallows I knew there were plenty of elk. The challenge would be finding them with the wind in my face.
I ended up bumping half a dozen elk off of the water, but didn't see any decent bulls. I had a close encounter with a neat looking half-rack bull, but decided to pass him since he was only a three year old at most.
I was about 4 miles from camp with abou 3 hours of light left, so I decided I'd slowly walk back to camp at the elevation the water was and hoped I'd cross paths with some feeding elk or hear a bugle or two. Well....... I did bump into a few cows and raghorns, but never had shot opportunities.
I made it back to the listening spot just above camp as last light was fading. I threw out a couple bugles just to see if I could get a response and maybe help with a plan for the next day. I was only 200 yards from camp when I heard a very subtle but mature-sounding bugle just below camp, not far away at all. So I dropped my pack and tried to cut the wind of the bull. Sure enough... a giant bull had his heard in a steep cut just below camp... like 100 yards away from my truck. I walked 12 miles just to have him 100 yards away from my truck!
The bull had at least 8 cows and calves, so I tried my best to not blow the whole thing, and was able to get within bow range relatively easily. I let out a few soft mews, the bull bugled back and started coming my way. I drew back and he stepped into my shooting lane at about 55-60 yards... but was quartered toward me. I wasn't willing to take that shot at that distance. Just too many variables. So I let him walk. He stared at me for a few seconds, and decided he didn't like the situation and fled with his cows. He was big, and a different bull from the first morning. There had to be something unique about this spot to have 2 bulls of that caliber in essentially the same area. So even though I didn't seal the deal on that day, my confidence in the spot was heavily bolstered by the encounters and discoveries of the day.
I was excited to get after day 3.
I found a ton of water at a specific elevation on the moutain. I was thankful for all of those geology lessons I snored through in my training and schooling. I had doubts about whether or not this side of the mountain had enough water to sustain the same number of elk it held last year, but when I found all of these springs and wallows I knew there were plenty of elk. The challenge would be finding them with the wind in my face.
I ended up bumping half a dozen elk off of the water, but didn't see any decent bulls. I had a close encounter with a neat looking half-rack bull, but decided to pass him since he was only a three year old at most.
I was about 4 miles from camp with abou 3 hours of light left, so I decided I'd slowly walk back to camp at the elevation the water was and hoped I'd cross paths with some feeding elk or hear a bugle or two. Well....... I did bump into a few cows and raghorns, but never had shot opportunities.
I made it back to the listening spot just above camp as last light was fading. I threw out a couple bugles just to see if I could get a response and maybe help with a plan for the next day. I was only 200 yards from camp when I heard a very subtle but mature-sounding bugle just below camp, not far away at all. So I dropped my pack and tried to cut the wind of the bull. Sure enough... a giant bull had his heard in a steep cut just below camp... like 100 yards away from my truck. I walked 12 miles just to have him 100 yards away from my truck!
The bull had at least 8 cows and calves, so I tried my best to not blow the whole thing, and was able to get within bow range relatively easily. I let out a few soft mews, the bull bugled back and started coming my way. I drew back and he stepped into my shooting lane at about 55-60 yards... but was quartered toward me. I wasn't willing to take that shot at that distance. Just too many variables. So I let him walk. He stared at me for a few seconds, and decided he didn't like the situation and fled with his cows. He was big, and a different bull from the first morning. There had to be something unique about this spot to have 2 bulls of that caliber in essentially the same area. So even though I didn't seal the deal on that day, my confidence in the spot was heavily bolstered by the encounters and discoveries of the day.
I was excited to get after day 3.
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
I just wish the morning of day 3 was as exciting as expectations....
I heard no bugles, and encountered no elk. The wind was dead; light and variable at best. I napped on the side of the mountain most of the day.
Sometime around 3pm, the winds were consistantly going up the mountain, so I thought it would be worth taking a look at a ridge I identified as a bedding area last year. I was almost to the same bench I had a close call with a giant bull last year when I caught a stiff whiff of elk and heard the few sticks crack. Yep... It was still a good spot for elk to hang out.
It was just after 4 a this time and the elk were beginning to meander down the hill. I knew the thermals were eventually going to shift, so I got almos on the same level as the elk and tried to creep in as close as possible. That's when I saw him... It was a truly gigantic 6 point bull. Far bigger than the other 2 herd bulls I'd encountered. I knew I had to play it right, and decided my best option would be to shadow the herd and hope the big guy eventually came close enough to the downwind side of the herd and close enough for a shot.
It was extremely challenging to resist the urge to bugle or call at him, but I knew it would just spook him off. I didn't hear a single peep out of the entire herd, which was 18 cows, a tiny spike, and the big bull. 100% of my focus was on NOT making a sound or being seen while moving with the herd. They were feeding down the mountain, I believe they were heading to an unmarked spring which was about a mile away. The wind was in their favor, and I couldn't loop in front of them to cut them off. All I could do was shadow them. Most of the time they were out of bow range, but then I'd sneak around a small bench and get 70-80 yards from them... the bull was always on the far side of the herd. It was frustrating, but not at all surprising.
I followed the herd until dark, but never had a single shot opportunity with that giant bull. The 3 mile walk over the mountain and back to camp in the dark wasn't my favorite thing I've ever done, but it was awesome to see a bull of that size for so long. I didn't realize how stressful that encounter was until I finally sat down in my camp chair when I got back. I'd held that stress in for the entire 3+hour encounter, passed out with a half eaten freeze-dried meal in my lap, and woke up sometime after midnight when an elk bugled not far from camp.
I knew what I was going to be doing in the morning...
I heard no bugles, and encountered no elk. The wind was dead; light and variable at best. I napped on the side of the mountain most of the day.
Sometime around 3pm, the winds were consistantly going up the mountain, so I thought it would be worth taking a look at a ridge I identified as a bedding area last year. I was almost to the same bench I had a close call with a giant bull last year when I caught a stiff whiff of elk and heard the few sticks crack. Yep... It was still a good spot for elk to hang out.
It was just after 4 a this time and the elk were beginning to meander down the hill. I knew the thermals were eventually going to shift, so I got almos on the same level as the elk and tried to creep in as close as possible. That's when I saw him... It was a truly gigantic 6 point bull. Far bigger than the other 2 herd bulls I'd encountered. I knew I had to play it right, and decided my best option would be to shadow the herd and hope the big guy eventually came close enough to the downwind side of the herd and close enough for a shot.
It was extremely challenging to resist the urge to bugle or call at him, but I knew it would just spook him off. I didn't hear a single peep out of the entire herd, which was 18 cows, a tiny spike, and the big bull. 100% of my focus was on NOT making a sound or being seen while moving with the herd. They were feeding down the mountain, I believe they were heading to an unmarked spring which was about a mile away. The wind was in their favor, and I couldn't loop in front of them to cut them off. All I could do was shadow them. Most of the time they were out of bow range, but then I'd sneak around a small bench and get 70-80 yards from them... the bull was always on the far side of the herd. It was frustrating, but not at all surprising.
I followed the herd until dark, but never had a single shot opportunity with that giant bull. The 3 mile walk over the mountain and back to camp in the dark wasn't my favorite thing I've ever done, but it was awesome to see a bull of that size for so long. I didn't realize how stressful that encounter was until I finally sat down in my camp chair when I got back. I'd held that stress in for the entire 3+hour encounter, passed out with a half eaten freeze-dried meal in my lap, and woke up sometime after midnight when an elk bugled not far from camp.
I knew what I was going to be doing in the morning...
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
Elk sounds were all around camp for most of the night. They didn't seem to mind my truck or my scent. When I woke up in the morning I could hear what sounded like a mature bull bugling up the hill, most likely by some nearby water. The wind was good to go after them. I dropped my pack in the meadow above camp and tried to get as close as I felt comfortable. The sun wasn't quite up yet, but I could see shapes of elk appearing and disappearing in the woods not far away. I could see and hear a few trees being attacked by a bull. All I needed was some light! I was already in range, or at least very close to being in range.
As soon as light peeked through the trees the bull chuckled a few times and started gathering his cows. The bull was the same big 6 point from the night of day 2. I let out a light cow call and a cow came right over to check me out. We stared at each other for about 5 minutes before she went back to eating and fed past me toward the same area I encountered the bull. I thought it was a done deal. The bull would walk past me at 20 yards on his way to bed and I'd be done.....
But the bull had other plans. He put his nose to the wind and started walking up the hill away from me. I'd played this game before, so I tried to shadow them in hopes of getting shot. Too bad the cows were having non of it and the wind got a little squirrelly after following them for about a mile. They ran off and the bull bugled as he left. He headed straight to the thick area I'd found a lot of water and elk beds on day two. I sat and listened for his bugles to stay in one place, and when that happened I assumed he was going to be bedding there with his cows.
I ran back and grabbed my pack. The plan was to sit on the downwind side of where I believed the elk were bedded and wait until they made some noise in the afternoon. I moved as slowly as possible, to avoid making noise and to maintain maximum situational awareness. The wind was light and very swirly, but I thought I made a large enough loop to avoid the elk.
It was noon by the time I got to the spot I wanted to sit till the afternoon. Just for giggles, I let out a few loud bugles just to see if I could strike up any conversation since I was in thick cover and in the middle of a bunch of water. I figured, "why not? Nothing else seems to be working, so why not flip the script?"
Not surprisingly... Zero elk responded.
So I sat down for lunch and intended on taking a nap. I was still very tired from the night before. At 1 pm I had just taken my boots off and was getting comfortable when I heard a few footsteps above me and some brush break... Then I saw him! (Well... his rack at least) The bull from the morning was standing 50 yards away in thick cover. He was staring in my direction. I assume he was looking for the "bull" that bugled next to his cows.
I slowly got to my knees, knocked an arrow, and started ranging everything around me... I was in a terrible spot. I had no shooting lanes past 30 yards. It was way too thick for a calling situation.
The bull stood there for an eternity. Then at 130, he let out a LOUD, angry-sounding bugle and raked the trees in front of him. I got to my feet as he was raking but still had no shot. It was just too dang thick.
He bugled a few more times and some smaller bulls started bugling up the mountain. It wasn't long before I could hear the other bulls making their way down the mountain to investigate. The big bull forgot I existed and went up to challenge the vocal intruders.
I put my boots as quickly as possible, threw my pack on my back, and tried to make a move on the big bull. He was bugling hard by this point and was clearly upset that these small bulls were getting close to his cows. It was a bit of a madhouse as he chased the small bulls off, and the cows were running back and forth trying to avoid the confrontation.
The worst part was the midday winds/thermals were ALL OVER THE PLACE! Every time I was getting close to the big guy, the wind would switch or his cows would bust me. They'd run a hundred yards or so in one direction, then the wind would switch, they'd smell me, and they'd run back to where they were before. I chased them for over an hour, but they were just all over the place and I never got a shot.
Back and forth. Back and forth. There were elk everywhere, and it was tough to keep track of where the big one was, but it sure was fun trying.
I watched as a decent satellite bull managed to grab two cows and ran up the mountain. The big bull eventually had enough. He grabbed a few cows, bugled with all of the rage he could muster, and trotted off. I never heard from him again.
I let things kind of settle and just listened for about an hour before I made any moves. I had a decent idea of where the satellite bull most likely took those cows, so I began to climb the mountain in pursuit of him. It's always a humbling experience trying to keep up with an elk as it ascends a steep mountain... there's no way a human can be prepared to maintain that pace. But I tried as hard as I could and knew he would eventually settle down, and as long as he kept bugling (thinking he was hot stuff with his 2 stolen cows) I felt I could get a shot at him.
He eventually stopped to rake a tree, and I was able to get about 50 yards away from him. I tried, but never had a decent opening to get an arrow into him. He was a good bull, but not huge and not really what I came for. I don't honestly know if I would have taken a shot, even if one presented itself... Nah... who am I kidding, I probably would've smoked him if I could've.
I don't know. Regardless, the shot never came and he ran off chasing "his" cows as they tried to escape.
I made some moves on a few other bugles, but the bulls were just young raghorns so I let them go.
It was another long, dark walk back to camp that night, but I was very encouraged. I finally did something that worked! And I had a plan for the next big herd bull encounter. I was going to wait till they bedded, get close-ish, put myself in a spot with some shooting lanes, let out a few bugles, and wait.
Only one problem... I literally ran all over my side of the mountain the past two days, and I think I scared every big bull off the face of the earth.
I had a tactic I wanted to try, just no plan for where to apply it. I went to bed as soon as possible and hoped I'd maybe hear a bugle or two at night.
As soon as light peeked through the trees the bull chuckled a few times and started gathering his cows. The bull was the same big 6 point from the night of day 2. I let out a light cow call and a cow came right over to check me out. We stared at each other for about 5 minutes before she went back to eating and fed past me toward the same area I encountered the bull. I thought it was a done deal. The bull would walk past me at 20 yards on his way to bed and I'd be done.....
But the bull had other plans. He put his nose to the wind and started walking up the hill away from me. I'd played this game before, so I tried to shadow them in hopes of getting shot. Too bad the cows were having non of it and the wind got a little squirrelly after following them for about a mile. They ran off and the bull bugled as he left. He headed straight to the thick area I'd found a lot of water and elk beds on day two. I sat and listened for his bugles to stay in one place, and when that happened I assumed he was going to be bedding there with his cows.
I ran back and grabbed my pack. The plan was to sit on the downwind side of where I believed the elk were bedded and wait until they made some noise in the afternoon. I moved as slowly as possible, to avoid making noise and to maintain maximum situational awareness. The wind was light and very swirly, but I thought I made a large enough loop to avoid the elk.
It was noon by the time I got to the spot I wanted to sit till the afternoon. Just for giggles, I let out a few loud bugles just to see if I could strike up any conversation since I was in thick cover and in the middle of a bunch of water. I figured, "why not? Nothing else seems to be working, so why not flip the script?"
Not surprisingly... Zero elk responded.
So I sat down for lunch and intended on taking a nap. I was still very tired from the night before. At 1 pm I had just taken my boots off and was getting comfortable when I heard a few footsteps above me and some brush break... Then I saw him! (Well... his rack at least) The bull from the morning was standing 50 yards away in thick cover. He was staring in my direction. I assume he was looking for the "bull" that bugled next to his cows.
I slowly got to my knees, knocked an arrow, and started ranging everything around me... I was in a terrible spot. I had no shooting lanes past 30 yards. It was way too thick for a calling situation.
The bull stood there for an eternity. Then at 130, he let out a LOUD, angry-sounding bugle and raked the trees in front of him. I got to my feet as he was raking but still had no shot. It was just too dang thick.
He bugled a few more times and some smaller bulls started bugling up the mountain. It wasn't long before I could hear the other bulls making their way down the mountain to investigate. The big bull forgot I existed and went up to challenge the vocal intruders.
I put my boots as quickly as possible, threw my pack on my back, and tried to make a move on the big bull. He was bugling hard by this point and was clearly upset that these small bulls were getting close to his cows. It was a bit of a madhouse as he chased the small bulls off, and the cows were running back and forth trying to avoid the confrontation.
The worst part was the midday winds/thermals were ALL OVER THE PLACE! Every time I was getting close to the big guy, the wind would switch or his cows would bust me. They'd run a hundred yards or so in one direction, then the wind would switch, they'd smell me, and they'd run back to where they were before. I chased them for over an hour, but they were just all over the place and I never got a shot.
Back and forth. Back and forth. There were elk everywhere, and it was tough to keep track of where the big one was, but it sure was fun trying.
I watched as a decent satellite bull managed to grab two cows and ran up the mountain. The big bull eventually had enough. He grabbed a few cows, bugled with all of the rage he could muster, and trotted off. I never heard from him again.
I let things kind of settle and just listened for about an hour before I made any moves. I had a decent idea of where the satellite bull most likely took those cows, so I began to climb the mountain in pursuit of him. It's always a humbling experience trying to keep up with an elk as it ascends a steep mountain... there's no way a human can be prepared to maintain that pace. But I tried as hard as I could and knew he would eventually settle down, and as long as he kept bugling (thinking he was hot stuff with his 2 stolen cows) I felt I could get a shot at him.
He eventually stopped to rake a tree, and I was able to get about 50 yards away from him. I tried, but never had a decent opening to get an arrow into him. He was a good bull, but not huge and not really what I came for. I don't honestly know if I would have taken a shot, even if one presented itself... Nah... who am I kidding, I probably would've smoked him if I could've.
I don't know. Regardless, the shot never came and he ran off chasing "his" cows as they tried to escape.I made some moves on a few other bugles, but the bulls were just young raghorns so I let them go.
It was another long, dark walk back to camp that night, but I was very encouraged. I finally did something that worked! And I had a plan for the next big herd bull encounter. I was going to wait till they bedded, get close-ish, put myself in a spot with some shooting lanes, let out a few bugles, and wait.
Only one problem... I literally ran all over my side of the mountain the past two days, and I think I scared every big bull off the face of the earth.
I had a tactic I wanted to try, just no plan for where to apply it. I went to bed as soon as possible and hoped I'd maybe hear a bugle or two at night.
MarvB
Well-known member
Following...Great detail so far, gotta love those side hill thermals, or the lack there of!
Crossbowguy
Well-known member
Awesome story as usual!
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
Day 5 came with a complete lack of motivation. I woke up at my normal time, made my coffee and breakfast, and sat on my camp chair trying to come up with a plan for the day. I sipped my coffee, and thought, and thought and thought... but I just didn't have a plan for what to do. Whether it was the complete lack of motivation, the lack of bugles and rut activity, or me just being lazy, I couldn't devise a plan. So I just sat there and watched the sun peak over the trees.
I decided today would be my lazy day. Maybe I'd wash myself off, take a nap, and maybe stroll over to one of the wallows for an early afternoon sit. I don't, I was going to do whatever felt right, and doing nothing felt the most right.
As I was rinsing out my coffee cup and putting away my stove and breakfast fodder, I heard a very distant, and very faint exhale bugle... It was a familiar sound. And it was in a place I knew well. He was on the same ridge I had the encounter with the giant two days prior... Or at least that's where I hoped he was.
Absent of any sort of rush or hurry, I finished putting my stuff away and semi-begrudgingly put my pack on my shoulders, picked up my bow, and started walking up the hill. There's an old logging road that conveniently cuts around the mountain almost all the way to the ridge I thought the bull was on. So I slowly made my way around the mountain.
I stopped when I heard a branch break just up the ridge. The subtle sounds of hooves and tiny sticks breaking started to fill the woods above me. The wind was dead, and the only sound was the occasional twig snapping under the hoof of an elk. I dropped my pack, grabbed my calls, and slowly, very slowly, moved to a spot with great shooting lanes.
The elk were still out of my sight, but that was exactly how I wanted it to be.
After a few minutes, the woods were silent. I couldn't tell for sure, but I was fairly confident the cows were beginning to lay down. It was already 70 degrees, and the sun was well into the sky. If they weren't bedded yet, they'd be laying down real soon and not far away.
I decided now was as good a time as any to let out a wimpy bugle or two. So I did. No response was heard. Not even a cow mew. No big deal, I decided to give it 30 minutes before sitting down for my lazy day nap.
The woods were dead silent for those 30 minutes... It reminded me of my Oregon hunts (aka, boring!)
I set my bugle tube on the ground and made a hollow "clunk" sound...
The bull exhale-bugled immediately, just up the hill. He repeated the raspy, cough-like sound again. I responded with the wimpiest bugle I could squeak out of that tube, and the big bull lit up and started tearing up the trees around him. I knew I had his attention and assumed he was either going to stay up there and act tough, or come down to me and try to whoop my ass. He bugled 3 or 4 more times getting more aggressive each time and a little closer. (I deduced he was going to come my way).
I let out a more aggressive bugle and moved up the hill toward him. I still couldn't see him, because the bench he was on was up a very steep hill and he was just out of sight. He was very close. I could hear his footsteps and every twig/branch he broke.
He bugled at me a few more times from his bench before he finally peaked over to take a look. I immediately recognized him as the bull from the opening morning. Knowing he was a shooter, I diverted my attention away from his antlers and started ranging every gap in the trees around me. Once I had all the ranges I thought I'd need, I simply hooked my release to the string and stared at the spot I wanted to shoot.
He wasn't in a huge hurry to come down the hill to me. He kept walking back and forth and bugling every other time he came and looked down the hill. He'd look down the hill, bugle, then look back toward his cows. I could tell he was about to go back to his cows so I grabbed a forearm-sized branch and chucked it down the hill toward my pack... That was it. He was coming down.
He walked behind a group of trees and I drew back. He stopped (quartered to me) in a narrow window and looked down the hill toward the sound of the stick. I thought to myself, "well... he might step out into the wide-open and be broadside, or I could shoot him now."
Thwack!!!
I shot...
I decided today would be my lazy day. Maybe I'd wash myself off, take a nap, and maybe stroll over to one of the wallows for an early afternoon sit. I don't, I was going to do whatever felt right, and doing nothing felt the most right.
As I was rinsing out my coffee cup and putting away my stove and breakfast fodder, I heard a very distant, and very faint exhale bugle... It was a familiar sound. And it was in a place I knew well. He was on the same ridge I had the encounter with the giant two days prior... Or at least that's where I hoped he was.
Absent of any sort of rush or hurry, I finished putting my stuff away and semi-begrudgingly put my pack on my shoulders, picked up my bow, and started walking up the hill. There's an old logging road that conveniently cuts around the mountain almost all the way to the ridge I thought the bull was on. So I slowly made my way around the mountain.
I stopped when I heard a branch break just up the ridge. The subtle sounds of hooves and tiny sticks breaking started to fill the woods above me. The wind was dead, and the only sound was the occasional twig snapping under the hoof of an elk. I dropped my pack, grabbed my calls, and slowly, very slowly, moved to a spot with great shooting lanes.
The elk were still out of my sight, but that was exactly how I wanted it to be.
After a few minutes, the woods were silent. I couldn't tell for sure, but I was fairly confident the cows were beginning to lay down. It was already 70 degrees, and the sun was well into the sky. If they weren't bedded yet, they'd be laying down real soon and not far away.
I decided now was as good a time as any to let out a wimpy bugle or two. So I did. No response was heard. Not even a cow mew. No big deal, I decided to give it 30 minutes before sitting down for my lazy day nap.
The woods were dead silent for those 30 minutes... It reminded me of my Oregon hunts (aka, boring!)
I set my bugle tube on the ground and made a hollow "clunk" sound...
The bull exhale-bugled immediately, just up the hill. He repeated the raspy, cough-like sound again. I responded with the wimpiest bugle I could squeak out of that tube, and the big bull lit up and started tearing up the trees around him. I knew I had his attention and assumed he was either going to stay up there and act tough, or come down to me and try to whoop my ass. He bugled 3 or 4 more times getting more aggressive each time and a little closer. (I deduced he was going to come my way).
I let out a more aggressive bugle and moved up the hill toward him. I still couldn't see him, because the bench he was on was up a very steep hill and he was just out of sight. He was very close. I could hear his footsteps and every twig/branch he broke.
He bugled at me a few more times from his bench before he finally peaked over to take a look. I immediately recognized him as the bull from the opening morning. Knowing he was a shooter, I diverted my attention away from his antlers and started ranging every gap in the trees around me. Once I had all the ranges I thought I'd need, I simply hooked my release to the string and stared at the spot I wanted to shoot.
He wasn't in a huge hurry to come down the hill to me. He kept walking back and forth and bugling every other time he came and looked down the hill. He'd look down the hill, bugle, then look back toward his cows. I could tell he was about to go back to his cows so I grabbed a forearm-sized branch and chucked it down the hill toward my pack... That was it. He was coming down.
He walked behind a group of trees and I drew back. He stopped (quartered to me) in a narrow window and looked down the hill toward the sound of the stick. I thought to myself, "well... he might step out into the wide-open and be broadside, or I could shoot him now.
"Thwack!!!
I shot...
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
I watched the arrow bury straight into the meat of his shoulder; right where I was aiming. Most of the arrow went into the bull and I could see as he ran off, that the hit was good up and down. Just not a ton of penetration, and I didn't expect much blood since it was a quartered towards shot. If the arrow went where I envisioned it went, the bull was dead. I was confident I put the arrow where it needed to be, but there wasn't much margin for error on the shot, so I was mentally preparing for the worst.
I didn't hear him run for long, so I decided to wait 30 minutes before checking the scene of the crime. I texted Dan, my wife, and a few buddies to help the time go faster.
After the 30 minutes expired, I proceeded to the shot location with extreme caution.
The blood wasn't great. This pic is the largest spot of blood I found in the first 50 yards. I made the call to give him 2 hours. I figured he'd either be dead or really stiff and sore when I got to him and maybe I'd get a 2nd shot if he was sore enough.
I took up the trail and wasn't highly encouraged with what I was finding. But I also knew there were a lot of layers of bone and muscle the blood needed to get through before falling on the ground. Expectation management was tough, but I'd been through this before. I was confident in my shot and I knew I saw the arrow go in deep enough to hit some important stuff.
After about 300 yards, I found the arrow.
Once I found the arrow, I felt pretty good about the prospects. At least one of his lungs were ruined.
Not surprisingly, after the arrow fell out the blood trail died. Luckily, the bull was walking on a trail with soft, sandy dirt, so tracking was easy.
At 400 yards, I busted a group of elk and my heart sank... Hopefully, it wasn't him, because we all know how difficult it is to track an animal after their first bed... especially when you don't have any blood to follow.
I pulled up my binos to try to pick my bull out of the group as they scurried up the mountain. He wasn't with them.
I waited a few minutes to let everything settle before pressing on up the trail and following the track.
I took one step...
I didn't hear him run for long, so I decided to wait 30 minutes before checking the scene of the crime. I texted Dan, my wife, and a few buddies to help the time go faster.
After the 30 minutes expired, I proceeded to the shot location with extreme caution.
The blood wasn't great. This pic is the largest spot of blood I found in the first 50 yards. I made the call to give him 2 hours. I figured he'd either be dead or really stiff and sore when I got to him and maybe I'd get a 2nd shot if he was sore enough.
I took up the trail and wasn't highly encouraged with what I was finding. But I also knew there were a lot of layers of bone and muscle the blood needed to get through before falling on the ground. Expectation management was tough, but I'd been through this before. I was confident in my shot and I knew I saw the arrow go in deep enough to hit some important stuff.
After about 300 yards, I found the arrow.
Once I found the arrow, I felt pretty good about the prospects. At least one of his lungs were ruined.
Not surprisingly, after the arrow fell out the blood trail died. Luckily, the bull was walking on a trail with soft, sandy dirt, so tracking was easy.
At 400 yards, I busted a group of elk and my heart sank... Hopefully, it wasn't him, because we all know how difficult it is to track an animal after their first bed... especially when you don't have any blood to follow.
I pulled up my binos to try to pick my bull out of the group as they scurried up the mountain. He wasn't with them.
I waited a few minutes to let everything settle before pressing on up the trail and following the track.
I took one step...
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
I facetimed my wife and kids as I walked up to him, and I honestly couldn't get many words out.
He's a great bull. My dream bull actually. I had a few close encounters with a giant 5pt on my first ever archery elk hunt, and I've wanted to kill one ever since. This bulls not technically a 5 point, but with only 5" of fifths between the 2 sides he might as well be a 5pt.
My lazy day quickly became not so lazy.
He's a great bull. My dream bull actually. I had a few close encounters with a giant 5pt on my first ever archery elk hunt, and I've wanted to kill one ever since. This bulls not technically a 5 point, but with only 5" of fifths between the 2 sides he might as well be a 5pt.
My lazy day quickly became not so lazy.
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
Dan and I have matching devil tines on the right brows.
These two bulls (my 2019 bull on the right) were killed less than a mile apart. I think I might have found a pretty decent spot.
bowhuntmontana
Well-known member
Great write up and amazing adventure. Sounds like you are getting intimately familiar with that mountain, and it is paying dividends. Congrats on your dream bull!
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- Aug 4, 2016
- Messages
- 1,969
How are your cameras looking this year?
I've got more great bucks running around this year in KS than ever before!
sn.outdoors
Well-known member
Thank you! The familiarity certainly helped this year. I just hope I can keep drawing this tag!
