I just can't seem to resist jumping aboard the rag horn express. All though as tough as things are now in the Bitterroot I am damn glad to have him. Big thanks to shoots straight for helping pack out and butcher. He gave up and excellent evening of whitetail hunting to be a pack mule.
It is a bit of a crazy story how this went down. I had a tree stand up on a wallow I have hunted for years with some success. The plan was to slip in before first light, do a little cow calling and spend the morning at the wallow.
All was going according to plan until I get to me tree. Its still dark and I shine my light up the tree and the stand is gone. Some SOB stole the stand and all my steps. Now its not like the wallow is near a road, it is a bit of a hump to get to. Guess they needed it worse then I did. Bummer is it was my favorite stand. It was custom built as a light weight stand for just these places, when it takes a hike to get to the spot.
Now completly pissed off I set up by the wallow and did some calling for about a half hour and nothing. So moving uo the canyon, on a perfect September day, I cross a finger ridge that opens up to a real clean, yet thick lodgepole hillside. Let out a bugle and a couple of cow calls, and this bull answer below me about 150 yards.
Now not wanting him to get down wind, I hustle back over the finger ridge and head down to pinch him off between the creek bottom so he can't get down wind without coming to me.
I set up bugle once and he comes back right on top of my bugle, a couple of cow calls and I can hear him coming, he boils in on me at 28 yards, slight quarteing to me. On his way in he went behind a tree and I drew. I tuck the 30 yard pin tight behind the shoulder and let drive. He wheels and runs off and I can see the arrow buried to the fletch right there.
I give him the longest 2 hours I have ever set, thinking that at the angle the arrow probably angled to one lung and liver. Probably should have waited for more broadside and will next time.
I go to where he was standing and its easy to find the jump marks, I find a bed and a broken arrow about 70 yards, go another 70 yards and jump him,,,damnit, I circle way around and head out. I will come back in the afternoon. Get back to town load up shoots straight and pack frames and head back in the late afternoon. A little searching and anxious moments shoots straight finds him bedded in a depression, stone dead and stiff.
Had I spent the day in my stand I would not have gotten him. Crazy how things work out.
It is a bit of a crazy story how this went down. I had a tree stand up on a wallow I have hunted for years with some success. The plan was to slip in before first light, do a little cow calling and spend the morning at the wallow.
All was going according to plan until I get to me tree. Its still dark and I shine my light up the tree and the stand is gone. Some SOB stole the stand and all my steps. Now its not like the wallow is near a road, it is a bit of a hump to get to. Guess they needed it worse then I did. Bummer is it was my favorite stand. It was custom built as a light weight stand for just these places, when it takes a hike to get to the spot.
Now completly pissed off I set up by the wallow and did some calling for about a half hour and nothing. So moving uo the canyon, on a perfect September day, I cross a finger ridge that opens up to a real clean, yet thick lodgepole hillside. Let out a bugle and a couple of cow calls, and this bull answer below me about 150 yards.
Now not wanting him to get down wind, I hustle back over the finger ridge and head down to pinch him off between the creek bottom so he can't get down wind without coming to me.
I set up bugle once and he comes back right on top of my bugle, a couple of cow calls and I can hear him coming, he boils in on me at 28 yards, slight quarteing to me. On his way in he went behind a tree and I drew. I tuck the 30 yard pin tight behind the shoulder and let drive. He wheels and runs off and I can see the arrow buried to the fletch right there.
I give him the longest 2 hours I have ever set, thinking that at the angle the arrow probably angled to one lung and liver. Probably should have waited for more broadside and will next time.
I go to where he was standing and its easy to find the jump marks, I find a bed and a broken arrow about 70 yards, go another 70 yards and jump him,,,damnit, I circle way around and head out. I will come back in the afternoon. Get back to town load up shoots straight and pack frames and head back in the late afternoon. A little searching and anxious moments shoots straight finds him bedded in a depression, stone dead and stiff.
Had I spent the day in my stand I would not have gotten him. Crazy how things work out.
