huntin24/7
Well-known member
Coming into this season, I didn't think there was any chance that I'd get out elk hunting after finding out my wife drew a great sheep tag. That was and is our primary focus, and I just figured I'll plan on going again next September if I draw my permit. I ended up having a few days off during the middle of the week that she had to work, so I thought I'd just run down to the breaks for 2 1/2 days of hunting. I got down there Tuesday night around 11:00 because the roads were pretty rutted up, pulled off the road where is hike out from to a familiar spot in the morning. I started hiking the next morning just as it was getting light enough to see and started glassing and hiking along this ridge that runs about 1.25 miles from the road and offers a pretty good spot to glass both sides of the coulee. I'd been glassing about 5 minutes when I spotted an elk about 3/4 mile further away feeding on a hillside. I couldn't tell if it was abull, so I reached for my spotter. Crap. Its gone. I must have set it down when I was glassing during the hike. Oh well, I'd have to find it later. About that time, the sun shined down on it revealing a bull. Not big, but big enough for me.
I won't go into detail, but this was my 5th year hunting the breaks, and I've had so many close calls. Basically if something can go wrong at the last second, it's happened to me in the breaks chasing elk, several times on good bulls. I've only taken one elk, a last day archery cow, up to this point.
Back to the story. I watched him feed for a few minutes tuntil he fed out of sight. I dropped my pack, gps'd it, and took of down the hill and back up the next hill. When I got to the top, I peeked over and, after a couple minutes, relocated him. He dropped down in a patch of junipers, and came back out about 5 minutes later. He got to about 500 yards and getting close to the next hill. I knew he was headed to bed for the day, and was woreied I wouldn't be able to relocate him if he got over.
I hunkered down behind a bush and cow called twice. He turned around and stared. One more call, and he was headed my way. I called a few more times, and pretty soon he was to the bottom of the coulee and headed up. I quickly moved downhill about 75 yards and set up behind a juniper. I called one last time and waited. Pretty soon I heard a twig snap, and I waited. After a minute or 2, I heard nothing, so I peeked around the bush. There he was, 20 yards away, and all I could see was his butt. I waited for him to move but he wouldn't. Finally I decided to try to slide over just enough to see if I could lean over and slide an arrow into his vitals. That's when I realized he had spotted me. He barked and started trotting away. I quickly cow called and Sat still. Pretty soon he came out below me. I quickly guessed the distance for 40, and touched off as soon as he stopped. Just as I was releasing, he turned facing me. I had misjudged the distance anyway and it flew over his back. He turned and started trotting back to where he just was. Two more quick cow calls stopped him out of sight. I knocked an arrow and started slowly walking towards him. I spotted him broadside in the bottom, but there was a juniper blocking his vitals. I carefully moved forward til the top of the juniper was halfway between us and dead center on his vitals. He looked to be 50 yards out, and I knew if I held my 50 pine right on the rope of the juniper, it would sail over it halfway there and start dropping down to the vitals. I held on the a small piece of green covering his lungs, touched off, and it felt like slow motion. The arrow flew over the point of the juniper and dropped right down into his lungs for a complete passthrough. He took off, and when he was almost out of sight, I quickly ran up a hill to watch where he went. After about 200 yards, he got wobbly and staggered down a hill into a small cut.I waited a minute and he didn't come out, so I headed over there. I walked over there and immediately found him piled up in the bottom. I stood there for a few minutes thinking, did that just happen? I took a few pics, got him tagged, and went back to the truck and drove to a closer spot for packing. I butchered him and got 2 loads of meat packed before my friend who had to work til 8 that morning, got there. It was good to see him, because it was start Ming to get got. He went back with me, and we loaded up heavy and got the rest of the meat and head packed out. We got it on ice right away.
I tried helping him til yesterday morning, and then headed home. I got done butchering, packaging, and cleaning up at 2 this morning and was back to work at 8. Pretty long winded story for a hunt that lasted 1.5 hours. Can't wait to go again next year.
I won't go into detail, but this was my 5th year hunting the breaks, and I've had so many close calls. Basically if something can go wrong at the last second, it's happened to me in the breaks chasing elk, several times on good bulls. I've only taken one elk, a last day archery cow, up to this point.
Back to the story. I watched him feed for a few minutes tuntil he fed out of sight. I dropped my pack, gps'd it, and took of down the hill and back up the next hill. When I got to the top, I peeked over and, after a couple minutes, relocated him. He dropped down in a patch of junipers, and came back out about 5 minutes later. He got to about 500 yards and getting close to the next hill. I knew he was headed to bed for the day, and was woreied I wouldn't be able to relocate him if he got over.
I hunkered down behind a bush and cow called twice. He turned around and stared. One more call, and he was headed my way. I called a few more times, and pretty soon he was to the bottom of the coulee and headed up. I quickly moved downhill about 75 yards and set up behind a juniper. I called one last time and waited. Pretty soon I heard a twig snap, and I waited. After a minute or 2, I heard nothing, so I peeked around the bush. There he was, 20 yards away, and all I could see was his butt. I waited for him to move but he wouldn't. Finally I decided to try to slide over just enough to see if I could lean over and slide an arrow into his vitals. That's when I realized he had spotted me. He barked and started trotting away. I quickly cow called and Sat still. Pretty soon he came out below me. I quickly guessed the distance for 40, and touched off as soon as he stopped. Just as I was releasing, he turned facing me. I had misjudged the distance anyway and it flew over his back. He turned and started trotting back to where he just was. Two more quick cow calls stopped him out of sight. I knocked an arrow and started slowly walking towards him. I spotted him broadside in the bottom, but there was a juniper blocking his vitals. I carefully moved forward til the top of the juniper was halfway between us and dead center on his vitals. He looked to be 50 yards out, and I knew if I held my 50 pine right on the rope of the juniper, it would sail over it halfway there and start dropping down to the vitals. I held on the a small piece of green covering his lungs, touched off, and it felt like slow motion. The arrow flew over the point of the juniper and dropped right down into his lungs for a complete passthrough. He took off, and when he was almost out of sight, I quickly ran up a hill to watch where he went. After about 200 yards, he got wobbly and staggered down a hill into a small cut.I waited a minute and he didn't come out, so I headed over there. I walked over there and immediately found him piled up in the bottom. I stood there for a few minutes thinking, did that just happen? I took a few pics, got him tagged, and went back to the truck and drove to a closer spot for packing. I butchered him and got 2 loads of meat packed before my friend who had to work til 8 that morning, got there. It was good to see him, because it was start Ming to get got. He went back with me, and we loaded up heavy and got the rest of the meat and head packed out. We got it on ice right away.
I tried helping him til yesterday morning, and then headed home. I got done butchering, packaging, and cleaning up at 2 this morning and was back to work at 8. Pretty long winded story for a hunt that lasted 1.5 hours. Can't wait to go again next year.
