MT archery elk - We're baaack!
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Gerald Martin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2009
- Messages
- 9,713
A grand slam on the 3-2 count in the ninth.... Congrats on a great bull!
Devil Diver Down
Well-known member
Man, is that a giant G3 or is that bull just happy to be dead?
Pretty great story, Fin. I can only thing of one better story to send me off to my long morning drive to my OTC hunt in Colorado. But it involves Jess Alba and some Victoria Secret model wanting to make a DDD sandwich. :hump:
Pretty great story, Fin. I can only thing of one better story to send me off to my long morning drive to my OTC hunt in Colorado. But it involves Jess Alba and some Victoria Secret model wanting to make a DDD sandwich. :hump:
AZ402
Well-known member
That is a cool bull, looks like great shot placement as well. Congrats Randy!
drahthaar
Active member
Good lord man!!! How's the carpal tunnel now!
Great job. Unreal.
Great job. Unreal.
wingman1
Active member
Truly magnificent! Great job. How did that bull not break off that Mega tine? You are the g3 record holder for sure. Or is that technically the g2? Crap that means you could bump me out of the Frankenstein bull.
It's late, I'm exhausted, and I am going to hit the sack after this post. Will provide some more details tomorrow.
I was amazed at how Troy handled the low filming light. He knew I did not want to give up 20 minutes early. He opened the iris, changed the exposure, and some other tricks he knows. He filmed the entire final sequence wide, as any zoom makes dark conditions already darker. If not for his talent, we would have packed it up ten minutes before the bull arrived. We would not have been there for the encounter.
The footage will be a little grainy when you do those things. But, having seen it, I think it still looks pretty damn good. And by being real wide, it gives you, the viewer, a bigger perspective of how it all unfolded. Yeah, there is no point of impact tight focus. Just not feasible under these conditions.
I want to thank all of you for following along. Troy and Loren would be the first to agree that when I read the encouragement of all of you, it puts more energy into our plans. You guys have great ideas. You remind me of why I am out here and why we are trying so hard to produce TV that is as close to the real hunting experience as we possibly can.
This episode will be our best ever, if the tape is as good as I think it is. Had we loafed, we would have nothing more than some cool elk footage from 200 yards off. Not too compelling to the viewer.
I will never again make the stupid decision to stay the night in the hills when I know I am poorly equipped. Troy and I laugh now, but we all know it was a point where our desire for an elk go in the way of good sense. Glad nothing bad came of it, other than lost sleep.
We had waited and waited for the chance when we could get between the elk and the public/private boundary, with the elk being deep inside the public. It finally happened the last night. It took a lot of effort and patience, but eventually, we caught the break we needed.
Hunting this kind of area can be frustrating. You just have to accept it as part of the deal. The public/private mix is why there are quality elk, though 80% of the time you can't go after them.
In this set up, we put the boundary 100+ yards behind us, keeping a good distance into the public. Less worry of a bull getting hit and making it to private. We turned facing deeper into the public, with our backs to the boundary. We wanted our chance to come out in front of us, and finally it did.
When the bull was hit, he did exactly as hoped. He ran away from us, deeper into the public. Nice when a plan comes together.
A couple things that made this hunt more bearable. Part of the reason this hunt ended successfully.
Great boots. I was wearing my Kenetrek Hardscabble Light boots. We put on 8-12 miles per day over some pretty rugged ground. My feet are thanking me. No blisters, no aches, just normal fatigue from carry packs that many miles, over that type of terrain.
You know my strong feelings about Mystery Ranch packs. I used my Crew Cab and can comfortably say that without the versatility of that pack, I could not hunt as hard as I do.
I wore my Sitka Ascent Pants and Core Base Layer tops all hunt. The two colder mornings and evenings, I put on a Traverse Zip-T. That was perfect for almost everything. Troy added a 90% jacket for the last evening, which is why he was so warm and toasty and I was not. I left my 90% jacket behind and regretted it. The layering system works in all conditions, hot to cold. Just bring the right pieces.
I have been shooting Black Gold sights for many years. This year I am using a 3-pin Ascent. The pins are so bright, even when the light is getting lower. This hunt was abusive to my bow. I worried how much the knocks and rocks might change the point of impact. Answer - None. You can see from the pics, the shot was perfect. Entering between the 7th and 8th rib and exiting just behind the off shoulder. The bull did not travel far.
Lots of other good stuff, but these are the items that stand out. I have been using all of these products before they became part of the show. I mention them as I honestly feel we could not have hunted that hard without them. Troy has pretty much the same set up and I suspect he would agree.
So, that is how it ends. Another On Your Own Adventure of guys doing everything they can to chase elk on the public lands. With any luck, we will all get to do this for many years to come.
I hope it turns out in the editing bay as good as it turned out in the field. The struggle of taking a story, capturing it in these difficult conditions, then converting it to reality in a final edit is the challenge. This may be our best work yet.
Best of luck in your hunts.
I was amazed at how Troy handled the low filming light. He knew I did not want to give up 20 minutes early. He opened the iris, changed the exposure, and some other tricks he knows. He filmed the entire final sequence wide, as any zoom makes dark conditions already darker. If not for his talent, we would have packed it up ten minutes before the bull arrived. We would not have been there for the encounter.
The footage will be a little grainy when you do those things. But, having seen it, I think it still looks pretty damn good. And by being real wide, it gives you, the viewer, a bigger perspective of how it all unfolded. Yeah, there is no point of impact tight focus. Just not feasible under these conditions.
I want to thank all of you for following along. Troy and Loren would be the first to agree that when I read the encouragement of all of you, it puts more energy into our plans. You guys have great ideas. You remind me of why I am out here and why we are trying so hard to produce TV that is as close to the real hunting experience as we possibly can.
This episode will be our best ever, if the tape is as good as I think it is. Had we loafed, we would have nothing more than some cool elk footage from 200 yards off. Not too compelling to the viewer.
I will never again make the stupid decision to stay the night in the hills when I know I am poorly equipped. Troy and I laugh now, but we all know it was a point where our desire for an elk go in the way of good sense. Glad nothing bad came of it, other than lost sleep.
We had waited and waited for the chance when we could get between the elk and the public/private boundary, with the elk being deep inside the public. It finally happened the last night. It took a lot of effort and patience, but eventually, we caught the break we needed.
Hunting this kind of area can be frustrating. You just have to accept it as part of the deal. The public/private mix is why there are quality elk, though 80% of the time you can't go after them.
In this set up, we put the boundary 100+ yards behind us, keeping a good distance into the public. Less worry of a bull getting hit and making it to private. We turned facing deeper into the public, with our backs to the boundary. We wanted our chance to come out in front of us, and finally it did.
When the bull was hit, he did exactly as hoped. He ran away from us, deeper into the public. Nice when a plan comes together.
A couple things that made this hunt more bearable. Part of the reason this hunt ended successfully.
Great boots. I was wearing my Kenetrek Hardscabble Light boots. We put on 8-12 miles per day over some pretty rugged ground. My feet are thanking me. No blisters, no aches, just normal fatigue from carry packs that many miles, over that type of terrain.
You know my strong feelings about Mystery Ranch packs. I used my Crew Cab and can comfortably say that without the versatility of that pack, I could not hunt as hard as I do.
I wore my Sitka Ascent Pants and Core Base Layer tops all hunt. The two colder mornings and evenings, I put on a Traverse Zip-T. That was perfect for almost everything. Troy added a 90% jacket for the last evening, which is why he was so warm and toasty and I was not. I left my 90% jacket behind and regretted it. The layering system works in all conditions, hot to cold. Just bring the right pieces.
I have been shooting Black Gold sights for many years. This year I am using a 3-pin Ascent. The pins are so bright, even when the light is getting lower. This hunt was abusive to my bow. I worried how much the knocks and rocks might change the point of impact. Answer - None. You can see from the pics, the shot was perfect. Entering between the 7th and 8th rib and exiting just behind the off shoulder. The bull did not travel far.
Lots of other good stuff, but these are the items that stand out. I have been using all of these products before they became part of the show. I mention them as I honestly feel we could not have hunted that hard without them. Troy has pretty much the same set up and I suspect he would agree.
So, that is how it ends. Another On Your Own Adventure of guys doing everything they can to chase elk on the public lands. With any luck, we will all get to do this for many years to come.
I hope it turns out in the editing bay as good as it turned out in the field. The struggle of taking a story, capturing it in these difficult conditions, then converting it to reality in a final edit is the challenge. This may be our best work yet.
Best of luck in your hunts.
vander34
Member
Great write up Fin. Worth the wait and congrats on a good bull!
ashersdad
Well-known member
Randy, you are my hero!! You truly deserve that bull. You stuck with it when most would have called it quits. Thanks for taking us all on this great adventure! Now I can't wait to see the footage. Once again, congratulations!!
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
Congrats on a great bull and a great story, I kept reading your updates on my phone and when we quit onion harvest for the night I finally got to see some awesome pics. How long until the show airs?
T Bone
Well-known member
Perfect ending! Great job and thanks for the entertainment.
Don K
Active member
Great story, great reading, and a great Bull!!!!!!!!
Awesome job Randy! East coast time made me put the computer away last night, but it was great to wake up to the finale. Way to be persistent and stick things out. That bull is a true trophy. Cannot wait to see the footage. Congrats!
tarheel
Well-known member
Like Spitz, I had to fold my tent before the final installment. My wife is having med problems so I'm the chief cook and bottle washer and I was tired. Pleased to see that good logic, luck and perseverance paid such big dividends. Congratulations to you both for what is sure to be a dynamite show.
Big Slick
Well-known member
Great job Fin! You should be happy.
Redfishing1983
Member
Holy cow or bull should I say!!!! Thanks for taking me along on your ride, it was like I was there with you!!! Congrats on the beautiful bull!!! You are a die hard, and it shows!!!! Thanks!!
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Cool bull and fine archery work Randy...big time congrats on the hunt and thanks for the play by play.
