KayakMacGyver
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2018
- Messages
- 338
I've been burning the candle at both ends since I shot my first elk on Monday (September 2nd). I KILLED AN ELK! Man, that feels great to say. Just finished my first afternoon of processing after 3 days of packing...and I had horse help. This was a hell hole kill.
The story goes like this:
Packed in on Sunday afternoon and within an hour of setting up camp I earned a response to my bugle. As a novice elk hunter (10 total days) I was irrationally convinced that the response was another hunter. After a walk in the general direction down a canyon and back up the other side, I felt his next bugle vibrate my lungs. "OK, this is legit," says I. Knowing I was within his safety bubble, I started slow. After 40 minutes of bugle tease, my patience wore thin and I decided to leave my perfect setup and do the slingshot. Cow calls walking away and then return to my original setup was the strategy . It worked perfect except I wasn't able to make it back to my original spot. Instead, I was greeted at 60 yards by a 6x6 walking straight to me. There was no cover in between us and when he got to 40 yards, fearing no other opportunity, I took a chance to draw when he turned slightly. It was a bad call as the bull picked up movement immediately and hauled it to a ridge somewhere in Arizona.
I believe everything happens for a reason and chalked it up to a learning experience. Five minutes later a downpour started and washed my sorrows all the way back to camp.
That night I was serenaded by bugling bulls all around my camp. My body's intent to sleep was ignored by the mind and I turned the alarm off before it had a chance to prove its worth.
The elk that kept me up all night must have worn themselves out in the process and shut up shortly after sunrise. So, I went for a long walk-about and explored some areas that looked promising on the map. By 11AM I hadn't turned up any leads and decided to whistle my bugle down into one more hole before taking nap. I got two separate responses on my whim....nap postponed.
It took me a while to figure out how to get into the hole that was flanked by cliffs on three sides, but eventually an elk trail allowed me to slide in undetected. The elk sign escalated quickly and I set up in an area approximately 150 yards from where I thought one of the bulls was located. He would bugle every 5 minutes or so, but as a flatlander I have a hard time pinpointing a bugle in the mountains so I played it safe in a nearby setup that looked promising. Not long after beginning a calling sequence, a group of cows surrounded me. Sweet....live bait. As they filtered in and away, I resumed my calling with more urgency and added in some subtle bull raking/grunting. The bugles continued, often, but with little progress in my direction.
Some time went by without any bugling, then I saw a rack quietly sneaking up the trail in my direction. It was a 5x5, a beautiful bull, but after my encounter the previous evening I knew I was going to pass. Plus, I could hear what sounded like muy grande escalating his curiosity not far away. When the 5x5 didn't find his magic cow at 30 yards, he turned and went back the direction he came from, toward the bigger bull.
I gave it 15 minutes and made a sneak closer towards the bull I had been talking to. I set up off a fork in a trail and let out a few cow calls, followed by some raking. Immediately the bull responded and he was 1) CLOSE and 2) PISSED. Trees were breaking, dirt was flying and the earth shook from his rumble. I was set up with two shot opportunities at the fork; 25 yards or 5 yards, respectively.
Time went by, but the bull never emerged. I could hear him, around 50 yards below me, but not see him. At this point I decided to try the slingshot again, with a promise to myself to not repeat the mistake from the night before. A retreat full of commotion, followed by a tip toe back to my perch proved all the bull could handle.
He crested at 50 yards with plenty of brush between us. I drew. The bull licked his lips and pissed himself, then slowly made his way toward the fork in the trail. 2 minutes went by at full draw and I was surprisingly calm. However, I discovered a new type of "buck fever," noting that my face was completely numb, making it impossible to verify my anchor point. Then, the bull made a decision that both frightened and excited me at the same time...he took the closest trail heading in my direction. Just before walking perpendicular to my position, he screamed a bugle in my face at exactly 5 yards and I let the arrow fly.....
Thankfully all those nights of practice through the summer paid dividends and my shot was guided true by instinct. The arrow found its mark on the slightly quartering-to bull and he spun around, running back to the hole he came from. I heard what sounded like a crash, which in hindsight turned out to be him laying in a bed.
As a general rule, I always give an animal at least an hour to lay before pursuit (or more if evidence warrants). 40 minutes later I heard what sounded like a boulder avalanche.....the Bull was down!!
My first elk, a public land, solo, archery 6x6.
The story goes like this:
Packed in on Sunday afternoon and within an hour of setting up camp I earned a response to my bugle. As a novice elk hunter (10 total days) I was irrationally convinced that the response was another hunter. After a walk in the general direction down a canyon and back up the other side, I felt his next bugle vibrate my lungs. "OK, this is legit," says I. Knowing I was within his safety bubble, I started slow. After 40 minutes of bugle tease, my patience wore thin and I decided to leave my perfect setup and do the slingshot. Cow calls walking away and then return to my original setup was the strategy . It worked perfect except I wasn't able to make it back to my original spot. Instead, I was greeted at 60 yards by a 6x6 walking straight to me. There was no cover in between us and when he got to 40 yards, fearing no other opportunity, I took a chance to draw when he turned slightly. It was a bad call as the bull picked up movement immediately and hauled it to a ridge somewhere in Arizona.
I believe everything happens for a reason and chalked it up to a learning experience. Five minutes later a downpour started and washed my sorrows all the way back to camp.
That night I was serenaded by bugling bulls all around my camp. My body's intent to sleep was ignored by the mind and I turned the alarm off before it had a chance to prove its worth.
The elk that kept me up all night must have worn themselves out in the process and shut up shortly after sunrise. So, I went for a long walk-about and explored some areas that looked promising on the map. By 11AM I hadn't turned up any leads and decided to whistle my bugle down into one more hole before taking nap. I got two separate responses on my whim....nap postponed.
It took me a while to figure out how to get into the hole that was flanked by cliffs on three sides, but eventually an elk trail allowed me to slide in undetected. The elk sign escalated quickly and I set up in an area approximately 150 yards from where I thought one of the bulls was located. He would bugle every 5 minutes or so, but as a flatlander I have a hard time pinpointing a bugle in the mountains so I played it safe in a nearby setup that looked promising. Not long after beginning a calling sequence, a group of cows surrounded me. Sweet....live bait. As they filtered in and away, I resumed my calling with more urgency and added in some subtle bull raking/grunting. The bugles continued, often, but with little progress in my direction.
Some time went by without any bugling, then I saw a rack quietly sneaking up the trail in my direction. It was a 5x5, a beautiful bull, but after my encounter the previous evening I knew I was going to pass. Plus, I could hear what sounded like muy grande escalating his curiosity not far away. When the 5x5 didn't find his magic cow at 30 yards, he turned and went back the direction he came from, toward the bigger bull.
I gave it 15 minutes and made a sneak closer towards the bull I had been talking to. I set up off a fork in a trail and let out a few cow calls, followed by some raking. Immediately the bull responded and he was 1) CLOSE and 2) PISSED. Trees were breaking, dirt was flying and the earth shook from his rumble. I was set up with two shot opportunities at the fork; 25 yards or 5 yards, respectively.
Time went by, but the bull never emerged. I could hear him, around 50 yards below me, but not see him. At this point I decided to try the slingshot again, with a promise to myself to not repeat the mistake from the night before. A retreat full of commotion, followed by a tip toe back to my perch proved all the bull could handle.
He crested at 50 yards with plenty of brush between us. I drew. The bull licked his lips and pissed himself, then slowly made his way toward the fork in the trail. 2 minutes went by at full draw and I was surprisingly calm. However, I discovered a new type of "buck fever," noting that my face was completely numb, making it impossible to verify my anchor point. Then, the bull made a decision that both frightened and excited me at the same time...he took the closest trail heading in my direction. Just before walking perpendicular to my position, he screamed a bugle in my face at exactly 5 yards and I let the arrow fly.....
Thankfully all those nights of practice through the summer paid dividends and my shot was guided true by instinct. The arrow found its mark on the slightly quartering-to bull and he spun around, running back to the hole he came from. I heard what sounded like a crash, which in hindsight turned out to be him laying in a bed.
As a general rule, I always give an animal at least an hour to lay before pursuit (or more if evidence warrants). 40 minutes later I heard what sounded like a boulder avalanche.....the Bull was down!!
My first elk, a public land, solo, archery 6x6.
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