Closest Shot? Scanned pics from waaay back in 1988.
That year Montana FWP decided to not open the archery season due to the elevated fire danger us hunters would surely bring to the landscape. This was, dumb-as-hell in my opinion, but, it did allow me a few extra weeks to truly explore what the lovely state of Oregon had to offer.
Finally getting the word that Montana would be opening the season, I had time to check out one last backcountry area. That area was the West Fork of the John Day Wilderness.
Midday found me waiting out a bull and his cows that had holed up on a downfall infested bench. I was kicked back resting against one of the many downed trees just below the elk herd when I heard a stick snap below me. Glancing downhill revealed that a satellite bull was feeding and working his way directly to my position. After a time, the bull was within 20yds and only had two uphill options. Option #1 would have him going to the right of a double trunked tree that my boots were pressed against and stepping on me. Option #2 would direct his path around the double tree and that would place him roughly 4’-6’ feet beyond my stretched out legs. He chose option #2 and as his head went behind the double tree I nocked an arrow. He fed out and turned quartering away and when he swung his head behind his body I came to full draw and shot. The arrow buried to the fletching and the bull stiffened up and locked his legs. A moment later he pivoted on his rear legs and swung his front end around facing me. I remember thinking that this was not a good position to be in! I was still sitting on my ass with a fatally hit bull facing me,,, just a few feet from my boots. In a fraction of a second, the bull pushed forward, I sprang up and back peddled….flipping backwards over the downfall that I had been resting against! Lucky for me, the bull was done and collapsed against the double trunked tree and I didn’t get hoof strikes as he jumped on top of me.
The freshly removed bark on the downfall at the bottom of the photo was from my ass as I flipped backwards over the top of that downfall.
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A week later, and with Montana’s season now open, I was deep in another beautiful wilderness area. I had a friend as a hunting companion on this trip. This friend, while a good hunter, had never had a chance at taking an elk with his bow. With this, I was hoping to help my friend finally succeed in his archery goal of arrowing a bull. An hour into the first full day found us in the middle of a rut fest with five or six bulls bouncing bugles back and forth. As luck shined, my friend arrowed a nice 5x5 satellite bull at about 15yds. I left him to begin the gut-n-gill chores and took off in pursuit of what I felt was the herd bull pushing his cows up the brush infested hillside. I had a hunch that the elk would post up on a small series of benches that jutted out from the steep side of the canyon. I circled up the canyon to gain the wind and tried to keep track of the bull’s progress via his bugles. The bugles finally went silent as the herd reached their resting place. I side hilled into the wind and slowly made my way towards the bench area. Closing in, I could see the ass end and ears flicker of a bedded cow but that was the only elk visible. With the cow located, I knew that the bull wouldn’t be far away. Slipping to within 30-35yds of the bedded cow, I then posted up to wait, watch and listen for any sign of the bull. An hour passed with only a few glimpses of additional elk viewed through the timber below me. Then a bull cut loose way up the valley and another responded above and behind me. These two bulls would bounce insults back and forth but no sign or sound from the bull that I felt was right below me. The bedded cow decided to relocate and disappeared downhill. I stayed patient and held my ground, even though I could not see an elk but occasionally could hear them moving about below me. Out of nowhere, a bull cut loose with a bugle within a few hundred yards above me. That got the bull out of his bed below me as I could see the top of a tree below me swaying and could hear horns slapping the trunk. I maneuvered above the swaying tree but still could not see the bull due to the dense brush and tree limbs. Tucking my bugle tube under my arm, so that the sound would carry behind me, I bugled. Before I could even complete the bugle, the bull plowed through the fir boughs growling as he marched up the slope. He would cross in front of me at about 10yds and I was going to shoot after he cleared a little fir tree directly cross slope of my position. But instead of clearing the tree and continuing up the hill, the bull decided to cut through the little tree and turn directly towards me. WTH? Nothing but horn and head were visible and closing fast! I leaned as hard as I could into the slope to try and gain a shot angle to his chest. When I had brow tines on each side of my bow riser is when I released the arrow. With the shot the bull whirled and made two or three lunges uphill. As the bull turned, his bows hit my riser and swept my bow to the side. The bull was bewildered on what had just happened as he stood there looking at me, broadside, at about 8yds. A bugle then cut through the confusion from above our location. The bull swung his head to the direction of the other bull and that gave me a chance to get another arrow on the string and complete shot number two. The second shot was perfect and I was able to watch the bull collapse within 30yds. After examining the bull I realized that the first arrow did not hit “The Hole” and the broadhead was buried in the scapula joint and would have been a wounding hit if not followed by the second shot.
That time of year is almost upon us and I hope that all of you have a safe successful adventure this fall.
Mtnhunter
