My 2014 early archery elk season almost ended before it got here. My hunting were unable to go and I have permission to hunt some private property next to mine in the Packwood Unit outside of Randle. I was working on getting my stuff together and ready to go. The weekend of August 9th and 10th I was going to finish loading up the trailer and go through my hunting gear making sure everything was ready. While sitting at work on the 7th I started not feeling good, I went to the Dr and the results came back and after 39 years my body was tired of carrying my appendix and it had to come out. Are you kidding me? Why now. All I was thinking here goes the early season. After surgery I ran a fever and was in the hospital till the night of the 10th. The next week I was on my ass recovering. Finally feeling a little better I get the Dr to let me at least go back to work the following week since my job isn’t as demanding as it used to be. I still can’t do all that much and my packing and loading will have to wait. The week of August 25th I will be out of town for work so I don’t have much time getting stuff ready. I almost pulled the plug and not went hunting. I worked hard getting this access to this property, I will be by myself so I said forget it with what I went through I need to go hunting. I finish getting things loaded up Friday before Labor Day weekend and off I go. I get camp set up Friday night and hang out. Saturday and Sunday there is elk all over between my property and the property I get to hunt. I’m thinking this is going to be good. Sunday I take a drive to the mountains and I hear some noise under my truck. What the heck is that? What else can go wrong? Yep Murphy showed up again. The Ring and pinion in the rear end needed to be replaced. I get the truck back to camp and just hang out. I am still seeing elk all over so Monday I get everything ready to go for Tuesday. Can’t sleep that night too excited for the season to start. So I head out Tuesday morning and not a single elk. Are you kidding me? Elk were all over all weekend long even just outside my trailer. So I go back to camp and hangout. With the truck hurting I am only hunting this property. I head back out Tuesday night. Again don’t see anything. I do a little cow calling and called a spike in to 10 yards. If only spikes were legal. I stay out till dark and nothing. Back to camp I go. With all the bad luck I have had something has to give. Wednesday morning day 2 of my hunt. I get up just as its getting light and I look out my window and 60 yards from my trailer is a big 5 x 5 by himself feeding. I look down and I am only in my under wear. I throw a shirt on, my shoes on, grab my bow and slowly open the door. I walk to the end of my trailer and range him. His head is down. I come to full draw and He lifts his head looks at me and runs off. Damn. Almost. That would have made a great camp fire story. I get my stuff together and head out not a single elk anywhere else. I hang out for a while and then go back to camp. Wednesday night is when the Rut light switch was turned on. I walk out of camp and see elk right away. Cows and a spike. No bulls. I head back and get into the trees when I see elk in the timber. More cows and a couple of spikes. I look to the tree line and I see a monster 5 x 5. I range him 85 yards. Bummer I have cows between me and Him. There is no way I can get to him so I wait. As I wait I look out, I see more elk coming to the party. Another big 5 x 5 is coming. The first one chased him off and he came back and started tearing this tree up. Still too far but was cool to see. The other one came back only to be chased off again. Then behind me rips a big bugle, then another, 2 more, 2 more. I have 6 bulls bugling and going crazy. Elk all around me and no shots at any. It is now almost 630. I don’t want to push these guys out of here so I decide to back out. As I turn around I see antlers at the tree line. I count 1, 2, 3 yep He is legal. I get an opening and at 30 yards let him have it. He jumped the string a little and I hit him a little back then what I like. He moves off a little. I see him rolling His head around and looking up so I know he is hurt. I can see him bleeding but he is too far out for another arrow. So I wait. I watch as the herd moves off. I give him time. I pick up the blood trail and after about 100 yards of tracking I find him. He ended up being bigger than I thought a decent 4 X 4. Now the work begins. I had to wrestle and drag him a little bit to get him from where he was but I got him out in 1 piece. It was a long night from start to finish but for what I went through leading up to this and the fact I was able to get one by myself and get it out and only 4 weeks after my appendix surgery, this was a heck of an accomplishment.