collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: The BEST and Worst hunt  (Read 2556 times)

Offline LOVEMYLABXS

  • Retired
  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2007
  • Posts: 540
  • Location: Davenport
The BEST and Worst hunt
« on: October 15, 2014, 10:48:46 AM »
Now when I done you can feel free to tell me the "Woulda, Coulda, and Shoulda ofs but if I hadn't already thought of it I've been told it.

It all started when 2 buds I've know since the early 70s ( Air Force times) put in for the "Quaily Bull Tag " for Rimrock.

One of these guys talked me into going with him 2 years ago during rifle season. Never got or even saw an elk but was pumped up over all the sign. The next year I talk them into going Muzzy and putting in for the tags then this year we get drawn.

We all get shots but I guess "Bull Fever " hit and nothing but wiffs then it happens to me.

I've never been ( over 30 years of muzzy huntin elk) when the bulls were talking so much. They even woke me up a 2 in the morning bugling right in camp but would be gone at 1st light. 4 days I was in them had bulls bugling close within 40 yrd but if I could see 30yrds it was a long ways. Cows mewing and walking around and I could not see a thing. A bull bugle then the wind swirls and maybe 40yrs I hear a crash then silence and I never see a thing.

I find myself right in the middle of bugling bulls for my 3rd day but they are way off to the north or way down but one calls from the east but up the ridge. I'm in uncharted country for me but up and east I go. Things get pretty quite ( they only seemed to talk between about 8 and almost 10 then went tight lipped. I work up a little ridge set down and not 5 minutes a bull steps out at 30+ yrds, he's looking right at me as I pull up. As he turns I put one in his shoulder and with a cloud of smoke in front of me I hear him crash down then there he is sliding and crashing straight down thru the dead fall. He's down and I'm reloading then he gets up I fire again and down again. I recharge and start down towards him and he gets up again. I fire my last quickload and he goes down again but gets right back up but this time he's dragging his back end. I see a spot that looks like I hit him high in the shoulder the first time and a spot on his back close to the spine but just back of the shoulder. He only thrashes down the hill another 20/30 yrds and drops in a small creek.

I watch him for over 30 mins. ( he's a BEAUTIFUL 5X) as he tries to get up but can't ( I'd of given someone 1 of the hundred dollar bills in my wallet for another 50 cal slug and some powder) Finally he just lays there looking around so I think maybe and if I leave him alone he'll relax and die.

I start tieing off flags to find my way back and it turns out I'm maybe 300+  yrds from a road but I have no idea what road.
Turns out a bit over 2 miles later I make it back to camp and get my buds rounded up out of the woods.

We get there and my heart falls as he's gone but i think I've broken his back and he couldn't have gone far. 2 hours later still no sign of him no blood where he fell and laid in the creek and no sign where he drug his self around.  I take my buds back to camp grab a bite to eat and I go back and hunt till almost dark and nothing.

Next morning I drive back up and hunt up the steep canyons and into the thick timber high and low and find nothing. My heart has to be somewhere around the bottom of my feet cause I never lost an elk before and this hurts. I'm thinking of going ahead and notching my tag and calling it quits.

But my buds still have tags so I go back out but I'm only half hearted hunting more like just beating the brush. Suddenly a bull bugles and I call back and he answers to the east and a little above so I head up a nice trail and sit down. Could have been there more then 5 mins and a crash from behind me. When I finally get turned around all I can see thry the brush is legs and he'd come right up the same trail. Turns out he's a 3by and walked 80 yrds in fromt of one of my buds and only the cap went off( when he got back 4 more caps and still no fire then pulled the breach plug on the Bighorn and got it to go off).

We came home empty and I left a lot of me and my heart up on that ridge. The WOULDA, COULDA, AND SHOULDAs that I haven't been told or I'd already thought of have been said to me, from grabbin him by the horns and cutting his throat to tieing my knife to a stick or sharping a spear to stab him have been said or that I should have stayed with him till I was sure he was dead. I NEVER thought he's get back up but I guess instead of breaking his back it was just spinal shock and when it wore of he got his rear legs under him again, I just don't know. Like I said I've never lost and elk before and this hurts deep. Kind of hard when you're 63 yr to jump on a thrashing 800 lb + elk and taking the chance of getting hurt ( It takes a lot more now a days to get up iffin you fall down).

Anyways feel free to speak your mind nothing can make me feel any worse having lost and maybe wasted the biggest bull I have or may ever get a chance at again.

Here's a pic I took of him and a shot of camp. We did enjoy our time and had a great camp with old stories being told ( some true others well they might have been streched abit) We had the forest service guy stop and and tell us the camp site had never looked so clean and even took the garbage we'd collected and left us new bags to the GW  that stopped by and a bow hunter ( up looking for grouse) who was very friendly and helpful about telling us about areas and roads to check out and I hope to someday meet again.

But other then that we had a great time among FRIENDS
Scratch a dog once and you'll have a job for life and life is good.....  Mike

Offline Skillet

  • Business Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+42)
  • Old Salt
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2009
  • Posts: 5624
  • Location: Sitka, AK
Re: The BEST and Worst hunt
« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2014, 11:23:08 AM »
PM sent.
KABOOM Count - 1

"The ocean is calling, and I must go."

Offline vandeman17

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+9)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Jul 2007
  • Posts: 14119
  • Location: Wenatchee
Re: The BEST and Worst hunt
« Reply #2 on: October 15, 2014, 11:29:19 AM »
It really sucks to lose an animal but it sounds to me that you did everything you could to put him down for good and recover him. All hunters need to be prepared for this to happen and if anyone says it will never happen to them they are full of it. Hopefully the bull either made it out and will survive or laid down somewhere and died peacefully, becoming food and sustaining life for many of the other animals in the woods.  :tup:
" I have hunted almost every day of my life, the rest have been wasted"

Offline LOVEMYLABXS

  • Retired
  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2007
  • Posts: 540
  • Location: Davenport
Re: The BEST and Worst hunt
« Reply #3 on: October 15, 2014, 11:42:41 AM »
Got the PM skilet and thank you for the words of encouragement  :tup:

Thank You Vanderman it does suck but I like the peace and quiet of ML hunting and I will be back out to try again I guess I just need to carry more quickloads but how many is enough??

Other then this it really was a lot of FUN with my old buds and one of them fell down on the 1st day and may have broke a rib. He couldn't go far or fast but he was out there till the very last day. Now that's DEADACATION  :IBCOOL: :IBCOOL:

OLD MEN CAN BE COOL  :tup:
Scratch a dog once and you'll have a job for life and life is good.....  Mike

 


* Advertisement

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal