No special permit for me this year so it had to be either a cow or a spike in my eastside unit, and given the chance I would take the first one that presented an opportunity.
Opening morning, 3:30 am and my watch screeches the alarm. We get up, eat a little something, and make final preparations before heading out on the hike for we had a date at a particular clearing at 5:00, just in time to listen for the telltale sounds of an elk heard on the move. And sure enough, we hear the lone bugle of a bull on the ridge above. Will any luck this bull would be herding a few cows that we might get a shot at so we carefully check the wind direction and slowly head off up the mountain to cut them off. We are well ahead of them but unexpectedly we hear them crashing through the woods like freight trains in our general direction--they had obviously been spooked by something. My brother and I poke out heads out of the forest into another clearing in time to see several cows running up and across from left to right and then back into the forest. They are closely followed by the herd bull. Not a giant, but a respectable 6X6 and obviously king of this particular cast of characters.
Just as we think we have missed the entire herd the bull back tracks and screams his "get your butts over here" bugle again and again as he quickly paces back and forth across the clearing. He is obviously missing a few ladies that will be receptive to his advances in the coming days and weeks and he gets this opportunity but once a year so he wants to keep his harem intact.
Sensing my chance I carefully slip up hill another 30 yards shielding the bull's view with trees and then 3 more cows, the stragglers, start across the clearing at a trot. When they see the bull they slow to a walk and I quickly put my range finder to use. They are at 42 yards and quartering uphill. I draw my bow and wait for them to clear a lone tree, estimating that they are now at 46 yards and I let the arrow fly at the largest one of the bunch.
With months of practice and fine tuning of the bow and my technique the shot happens with full confidence and feels perfect. As the arrow rips into her body behind the shoulder and disappears she knows something doesn't feel right. She takes a couple of lunging steps and then stops and looks straight ahead at the bull who is still screaming and pacing as copious amounts of blood spurts out both sides of her body. Her head sways and she stumbles down hill and then hits the dirt. She travels a total of 15 yards and hits the floor within 10 seconds. There will be no tracking this year. And then the real work begins.
What you see is the exit wound. My arrow was covered in blood from a double lung shot another 50 yards up the hill from where she was standing at the shot. Doesn't get any better than that!
