Missed Shot but Incredible Revelation

[pianoman9701]

So I got my first shot on an elk in 11 years and missed. Really thick reprod and I think it must've have hit one of those invisible branches. I found the arrow - no blood. But here's the incredible part. My wind was in her face throughout the entire stock and she was never on alert. I was smoking a cigar.

I went hunting a new area with washelkhunter in the Ryderwood unit. We'd been road hunting due to our unfamiliarity. We had been driving around a while without seeing anything and finally saw three or more cows running through the woods. At the time, I was smoking a cigar and put it out, got out of the truck and trailed after the cows but lost them. We took another logging road to loop up around them and I got out and walked up a spur, this time with my re-lit cigar. I got about a 1/4 mile up the road with the wind at my back and this huge cow steps out from behind a brush pile at 20 yards, looks at me and then just turned into the woods and walked slowly away. I followed. Wind still at my back, cigar in my mouth puffing away. She continued meandering and I continued to stalk. I cow called she called back! No alert whatsoever.
This went on for about another 1/4 mile until she was about 35 yards and stepped into this tiny opening which looked clear for a shot. I drew and fired and the arrow struck a tree, having passed right in front of her.

There is no question in my mind that the wind was constantly in her face. I could see the smoke. She looked back towards me several times, yet meandered slowly and never even trotted until I shot. For me, it was conclusive that the smoke covered my scent completely and may even have calmed her. I'm going to be smoking a lot more cigars in the woods from now on. I've heard many stories before about guys sitting down to have a smoke only to have an elk step out. This seems to me to be solid proof that smoke completely cancels out human scent. What are your experiences like this?

[shoot-em-dead]

hhahahahahahahaha Bwhahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha :chuckle:Bwahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahhahahaahahahahah



Good luck with that. It may work once in a while but not always. That cow was getting away from you just not as fast as one that was totaly spooked. she knew something wasn't right and she didn't hang around. I bet that doesn't happen again.

[BOWHUNTER45]

I feel for Piano ... we had a good day yesterday then it went bad as fast as it came  now I am sitting here ready to go again and it is seriously peeeesing cats and dogs  the good thing is at least you got into some elk and got to fling an arrow ...thats hunting 

[Bullkllr]

In my experience, every once in a while the animals that we hunt that appear to have highly tuned senses of survival just do something weird. I'm just saying this could be the case in your encounter.

I've had elk, typically in groups, see me or smell me, but then continue to walk right by like I wasn't even there. Almost like they know your going to get one of them, and they are willing to make that sacrifice.

Almost every hunting season I have a blacktail -typically a doe or spike- that will literally follow me around like it's curious or has no idea what the heck to make of me.

A couple years ago we had spotted a small bull on a ridge up above us. Only problem was I was sure he had spotted us on the road we were on. As we were trying to put together a plan to stalk him, he literally came crashing down the hill and ended up about 8 feet from my hunting partner. It was obvious he saw us, they came to us instead of spooking.  Seems like lone elk, especially younger animals who are used to the security provided by the lead cows sometimes don't know what to do right away when they are caught on their own.

I've also seen elk that had been pushed and were very tired do things that most elk would not do.

An elk's sense of smell is so finely tuned, if they can smell the smoke, they can smell the smoker. Maybe the cigar smoke did confuse the elk enough to get her to not spook immediately.

Who knows? But I do know that sometimes animals just do the unexpected. I think if they didn't, harvest rates for many hunters would be lower than they are already.

[Kioti]

I want to know what kind of cigar it was...was it a maduro, perhaps a Macanudo, or maybe even a Arturo Fuente.
It makes a difference ya know....

[400out]

   were you getting hungry while this stock took place 

[MountainWalk]

I myself am an inveterate cheap cigar smoker.

[ICEMAN]

Smoking a cigar in a truck, hope it was your truck! Icky!

My uncle bowhunted deer and elk for years as he smoked cigarettes, did not hurt his hunt that bad...

[pianoman9701]

I want to know what kind of cigar it was...was it a maduro, perhaps a Macanudo, or maybe even a Arturo Fuente.
It makes a difference ya know....

It was a nice cigar - Baton maduro Belicoso. And 400out, I'm still hungry, hungrier than ever!

[Bean Counter]

impressive story--smokin' a fat one whilst bow hunting. Good job on getting close.

[pianoman9701]

I've heard that smoke will cover your scent, but prefer to play the wind myself. You have to remember some animals are just like humans...Not the brightest in the herd.

I crested a ridge during early season, had a cow and a calf take off running, a second cow at 30 yards looked at me and went back to eating. I drew, put the pin on her, then let down because I had a bull tag and it was the first day of the season. A good lesson in survival of the fittest I guess.

I'm not sure I would rely on the cigar trick just because it worked once.

I may not rely on it, but when I want a cigar, I'm lighting up!

[shoot-em-dead]

I've heard that smoke will cover your scent, but prefer to play the wind myself. You have to remember some animals are just like humans...Not the brightest in the herd.

I crested a ridge during early season, had a cow and a calf take off running, a second cow at 30 yards looked at me and went back to eating. I drew, put the pin on her, then let down because I had a bull tag and it was the first day of the season. A good lesson in survival of the fittest I guess.

I'm not sure I would rely on the cigar trick just because it worked once.

I may not rely on it, but when I want a cigar, I'm lighting up!

I smoke cigarettes and I have to agree 100% with you there. When the feeling comes on I smoke, even if I just put one out. I'm not man enough for cigars though, they give me a headache.

[Kowsrule30]

I've heard that smoke will cover your scent, but prefer to play the wind myself. You have to remember some animals are just like humans...Not the brightest in the herd.

I crested a ridge during early season, had a cow and a calf take off running, a second cow at 30 yards looked at me and went back to eating. I drew, put the pin on her, then let down because I had a bull tag and it was the first day of the season. A good lesson in survival of the fittest I guess.

I'm not sure I would rely on the cigar trick just because it worked once.

I may not rely on it, but when I want a cigar, I'm lighting up!

I smoke cigarettes and I have to agree 100% with you there. When the feeling comes on I smoke, even if I just put one out. I'm not man enough for cigars though, they give me a headache.

I smoke cigs as well... Have had deer and elk down wind and not a thing spook... A few years ago I was walking up an old fire line between trees and I heard an elk chirp... I stop and litstened... Hell there were elk all around me.... Every direction and the wind was swirling... I was stuck and waiting for them to blow out... I lit a smoke and sat by a tree watching it go every which way.... Ended up smoking two before a spike stepped out 60 yards uphill in a clearing... They finally spooked when the ml smoked though...

[GHETTO GUIDE]

This sounds like a Wacky Tobackie cigar story?  Too bad you missed.

[deerslyr]

I was just mentoring an old cowboy that took me elk hunting the last week of rifle elk here. He told me to forget all of the *censored* I new and read about elk hunting. He smoke a pack of marb reds on each of our hunts. When he finally got me on elk the two bulls had us pinned and were a ways off so we sat down and smoked a cig. they just looked at us. I ended up missing those bulls later on but that was due to my own mistake and nothing else.