Im elk hunting in the am!! Hold the fort down

[vandeman17]

Good deal, now just waiting on the story--I'm guessing a 10 pager with all the step by step and teaser pics.

Oh yes. It will be quite the spectacle for sure but I will be there to read it no matter what 

Right on rt. nice work

[wsucowboy]

Sounds like you were able to connect on a bull, congrats!

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[Solohunter84]

Tick tock. Congrats?

[deerhunter_98520]

2pt? 

[PlateauNDN]

 

[pd]

2pt? 

Remember, Oregon this time.  Starts ALL over again.

Idaho next year.

[rtspring]

Trying to get my legs moving this morning!! I will post a crazy story here in a little while. 

[PlateauNDN]

   I can see it now, wolves, elk, a club pink shorts broke down truck unintentional of course...

[LittleJohn]

 

[deerhunter_98520]

It's been 30 min what's taking so long 

[Ghost Hunter]

Dang, was hoping to hear the story before I headed out.  Next stop Little Naches.  Congrats anyway.  Charcoal camo must have worked.

[rtspring]

This Archery thing is awesome! For you rifle guys, get a bow and get up close and personal.  Sadly there is no bull, But I did run an arrow through one and had blood on it.

Sat 6 am I was in a rain run off ditch approx 50 yards wide and 40 foot deep, I was napping on my pack since I had got there at 3 in the morning. I was awoke to a whole bunch of cows talking. HOLY CHIT there coming up this rain ditch and a nice bull is bring up the rear. I start ranging stuff and the furthest shot would be 70 yds. I let every cow pass and when the bull gets even with me I let one fly! Steep down hill shot and I didnt subtract 10 yards for the shot. The arrow sailed right over his back!  (not this crap again). Anyway he walks off and all i can do is watch hi leave.

Sat evening I am waiting for the herd to come back down the same draw. I wait and wait and wait and no elk, SO i decide to walk up the ditch and catch the coming.  I have little patience!!! I walking along about 5 mins and out of no where a bull pops up on the other side of the ditch! Oh hell, I kneel down and range it, 40 yds! I tell myself "you got this"
Bull comes and I draw and notice I had forgot to raise y arrow rest!!! WTH do I do now. I slowly let off on the bow and the bull has now clue. 

By this time he is at 70 and steadily walking, I back out and run like hell behind a ridge for a 1/4 mile trying to cut him off. I finally get to a spot that looks good and I range everything across the ditch! nothing past 40. bingo its gonna happen right here.   But wait, the bull had crossed the ditch and is now coming down the same trail I am sitting on! SOB, the only thing I had was a tall piece of brush to hind behind and do it in a hurry. HE stops at 40yds, I draw and he is now walking towards me..   I let off and here he comes with no shot. He is going to be 2 feet from me if he keeps walking down this trail...  So I draw expecting not to even aim and he comes to 2 feet and looks right in my face!!!!! but no vitals are showing because of this brush.  I can see my reflection in this bulls eyes!!!! my heart was a pumping so hard Im sure he heard it!!!!  we stared at one another for about a min then he bolted...


Sunday comes around and I moved areas, I just dont like bumping the same elk over and over. Anyways I am hiking up this hill and notice a bull laying under a tree, I got the wind right and got to within 50 yds and the damn wind shifted and the bull jammed.

I continued my hike and found another bull underneath a tree and it was a spike, ( Im thinking, tender med rare steaks) well I take off my shoes and put on the stalk and got the wind in my face. He was bedded up on this knoll and I decided to come in from the back side. 30 mins later I am within 30 yds but cannot see him over this little ridge. I close to 20 and there he is, I draw but dont have a shot!!!!. I let off and he gets up and looks at me but puts his head down for a little snack of grass, I draw again and he does what every archery hunter wants... He picks up his front leg and takes a step exposing those vitals!! I let'er fly!!!!!!!!!  WHACH...  loud as ever and he bolts! down the draw then walk up a hill and good 500 yds and goes out of sight!!!  He never showed any sign of being hurt!!!  I find y arrow and find good red blood on it... I am pumped....  I let an hour go buy and hike up hell hill to find my elk,  but i find nothing, no blood and for sure no elk.  I go back to the shot and track his foot steps and the way back up hell hill....  I did that twice and no blood, last trip up I see him about 1/2 mile away eating grass!!!! Now I am pissed... Back down the hill and I run to get around on him. Between that time he got in with a herd of 150 elk...  I could easily spot him, he had a piece of velvet hanging off his right antler.  I watched for 3-4 hours and he was fine. HE had a dark spot below his spine about 5-6 inches below it, but dead even with vitals.   I could not believe he was alive...  but he is and we believe I found that pocket of air between his vitals and his backbone.    sick sick sick.  but atleast I know there is not a wasted elk out there! instead he just got a piercing... ha ha

I probably hiked 25 miles up and down hills and was in elk every couple of hours. I will keep it up until I succeed..

The one thing that is killing me is WHERE TO SET UP I always seem to choose the wrong spot!  I will shoot by bow today to make dame sure the 20 pin is still on. I think I just got one off to high though.... That bull at 2feet was the greatest encounter I have ever had....  their breath stinks!!!!

[rtspring]

Some of the herd

[rtspring]

My arrow with blood on it.

[headshot5]

Sounds like you are having a great time.     We call the spot between the lungs and the spine the "window"  You can shoot through there with a rifle and not hit anything vital.  Keep after them.