Date/Time: 14 September/5:30 PM
Location: Somewhere in the elk woods
Hunt Pressure Status: Minimal
Tag: Archery season; branched bull only
Man, it happens fast sometimes! You've chosen to hunt from your pre-established tree stand this fine Elktember afternoon/evening. This is a narrow saddle that sets between two major draws and possesses well used, intersecting trails on it (trails crossing the saddle between the draws, and, running up and down the ridge). It's a nice area to sit as elk use this saddle quite often to move back and forth between the two major draws. Your stand is 20' up the tree, just off the saddle (about 25 yards straight line to the tree from the bull, and, to the bull's 2 to 3 o'clock). You've heard a few bugles coming from both draws for the past 1/2 hour but you have been quiet (no calls) since you climbed up in your stand at 4:45 PM. At 5:30 you decide to just let out a few soft cow calls. You hear and see immediate movement from up the ridge to your right and within seconds, this beast rumbles down the trail shown in red and slows to check ground scent where he is now. He is walking very slow with his snout to the ground, quartering to his left. Within seconds of the bull appearing, you hear a smaller sounding bugle coming directly behind you down on the draw side hill (the second bull may be coming in to your cow calls). Your move. What do you do now? If shooting at the visible bull, show us where.
Reminder that if you save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, you'll be able to place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg and add the marked up pic with your post.
