My White River Archery Bull (Story added page 2)

[highside74]

   Let me back up before moving foward. Sunday the 11th on my way down the ridge to my rig I was calling as I went. I had responses from both sides of the ridge that I messed with for a while before deciding to finish my decent and head home.

   Friday the 16th mid day I was climbing back up to my camping spot but decided to camp down by the lake to try and avoid some of the wind that I had encountered the weekend before while in my tent. The weather outlook for this weekend wasn't looking great and I was hoping for more protection.  After setting up camp and filtering my water *side note* (Platypus gravity water filters are awesome) I headed up and over the opposite side of the ridge to see if I could spot a bull I had heard in the timber across the basin above a small lake the week before the season and opening weekend but never got eyes on him. It wasn't more than 20 minutes and I heard some activity down below. I trained my binocular's on the bottom in the lake and spotted what looked to be like a 6x bull and his cows. He would bugle and so would the bull that was further down the drainage that sounded to me like the bull I had heard on the way out last Sunday. I watched those elk until almost dark and headed to camp for a Mountain House and bed. I was awoke early Saturday morning to wind and rain. Shaking wind that would roar like a freight train and dissappear for a moment and then return with a fury that sounded like it was going to rip my tarp down. My normal shelter is a floorless 2 man and luckily I decided to leave that at home and borrow my buddies Exped Venus 2 man and pack a tarp just for this weather forcast. I knew I would be dry in the tent but I wanted the tarp for when I had to get out of the tent. I traded just under 3# in my pack for just over 8# but that extra 5# was worth the extra effort. I tried to sleep until my alarm went off but it never did. I awoke again to rain and sunlight. I contemplated staying in the tent and not hunting because of the rain and wind but figured I was there I might as well hunt.

    Coffee, breakfast and rain gear I headed out to see if I could find that bull by the lake. It was almost 9 when I found him and his cows still close to the bottom but headed up towards what I figured was bed on a bench visible in the timber on the other side. It was a 2 mile walk around to get to a saddle about 400 or so hundred feet above that bench. So my decision was ton head south but pass that trail and look at the top of the basin with the little lakes that the hikers were in the week before and give that bull and his cows time to settle in for a windy and rainy rest time. I figured if I didn't get into any elk I would head back and go after him. Getting to my flat glassing spot in the rocks above the far basin about 3 miles from camp I ran into a Hilleberg tent tucked in the Noble fir trees just outside the rocks. I figured it was another hunters camp and that he was down in that basin so I took a quick scan with my binocular's and decided to head back to work on that bull.

   An hour or so later I was at the top of the saddle with wind and rain all around. The wind was so bad I thought about not going down but the draw of a big bull sucked me in. Down I went picking my way through the timber in search of that bench. As I arrived I let out a few cow calls and received zero response. I thought for sure was going to be right in their bedroom. I worked the bench over and gave some bugles but still no response. The wind was bad my wind checker would look like a tornado swurling as it came out of my plastic squeeze bottle. At this point it's about 2pm I'm soaked it's still raining and the wind is just terrible so I told myself to climb out of there before I blew him out of there and hope to get back to camp with enough time to light a fire and dry my clothes before bedtime. Back at camp I did just that. Luckily I was smart enough to collect all the small would I would need to get a good fire going the day before when it was blue bird sky's and everything was dry. I had stashed it under the protection of my trap and it was waiting for me when I arrived. I got a good fire going and set out to collect bigger wood that would be enough to last until bedtime. It took over 3 hours to dry my clothes. They smelled horrible but they were dry and I was warm and full from another mountain house. The rain let up to a slight drizzle long enough for me to climb out of the lake bottom for cell reception long enough to talk to the family and head back to camp for bed. The wind picked up and was worse the the early morning wind from earlier. It was a sleepless night and the loudest wind I have ever encountered.

   Sunday I got up and was glad the storm had ended around 4am. I went east down from the lake and to see if I could locate any elk down low but I didn't hear anything so I climbed back up past the lake and onto the other side of the ridge to see if I could locate that 6x bull. He never answered but that other bull down the drainage would answer whenever I wanted him to. I hiked south to see u f I could get anything to respond where they had been the week before. No luck. So I decided maybe I should hike down to my rig and go lower east below the lake I was camped at to see if the elk moved because of the storm and were to far to hear. This would also allow me to drive what looked to be about 8 miles to get to the bottom of the drainage that the bull was in that would respond when evet I wanted. Not finding any other elk I made my way down and around until I was at the creek drainage where it crossed the road. By my on X topo map on my phone there looked to be a flat spot in the creek bottom maybe a little more than 1/2 mile up through the timber. Silently at 1:30 I started picking my way through and up a beautiful elk trail. Don't get me wrong it had its share of blow downs but it was picture perfect inside that old growth tree and fern covered creek bottom. Not choked full of crap like most west side creek bottoms. You could see 100 plus yards with ease. I kept check the wind and it was perfect. I knew he was on the far side of the drainage when I was up on the ridge and that meant he would be on my right as I climbed up the creek bottom. The wind would blow right to left or down as I climbed. A short 30 minutes later and I was approaching the zone I had picked out. I had no sooner told myself to nock an arrow because I was getting close and that this was the spot and he let out a bugle. Just to my right less than 200 yards up the hillside. I picked out a big tree with a large stump next to it to stand in front of and let out a cow call. He responded with an even bigger bugle and I could hear him coming. Less than 100 and I can see him picking his way down through the ferns and trees. I take some shaky quick ranges as he's moving down and left. Stump is 40. Big tree is 28. He stops at about 80 behind some brush and bugles. I let out a soft cow and he is on a mission. He covers the last little bit in seconds. I was using a hand held  reed call and hadnt put in a mouth call yet. I panic a bit and grab one from the bill of my cap. I can't make a sound with it to save my life and I want him to stop. He moves into a spot that I hadn't ranged anything so I'm guessing 35-40 broadside when he stops. I release my arrow and I hit him high. He goes down instantly with a spine shot. I feel great sorrow for his thrashing and quickly dispatch him with a couple more arrows. From the time he first bugled to the time I released my arrow wasn't more than 2 minutes. I gave him 15 minutes before checking on him and gave myself time to compose myself. I tossed some sticks to confirm he was expired before walking up to put my hands on this beautiful bull. Not a giant but he had a big mouth on him that was ultimately his down fall. I had heard him down here for over a week but I had it in my mind that going back down to my rig and driving around to better access was some how cheating on the hunt I had set out to partake in. Hindsight was that was silly because if I wouldn't have been hiking up there I would have never heard him down there. As I set him up for a few quick pictures I ranged back to the tree I was standing at and it was 25 yards. My shot was high because I was gapping my 30 40 pins. I'm not happy about the way my shot played out but I am thankful that I was afforded the opportunity to finish him quickly afterward.

   I notch my tag, take some pictures and leave all my gear with him and head down to my rig to drive to cell service to try and get some help. Half way down to my 4runner I realize my keys are in my backpack so I have to turn around and hike back to grab my keys. A few miles later I'm talking with my 8 year old that is so proud of his daddy. I call my brother who has never been in this area before and give him directions on how to find me and he is on his way. A call to duckslayer goes unanswered so I send a text and wait. He responds shortly and says he knows exactly where I'm at.  So I head back to get started on processing. Duckslayer was up there in no time and I can hear him call out as he is picking his way up the creek bottom. I give a whistle and he found me right away. We proceeded to bone out all the meat in hopes of making fewer trips. 8:10pm and we are at the road with our last load. Duckslayer was a beast and I am grateful for all he did from the beginning to the end. My brother got some bad advice on the main line and got turned in the wrong direction and never found us. He felt bad but at least he made an attempt.

What a great hunt!

   

[Boss .300 winmag]

GREAT WRITE UP, AND BULL. 

[highside74]

Little lake in the bottom with the flat bench and saddle above the the 6x6 was around.

[highside74]

Flat top of the ridge my first camp was on.

[highside74]

The view down to where the bull I killed was

[Mark251]

Great pics!  Congratulations 

[highside74]

And finally the happy feeling of seeing the camp you left 2 days ago is still there for you to pack up and take home.

[Duckslayer89]

And finally the happy feeling of seeing the camp you left 2 days ago is still there for you to pack up and take home.

Nice dude great write up got the blood pumping reading all the details. Love that camp pic too doesn't get better

[Buck Rub Jr]

Awesome write up, congrats on the bull!

[wsucowboy]

Great write up, congrats on a great bull

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[KM1986]

Awesome pics. Beautiful  country. Congrats

[bracer40]

Loved your write up and pics! Congrats and good effort!

[Falcon]

Awesome  job with that bull.   Great write and a great hunt in a rough area.

[Wanttohuntmore]

Congrats!  Great write up.  I think i recognize most of the locations.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]