That first elk encounter…

[WapitiTalk1]

I’m talking about the one, perhaps it wasn’t the very first, that “hooked” you for life into this thing we call elk hunting. I know this question will garner some great responses… let’s go.

[dylan34_36]

September 11th, 2022. I bought my first elk archery tag and headed out to the national forest on the west side of the peninsula. Still being new to this hunting thing and a little over 9 months removed from a full acl and meniscus rebuild, I spent the night in an area where I had luckily found some elk sign ala poo on the road. I woke up to very hazy skies from wildfire smoke and as the sun rose, I bugled as best as I could, having practiced for most of the time I was immobile and recovering from the surgery. To my great surprise, my call was returned, coming from 2 separate drainages. Now I still don't know if the return bugles were from actual elk or other hunters but from that instant on, every time I hear elk bugling in the woods I get a feeling that has yet to be replicated in any other aspect of my life. Can't wait to read the other stories!

[pianoman9701]

My first close encounter was early morning entering the woods. I looked down and saw some fried chicken mushrooms, took off my pack and put them in. Got up to get going and probably 5 yards away was a cow staring me down and then bolting. Same trip, I believe, I was tracking some elk in the rain. Tracks were very fresh. Nose to the ground (not ahead), I came to a small hillock, looked up and standing right over me was a huge cow, who then bolted. It was an exciting trip and I ended up arrowing a cow with a Zwickey Eskimo and she died 20 yards away.

[Mtnwalker]

Colorado 2006-ish. Elk hunted a little on the peninsula through high school but never took it serious. Moved to CO after graduation and spent a lot of time cruising after work looking at critters. We'd been seeing a bunch of elk not far from our job site so one day my buddy grabbed a cheap Primos bugle tube from Wally World and we headed out to some state ground to try it out. Back then we thought bugling bulls was this mythical thing that only guys on tv knew how to do. We sat down in a cluster of aspen trees probably 200 yards off the road and let er' rip and instantly bulls lit up all around us. We had 4 or 5 different bulls screaming and heading our way and within 3 minutes my buddy had to jump up just as he was about to get run right over by a raghorn 5 point. Within a week of that I had bought my first bow thinking it was gonna be a slam dunk  never did have another encounter even close to that during season down there but had some good times making all the mistakes that beginner archers make and the rest is history

[Gonehuntin01]

Eastern Oregon, September 1984.  My dad and I worked up this ridge with a Larry Jones, Challenger bugle.  About halfway up we got a response, but wasn't sure what it was.  It was the first time we had heard a real life bugle.  We kept working up the ridge and then all of a sudden we started seeing shadows moving in front of us and it was the shadows of the elk crossing the ridge just above us.  It was my first encounter and had many more on that first elk trip.  We called in 2 bulls later that day, that ended up fighting in front of us, but we couldn't get a shot.  Had to lay on the ground to see them, it was so thick.  It was pretty incredible and sucked me right in.