elk down!

[Wea300mag]

Congrats ribka, that will be some good eating. 

[huntlakewood]

Congrats. I talked to Gasman that day he hopes went up about getting one after he saw and helped with yours. I sure hope one of them if not both can get theres.

[bowguy]

hey man congrats! Got to love tracking in the snow. Wish i could be up there in the Nile this year i can only image all the animals moving with the snow. Can't wait to read the full story and the where abouts of where.

[colockumelk]

Congrats on the harvest.  What Broadhead were you using?  That's a really nice blood kill.  The shot must have been right on the money. 

[dougedoug]

sweet good job

[C-Money]

Nice cow! Glad you scored!

[archery288]

Nicely done!! And those snowy blood trails are an awesome sight!! 

[rasbo]

what what thats great,what what congrats,cudos to the gman for helping

[Elknut1]

 Very cool, now that's a blood trail !!!

  ElkNut1

[Instinct]

I want a blood trail like that  . Takin a couple days off to recoup then hit the nile hard again, found old blood trails n track city where I went n had to leave early for some sleep... but good job man!

[MLBowhunting]

Good Job and the Nile is a nice place.  Love the bloody ending

[ribka]

Here's the story

I drove up and met Gasman and his son John for day of hunting the Nile last Saturday. Those who hunt the late archery Nile know how crazy it can get up there with the number of hunters, poor drivers on icy steep mountain roads , high numbers of road hunters, guys walking down the roads with knocked arrows,  etc.

Well, we drove up there from his camp and stopped and still hunted an area I saw some elk and nice buck the day before. No luck after an hour. Conditions were still good with fresh snow and no ice on top. Still possible to walk quietly. So upon returning and meeting up Gasman says he saw a few elk and deer bedded down in a steep area. We formulate a plan and drove up to the area, park and start hiking down to the general area where he last saw them. Verrry steep and icy in places. I broke off and headed down a finger to a small saddle between two deep ravines. Looked like a good travel area for animals and the numerous deer and elk tracks on the saddle confirmed this.

I see a deadfall 50 yds ahead and think to myself this would be a perfect ground blind. Wind and conditions were perfect. I start walking to the deadfall and look down a ravine and see 3 cow elk walking up towards me about 70 yds away. I am standing in the open with no cover. Ohh crap! At least the wind is in my favor. When they look away I dive into the deadfall. My bow , arrows are in my backpack. I attempt to remove my back pack as quietly as possible, remove my bow, quiver, put on my release and knock an arrow. I slowwwwwly kneel and come to a shooting position and see the first 2 elk have already walked past with the third cow walking quartering a bit away at a little over 40 yds. Now 40 yds is my limit for archery withthe wheel bow. 30 yds with my recurve.. I practice to 80 yds but think 40 yds is about max for me in hunting situations. I put the 40 yd pin a bit high behind the shoulder and release. Everything now in slow motion. I see the arrow in flight and see it arc slightly and strike her. Looks like a good hit and I hear the thunk of arrow hitting bone. Then All heck breaks loose, snow is flying and three elk are scattering down the mountain.

I try and follow the elk I hit and see my arrow a little high behind the shoulder and half of it sticking out. I think damn I hit her high and hit a bone and not enough penetration. I sit down, call Gasman on the radio and tell him what happened. (He later told me he good naturedly called me an SOB when I told him I just shot an elk over the radio ) First I quietly walk to the area of the hit and see lots of mud and snow kicked up and the beginning of what looked like a good blood trail. I did notget complete penetration based on the blood trail but a steady trail nonetheless. I walk back and sit down and wait for Gasman and his son come down to me. After 20 or so minutes I see them walking down to my position. We wait another 20 minutes before tracking. We start tracking finding good blood. I tell Gasman of the poor penetration and he shortly finds my arrow laying on the snow. Only the first foot was covered with blood and the head was broken at the ferrule

See pics
Beginning blood
and found arrow

 

[ribka]

So we keep following the blood trail,which is still consistent, and I voice my concerns for a non-fatal hit and Gasman says she down with the blood trail. After about 100 yds of trailing I look ahead see a big patch of blood and a long red colored smear down a steep ravine. Lo and behold the elk is laying down below and she looks like she expired. I slip and slide my way own to her to confirm she is dead.

[ribka]

I yell up to Gasman and his son and say she is down. We first discuss using a long rope to winch her back up the mountain and decide better to drag her down the mountain knowing the snow should aid in the dragging process. Gasman volunteers his son to help me with the elk and says he will go back up to the vehicles and  drive down his jeep to the bottom of the mountain, park it and walk up and meet us while we are attempting to get her down to the road where the jeep is parked .

I manage to field dress her and see the hit was good in the lungs

[ribka]

Gasman's son and I start the dragging process and run into a deadfall. Instead of trying to drag her up a steep incline around the deadfall, we decide to drag her under it