My first Elk: 2010 archery

[smartazz171]

First I wanna thank Cle Elum Bowhunter for his help, advice and pictures.
This is my hunting journal entry so  I apologize if it's a little long.

After My dad spotted a bull across a valley bedded down, we eased down a logging road above the bull. Hoping he was still there 1 hour after we last saw him.

...I set up with a downed tree stump in front of me and slightly to my right. I ranged a closely growing bunch of pinion trees at 25 yards in front of me.  I had an Epic cam attached to an old headlamp harness which I positioned on my head and turned on.  I then started cow calling which was cue for my dad to respond with equal amounts of calling.  After a few minutes, nothing stirred.  I positioned my bugle facing away from me and gave a bugle.  My dad responded with cow talk and then gave a bugle, of which I responded.  While finishing my second bugle a raspy bugle came from down the ridge just out of site.  I instantly got up and ran down the hill towards the pinion tress.  I stopped on this side of them and returned a bugle.  Mere seconds passed before I watch a large rack start appearing coming up the hill side.  It stopped to my right and down about 90 yards and started tearing up a small sapling.  With his potential route traced in my head, my current position, and his head down I dove through the pinion trees so I would have them as a back drop and providing me a clear shot from below.  About 2 yards in front of me was a tree stump that played a pivotal role of this hunt.  I watched the bull complete his aggression of the tree and step just behind a screen of tree branches. 
          My dad, not knowing what was going on, had been calling but had quit since I had stopped responding to him.  Turns out he didn’t hear the bull bugle back so he didn’t know anything was going on.  I watched for the bull to step out for what seemed like an eternity though mere minutes had passed.  “Dad needs to keep calling!” I thought to myself.  I turned the bugle up the hill in my dad’s direction and gave a quick adolescent bugle.  Instantly an ear rattling bugle ripped through the afternoon air.  I got ready and watched the bull emerge from down hill walking straight toward me.  At about 20 yards I kept telling myself to stay calm and to focus on the time to draw.  By this time he is coming right to left at 12 yards and stopped to eat some grass.  While I could have used this time to draw, he was facing me with no shot at his vitals.  He had to come left due to the pinion trees blocking his path to my right.  He raised his head and looked right through me and sniffed the air and blew steam out his nose.  He glanced up in my dad direction and stated moving across the hill at 8 yards.  When his head went behind the stump directly in front of me I drew back.  He cleared the stump and stopped staring at me just 5 yards away!  Still facing directly at me I knew he had to turn and offer a broadside shot.  He took two steps forward right up the hill to me and is now only 2 yards!  I waited for his right leg to take a step forward which angled him quartering toward me yet as broad side as I would get.  I released.  Right as I did, he had taken a step with his left leg which took away the slight angle and the arrow hit him straight on!  The woods exploded!  I instantly unloaded another arrow from the quiver and started cow calling to get him to stop. He ran down hill and crossed the hill to my right now he was standing broadside at about 20 yards but the only follow up shot would come if I could thread the arrow through the pinion trees.  At the release my second arrow smacked the first tree not five yards from me.  The bull turned tail running away and down the hill.  I started cow calling again with earnest.
          When he ran out of site my heart sunk.  I though how could this have happened!  I made a terrible shot straight into the bull chest.  I might track this bull for the next two days!  I was really beating myself up mentally.  It was decision time.  By the lack of loud crashing through the brushy hillside, I could tell he hadn’t traveled far yet.  Should I sit tight and wait for him to bed and hopefully expire due to his hopefully lethal wound or get up and try for a second arrow? I looked at my terrain and thought that the hill side was fairly open and I could quietly stalk his obvious trail and get close to him.  As I got up I kept cow calling and made a quick bugle.  Not 10 yard from the shot I saw a massive blood trail leading down and across the hill.  Suddenly, I heard a loud crash from just over the rise.  I hurried forward until I could see a large set of antlers lift off the ground from behind a small evergreen.  I took two steps down the hill and saw the elk trying to get up but his body was laying parallel to a fallen log.  With a quick figure of 30 yards I put the pin behind his shoulder and released.  The arrow flew two feet over his back.  Nocking my fourth arrow, I settled the 20 yard pin and released with the arrow hitting right behind the shoulder.  The bull got up, flipped over his back, slid down the hill and I listend to the animal’s last breath.
 
It took us 14 hours with 4 men to get this elk boned out and back to camp.  It was over a mile and 1000 feet of elevation gain each trip back to the elk. 

[400out]

WOW great story and nice bull! Thanks for sharing

[longrange7mm]

Nice bull good story congrats

[rb2506]

congrats on the bull and the story made me feel like i was there way to go 

[MichaelD]

Great story!  The talk of packing to camp made me tired and sore so it must be time to start getting in shape for this fall!  Congrats on a great bull!

[bowhunterforever]

Great bull and story, Congrats

[danderson]

thats a great hunt when it all comes together, nice bull.

[mikelonsford]

Congrats!  Nice job and nice bull!

[cle elum bowhunter]

Wow Mike, only six months to get your story out.  Glad I could help and yes you earned him with that pack out.  I hope he is eating well, you definitely paid for it.  Your story was rather modest in the steepness of the hill.  Still a nice bull in my opinion.  Now, quit putting in for Peaches so I can up my odds (just kidding). 

[Ironhead]

Great story and nice bull, congrats.

[hogsniper]

Awesome first elk!   Great write up, thanks for sharing!

[smartazz171]

Wow Mike, only six months to get your story out.  Glad I could help and yes you earned him with that pack out.  I hope he is eating well, you definitely paid for it.  Your story was rather modest in the steepness of the hill.  Still a nice bull in my opinion.  Now, quit putting in for Peaches so I can up my odds (just kidding). 

With only 3 points and drawing that tag, I don't think I'll be that lucky again.  Although My dad has 7 points now......  By the way, I'll take that moose tag you had.  Back to Metaline Falls for my elk this year!

[jstone]

Yep its about time. I have been waiting for this story and Pics. I hunt the same area. awesome Job

[PacificNWhunter]

Great first bull!

[smartazz171]

By the way, for any bow hunter looking for a great elk penetrating broadhead, I want to HIGHLY suggest a Magnus 2 or 4 blade.  I was shooting a 60 Lb bow with a Magnus 4 blade.  Granted it was at point blank range, but it hit that elk square in the chest, went through the chest, broke a rib on the way out his right side before exiting behind the shoulder.  All I know is I wouldn't have wanted a mechanical....