Long read. Good bull down. Unit 560

[Hunter Dug]

Hunt started on the 5th leaving camp with my pack, sleeping bag, and some grub. Left camp at around 5:30 in the evening and hiked 6.4 miles to the base of Mount Saint Helens, getting to my camp spot around 7:45 just in time to see the sun start to go down.  Got in to the fart sack around 8:15 and dosed off thinking about tomorrows hunt.  Throughout the night I woke up several times to hear the sounds of elk talking, and coyotes howling just below me about 200 yards away which made it truely hard to sleep but some how I woke and it was time 5:45 a.m. Packed all my gear up while listening to 3 diffrent bulls screaming at each other just down the hill from me.  Wind was all wrong so I slowly made my way to the west to attempt to get it right; however it just wasnt going to be possible do to deep mud flow canyons on each side of me, somehow I ended up getting down there and into the middle of elk, and realized that it was three diffrent groups of elk one directly below me one below me and off to the right, and another to my direct right. I started to see cows, and hear a bull off the the right tearing up a tree and another bull below me screaming his head off, and just as I think all is well the wind starts to switch directions and just like clock work the elk below me blow out, then the elk below me and to the right blow out, then the elk on the right bust.  Chalk that up to knowing the right thing to do but doing the total opposite.  Well after every thing settled down, I head to the west knowing with the wind going down the hill that in this area it would start to turn to the west as the sun came over the mountain.  Well, in route I get into another group of elk that catches my wind an busts down the hill.  By this time I am position for the wind to change in my favor, and after sitting and eating breakfast it finally does. Just as I get my pack on I look to the east and see a hunter bee bopping up the hill in the direction I just came from telling me that he had already walked throught the area I was hoping to cut through now that the wind was right.   We'll this really messed with my mind so I thought all was shot.  So I head down the hill not really being to quiet, when I run into some fresh sign, Keep in mind the stretch of timber I am hunting is only about a 1/4 of a mile wide at its widest point east to west and about 2 miles long north to south, so this makes me think this guy got into these elk and ran them off.  I continue to walk thinking I had better put in stealth mode just in case, when I start to hear  sticks cracking and breaking off to the right about 20 yards, wind is right, picture deep timber with some thick huckleberry brush mixed with some ten foot saplings.  I peer through the brush and see flashes of brown moving throught the brush I count to my self 1 elk two three four all the way to ten, and my mind is just scrambling I look to my left and see a clearing, with all the rukis these elk are make I decide to move quickly to the open, still not clear enough, elk are still filing by.  Look to the left about 5 more yards another opening, move quickly to it, I spot a young cow clear shot, about twenty yard broadside, I know my bow if its under 30 yards its top pin all the way, I am all knocked up ready to go, lift my bow prepare to draw, and out of the corner of my eye I see the biggest bodies elk I have ever seen walk in to a open just to the left of the young cow.  I shift to the left, scan, I cant see a head just a broadside body, I look closer, I see about 3 inches of the top of whales tail about 4 feet above the bulls back peaking through the 10 foot sapling this bull had stopped behind, I knew then that this was a big bull, all observations in about 5 seconds, I drew anchored, picked the spot, and released.  Time stopped. I couldnt hear a thing for a milla second.   BAM, Reality, the woods erupted, after about 20 seconds all was calm, about 50 yards away I hear a loud cough, and again cough a third time cough, then nothing.  I gather myself from the sereal feeling you have after such an encounter, and take big breath.  I walked to were I hit the bull, and see small specks of blood, I wait about 15 minutes, and took up the trail knowing that the cough heard and were the arrow entered the elk that he was done.  I walked about 50 yards and found this bruiser. I pull out my GPS, and figure that I am 4.82 miles from my truck, and think o lord what have I done this 4.82 miles is no walk in the daisies. 9:30 a.m. already 76 degrees, the work begin gutless style, get him all quarter, deboned,bagged up and hanging in the shade.  Skin the head, and remove as much meat as possible, and load up my pack.  Now its 1:30 and pushing 85 degrees, Im dehidrated, and still have 4.8 miles till I get to the truck.  Stop at the closes creek, 3/4 of a mile from kill, and rehidrate, ended up getting back to camp at around 4:30 p.m.  Next day 4:30 a.m. start two guys plus my wore out body, 4.8 miles in, we packed out 248 pounds of boned out meat between the three of us and had to leave about 50 at the creek to soak and stay cool, for a third trip the next day all by my lonesome. All in all I still love this chit. Ive killed 2 cows and 3 bulls with my bow since 2001 when I got out of the service and this by far was the most thrilling.

Word for the wise.   If your think that you can go into the back country by yourself without two or three bust ass hunting partners, a solid game plan, the smarts to break down a elk properly in hot weather, and a will to never quit till the job is done completely, dont bother.  Oh yeah no meat lose, and the next day my hunting partner shot a another nice bull, and the work started all over.  All in all 30 plus mile on foot with pounds and I mean pounds on our backs. 

[JColony]

Congrats!  That's a good looking bull!  Props for getting the job done without any meat loss.

[buglebuster]

Congrats, any pics of the other bull?

[HuntNFish]

Nice Bull Elk and good read.  Way to go!  Its funny, but when I tell people the work involved in packing out elk from some of the places like what you described, they think I am nuts.  Glad to know Im not the only guy who loves and lives for that stuff.

[blindpig]

Great story, great bull.  Way to go, props to ur buddies for helping u out.

[Hunter Dug]

Here is the other bull we killed.

[jackmaster]

great story and great hunt, and a hell of a bull to show for it, congrats sir

[mikelonsford]

Congrats!  I think I felt a similar pain last weekend, and no matter how much the legs burned...it ALL felt good.  But I was VERY happy when the packing was done.  Great Job and cool looking elk!

Mike

[GoldTip]

Congrats on a good bull!

[Michelle_Nelson]

Good looking Bull. 

[HUNT]

Congrats!  Way to get er done!

[Hunter Dug]

Thanks guys, and gals for the congrats.  Michelle, I have it in a tube right now with a fish tank heater, read your do it your self tread on maceration well see how it goes.  Ill post results in a month or so.

[iRem]

Great bull and story!! Hard work always pays off.... I love the Tred Barta way is the hard. Well done!

[runningboard]

great read & nice bull, good work, congrats & thanks for sharing

[BOWHUNTER45]

sweet !