Post by: WapitiTalk1 on May 08, 2018, 08:50:05 AM
Date: Mid SEPT
Time: Mid-Morning
State: An elk state
Season: Archery
Tag: Bull only; 3 PT or better
Solo Hunt.
After a morning of sticking and moving (locate bugling) and receiving some distant answers, you’ve decided to shut up and move across a draw to the other side to where you heard a decent sounding bull. It’s a good half a mile across the draw. On the way, you encounter a pretty thick, but patchy, section of those enjoyable 10-15’ tall fir (aka, Xmas trees). Half way through the 150 yard-ish wide section of this mess, as you’re wondering why in the heck didn’t I go around this crap, you sit down to catch your breath and listen. Behind you is a 40x40 yard opening and down to your left in the direction the wind is pushing is another small but narrower opening, maybe 20X40 yards. You sit, take a slurp off your water bladder tube, and hear something big moving in the fir stand to your front. Arrow knocked, you decide to make a few quiet cow calls to see if the “something big” may be an elk, and, may be interested in you. Meeew, meeee….. Before you get the second mew out, HE clears the pecker poles and is 20 yards dead ahead, moving right at you……
I’m not gonna give a bunch of multiple choice answers but instead simply ask……. What should/do you do now as this situation has been offered? Sure, you can quarterback what you may have done wrong up to this point but again, as the situation has been laid out, what do you do now to possibly have a chance at taking this bull home for dinner?
Post by: pianoman9701 on May 08, 2018, 11:16:02 AM
Post by: Mudman on May 08, 2018, 03:32:57 PM
Post by: Crunchy on May 08, 2018, 03:51:11 PM
Post by: Milkman on May 08, 2018, 04:03:56 PM
Post by: chester on May 08, 2018, 04:16:38 PM
Post by: High Climber on May 08, 2018, 06:00:04 PM
Post by: northwesthunter84 on May 08, 2018, 08:14:29 PM
Post by: Mr Mykiss on May 09, 2018, 05:44:33 AM
Post by: nitroelk on May 09, 2018, 06:44:03 AM
Post by: Roosevelt on May 09, 2018, 11:32:08 AM
I had heard some bugles a ways off and was moving quickly to get in close and hopefully challenge him. After only going a couple hundred yards I saw movement and stopped. He was much closer than I had anticipated and I just happened to be on his trail with him travelling my direction. He was easily a 300 inch class bull. I saw him coming and drew back when he went behind a tree. He continued toward me and stopped looking exactly like the picture with his head down at six yards. I stood there at full draw having a staring contest with him for 5-10 seconds (my heart rate is up just remembering it). I have always wanted the opportunity to take a frontal shot and so I was praying that he lifted his head. At that range I felt like it would have been a slam dunk. I have studied elk anatomy well and harvested many bulls before, so I was comfortable with this shot. However, during that 5-10 second staring contest I realized he wasn't going to pick up his head so I figured when he turned to leave I could slip one in him broadside. I was wrong. He turned to leave, and even though he was only 6 yards, he spun so fast that by the time my brain processed picking out a spot and pulling my release, the arrow got to him too late. It's amazing how quickly they can get that huge body turned and going the other way. He had already spun 80% of the way around and I hit him in the hind quarter. I dropped to my knees and immediately wanted to puke. I knew the chances of finding him were extremely slim. My partner and I looked all day and I went back many times hoping to stumble across him but never saw him again. The result was my first time ever wounding and losing a large game animal in the 20 years I had been hunting. I'll never shoot at a moving (especially spooked) animal again.
Post by: LongBomb on May 09, 2018, 04:24:31 PM
Post by: Shawn Ryan on May 10, 2018, 05:59:57 PM
If I'm still sitting, then I'll probably not move. Hope I got up when I heard something big moving or got to my knees.
If on my knees or standing, I'm drawing and hoping for a shot that isn't like Roosevelt's. I'll take the frontal or the side shot, all dependent upon presentation.