Post by: MagKarl on September 10, 2009, 08:10:48 AM
We started dropping into the bowl on an old skid road as soon as it was light enough to see. At the end of a finger ridge Kevin threw out a locator bugle, and deep from the bottom came a response. Game on! We dropped toward the creek to cut the distance and bugled again and the bull answered. At the bottom we cow called and the bull bugled and chuckled, he was close but across the creek. We glassed carefully and after seeing no elk decided we needed to get across the open grassy bottom and up under the bull in the timber. Once on the other side I moved about 75 yards into the timber while my Dad and Kevin stayed lower by the creek. Kevin started cow calling and two bulls within 100 yards of me bugled. I could see some cows with one of them, but didn't see the bull. The other was a satelite and he couldn't resist the cow calling. He came running in and stopped to bugle 30 yards to the South of me, broadside, upwind, and looking to scoop up one of the herd bull's cows. I didn't even hesitate, it was automatic. The bull bolted at the shot and ran straight toward my Dad and looped around me in a large semi-circle. I saw and heard brush popping about 40 yards North of me. I heard a few hoarse gurgly huffs and then it was quiet. I took off my pack, nocked another arrow, and waited. 3 or 4 minutes later a gust of wind blew right from me toward the place I'd last heard the bull and an elk bolted crashing off into the timber. We regrouped where the bull had run in front of my Dad and found the tracks and some blood. Given that I'd heard an elk bolt after winding me and thought it could have been as far back as the liver we backed out and waited about 2 hours.
When we started on the blood trail, it was fairly tough. Kevin found the front foot or so of my arrow about 10 yards into the trail and it had good bright blood on it. About 20 yards later we found the nock end, also soaked in good blood. I was searching for blood on the brush and looking ahead for tracks when I saw him right there 10 feet in front of me. I have killed cows, but this was my first bull, and it was opening morning. What a relief. He had died right where I'd heard the crash and huffing last breaths about 40 yards North of me. I hadn't hit too far back, it was a double lunger and he had expired within seconds of the shot. I think the elk that winded me and bolted must have been the other bull or one of his cows sneaking around to get downwind.
We took some pictures and then got to work. The pack out was short, only 0.4 miles to camp by GPS, but 600 plus feet of elevation gain and took a little over an hour to climb back. Two trips each and we had the meat and head safely back in camp.
I was expecting the hunting pressure to be terrible on the State land, but boy was I wrong. I only saw 4 other camps and didn't even hear a single hunter blowing a bugle.
It was a great trip. My Dad is a rifle hunter and got to see and hear bulls up close like he never sees later in the fall.
Post by: Gobble on September 10, 2009, 08:15:42 AM
Post by: GoldTip on September 10, 2009, 08:18:54 AM
Post by: tlbradford on September 10, 2009, 08:19:12 AM
Post by: bucklucky on September 10, 2009, 08:31:09 AM
Post by: hoytem on September 10, 2009, 08:34:33 AM
Post by: dreamingbig on September 10, 2009, 08:42:16 AM
Post by: zackmioli on September 10, 2009, 08:56:54 AM
Post by: .54 THUNDERHAWK on September 10, 2009, 09:06:41 AM
Post by: KimberRich on September 10, 2009, 09:10:07 AM
Post by: buckhorn2 on September 10, 2009, 09:29:12 AM
Post by: EastWaViking on September 10, 2009, 09:37:50 AM
Post by: matlockmike on September 10, 2009, 09:38:36 AM
Post by: huntnphool on September 10, 2009, 09:40:17 AM
Post by: Little Fish on September 10, 2009, 09:48:39 AM
Post by: DUGANDEER on September 10, 2009, 09:57:59 AM
Post by: bigdave on September 10, 2009, 10:05:55 AM
Post by: Huntbear on September 10, 2009, 10:13:08 AM
Weird though is your camo shirt in the photos.... looks like it was painted into the pic rather than you actually wearing it.. what brand is it??
Post by: winston2789 on September 10, 2009, 10:13:44 AM
Post by: SnakeEyes on September 10, 2009, 10:33:01 AM
Post by: shanevg on September 10, 2009, 10:46:34 AM
Post by: rosscrazyelk on September 10, 2009, 10:55:55 AM
Post by: LongTatLaw on September 10, 2009, 11:23:13 AM
Post by: finnman on September 10, 2009, 11:57:10 AM
Post by: PacificNWhunter on September 10, 2009, 11:57:46 AM
Post by: WAPITIHUNTER on September 10, 2009, 11:59:30 AM
Post by: bowhunterforever on September 10, 2009, 12:55:26 PM
Post by: bow4elk on September 10, 2009, 01:30:35 PM
Post by: danceswitharrows on September 10, 2009, 01:34:11 PM
Post by: TheHunt on September 10, 2009, 01:43:16 PM
Post by: huntingnut on September 10, 2009, 02:00:06 PM
Post by: bowhiker on September 10, 2009, 02:12:19 PM
Post by: NWBrute on September 10, 2009, 03:04:18 PM
Post by: bow-n-head on September 10, 2009, 06:47:26 PM
Post by: elkspert on September 10, 2009, 06:52:33 PM
Post by: saylean on September 10, 2009, 08:05:25 PM
Post by: markts on September 10, 2009, 08:12:18 PM
Post by: mjtbackcountry on September 10, 2009, 08:38:41 PM
Post by: M_ray on September 10, 2009, 08:40:56 PM
Post by: h2ofowlr on September 10, 2009, 08:52:38 PM
Post by: MagKarl on September 10, 2009, 09:08:29 PM
You guys wondering where you can get a camo shirt like that, just go to Walmart in the winter, you too can probably score some high end camo on close-out for $4.
LongTat - He died just before 8AM, but I didn't find him till 10AM because I wasn't 100% certain on the shot placement. I lost a gimme lung shot doe a while back by not waiting long enough so I'm pretty conservative if I don't see the animal crash.
Post by: chukar-ridge-quest on September 10, 2009, 09:31:01 PM
Post by: Lincoln4 on September 11, 2009, 12:27:46 AM
Post by: Gutpile on September 11, 2009, 04:29:06 PM
Post by: huntnphool on September 11, 2009, 04:57:13 PM
But why are your eyes as red as his antlers? ;)
:dunno: ;)
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on September 11, 2009, 06:04:28 PM
Post by: hayes202 on September 12, 2009, 06:26:41 PM
Post by: blindpig on September 13, 2009, 10:15:22 AM