Constitutionalist
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- Feb 25, 2002
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Day 1 AM:
Checked the wallows for recent activity. The wallows haven't been touched since I had left two days earlier (there was a cold front in the area, so not so surprising). No bugles or activity to speak of.
PM: We try the area where the cam was located. ROARING bugle within a couple hundred yards, so Nick (my son) and I set up (Nick about a hundred or so yards to my rear performing the calling). The bull is paralleling us, without committing to our cow calls (wind wasn't an issue). This goes on for about five minutes when I can make out the sound of a cow mewing. And it is getting closer...a lot closer and fast. Out of the pines comes this running yearling, mewing her little head off. She runs right by me (ten feet maybe) heading straight for my son who is doing the calling.
Nick reports that immediately after separating with me and setting up to my rear, a Tom turkey almost stepped on his foot while passing through; and then the cow stopped five feet to his front and had a stare down with him for a couple of minutes. Nick was NOT happy with the close encounters..."too close" or panicked words to that affect
. Kids...<sigh>
One thing is for certain...when we bugled; he shut up immediately and departed. This story would play out repeatedly with this bull as we tried to close the distance for a shot.
One hour later, a couple of hundred yards from this area, we stumble onto another bull that is not committing to the cow calls but bugling up a storm. We set up and start the game. AGAIN, crashing through the trees, mewing her head off, comes ANOTHER youngster to my son (this one was a little more cautious, but ultimately stopped within "touching distance" of Nick.
Thoughts of "something in the water" begin spinning through my head. The only problem, for sure, is the Bulls aren't drinking the same water...
Day 2 AM:
Same area and the cow calls are working. POW, another bull or hunter rips a distant bugle and our boy shuts down shop. Find the bedding area though...
PM and the Montana Decoy:
Nick and I are carrying the "First Generation" Montana Elk Decoy to see if we can get the Bull to commit. Well, as luck would have it (we are standing in the middle of a small meadow checking a wallow for recent activity) when a cow steps out of the tree line grazing. Distance: Maybe two hundred yards.
Short story: Nick takes the decoy off his shoulders, holds the decoy in front of his body, and we start cow calling to see what happens. At seventy yards (Yes, she was coming) the wind changed and she bolted. BUT, let me state for the record: The decoy works!
Day 3 AM:
We chase the same bull and a distant bugle sends him down into the canyon (We decide to give this bull a break and find another target).
PM: Lions, Tigers and Bears...
We gave the bull an eight hour break
. This time the bull comes out on the other side of the meadow with three cows...and we see the rack: A beautiful 6x6 with dark horns and pearl-white tips. Once he is in the open he will bugle back at you without a problem. BUT, he still is not committing. Distance: Four hundred yards.
Upon returning to camp, Nick informs me a Mountain Lion was crossing the road in front of him (on his ATV). Nick was not amused, at all. Nick went on to explain the cat was in the middle of the road as he drove up...and didn't run or even acknowledge Nick's presence as the cat continued across the road. The cat just continued walking at an even pace without fear of the running ATV or the driver. Nick AGAIN went into exacting detail on how "things" were "TOO CLOSE" to his liking this year.
Day 3 Nightmares:
I shouldn't have seen the rack. Those white tips were absolutely mesmerizing...and now I wanted a set badly.
Day 4 AM:
No activity to report. Things start smoldering around noon so I take the wife to a wallow with me to see if any bulls need to cool down. At about 1300 a bull on the ridge above begins bugling like a madman and won't shut up. I cow call at him and he screams back. I bugle at him and he screams back. Without coercing, he is on a twenty-minute schedule...seems he is pacing back and forth on the ridge above keeping a handle on his cows (which I can plainly hear mewing away). This goes on for about two hours when I hear a bugle from approaching hunters. He bugles back for a while and then falls silent.
New rule: Never take the wife along when the bulls are bugling. She got the "bug" big time and now wants to go along on all our hunts. I love her dearly, but...
PM:
The cows come out without the bull on the OTHER side, again, of the meadow. Can't close the gap but give the decoy a try. Four hundred yards is too far for the cows to commit to. They mew and talk, but don't come to the decoy.
I'm left with the question of where is the bull?
Day 5 AM and PM:
Nothing new.
Day 6:
Same chase.
Day 7 and the 7x6 Monster with ten cows:
1100 hours I take the wife up to a point having a beautiful view. The view, literally, is stunning.
Last year, there was bull activity up there, and we tried diligently to call them in, but the bulls wouldn't commit.
Upon arrival and turning the ATV off, I could hear a bull (or two) bugling down below us. I called Nick back at camp (via the Motorola’s) and told him to bring the gear. He arrived about thirty minutes later.
We cow called a couple of times and the bulls didn't respond...BUT, when we pulled the satellite bull out of the hat, all Hell broke lose. There was crashing and thrashing (horns on trees) down below and a NASTY bugle. Someone was not pleased we were there.
We worked him for about thirty-minutes and I lost interest. We played this scenario out a couple of times last year and I was on a sightseeing tour with my lovely wife this year...on the last day...and I wanted to get back over to the OTHER bull that I knew would come out later on that day. Right?
Sue (my wife) and I depart and my disgusted son (who KNOWS that bull is going to come out sometime) stays behind. Fifteen minutes of sitting on his ATV and squeezing the hoochie-mama and out comes the DADDY OF ALL ELK with ten cows.
Walked up the meadow a hundred yards from Nick (right where we were setup previously), looks around, and walks back down the ridge with his harem in tow.
I informed Nick I didn't need to know these things because things like this hurt morale and made Dad feel stupid.
Nick, of course, didn't complain about "THIS" close encounter though.
PM:
Rain, hail, and a nasty cold front finished off the hunt.
Now, because I know where he lives and WHEN he'll respond, I'll never draw that area again. <sigh>
Summary: Thirty cows (five could have been arrowed) and two beautiful bulls sighted (Neither within bow range). Bottom line is this: We saw elk every day. We heard bugles every day. This extra week added to the season was a great week indeed.
Eric
Checked the wallows for recent activity. The wallows haven't been touched since I had left two days earlier (there was a cold front in the area, so not so surprising). No bugles or activity to speak of.
PM: We try the area where the cam was located. ROARING bugle within a couple hundred yards, so Nick (my son) and I set up (Nick about a hundred or so yards to my rear performing the calling). The bull is paralleling us, without committing to our cow calls (wind wasn't an issue). This goes on for about five minutes when I can make out the sound of a cow mewing. And it is getting closer...a lot closer and fast. Out of the pines comes this running yearling, mewing her little head off. She runs right by me (ten feet maybe) heading straight for my son who is doing the calling.
Nick reports that immediately after separating with me and setting up to my rear, a Tom turkey almost stepped on his foot while passing through; and then the cow stopped five feet to his front and had a stare down with him for a couple of minutes. Nick was NOT happy with the close encounters..."too close" or panicked words to that affect
One thing is for certain...when we bugled; he shut up immediately and departed. This story would play out repeatedly with this bull as we tried to close the distance for a shot.
One hour later, a couple of hundred yards from this area, we stumble onto another bull that is not committing to the cow calls but bugling up a storm. We set up and start the game. AGAIN, crashing through the trees, mewing her head off, comes ANOTHER youngster to my son (this one was a little more cautious, but ultimately stopped within "touching distance" of Nick.
Thoughts of "something in the water" begin spinning through my head. The only problem, for sure, is the Bulls aren't drinking the same water...
Day 2 AM:
Same area and the cow calls are working. POW, another bull or hunter rips a distant bugle and our boy shuts down shop. Find the bedding area though...
PM and the Montana Decoy:
Nick and I are carrying the "First Generation" Montana Elk Decoy to see if we can get the Bull to commit. Well, as luck would have it (we are standing in the middle of a small meadow checking a wallow for recent activity) when a cow steps out of the tree line grazing. Distance: Maybe two hundred yards.
Short story: Nick takes the decoy off his shoulders, holds the decoy in front of his body, and we start cow calling to see what happens. At seventy yards (Yes, she was coming) the wind changed and she bolted. BUT, let me state for the record: The decoy works!
Day 3 AM:
We chase the same bull and a distant bugle sends him down into the canyon (We decide to give this bull a break and find another target).
PM: Lions, Tigers and Bears...
We gave the bull an eight hour break
Upon returning to camp, Nick informs me a Mountain Lion was crossing the road in front of him (on his ATV). Nick was not amused, at all. Nick went on to explain the cat was in the middle of the road as he drove up...and didn't run or even acknowledge Nick's presence as the cat continued across the road. The cat just continued walking at an even pace without fear of the running ATV or the driver. Nick AGAIN went into exacting detail on how "things" were "TOO CLOSE" to his liking this year.
Day 3 Nightmares:
I shouldn't have seen the rack. Those white tips were absolutely mesmerizing...and now I wanted a set badly.
Day 4 AM:
No activity to report. Things start smoldering around noon so I take the wife to a wallow with me to see if any bulls need to cool down. At about 1300 a bull on the ridge above begins bugling like a madman and won't shut up. I cow call at him and he screams back. I bugle at him and he screams back. Without coercing, he is on a twenty-minute schedule...seems he is pacing back and forth on the ridge above keeping a handle on his cows (which I can plainly hear mewing away). This goes on for about two hours when I hear a bugle from approaching hunters. He bugles back for a while and then falls silent.
New rule: Never take the wife along when the bulls are bugling. She got the "bug" big time and now wants to go along on all our hunts. I love her dearly, but...
PM:
The cows come out without the bull on the OTHER side, again, of the meadow. Can't close the gap but give the decoy a try. Four hundred yards is too far for the cows to commit to. They mew and talk, but don't come to the decoy.
I'm left with the question of where is the bull?
Day 5 AM and PM:
Nothing new.
Day 6:
Same chase.
Day 7 and the 7x6 Monster with ten cows:
1100 hours I take the wife up to a point having a beautiful view. The view, literally, is stunning.
Last year, there was bull activity up there, and we tried diligently to call them in, but the bulls wouldn't commit.
Upon arrival and turning the ATV off, I could hear a bull (or two) bugling down below us. I called Nick back at camp (via the Motorola’s) and told him to bring the gear. He arrived about thirty minutes later.
We cow called a couple of times and the bulls didn't respond...BUT, when we pulled the satellite bull out of the hat, all Hell broke lose. There was crashing and thrashing (horns on trees) down below and a NASTY bugle. Someone was not pleased we were there.
We worked him for about thirty-minutes and I lost interest. We played this scenario out a couple of times last year and I was on a sightseeing tour with my lovely wife this year...on the last day...and I wanted to get back over to the OTHER bull that I knew would come out later on that day. Right?
Sue (my wife) and I depart and my disgusted son (who KNOWS that bull is going to come out sometime) stays behind. Fifteen minutes of sitting on his ATV and squeezing the hoochie-mama and out comes the DADDY OF ALL ELK with ten cows.
I informed Nick I didn't need to know these things because things like this hurt morale and made Dad feel stupid.
Nick, of course, didn't complain about "THIS" close encounter though.
PM:
Rain, hail, and a nasty cold front finished off the hunt.
Now, because I know where he lives and WHEN he'll respond, I'll never draw that area again. <sigh>
Summary: Thirty cows (five could have been arrowed) and two beautiful bulls sighted (Neither within bow range). Bottom line is this: We saw elk every day. We heard bugles every day. This extra week added to the season was a great week indeed.
Eric
