I returened last night from Oregon, after a nine and a half hour drive. I left for Oregon two weeks ago on Friday, before the opener. Opening morning, I found myself three and a half mile back in glassing for Elk. over the next three days, I located alot of sign but the elk were in big groups down on private ranches, not on the NF.
I drove over to the John Day area to check out my "Plan B" spot. Having hunted this area in the past, I knew it held very large bulls; but the Elk numbers are not as high as areas farther North. To put in mildly, the conditions were very tough--hot, dry, big moon and the Bulls/cows were not talking. I herd one bugle my entire trip and that was about a week and a half ago when we did get two days of near record low temps.
On the 31st, I called in a 4x4 rag-horn to 35 yards. I was set-up in a flat, next to black timber, in the evening using cow/calf/estrus calls. My plan was to call for about 30 seconds and the shut-up and wait. I would repete this every 5 or so minutes. I had expected a bull to come in silent, and I was right. On this evening, I had been in the same spot, calling for about 30 mintues when I heard a twig snap behind me. I had vurtually written off the area behind me because of the wind, but in true form, a bull had come in on me silent, with the wind in his face. After a brief stare down, the bull continued from my left to right. As he passed the first patch of reprod, I grabbed the handle of my bow, as he passed the second patch of reprod, I put my release on the string and finally ans he walked behind another reprod, I came to full draw. As he came broadside, I cow called, twice, stoping him. The arrow was on its way but I heard the sickining sound of an arrow hitting a branch, and the bull was gone! I walked back to the truck that night a little bummed out...well more than a little!
The next day, my buddy who works for ODFW, came over to camp and we began to hunt--and hunt hard! Over the next week, we called in another 4x4, a cow, a spike and finally a Monster! One evening we went to an area that I knew about that was not you classic Elk habitat--it was dry, with sage, rocks juniper and areas of P pine and some timber. I had hoped that the other hunters would not hunt this area and a big bull wouls seek out security over food and water--I was right! 5 evenings ago, I was leaving a patch of timber and near dark, I let out a wimpy-sounding bugle in hopes of getting an answer and locating my buddy. I walked about 300 yards down the ridge, towards the truck and let out another bugle. Little did I know, my buddy was 100 yards away from me on the edge of some timber. He later told me that after my second bugle, that was much closer to him, he heard a bull down in the timber, directlly below him start to beat the heck out of a tree! He watched as the bull came into full view and charge over to the area I had called from! The bull caught me with my guard down walking down the road and ran past my buddy and stopped broadside at 60 yards. (lesson learned..when calling always be ready!) My friend choose not to take the marginal shot. When we met back at the truck, he was visiblly shaken. He told me about what he had just seen--a monster. He told me that it was the longest beamed bull he had ever seen on the hoof in Oregon, and he works with ELK for ODFW! After this evening, every thing changed: we were now hunting an elk, not elk!
As the days passed, we returned to the same area only when the wind was right. We found a core area that he and his cows were using away from people and pressure. We elected to hunt the finges in hopes of bring him to us, painfully aware that if we bumped him bad, he would be gone. Yesterday morning, my last day of hunting, We returned to the monsters bed room. We near an area that we thought he may be bedded in. My buddy blew on bugle soundin a small as he could. About 10 seconds later we heard the forest 100 yard off to our right, erupt with the sound of a bull beating-down a tree. After a few cow calls, we heard nothing. We decided to walk over towards him and bugle on more time with the hopes that his anger would cause him to charge out--just like the other night. As we were getting ready to move, we caught a glimpse of a bull moving out from the area of the Monster. It was a spike. He stopped at about 90 yards and was lookin in our direction. The spike the began to walk right at us. When he stepped behingd some reprod, I blew a soft cow call down below us. the bull changed corse and began to walk towards the area below us. The wind was blowing down hill towards the area the bull was walking and I knew if I was going to shoot, I was pushing my luck letting him go completly broadside! At 50 yards he I ranged him with my range finder. And I heard a wisper I think U should shoot that bull. At 40 yards he walked behind dome reprod and I came to full draw. As he was just about to walk broadside, my buddy blew a cow call and he stopped. I thought about the big bull and then I thought about how good spiked eat and the arrow was on its way. The arrow hit him a little high--I thought he was at about 30 yards. I did however get a pass-thru and took oly one lung because he was slightly quartering towards me. He went about 250 yards and piled-up.
After 13 days of hunting, and many missed chances, I had an elk down. I told myself that morning, that I was going to take ANY elk on my last day...but that Monster is still in there--and so is my buddy waiting for him to make a mistake.
I drove over to the John Day area to check out my "Plan B" spot. Having hunted this area in the past, I knew it held very large bulls; but the Elk numbers are not as high as areas farther North. To put in mildly, the conditions were very tough--hot, dry, big moon and the Bulls/cows were not talking. I herd one bugle my entire trip and that was about a week and a half ago when we did get two days of near record low temps.
On the 31st, I called in a 4x4 rag-horn to 35 yards. I was set-up in a flat, next to black timber, in the evening using cow/calf/estrus calls. My plan was to call for about 30 seconds and the shut-up and wait. I would repete this every 5 or so minutes. I had expected a bull to come in silent, and I was right. On this evening, I had been in the same spot, calling for about 30 mintues when I heard a twig snap behind me. I had vurtually written off the area behind me because of the wind, but in true form, a bull had come in on me silent, with the wind in his face. After a brief stare down, the bull continued from my left to right. As he passed the first patch of reprod, I grabbed the handle of my bow, as he passed the second patch of reprod, I put my release on the string and finally ans he walked behind another reprod, I came to full draw. As he came broadside, I cow called, twice, stoping him. The arrow was on its way but I heard the sickining sound of an arrow hitting a branch, and the bull was gone! I walked back to the truck that night a little bummed out...well more than a little!
The next day, my buddy who works for ODFW, came over to camp and we began to hunt--and hunt hard! Over the next week, we called in another 4x4, a cow, a spike and finally a Monster! One evening we went to an area that I knew about that was not you classic Elk habitat--it was dry, with sage, rocks juniper and areas of P pine and some timber. I had hoped that the other hunters would not hunt this area and a big bull wouls seek out security over food and water--I was right! 5 evenings ago, I was leaving a patch of timber and near dark, I let out a wimpy-sounding bugle in hopes of getting an answer and locating my buddy. I walked about 300 yards down the ridge, towards the truck and let out another bugle. Little did I know, my buddy was 100 yards away from me on the edge of some timber. He later told me that after my second bugle, that was much closer to him, he heard a bull down in the timber, directlly below him start to beat the heck out of a tree! He watched as the bull came into full view and charge over to the area I had called from! The bull caught me with my guard down walking down the road and ran past my buddy and stopped broadside at 60 yards. (lesson learned..when calling always be ready!) My friend choose not to take the marginal shot. When we met back at the truck, he was visiblly shaken. He told me about what he had just seen--a monster. He told me that it was the longest beamed bull he had ever seen on the hoof in Oregon, and he works with ELK for ODFW! After this evening, every thing changed: we were now hunting an elk, not elk!
As the days passed, we returned to the same area only when the wind was right. We found a core area that he and his cows were using away from people and pressure. We elected to hunt the finges in hopes of bring him to us, painfully aware that if we bumped him bad, he would be gone. Yesterday morning, my last day of hunting, We returned to the monsters bed room. We near an area that we thought he may be bedded in. My buddy blew on bugle soundin a small as he could. About 10 seconds later we heard the forest 100 yard off to our right, erupt with the sound of a bull beating-down a tree. After a few cow calls, we heard nothing. We decided to walk over towards him and bugle on more time with the hopes that his anger would cause him to charge out--just like the other night. As we were getting ready to move, we caught a glimpse of a bull moving out from the area of the Monster. It was a spike. He stopped at about 90 yards and was lookin in our direction. The spike the began to walk right at us. When he stepped behingd some reprod, I blew a soft cow call down below us. the bull changed corse and began to walk towards the area below us. The wind was blowing down hill towards the area the bull was walking and I knew if I was going to shoot, I was pushing my luck letting him go completly broadside! At 50 yards he I ranged him with my range finder. And I heard a wisper I think U should shoot that bull. At 40 yards he walked behind dome reprod and I came to full draw. As he was just about to walk broadside, my buddy blew a cow call and he stopped. I thought about the big bull and then I thought about how good spiked eat and the arrow was on its way. The arrow hit him a little high--I thought he was at about 30 yards. I did however get a pass-thru and took oly one lung because he was slightly quartering towards me. He went about 250 yards and piled-up.
After 13 days of hunting, and many missed chances, I had an elk down. I told myself that morning, that I was going to take ANY elk on my last day...but that Monster is still in there--and so is my buddy waiting for him to make a mistake.
