Packer
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It started about five years ago when I decided that I had better start building up some bonus points if I ever wanted to get an opportunity at a bull elk tag. I had been drawn two years in a row while in High School and only had a spike to show for it. I was then fortunate enough to draw a tag this year so that I could try to better my only other bull.
I did not get a chance to "scout" a whole lot as I have been busy with work and family commitments. Fortunately, I did get out some and some of my work is done in the area I was going to be hunting. There were many people who would ask me before the hunt if I had my bull picked out and I only told them that I didn't even know where I was going to hunt in the unit let alone have a specific bull in mind. I was trying to keep this hunt a vacation and not stress things too much.
Thursday, the day before the hunt I waited for my good friend Chris (also known as CMC) to get up to the house so that we could head out for the unit. He made it to the house a little after six I guess and we ate dinner and headed out to find a camping spot. As we were heading out to the unit I still did not even have a place in mind as to where we were going to camp. As we drove along and got into the unit I finally decided that I wanted to remain in the center of the unit so that we could be mobile and hunt different areas depending on how things were panning out. We finally picked a camp spot and set up camp and waited for the next morning to arrive.
Opening day started with the alarm going off at 4:00am as we wanted to be in position before it got too light. We chose a canyon not too far from camp that we knew bulls were using. When we got out of the truck we could hear several bulls below us but we knew with the settling winds we did not want to go after them too hard. We eased our way down the ridge and eventually worked our way below one of the bulls so that we could come up at him with the wind in our face. As we eased our way toward him we noticed that the winds were a little shifty. We finally closed the distance and spotted a raghorn about 120 yards up the hill from our position. Shortly after seeing this bull we spotted a decent 6 point up in front of him. We could also hear another bull up the ridge a little further. I decided to work my way forward a little and Chris stayed behind to do the calling. As I moved forward the first raghorn that I had seen busted out and shortly there after the rest of the elk followed. We never did get a look at the biggest bull and the last we heard was the echo of a bugle as the heard topped out over the ridge.
After our first encounter we got together to regroup and figure out what the wind was going to do. As we sat tight we would blow on a cow call once in a while to see if we could get a response. After about 20 minutes or so we looked down the ridge and we saw another raghorn working his way silently toward our position. I knew that this was not a bull that I wanted to shoot so I did not even bother getting my bow ready and we decided to see how close we could get the bull. As we were working this bull in we had a young cow come running in to about 30 yards looking for the herd that she knew was there. This elk was around for about 5 minutes before it finally sauntered off in search of greener pastures.
At this point things were getting pretty quiet so we decided to move over a ridge and see if we could entice anything to call. We did get a response so we set up again and waited to see if it would come in. As we were sitting and waiting we had a flock of turkey work themselves within 30 yards of where we were sitting. (I guess they knew that I had a tag in my pocket but that the season ended the day before.) After watching them feed off again we worked our way back to the truck to grab a bite to eat.
With food in our stomaches we headed up and over the top of the ridge to work some of the north slopes to see if we couldn't slip into a bedding area. As we worked our way slowly along, glassing every few steps, we heard a bugle coming from down below us a ways. We sat down to make a game plan and threw out a couple cow calls as we waited. After about twenty minutes and no follow up bugles we looked down and saw an elk trying to close the distance to where we were. We had a little 4x5 close in to about 25 yards of where we sat, looking for the cows that he knew he had just heard. This bull stayed around for about 10 minutes and definately could have presented a shot but again I decided to pass. We had the same thing happen with two more small bulls within the next hour.
It was now closing in on 3:30 so we decided to keep working the north slope until we came out into a nice saddle. At the saddle I figured the elk may use it to come out and feed in the evening so we again sat down and very slowly cow called to see if anything would come in. Again after about 45 minutes we had a decent 6 point come toward our calls. This bull, like the others, did not make a sound and was just coming to check things out. He never got any closer that about 60 yards and circled our position until he caught our scent and was gone.
As it started approaching evening we had a few bulls begin to call but each time we approached with the wind in our face it would shift and spoil things. We didn't see any more elk that evening and got back to camp after dark ready to do it over again the next day.
Day two started again at 4:00 with a quick breakfast of oatmeal and then we hit the road to get to our hunting area before light. We arrived at the spot we had decided on the night before just after light and after passing three cars that were parked within a mile. As we got out of the truck we could hear several bulls bugling so we again headed down a ridge to get the wind right. Once we got the wind where we wanted it we started in on the elk. We followed the herd that was moving up canyon about a half a mile before we caught up and got our first glimpse of elk. I spotted several cows about 200 yards out that were feeding and didn't seem to be moving too fast. As we closed the distance a little Chris motioned for me to look down to my left and as I looked in that direction I saw about eight cows looking directly at me. These elk soon decided that something was not right so they turned and ran off. Luckily for me these elk were not associated with the herd that I was in the process of stalking so I was still in the game.
As I neared the herd I finally got a glimpse of my target, although all that I saw was the tips of his antlers as he ran around chasing cows. At this point the elk were really moving toward their bedding areas and it was hardly possible to keep up with them let alone close any distance without being seen. The wind was also starting to get a little shifty so we decided to hold back and make a new plan.
While slowing to make this plan Chris looked up and saw something that we were not expecting. There in the middle of the ponderosa forest was a single ewe bighorn. We sat down and watched the sheep for a while until it wandered off to an unknown destination.
At this point I took the opportunity to do some major contemplating about what my next move should be. Chris thought that I actually fell asleep but in reality I was just clearing my mind and trying to think clearly. Whatever you want to call it it seemed like the right thing to do.
Anyway, back to the hunt.
While sitting and waiting for the wind to make up its mind on what it was going to do we finally decided to just head straight for the elk and see if we could get in close for a look or shot. As we neared where we thought the elk had bedded, based on the last bugles we had heard, we went into slooow mode. As we eased over a small rise I spotted the head of a cow about 15 yards out, looking away. I slowly eased an arrow onto my string and waited for the bull to step my way. Shortly after getting an arrow ready the wind shifted again and the elk were off to the races. The herd probably had about 10 cows and a good looking bull, although I only saw it from behind and didn't get a chance to count any points. We then followed the herd about 2 miles as we heard the bull bugling off up the canyon.
Finally, after getting left in the dust we found a wallow that we thought we would sit at and see if anything would come in as it was getting warm. We ended up sitting at the wallow for about 2 hours before we got too bored and had to set out in search of the elusive wapiti.
As we again set out to still hunt we headed for the north slope of the canyon that we were following to see if we couldn't find something bedded. It didn't take too long and we were looking at several spikes that were about 35 yards out. These elk spent several minutes feeding out in front of us and presented multiple shot opportunities that I would not have passed on had it been late in the season. However, being that it was only the second day I opted to pass on the two bulls.
Once these bulls fed out of sight we continued out search up the canyon. As we approached a side canyon we heard several bugles. It was now about 3:30 and we decided to see if we couldn't get the elk excited and coming in. To do this Chris moved back behind me and we both started a sequence of cow calling and bugling. As we did this the elk around us also started sounding off and really got fired up. We continued this sequence as it sounded like one of the bulls was closing the gap. After about five minutes we decided that the elk probably all had cows of their own and would not commit. We then decided to take things to them and see what kind of response we could get. As we moved closer I saw several cows and one of the bulls, which had some weird palmated antlers. We never did get any better response from our new position and the elk just kept moving off so we again changed our game plan.
After having looked at the one bull and having that herd move off we switched targets and started working toward another bull and our truck. As we headed to where we had last heard the elk we could not locate any sign of it but we did end up hearing a bull down across the canyon back toward where we started that morning. We decided that since we didn't have anything else to do at the moment that we would make a run at this new bull. We ran down the canyon and eventually found the side canyon that we thought the bull was up. We were running out of light so we made a quick stalk up the canyon and caught sight of a good looking 6x6. As was par for the course as we again closed the gap the wind shifted and the bull decided that he didn't want anything to do with the two of us. At that point we decided to cut our losses so we but on the headlamps and headed back to the truck and back to camp to regroup for day three.
As day three dawned I had made a plan that I thought would surely put us in on a plethera of unspoiled bulls. I had decided to head out an old closed logging road to an area that does not get alot of pressure. We left camp plenty early to ensure that we would get to our spot and start walking before it got light. As we got into the area I missed the spot that I was looking for so we ended up down the road about a mile further than planned. NO problem I thought we will just turn around and not miss it this time. Well as we came back to the spot we did not miss it but we did see that a truck had just parked in my spot and a hunter was getting ready to hunt my ridge. I was disapointed to say the least but we just drove past him and turned around to head to plan B.
If I only knew what plan B was it would have made the next few minutes a little less tense. I finally decided on a plan B which would take us several miles to the south of our current location. The problem with heading to this new area is that we would be driving well into daylight, when we should be out chasing bulls. Oh well, I though, all things happen for a reason.
As we headed to the ridge that I had in mind we stopped at several place to see if we could hear a bugle to chase. At each of these stops we heard nothing but the wind moving through the trees. We finally got to our second destination and got out of the truck. As we got things ready we did not hear a thing. A few cow calls and a bugle or two and again, nothing. Finally, from down and across a large canyon we heard what could have been a bugle but it was only once and it was a ways away. With nothing else to go for and with daylight burning we decided that we would definately not see anthing if we did not try to close the distance on what we thought we heard.
As we started down the "hill" our first obsticle was to skirt a small cliff. There were times that the rest of the hill didn't seem any less steep but eventually we made it to the bottom. Once we got to the bottom we worked our way down to several wallows that I knew about to see if they had received any use lately.
As we got nearer the wallows I could see a foot print in the trail ahead of us every once in a while and I wondered if another hunter beat us to the spot. The answer to that question was soon answered as I spotted a guy in black long underwear and a stalking hat sitting out in the sun. When the guy saw us he headed up the hill to his camp. At this point I am thinking, no big deal it is just a guy out camping. About 50 yards later I see another tarp and bedroll and see that this guy is still sleeping. After two more of these camps I finally talk to one of the guys to see what the deal is. At first he definatly avoided talking but I eventually learned that there were about 8 more people down below the 4 or so that we already passed. He also mentioned that they were down there "self reflecting". That was enought information for me so we walked past the rest of the group with little more that several good mornings. So much for plan B.
When we finally made it past all of these camps we had to sit down and laugh at the irony in it all. I mean who expects to see a dozen people out in the middle of nowhere. From that point on we had plenty of times throughout the day that we spent "self reflecting" or at least making fun of the contacts that we had.
At this point it was about 9:00 or 9:30 and we had decided to head back up on top of the ridge and find a seep that was on my map to see if it had seen any use. We had heard a total of about 2 bugles all morning and weren't expecting much activity the rest of the day. As we neared the top of the ridge we heard several elk sound off. We were kind of taken aback and thought what the heck, we are headed that way anyway. We finally made the top of the ridge and started easing in toward where we had heard the last bugle. As I headed in the general direction the only clear path was through a sun lit path. While in the sun I could not see into the shadows of the thick mixed conifer and before I knew it a large bull was exiting the country. About a minute later he sounded off again and as I worked closer toward him the wind shifted and that was the last we heard of him.
We were now about a half mile from the seep and took a short break to do some blind calling to see if anything would slip into our position. Nothing ever came by so we started moving to the seep to check it out. About half way there we heard a bugle that sounded like it was not too far off the side of the ridge we were on. We talked briefly about a strategy and decided to just head straight toward the bull as we could not rely on the wind holding true in any one direction anyway. As we started toward the bull I tried a few cow calls to see if he would respond at all, he immediately called back. I continued working toward where I thought he was and tried calling again, nothing. It was now just after noon as I continued slipping toward where I had last heard the bugle.
As I was closing the gap I finally got to the point where I could see antlers moving through the trees ahead of me. At that point I heard the bull bugle again, a low raspy bugle. The bull was working his way toward me and at about 60 yards out he entered the stringer of trees that I was in and continued toward where I was standing. When the bull was about 30 yards out he stopped again and let out a scream. At this point I had already made up my mind that if he presented a shot I would take it. As soon as the bull started moving again I drew my bow and waited for the right moment. The bull closed to about 20 yards and I decided to take the front on shot and let my arrow fly. The arrow hit right where I was aiming and the bull ran off about 5 yards and looked back at me. I could see that my arrow was only sticking out about 4 inches which meant that about 28 inches were in the bull. I could also see blood gushing out of the entry hole.
At this point I think that I was more excited than I have been while hunting in quite some time, if I have ever been that excited. I met up with Chris and the celebration began. We decided to wait 30 minutes but after 8 I couldn't take it any longer. We began to slowly follow the blood trail and after several hundered yards we ended up bumping up the bull that had been bedded, but not dead. We then waited a full 30 minutes and started on the trail again. This time we only went several yards before we again spotted the bull. He was still breathing so we sat down and waited for him to expire.
When we finally approached the bull I was excited. I had just killed a nice pope and young bull with a bow, it was awesome. We then took quite a few pictures and then had to get down to work. As we quartered the elk it began to rain and then hail on us. We ended up spending about an hour under a tent to avoid becoming a statistic and when the weather let up we finished the tast at hand. We hung the four quarters in trees with the head and cape and loaded our packs with the neck, backstraps, loins and misc. other meat. About 6:00 we started our treck out to the truck. We arrived to the truck around 8:00 and loaded our stuff and headed out to call in some reinforcements to help us pack out the rest of the elk in the morning.
The next morning my dad and uncle came out and met us to give us a hand. The four of us hiked in the mile and a quarter to the elk and packed out the four quarters head and cape in one trip. I think that the average pack weighed close to 80lbs for the pack out but it was worth the extra effort because we only had to do it once.
Overall the hunt was an awesome experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. The rut was not at all in full swing but was going just enough to keep things interesting. I would like to thank Chris for going along and for helping with the pack out, it would have been alot more work by myself. We are now even and looking forward to helping one another out on another hunt in the near future.
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I did not get a chance to "scout" a whole lot as I have been busy with work and family commitments. Fortunately, I did get out some and some of my work is done in the area I was going to be hunting. There were many people who would ask me before the hunt if I had my bull picked out and I only told them that I didn't even know where I was going to hunt in the unit let alone have a specific bull in mind. I was trying to keep this hunt a vacation and not stress things too much.
Thursday, the day before the hunt I waited for my good friend Chris (also known as CMC) to get up to the house so that we could head out for the unit. He made it to the house a little after six I guess and we ate dinner and headed out to find a camping spot. As we were heading out to the unit I still did not even have a place in mind as to where we were going to camp. As we drove along and got into the unit I finally decided that I wanted to remain in the center of the unit so that we could be mobile and hunt different areas depending on how things were panning out. We finally picked a camp spot and set up camp and waited for the next morning to arrive.
Opening day started with the alarm going off at 4:00am as we wanted to be in position before it got too light. We chose a canyon not too far from camp that we knew bulls were using. When we got out of the truck we could hear several bulls below us but we knew with the settling winds we did not want to go after them too hard. We eased our way down the ridge and eventually worked our way below one of the bulls so that we could come up at him with the wind in our face. As we eased our way toward him we noticed that the winds were a little shifty. We finally closed the distance and spotted a raghorn about 120 yards up the hill from our position. Shortly after seeing this bull we spotted a decent 6 point up in front of him. We could also hear another bull up the ridge a little further. I decided to work my way forward a little and Chris stayed behind to do the calling. As I moved forward the first raghorn that I had seen busted out and shortly there after the rest of the elk followed. We never did get a look at the biggest bull and the last we heard was the echo of a bugle as the heard topped out over the ridge.
After our first encounter we got together to regroup and figure out what the wind was going to do. As we sat tight we would blow on a cow call once in a while to see if we could get a response. After about 20 minutes or so we looked down the ridge and we saw another raghorn working his way silently toward our position. I knew that this was not a bull that I wanted to shoot so I did not even bother getting my bow ready and we decided to see how close we could get the bull. As we were working this bull in we had a young cow come running in to about 30 yards looking for the herd that she knew was there. This elk was around for about 5 minutes before it finally sauntered off in search of greener pastures.
At this point things were getting pretty quiet so we decided to move over a ridge and see if we could entice anything to call. We did get a response so we set up again and waited to see if it would come in. As we were sitting and waiting we had a flock of turkey work themselves within 30 yards of where we were sitting. (I guess they knew that I had a tag in my pocket but that the season ended the day before.) After watching them feed off again we worked our way back to the truck to grab a bite to eat.
With food in our stomaches we headed up and over the top of the ridge to work some of the north slopes to see if we couldn't slip into a bedding area. As we worked our way slowly along, glassing every few steps, we heard a bugle coming from down below us a ways. We sat down to make a game plan and threw out a couple cow calls as we waited. After about twenty minutes and no follow up bugles we looked down and saw an elk trying to close the distance to where we were. We had a little 4x5 close in to about 25 yards of where we sat, looking for the cows that he knew he had just heard. This bull stayed around for about 10 minutes and definately could have presented a shot but again I decided to pass. We had the same thing happen with two more small bulls within the next hour.
It was now closing in on 3:30 so we decided to keep working the north slope until we came out into a nice saddle. At the saddle I figured the elk may use it to come out and feed in the evening so we again sat down and very slowly cow called to see if anything would come in. Again after about 45 minutes we had a decent 6 point come toward our calls. This bull, like the others, did not make a sound and was just coming to check things out. He never got any closer that about 60 yards and circled our position until he caught our scent and was gone.
As it started approaching evening we had a few bulls begin to call but each time we approached with the wind in our face it would shift and spoil things. We didn't see any more elk that evening and got back to camp after dark ready to do it over again the next day.
Day two started again at 4:00 with a quick breakfast of oatmeal and then we hit the road to get to our hunting area before light. We arrived at the spot we had decided on the night before just after light and after passing three cars that were parked within a mile. As we got out of the truck we could hear several bulls bugling so we again headed down a ridge to get the wind right. Once we got the wind where we wanted it we started in on the elk. We followed the herd that was moving up canyon about a half a mile before we caught up and got our first glimpse of elk. I spotted several cows about 200 yards out that were feeding and didn't seem to be moving too fast. As we closed the distance a little Chris motioned for me to look down to my left and as I looked in that direction I saw about eight cows looking directly at me. These elk soon decided that something was not right so they turned and ran off. Luckily for me these elk were not associated with the herd that I was in the process of stalking so I was still in the game.
As I neared the herd I finally got a glimpse of my target, although all that I saw was the tips of his antlers as he ran around chasing cows. At this point the elk were really moving toward their bedding areas and it was hardly possible to keep up with them let alone close any distance without being seen. The wind was also starting to get a little shifty so we decided to hold back and make a new plan.
While slowing to make this plan Chris looked up and saw something that we were not expecting. There in the middle of the ponderosa forest was a single ewe bighorn. We sat down and watched the sheep for a while until it wandered off to an unknown destination.
At this point I took the opportunity to do some major contemplating about what my next move should be. Chris thought that I actually fell asleep but in reality I was just clearing my mind and trying to think clearly. Whatever you want to call it it seemed like the right thing to do.
Anyway, back to the hunt.
While sitting and waiting for the wind to make up its mind on what it was going to do we finally decided to just head straight for the elk and see if we could get in close for a look or shot. As we neared where we thought the elk had bedded, based on the last bugles we had heard, we went into slooow mode. As we eased over a small rise I spotted the head of a cow about 15 yards out, looking away. I slowly eased an arrow onto my string and waited for the bull to step my way. Shortly after getting an arrow ready the wind shifted again and the elk were off to the races. The herd probably had about 10 cows and a good looking bull, although I only saw it from behind and didn't get a chance to count any points. We then followed the herd about 2 miles as we heard the bull bugling off up the canyon.
Finally, after getting left in the dust we found a wallow that we thought we would sit at and see if anything would come in as it was getting warm. We ended up sitting at the wallow for about 2 hours before we got too bored and had to set out in search of the elusive wapiti.
As we again set out to still hunt we headed for the north slope of the canyon that we were following to see if we couldn't find something bedded. It didn't take too long and we were looking at several spikes that were about 35 yards out. These elk spent several minutes feeding out in front of us and presented multiple shot opportunities that I would not have passed on had it been late in the season. However, being that it was only the second day I opted to pass on the two bulls.
Once these bulls fed out of sight we continued out search up the canyon. As we approached a side canyon we heard several bugles. It was now about 3:30 and we decided to see if we couldn't get the elk excited and coming in. To do this Chris moved back behind me and we both started a sequence of cow calling and bugling. As we did this the elk around us also started sounding off and really got fired up. We continued this sequence as it sounded like one of the bulls was closing the gap. After about five minutes we decided that the elk probably all had cows of their own and would not commit. We then decided to take things to them and see what kind of response we could get. As we moved closer I saw several cows and one of the bulls, which had some weird palmated antlers. We never did get any better response from our new position and the elk just kept moving off so we again changed our game plan.
After having looked at the one bull and having that herd move off we switched targets and started working toward another bull and our truck. As we headed to where we had last heard the elk we could not locate any sign of it but we did end up hearing a bull down across the canyon back toward where we started that morning. We decided that since we didn't have anything else to do at the moment that we would make a run at this new bull. We ran down the canyon and eventually found the side canyon that we thought the bull was up. We were running out of light so we made a quick stalk up the canyon and caught sight of a good looking 6x6. As was par for the course as we again closed the gap the wind shifted and the bull decided that he didn't want anything to do with the two of us. At that point we decided to cut our losses so we but on the headlamps and headed back to the truck and back to camp to regroup for day three.
As day three dawned I had made a plan that I thought would surely put us in on a plethera of unspoiled bulls. I had decided to head out an old closed logging road to an area that does not get alot of pressure. We left camp plenty early to ensure that we would get to our spot and start walking before it got light. As we got into the area I missed the spot that I was looking for so we ended up down the road about a mile further than planned. NO problem I thought we will just turn around and not miss it this time. Well as we came back to the spot we did not miss it but we did see that a truck had just parked in my spot and a hunter was getting ready to hunt my ridge. I was disapointed to say the least but we just drove past him and turned around to head to plan B.
If I only knew what plan B was it would have made the next few minutes a little less tense. I finally decided on a plan B which would take us several miles to the south of our current location. The problem with heading to this new area is that we would be driving well into daylight, when we should be out chasing bulls. Oh well, I though, all things happen for a reason.
As we headed to the ridge that I had in mind we stopped at several place to see if we could hear a bugle to chase. At each of these stops we heard nothing but the wind moving through the trees. We finally got to our second destination and got out of the truck. As we got things ready we did not hear a thing. A few cow calls and a bugle or two and again, nothing. Finally, from down and across a large canyon we heard what could have been a bugle but it was only once and it was a ways away. With nothing else to go for and with daylight burning we decided that we would definately not see anthing if we did not try to close the distance on what we thought we heard.
As we started down the "hill" our first obsticle was to skirt a small cliff. There were times that the rest of the hill didn't seem any less steep but eventually we made it to the bottom. Once we got to the bottom we worked our way down to several wallows that I knew about to see if they had received any use lately.
As we got nearer the wallows I could see a foot print in the trail ahead of us every once in a while and I wondered if another hunter beat us to the spot. The answer to that question was soon answered as I spotted a guy in black long underwear and a stalking hat sitting out in the sun. When the guy saw us he headed up the hill to his camp. At this point I am thinking, no big deal it is just a guy out camping. About 50 yards later I see another tarp and bedroll and see that this guy is still sleeping. After two more of these camps I finally talk to one of the guys to see what the deal is. At first he definatly avoided talking but I eventually learned that there were about 8 more people down below the 4 or so that we already passed. He also mentioned that they were down there "self reflecting". That was enought information for me so we walked past the rest of the group with little more that several good mornings. So much for plan B.
When we finally made it past all of these camps we had to sit down and laugh at the irony in it all. I mean who expects to see a dozen people out in the middle of nowhere. From that point on we had plenty of times throughout the day that we spent "self reflecting" or at least making fun of the contacts that we had.
At this point it was about 9:00 or 9:30 and we had decided to head back up on top of the ridge and find a seep that was on my map to see if it had seen any use. We had heard a total of about 2 bugles all morning and weren't expecting much activity the rest of the day. As we neared the top of the ridge we heard several elk sound off. We were kind of taken aback and thought what the heck, we are headed that way anyway. We finally made the top of the ridge and started easing in toward where we had heard the last bugle. As I headed in the general direction the only clear path was through a sun lit path. While in the sun I could not see into the shadows of the thick mixed conifer and before I knew it a large bull was exiting the country. About a minute later he sounded off again and as I worked closer toward him the wind shifted and that was the last we heard of him.
We were now about a half mile from the seep and took a short break to do some blind calling to see if anything would slip into our position. Nothing ever came by so we started moving to the seep to check it out. About half way there we heard a bugle that sounded like it was not too far off the side of the ridge we were on. We talked briefly about a strategy and decided to just head straight toward the bull as we could not rely on the wind holding true in any one direction anyway. As we started toward the bull I tried a few cow calls to see if he would respond at all, he immediately called back. I continued working toward where I thought he was and tried calling again, nothing. It was now just after noon as I continued slipping toward where I had last heard the bugle.
As I was closing the gap I finally got to the point where I could see antlers moving through the trees ahead of me. At that point I heard the bull bugle again, a low raspy bugle. The bull was working his way toward me and at about 60 yards out he entered the stringer of trees that I was in and continued toward where I was standing. When the bull was about 30 yards out he stopped again and let out a scream. At this point I had already made up my mind that if he presented a shot I would take it. As soon as the bull started moving again I drew my bow and waited for the right moment. The bull closed to about 20 yards and I decided to take the front on shot and let my arrow fly. The arrow hit right where I was aiming and the bull ran off about 5 yards and looked back at me. I could see that my arrow was only sticking out about 4 inches which meant that about 28 inches were in the bull. I could also see blood gushing out of the entry hole.
At this point I think that I was more excited than I have been while hunting in quite some time, if I have ever been that excited. I met up with Chris and the celebration began. We decided to wait 30 minutes but after 8 I couldn't take it any longer. We began to slowly follow the blood trail and after several hundered yards we ended up bumping up the bull that had been bedded, but not dead. We then waited a full 30 minutes and started on the trail again. This time we only went several yards before we again spotted the bull. He was still breathing so we sat down and waited for him to expire.
When we finally approached the bull I was excited. I had just killed a nice pope and young bull with a bow, it was awesome. We then took quite a few pictures and then had to get down to work. As we quartered the elk it began to rain and then hail on us. We ended up spending about an hour under a tent to avoid becoming a statistic and when the weather let up we finished the tast at hand. We hung the four quarters in trees with the head and cape and loaded our packs with the neck, backstraps, loins and misc. other meat. About 6:00 we started our treck out to the truck. We arrived to the truck around 8:00 and loaded our stuff and headed out to call in some reinforcements to help us pack out the rest of the elk in the morning.
The next morning my dad and uncle came out and met us to give us a hand. The four of us hiked in the mile and a quarter to the elk and packed out the four quarters head and cape in one trip. I think that the average pack weighed close to 80lbs for the pack out but it was worth the extra effort because we only had to do it once.
Overall the hunt was an awesome experience and I enjoyed every minute of it. The rut was not at all in full swing but was going just enough to keep things interesting. I would like to thank Chris for going along and for helping with the pack out, it would have been alot more work by myself. We are now even and looking forward to helping one another out on another hunt in the near future.
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