Failure and Redemption: A hunting story

[kebes]

A few recent stories have inspired me to share....

A number of years ago my wife interned with a program that ended with a three week excursion into South Eastern India (in May). For eight months the forty or so mostly young adults who went on the trip were told, “It’s going to be hot.” In fact we were even told that temperatures would hang around the forty degree mark. There was no doubt it was going to be hot.

Despite ample warning, and even head knowledge that it was going to be hot, when we landed in Chennai I don’t think a single person was prepared for the reality of how hot it really was. Over the next few days people were dehydrated, exhausted and shocked. That type of shock is a good way of describing what my first attempt at sheep hunting was like.

[kebes]

My hunting partner and I had spent months with vacation time booked early in September and had spent a good chunk of time planning the details of our first backpack sheep hunt. I had spent the last six or seven years collecting gear and dreaming of sheep hunting and I’d convinced my newer to hunting good friend to gear up and seek out what would surely be the greatest hunting adventure we’d yet had.

While the adventure aspect of the trip certainly didn’t disappoint, it happened in ways we would never expect. Perhaps the first tip of trouble to come should have been the fact that our packs were weighing in at a ‘meagre’ seventy pounds, and no matter how many times I walked up and down the sixteen stairs in my home with my pack on(sixty times up and down was my last go, which I thought was pretty dang good) it just couldn’t prepare me for how sore I was going to be after our first day.

[kebes]

After driving an undisclosed amount of hours to an undisclosed location that I will never talk about with anyone on the pain of death (I believe that’s how sheep hunters talk), we began the roughly twenty kilometer journey to where we would camp the first night. On google earth it had looked easy. In reality we ended up completely unable to access the mountains we had planned on hunting and had to head exactly the opposite direction intended.

We flirted with following an appearing and disappearing horse trail – For an animal that big you’d think the trail would have been easier to follow. We crossed the same creek numerous times and learned the reality of ankle breaking creek beds. Finally, after fourteen or so kilometers we – all but accidently – found a well trodden trail heading up into the mountains.

[kebes]

Looks like I've hit a snag... perhaps someone could pm me how to upload photos off my computer? It's saying it's uploading them but then nothing shows up.....

[HarryToolips]

Join imgur.com, then click on the pics you loaded and load em on here pretty much like we used to do with photobucket..

[scttlp86]

I just recently had the same issue. I found my pictures were to big and had to resize them below the max file size, which I believe is 750kb.

[HarryToolips]

Look forward to the pics....

[kebes]

Hmmmm.... saying imgur files are too large?

https://i.imgur.com/pc7KpJU.jpg?6

[kebes]

and we're on our way....
https://i.imgur.com/Eb4EnYY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/EuiiGuZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Ysi2DBn.jpg

[kebes]

Now, I know what you’re thinking, “This is where it gets good.” I wish I could say that that’s the case. However, after another five or so kilometers when we finally hit a spot we could camp reality sunk in. We were just getting into sheep country and should we be successful we weren’t sure we were going to be able to get what we shot out. After some discussion about how dumb we were and how we would never do this again (which of course we’ve already changed our minds on) we made the decision to head back out the next day and try and salvage our time off.

[kebes]

After the miserable hike out, we got in the truck and drove. We didn’t know exactly where we were going to go, but after making a phone call we had a location to head to that would give us the opportunity to take advantage of one of the many three point elk seasons in region 7B.

When we arrived in the area that had been suggested to us we drove for a while until we found an area that looked like a good spot to start hiking. We parked the truck, loaded up our gear (although a good thirty pounds lighter each), and started to head to our desired location.

Once again, satellite imagery didn’t do justice to the task we’d undertaken. What we thought would be a short hike was so incredibly steep that we made little headway outside of gaining elevation. However, after our former failure we were determined to make this work.

[pg83]

Keep it coming kebes!

[kebes]

After hiking for a couple of hours we began to take note of a few things: Elk rubs, nice open grassy aspen stands and the distinct smell of rutting elk. Figuring we could use a break we sat down in one of the aspen stands that bordered a thicker coniferous area and after letting things quiet down a bit began to call.

I began with my go to sequence and squeezed off a few cow calls. A few minutes later I repeated the cow calls but threw in a short bugle at the end. It was slightly windy and my ears could have been playing tricks on me but I thought I heard a response. I immediately threw another bugle back. Perhaps this tactic is a little aggressive but I’m not overly experienced with calling and thought it would encourage an interested bull to come and check out a herd.

My hunting partner slowly worked his way over to me. He’d heard the bugle as well. Over the next two hours I went back and forth with the bull but couldn’t get him to fully commit to coming in.

[kebes]

As the conversation was slow but steady I decided to slowly walk towards the bull to, “see what I could see.” As it turned out, the aspen stand we were set up in was followed by another after a short coniferous break. I made my way back to my partner and suggested we moved to the next stand to see if we could get in the bull’s grill and get him to commit.

We moved to the stand and set up about twenty yards apart. I let out a few chirps and the bull responded immediately. There was no doubt he was close and mad so I let out a bugle to challenge.

Not a few short minutes later I heard a loud snap and looked over. My partner was pointing and mouthing, “He’s right there.” Immediately I began to see tips bridge the edge of a hill not thirty yards away. I had no shot but my partner was going to very shortly. The bull stopped and started to bugle. BANG.

[scttlp86]

Hmmmm.... saying imgur files are too large?

https://i.imgur.com/pc7KpJU.jpg?6

Not imgur but the hbc gallery. Enjoying the story so far!

[kebes]

He took off running straight in front of me. BANG, my partner let off again and the bull piled up in a heap.

After the initial euphoria of having redeemed what had seemed like a failure of a trip reality set in. “What have you done” I half joked with my partner. This was our first elk and the first animal we’d killed any distance from a truck.


https://i.imgur.com/Kh6EhnZ.jpg?1

[kebes]

We began the process of taking the meat off the animal and guessing how much we’d each be able to manage to get out. We also made the dumbest decision we could have and decided we would make use of our headlamps and hike back out to the truck that night.

To make a long story short, we left what we couldn’t carry – hung or elevated – and began to make our way back to the truck. We started our trek at nine in the evening, and after numerous rookie mistakes (like descending too far and getting stuck in a creek ravine), and what was easily the hardest thing I’ve physically done in my life, we made it back to the truck at three in the morning. Six hours to go three or four kilometers.

There were times on that hike where I thought we very well may not make it off that stupid mountain. But we did, and after sleeping for a few hours in the truck we kicked our butts out of ‘bed’ and went back for the rest. I’ll say, it’s amazing what light can do. What had taken us six hours the night before took us two hours in the light.

Looking back, I find it funny how many times I promised myself, “I’ll never do this again” over the course of those few days. While I spent almost all of September and Most of October with numb toes (should have tied my boots up a bit tighter) it still didn’t take long for that sentiment to fade. The fact is, as hard as hunting can be, pain and memories of failure fade and the beauty and mystery of nature always call us back for more!

[kebes]

https://i.imgur.com/BomsruP.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/na2Kbp4.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/GsV8d6Z.jpg?1

[pg83]

Great job! My first trip North was similar to the start of your, it took a year to get to the redemption part.


Edit: How was the walking with those antlers up high like that? I was almost ready to leave my gun behind this August and I had it strapped to the side of my pack. I'm pretty sure it got caught up on every tree, shrub, and bush I passed...

[two-feet]

Ive never shot an elk, but my mouth started watering when i saw the pic of it. Looks deliscious

[Sitkaspruce]

Great story!! Great Bull!!

Thanks for sharing and bringing us along!

Cheers

SS

[Zedbra]

Great story - I've had a few of those "I'll never do this again" moments and then in hindsight over time, realize they are always the fondest moments. Enjoy that elk meat - you earned it.

[kebes]

Great job! My first trip North was similar to the start of your, it took a year to get to the redemption part.


Edit: How was the walking with those antlers up high like that? I was almost ready to leave my gun behind this August and I had it strapped to the side of my pack. I'm pretty sure it got caught up on every tree, shrub, and bush I passed...

It as probably pretty funny for my hunting partner to watch. I pulled them through a lot of smaller brush but every now and again I would try and pull through some 'brush' and realize it wasn't moving too late and I'd end up on my butt. I was pretty impressed with how tight I was able to cinch those bad boys down though.

[kennyj]

Great story! Back pack hunting is a lot harder than it looks.
kenny