bwhnter
09-05-2008, 10:33 PM
Well, here is an interesting story for all of you. After 3 really slow days with only a couple of smallish 5 points to be found we were looking forward to finding some active bulls. Pulling on to an old location we climbed out and walked to the edge of the lease. It was 20 min before first light so we decided to let out a bugle and see if we could get a response. The excitment was high as a bugle came back to us from the other side of the valley. He was a good 2km away so we decided to drive around to the other side to get the wind right and to cut the distance down. 10 min later we were near the other side of the valley but the bull wouldn't respond and the wind had switched. Climbing back into the truck we raced back to the original spot. It was starting to get light so we wanted to make sure that the bull was still in the area and hadn't moved away. This time his response was only about 500 yards away. The race was on we were trying to get our bows and camo on. He bugled again this time under 200 yards, I thought that I was literally going to be caught with my pants down. CT had his bow and I had all of my gear but my suspenders were not on my shoulders but that was as good as it was going to get because we could hear him pushing his way through the regrowth. With CT hiding in a wash on the side of the lease I looked around for some place to hide. My only option that was within sprinting distance was a piece of culvert about 3' x 4' that was standing on end. Climbing in I gave a few cow calls and the bull answered right away less than 50 yards from CT. At 30 yards he spotted CT and spooked but he ran closer, closing the distance to 17 yards. As CT began to draw his bow the bull spooked again and ran around to the other side of the lease where he appeared yards from the hood of the truck. Spinning in his tracks he bailed back into the trees. This was all relayed to me by CT because I couldn't see from where I was hidden. As He was telling me all of this I looked to where he had been and there he was standing there looking at us. Crouching down we crawled closer hidden by the birm of the lease. Peaking over top I ranged him at 39 yards and let CT know. Drawing he took aim but the bull spooked and turned towards the trees, a cow call stopped him long enough for an arrow to be released. A combination of a malfunction with his drop away rest and the bull moving caused the arrow to strike him well back of the kill zone. CT was very upset but after a short discussion we agreed that it was a flank shot and that we would give him 6 hours.
As we were heading to my place to get my dog to help us track, we laughed at how funny we would have looked if some one had pulled in as we were hurrying to get our camo on. We also discussed that if left the bull would probably just go a short distance and bed down and if he did so it would be one of our easiest hunts. BOY WERE WE WRONG!!!!!
At 1:00 we were back ready to track him down. Heading to where he was standing when the arrow hit him, we began scouring the ground and surrounding bushes for blood. 15 yards later we finally found a little but there was hardly any. After looking for awhile with no luck we agreed that I should get my dog ,Thea, who is a coon hound/Rhodisian Ridge Back cross. I had never trained her to track but I thought that we had nothing to lose. At first she was just to busy smelling everything around her but after a bit she kept pulling me in a direction that I didn't think the elk would have gone. Letting her lead me I was surprised to see blood smeared all over a log. Following the trail I was pleased to see quite a bit of blood. My confidence began to rise but after nearly 4 hours and 3 km we still had yet to see the bull. He was still bleeding but he had only bedded once. Ahead a bull bugled and the another and another. CT was leading and I was behind with Thea. Scanning the bush I could see the bull standing 70 yards ahead, nocking an arrow CT tried to close the distance but the bull slowly moved away. A few minutes later I spotted the body of an elk below us glassing him I could see antlers so I got CT's attention and the bull moved away before we could get a good look. We took up the trail again and were surprised to find that the bull we had seen below us was a different bull as the our bull had moved up the hill rather than down. Two bulls then started bugling in the trees less than 100 yards away. Handing Thea's leash to CT I signaled that I was going to try to sneak closer to take a look. Easing through the trees I found myself within 30 yards of a bull. I couldn't get a good look at his antlers at first but when he turned to walk away I got a good look and my jaw hit the ground he was well over 300. Nocking an arrow I was about to move after him when movement to my right caught my attention. Walking towards me was another smaller 6X6. Unable to move and not interested in shooting the smaller bull all that I could do was watch as the big bull walked away. The small bull came within 10 yards before he sensed danger and moved off after the bigger bull who was still bugling in the distance. I was bursting with excitement and adrenalin as I trotted back to CT to share the what had happened.
After a quick drink of water we resumed the tracking and after half an hour and 400 yards more CT managed to close in on the bull and give him the "coupe de grace". We were beat but very excited.
We had originally thought that it had been a gut shot but as the distance grew we began to wonder. It turned out that the arrow had struck him in the hip causing enough damage that it was unable to clot. He had bled so much that we were covered in blood and so was Thea. When we finally caught up to him he was on his last legs.
What we had originally thought was going to be our easiest elk hunt turned into our hardest. We finally loaded the meat in our truck 36 hours after the first arrow was released. I am falling asleep as I type this so if there are mistakes I apologize but you know what? I am going to try and do it all over again in less than 6 hours because IT WAS AWESOME!!!!:razz::razz::razz:
PS Before you start asking for pictures and calling foul I will let you know that I accidently erased them so I will get them from CT tomorrow afternoon.
As we were heading to my place to get my dog to help us track, we laughed at how funny we would have looked if some one had pulled in as we were hurrying to get our camo on. We also discussed that if left the bull would probably just go a short distance and bed down and if he did so it would be one of our easiest hunts. BOY WERE WE WRONG!!!!!
At 1:00 we were back ready to track him down. Heading to where he was standing when the arrow hit him, we began scouring the ground and surrounding bushes for blood. 15 yards later we finally found a little but there was hardly any. After looking for awhile with no luck we agreed that I should get my dog ,Thea, who is a coon hound/Rhodisian Ridge Back cross. I had never trained her to track but I thought that we had nothing to lose. At first she was just to busy smelling everything around her but after a bit she kept pulling me in a direction that I didn't think the elk would have gone. Letting her lead me I was surprised to see blood smeared all over a log. Following the trail I was pleased to see quite a bit of blood. My confidence began to rise but after nearly 4 hours and 3 km we still had yet to see the bull. He was still bleeding but he had only bedded once. Ahead a bull bugled and the another and another. CT was leading and I was behind with Thea. Scanning the bush I could see the bull standing 70 yards ahead, nocking an arrow CT tried to close the distance but the bull slowly moved away. A few minutes later I spotted the body of an elk below us glassing him I could see antlers so I got CT's attention and the bull moved away before we could get a good look. We took up the trail again and were surprised to find that the bull we had seen below us was a different bull as the our bull had moved up the hill rather than down. Two bulls then started bugling in the trees less than 100 yards away. Handing Thea's leash to CT I signaled that I was going to try to sneak closer to take a look. Easing through the trees I found myself within 30 yards of a bull. I couldn't get a good look at his antlers at first but when he turned to walk away I got a good look and my jaw hit the ground he was well over 300. Nocking an arrow I was about to move after him when movement to my right caught my attention. Walking towards me was another smaller 6X6. Unable to move and not interested in shooting the smaller bull all that I could do was watch as the big bull walked away. The small bull came within 10 yards before he sensed danger and moved off after the bigger bull who was still bugling in the distance. I was bursting with excitement and adrenalin as I trotted back to CT to share the what had happened.
After a quick drink of water we resumed the tracking and after half an hour and 400 yards more CT managed to close in on the bull and give him the "coupe de grace". We were beat but very excited.
We had originally thought that it had been a gut shot but as the distance grew we began to wonder. It turned out that the arrow had struck him in the hip causing enough damage that it was unable to clot. He had bled so much that we were covered in blood and so was Thea. When we finally caught up to him he was on his last legs.
What we had originally thought was going to be our easiest elk hunt turned into our hardest. We finally loaded the meat in our truck 36 hours after the first arrow was released. I am falling asleep as I type this so if there are mistakes I apologize but you know what? I am going to try and do it all over again in less than 6 hours because IT WAS AWESOME!!!!:razz::razz::razz:
PS Before you start asking for pictures and calling foul I will let you know that I accidently erased them so I will get them from CT tomorrow afternoon.