tomahawk
02-07-2009, 12:44 PM
I thought seeing as how there is a lull in hunting stories and activity at this time of year I would share this hunting story of taking a wolf with a bow. Its a long story but lots of things took place so here it is.
Slowly turning my head I could see a large black wolf 12 yds from me. My anxiety level rose steeply as I came to the realization that I was alone in the middle of a circling pack of wolves .
It was Sept 19th and with an LEH Authorization for a Mature Bull Moose in hand I had high hopes of calling in a large bull close enough to harvest with my bow.
It was just getting light as I reached the eastern edge of the swamp and decided on a spot to sit just inside the Spruce trees that ringed the entire swamp. I took my back pack off and waited for about 5 minutes and bellowed out my first cow call and instantly heard a loud snap from the heavy timber on the south end of the swamp. I called again as soon as I could and could hear the sounds of the moose's hooves pounding the terrain as it raced towards me. I quickly pulled the camo mask over my face and brought my Martin bow to full draw. I couldn't help but think how unusual it was to have the bull running so aggressively to my call.
I could hear it getting closer and closer as it's hooves pounded the ground, it's body snapping the branches and shrubs that stood in its way. To my surprise it was a cow moose, her chest was heaving with every deep breathe she took. Disappointed I relaxed the broadhead tipped arrow but left it on the rest as the cow started to move around me so that my back was now towards the swamp. She stood 9 yds from me while I grunted to her and wondered how such a healthy cow did not have a calf with her. Suddenly her behavior changed, her head lifted quickly, staring over me as her body stiffened. With a loud deep bark she raced away from the swamp, crashing through the bush as she disappeared quickly out of sight. I slowly turned and was stunned, as 10 yds away stood a large wolf, tan in colour and behind it about 25 yds were 2 smaller, scruffy looking wolves.
Suddenly my thoughts were interupted as the large wolf curled its upper lip and snapped its jaws together quickly with enough force that I could hear the clashing of its teeth very clearly over the still air of the swamp. I held steady and watched as it did it again as if trying to intimidate me and make me move. I continued to bull grunt softly.
I could feel a chill run up my spine as the large wolf's eyes seemed to glare right through me with a ghostly stare. It's upper lip slowly curled and raised again exposing a large imposing set of canines and then it snapped it's jaws together with a loud clashing of teeth. I caught a glimpse of some movement to my right. Slowly turning my head I saw a large black wolf about 12 yds away making its way from behind me towards the area of the other wolves. My anxiety level rose steeply as I came to the realization that I was alone in the middle of a pack of wolves with nothing more than my bow and arrow and they were circling me. As quickly as the black wolf appeared it disappeared in to the tall grass but not before stopping to stare into my eyes for a moment as it passed by me at 11 yds on the trail leading into the spruce swamp.
I refocused my attention on the large tan wolf. It made me very uneasy with the most eirie stare from it's large glossy eyes, then it started to turn away and head back towards the other 2 wolves. But half way through the turn it suddenly turned sharply back towards me. I remained still and continued to grunt. Twice more it repeated this move and quickly swung back towards me but could not get me to move an inch.
Then off to my left I could see movement, I ever so slowly turned my head in that direction and saw yet another different wolf about 35 yds out moving from in front of me towards my back. I realized that this wolf was going to give me a shot opportunity when it walked behind a small Spruce tree. As its head passed behind the tree I slowly raised my bow and drew my arrow to full draw....SCREECH went the aluminum arrow across my rest and the wolf stopped dead in its tracks, I could only see its eyes staring at me from behind the branches. Eventually it turned around and headed back into the swamp without presenting a good shot.
I slowly turned my head back to check on the large tan wolf but it was gone. I quickly scanned the area and could not see hide nor hair of it. I noticed a few tops of tall grass on the swamp trail bend towards the ground and started to see more and more of the body of a wolf making its way towards me. Awesome, its the large tan wolf trying to make its way around me. It was walking slowly with its eyes fixed straight ahead on the trail as if it had no idea that I existed. Then it stopped, slowly it turned its head toward me and stared right through me. Its ghostly, penetrating stare made me shiver and question what I was doing. Then it returned its head and continued along the game trail exiting the swamp. As its head disappeared behind the Spruce tree I felt my opportunity had arrived and I quickly drew my bow to full draw....SCREECH! It froze in its tracks only 12 yds from me but I could see most of its chest and I quickly released the arrow. The arrow struck with a loud thunk as the wolf spun and raced back into the swamp. The eerie silence over the swamp was finally broken.
I waited for a few minutes, marked where I had shot from and made my way over to see if I could find blood. I struggled to find blood where it had stood so I followed the trail and at about 30yds I found 2 spots of blood the size of a pea. I was very disappointed so I went back and started all over again. Finally I realized I was looking behind the wrong tree and went and found my arrow buried in a stump. It was covered in blood and bubbles so I new it was a good lung shot. I followed the trail again but could find no more blood so I stood up on a large stump. I could hear some rustling off to my right in the larger Spruce trees and was surprised to see a wolf walking out of the area and across in front of me at 35-40 yds. I drew my bow....SCREECH. It stopped and stared at me very nervously. I released the arrow, it jumped the string and the arrow shot just over its back and into the swamp grass. Then quickly another wolf came out of the same area and ran across in front of me and disappeared into the swamp.
I jumped down off the stump and headed in the direction of where they had emerged and was startled as I walked around a bush and almost stepped on my wolf. He was laying about 45 yds from where I had shot, the dominate record book male of the pack.
A day I will never forget! I found the calf later that day that was with the cow they were chasing, they had it pretty well consumed when I got to it.
(Scull measurement 16 and 6\16).
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/bowwolf-1-1.jpg
Slowly turning my head I could see a large black wolf 12 yds from me. My anxiety level rose steeply as I came to the realization that I was alone in the middle of a circling pack of wolves .
It was Sept 19th and with an LEH Authorization for a Mature Bull Moose in hand I had high hopes of calling in a large bull close enough to harvest with my bow.
It was just getting light as I reached the eastern edge of the swamp and decided on a spot to sit just inside the Spruce trees that ringed the entire swamp. I took my back pack off and waited for about 5 minutes and bellowed out my first cow call and instantly heard a loud snap from the heavy timber on the south end of the swamp. I called again as soon as I could and could hear the sounds of the moose's hooves pounding the terrain as it raced towards me. I quickly pulled the camo mask over my face and brought my Martin bow to full draw. I couldn't help but think how unusual it was to have the bull running so aggressively to my call.
I could hear it getting closer and closer as it's hooves pounded the ground, it's body snapping the branches and shrubs that stood in its way. To my surprise it was a cow moose, her chest was heaving with every deep breathe she took. Disappointed I relaxed the broadhead tipped arrow but left it on the rest as the cow started to move around me so that my back was now towards the swamp. She stood 9 yds from me while I grunted to her and wondered how such a healthy cow did not have a calf with her. Suddenly her behavior changed, her head lifted quickly, staring over me as her body stiffened. With a loud deep bark she raced away from the swamp, crashing through the bush as she disappeared quickly out of sight. I slowly turned and was stunned, as 10 yds away stood a large wolf, tan in colour and behind it about 25 yds were 2 smaller, scruffy looking wolves.
Suddenly my thoughts were interupted as the large wolf curled its upper lip and snapped its jaws together quickly with enough force that I could hear the clashing of its teeth very clearly over the still air of the swamp. I held steady and watched as it did it again as if trying to intimidate me and make me move. I continued to bull grunt softly.
I could feel a chill run up my spine as the large wolf's eyes seemed to glare right through me with a ghostly stare. It's upper lip slowly curled and raised again exposing a large imposing set of canines and then it snapped it's jaws together with a loud clashing of teeth. I caught a glimpse of some movement to my right. Slowly turning my head I saw a large black wolf about 12 yds away making its way from behind me towards the area of the other wolves. My anxiety level rose steeply as I came to the realization that I was alone in the middle of a pack of wolves with nothing more than my bow and arrow and they were circling me. As quickly as the black wolf appeared it disappeared in to the tall grass but not before stopping to stare into my eyes for a moment as it passed by me at 11 yds on the trail leading into the spruce swamp.
I refocused my attention on the large tan wolf. It made me very uneasy with the most eirie stare from it's large glossy eyes, then it started to turn away and head back towards the other 2 wolves. But half way through the turn it suddenly turned sharply back towards me. I remained still and continued to grunt. Twice more it repeated this move and quickly swung back towards me but could not get me to move an inch.
Then off to my left I could see movement, I ever so slowly turned my head in that direction and saw yet another different wolf about 35 yds out moving from in front of me towards my back. I realized that this wolf was going to give me a shot opportunity when it walked behind a small Spruce tree. As its head passed behind the tree I slowly raised my bow and drew my arrow to full draw....SCREECH went the aluminum arrow across my rest and the wolf stopped dead in its tracks, I could only see its eyes staring at me from behind the branches. Eventually it turned around and headed back into the swamp without presenting a good shot.
I slowly turned my head back to check on the large tan wolf but it was gone. I quickly scanned the area and could not see hide nor hair of it. I noticed a few tops of tall grass on the swamp trail bend towards the ground and started to see more and more of the body of a wolf making its way towards me. Awesome, its the large tan wolf trying to make its way around me. It was walking slowly with its eyes fixed straight ahead on the trail as if it had no idea that I existed. Then it stopped, slowly it turned its head toward me and stared right through me. Its ghostly, penetrating stare made me shiver and question what I was doing. Then it returned its head and continued along the game trail exiting the swamp. As its head disappeared behind the Spruce tree I felt my opportunity had arrived and I quickly drew my bow to full draw....SCREECH! It froze in its tracks only 12 yds from me but I could see most of its chest and I quickly released the arrow. The arrow struck with a loud thunk as the wolf spun and raced back into the swamp. The eerie silence over the swamp was finally broken.
I waited for a few minutes, marked where I had shot from and made my way over to see if I could find blood. I struggled to find blood where it had stood so I followed the trail and at about 30yds I found 2 spots of blood the size of a pea. I was very disappointed so I went back and started all over again. Finally I realized I was looking behind the wrong tree and went and found my arrow buried in a stump. It was covered in blood and bubbles so I new it was a good lung shot. I followed the trail again but could find no more blood so I stood up on a large stump. I could hear some rustling off to my right in the larger Spruce trees and was surprised to see a wolf walking out of the area and across in front of me at 35-40 yds. I drew my bow....SCREECH. It stopped and stared at me very nervously. I released the arrow, it jumped the string and the arrow shot just over its back and into the swamp grass. Then quickly another wolf came out of the same area and ran across in front of me and disappeared into the swamp.
I jumped down off the stump and headed in the direction of where they had emerged and was startled as I walked around a bush and almost stepped on my wolf. He was laying about 45 yds from where I had shot, the dominate record book male of the pack.
A day I will never forget! I found the calf later that day that was with the cow they were chasing, they had it pretty well consumed when I got to it.
(Scull measurement 16 and 6\16).
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj230/tomahawktom/bowwolf-1-1.jpg