Tank
10-21-2011, 11:09 AM
After the success of our group's Northern BC elk hunt earlier this fall I have settled in to the idea of trying to tag an elusive white tail buck with my bow. I put in a bunch of effort over the past few weeks scouting a local property that I have permission to hunt on. After selecting what looked like a great travel corridor through the bush, I went out last Saturday and set up my stand. I had been day dreaming about a bruiser buck and contemplating what a great spot it was going to be when the rut fires up when I decided that I couldn't wait any longer and went out for my first sit on Wednesday evening. I only had a couple of hours to sit, but it would have to do.
About an hour after climbing into my stand I could hear the sound of something shuffling through the forest. The bush is pretty open in there but the sound was coming from directly behind the spruce tree I had set up in, so I couldn't see much. As the sounds got closer I could tell it was likely multiple animals. I had an arrow nocked and was getting pretty excited....after all I had an antlerless tag to burn as well....even if there wasn't a big buck on his way, there had to at least be a doe in the group....I was probably going to get a chance to shoot something!
The sounds kept getting louder as the animals moved closer....when the nearest was about 40 yrds from my stand I finally got a peek.....it was an elk! I just about fell out of my stand....the season still had 5 days to go and I had a tag in my pocket! It was a heart pounding wait to see if one of the animals would wander past the back of my stand and into a shooting lane. Finally a cow slipped past a lane at 35 yrds. Before the next animal could cross I drew and held.......a bull stepped into the lane and I gave him a whistle. He stopped for the two seconds I needed to settle my pins tight behind the shoulder. After the release there was a satisfying "thwack" and as the bull turned I could see a few inches of fletching protruding from crease behind his shoulder. The bull trotted off about 50 yrds before coming to a stop and toppling over! woo hoo!
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showfull.php?photo=25146
About an hour after climbing into my stand I could hear the sound of something shuffling through the forest. The bush is pretty open in there but the sound was coming from directly behind the spruce tree I had set up in, so I couldn't see much. As the sounds got closer I could tell it was likely multiple animals. I had an arrow nocked and was getting pretty excited....after all I had an antlerless tag to burn as well....even if there wasn't a big buck on his way, there had to at least be a doe in the group....I was probably going to get a chance to shoot something!
The sounds kept getting louder as the animals moved closer....when the nearest was about 40 yrds from my stand I finally got a peek.....it was an elk! I just about fell out of my stand....the season still had 5 days to go and I had a tag in my pocket! It was a heart pounding wait to see if one of the animals would wander past the back of my stand and into a shooting lane. Finally a cow slipped past a lane at 35 yrds. Before the next animal could cross I drew and held.......a bull stepped into the lane and I gave him a whistle. He stopped for the two seconds I needed to settle my pins tight behind the shoulder. After the release there was a satisfying "thwack" and as the bull turned I could see a few inches of fletching protruding from crease behind his shoulder. The bull trotted off about 50 yrds before coming to a stop and toppling over! woo hoo!
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showfull.php?photo=25146