My bow is going to get tuned up. New strings, silencers, and rest. New heavier arrows as well.
Another change I would like to make is to find a hunting partner that is a comparable caller. It's hard getting those bulls to finish when you're on your own.
Hunt both. Definitely putting too much thought into it. Probably because it means so much to you. I get it, it means a lot to me too. Go hunt, don't sweat the pack out. My mentality is deal with it when its a problem when it comes to pack-outs (within reason). The second spot sounds like the...
I should have been more patient and let the bulls come to me. I spooked several bulls that were coming to me on a string this year because I was trying to find the perfect location for a shot. Each time the wind would shift or they saw me or my partner.
I also learned the difficulties of solo...
I shot a Rage Trypan through a cow at 2 yards this weekend and it was a full pass through with similar specs. 60 lb, 28". I think that hit a rib, and it just slowed it down. Maybe even broke the rib. IMO, that's a dead bull just based on penetration.
I had a great season. I hunted various spots across Colorado and found elk in nearly all of them. I had 8 different bulls within 80 yards but never got a real shot opportunity. The stars just never aligned. I can't complain though. I only hunted 8 days this season. It doesn't get better than...
Check regs for those units. Archery OTC tags just went to bull only (opposed to either sex) because of low elk population numbers. I live in 444 and elk numbers are definitely low, but you can find them if you put the time in.