With so many tied up at home these days I thought it may be a good time to share some past OTC Archery Elk Hunts we've been fortunate to experience! Some longer than others! Oh well, most don't have anywhere to go! (grin) Here you go! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It was Sept the 8th on a DIY OTC Idaho elk hunt, it was also a Full Moon so very bright out although well before daylight; we had been hunting several days prior with little action. We'd called in a few cows & spikes but our main interests lies in branch antlered bulls so we kept pushing on. To date it appeared there wasn't much Rut action happening so this morning we headed out to an area that we'd heard bulls from in years past, we drove down the rugged dirt road with our pickup that most wouldn't drive on unless they had an ATV. It was an hour before daylight, time for some Night Locating!
We stopped & shut engine down, we waited 2-3 minutes; I let out a location bugle & receive a response within seconds 800' higher than we were, it was a defensive tone, this told my Son & I we had a bull with a possible hot cow, perfect, exactly what we were hoping for! The bull was a 1/2 mile up the mountain but would take us 45 minutes to get to him in the dark. It was steep & full of downfall with 8' high willows mixed in. It was a piece of crap to get to the level we knew where this bull was. No headlamp was needed to climb the brush chocked mtn as the moon was fairly bright. We trudge our way up the mtn side stumbling as we bust our way through; finally we crest the top & hear the bull bugle several more times, awesome. We had not bugled again giving away our intentions to him.
As we crest the top we are very close to daylight, still cannot see well but from several bugles we'd heard on our way up we knew the bull was within a couple hundred yards. We scanned the opening from the timber staying concealed trying to catch movement but could see nothing. We waited 5-10 minutes & had not heard anything, I decided to bugle to see if anything would happen! I received an instant response across a meadow heading into the timber, we stood at the edge of it, the elk were in the timber on opposite side of the meadow heading to bed with his cows, we were going to have to dog the herd! Fortunately for us there was a Satellite harassing this small group as well, he knew there was a cow in estrus! The Two bugled while in transition as we followed!
For those that have tried following a moving group of 6-8 elk in dark timber that weren't lolly gagging around you know how tough it can be to keep up; it was raining lightly from a few sporadic clouds. We did not follow right behind the elk on the same 40 yard wide bench they were traveling on towards their bedding area in fear of bumping into an unseen elk. Just because we heard those two bulls didn't mean there wasn't a straggler silently tagging along, it's happened to us before! (grin)
Instead we slipped back on the same mountain face we had climbed side-hilling 30 yards below the bench on the down wind side as we followed the bugling. We dogged the group for a mile, it was everything we could do to keep up within hearing distance, we still had not seen a single elk! It was my Son who noticed that the bugling seemed to be coming from one spot now, we stopped for a minute & listened, sure enough it appeared they had made their destination, their bedding area! Our favorite place to put a bull down!
We slipped in as close as we could, that ended up being aprox 50 yards below the elk. We still couldn't see anything because of a 10'-12' wall of willows separating us but could hear the herd bull panting, moaning & glunking with low guttural growls as he paced amongnst his cows, we could also hear several of the cows in a subtle to low
chatter next to the bull. The Satellite was above this group a 100 yards or so still bugling for the hot cows attention. I'm sure the herd bull could smell him & didn't like him there but he was safe as long as he stayed back! We were just under the bull with 12' high willows growing just inches apart so we still couldn't see the herd & they couldn't see us!
We decided to setup right there just yards away from the thick willows. There was a large fir tree with limbs growing to the ground, I setup my Son in front of it but backed up against its limbs. I was on the other side of this fir tree so couldn't see my Son at all even though he was just yards away from me. -- There was a large downfall tree; I setup just behind it on one knee, the tree was great for snapping its branches like a bull raking/thrashing if needed!
My Son was shooting a recurve & I a longbow, we were both nocked & ready for action, I set my longbow against a limb with arrow in place a foot or so away. I grabbed my bugle & ripped off a gnarly Lip Bawl Bugle as big & mean as I could muster & took my forearm from right to left snapping off a few branches violently, I was awaiting a Challenge Bugle, I wasn't disappointed!
I no more than got the bugle out when all I could hear & see were those 12' high willows parting violently! It happened in the blink of an eye! It was all I could do to reach for my bow & there was the bull not 8 yards away from me with steam out his nostrils, he was SCREAMING A CHALLENGE right in both our faces, he probably spit snot all over us but we didn't notice or care! (grin) I raised my bow & started to draw when I heard the wisp of feathers flying & saw the cedar shaft sink into the bull, he tore out of there in an instant but his run was a short one, he only made it 50 yards! The bull was 14 yards from my Son & he made a perfect shot! Man what a hunt it turned out to be, super exciting for sure. Another OTC Idaho bull down! Thanks!
ElkNut
It was Sept the 8th on a DIY OTC Idaho elk hunt, it was also a Full Moon so very bright out although well before daylight; we had been hunting several days prior with little action. We'd called in a few cows & spikes but our main interests lies in branch antlered bulls so we kept pushing on. To date it appeared there wasn't much Rut action happening so this morning we headed out to an area that we'd heard bulls from in years past, we drove down the rugged dirt road with our pickup that most wouldn't drive on unless they had an ATV. It was an hour before daylight, time for some Night Locating!
We stopped & shut engine down, we waited 2-3 minutes; I let out a location bugle & receive a response within seconds 800' higher than we were, it was a defensive tone, this told my Son & I we had a bull with a possible hot cow, perfect, exactly what we were hoping for! The bull was a 1/2 mile up the mountain but would take us 45 minutes to get to him in the dark. It was steep & full of downfall with 8' high willows mixed in. It was a piece of crap to get to the level we knew where this bull was. No headlamp was needed to climb the brush chocked mtn as the moon was fairly bright. We trudge our way up the mtn side stumbling as we bust our way through; finally we crest the top & hear the bull bugle several more times, awesome. We had not bugled again giving away our intentions to him.
As we crest the top we are very close to daylight, still cannot see well but from several bugles we'd heard on our way up we knew the bull was within a couple hundred yards. We scanned the opening from the timber staying concealed trying to catch movement but could see nothing. We waited 5-10 minutes & had not heard anything, I decided to bugle to see if anything would happen! I received an instant response across a meadow heading into the timber, we stood at the edge of it, the elk were in the timber on opposite side of the meadow heading to bed with his cows, we were going to have to dog the herd! Fortunately for us there was a Satellite harassing this small group as well, he knew there was a cow in estrus! The Two bugled while in transition as we followed!
For those that have tried following a moving group of 6-8 elk in dark timber that weren't lolly gagging around you know how tough it can be to keep up; it was raining lightly from a few sporadic clouds. We did not follow right behind the elk on the same 40 yard wide bench they were traveling on towards their bedding area in fear of bumping into an unseen elk. Just because we heard those two bulls didn't mean there wasn't a straggler silently tagging along, it's happened to us before! (grin)
Instead we slipped back on the same mountain face we had climbed side-hilling 30 yards below the bench on the down wind side as we followed the bugling. We dogged the group for a mile, it was everything we could do to keep up within hearing distance, we still had not seen a single elk! It was my Son who noticed that the bugling seemed to be coming from one spot now, we stopped for a minute & listened, sure enough it appeared they had made their destination, their bedding area! Our favorite place to put a bull down!
We slipped in as close as we could, that ended up being aprox 50 yards below the elk. We still couldn't see anything because of a 10'-12' wall of willows separating us but could hear the herd bull panting, moaning & glunking with low guttural growls as he paced amongnst his cows, we could also hear several of the cows in a subtle to low
chatter next to the bull. The Satellite was above this group a 100 yards or so still bugling for the hot cows attention. I'm sure the herd bull could smell him & didn't like him there but he was safe as long as he stayed back! We were just under the bull with 12' high willows growing just inches apart so we still couldn't see the herd & they couldn't see us!
We decided to setup right there just yards away from the thick willows. There was a large fir tree with limbs growing to the ground, I setup my Son in front of it but backed up against its limbs. I was on the other side of this fir tree so couldn't see my Son at all even though he was just yards away from me. -- There was a large downfall tree; I setup just behind it on one knee, the tree was great for snapping its branches like a bull raking/thrashing if needed!
My Son was shooting a recurve & I a longbow, we were both nocked & ready for action, I set my longbow against a limb with arrow in place a foot or so away. I grabbed my bugle & ripped off a gnarly Lip Bawl Bugle as big & mean as I could muster & took my forearm from right to left snapping off a few branches violently, I was awaiting a Challenge Bugle, I wasn't disappointed!
I no more than got the bugle out when all I could hear & see were those 12' high willows parting violently! It happened in the blink of an eye! It was all I could do to reach for my bow & there was the bull not 8 yards away from me with steam out his nostrils, he was SCREAMING A CHALLENGE right in both our faces, he probably spit snot all over us but we didn't notice or care! (grin) I raised my bow & started to draw when I heard the wisp of feathers flying & saw the cedar shaft sink into the bull, he tore out of there in an instant but his run was a short one, he only made it 50 yards! The bull was 14 yards from my Son & he made a perfect shot! Man what a hunt it turned out to be, super exciting for sure. Another OTC Idaho bull down! Thanks!
ElkNut
