Bowhunting season finally got here on September 1st. Elk was the first thing on the agenda, so my hunting partner, Keith, and I went to an area I’ve been hunting for a few years. Last year I managed to take a bull in the area, and the pack out was pretty tough because of the distance and the terrain. But with 3 of us there, we managed to get him out in one load. I have packed a number elk out before, but that particular pack was one of the toughest. That experience prompted me, and Keith, to get new packs that could better handle the load of packing out elk quarters. As it turns out, it’s a good thing we did.
The first day we hiked into the area, crested a ridge and heard our first bugle of the year. We hunted through the area, bumped a couple of elk (unfortunately), but overall the bulls weren’t bugling much. It was a little warm and it is a little early in the rut for them to be too active. Through the course of the day we heard a few different bulls, and had two different bulls at 30 and 45 yards, but no shot opportunities. What a great start to the season. The 1st of September and we had a number of bulls calling, plus a couple in close. No shots, but absolutely a terrific day.
The next day we hiked back into the same area, hoping to get on a bull we had heard in a deep drainage the evening before. We glassed and called in the area for a couple of hours, but only saw one cow elk on a ridge across the valley from us. We heard no bugling. We decided to get into the timber to try and locate some water. We had previously spotted some areas, on the maps, that looked like they may have water. We found a fairly major trail into the timber, walked in 50 yards or so, and Keith gave a couple of cow calls. We started to walk more when a bull screamed a bugle at us not far away in the timber. He had obviously heard our calls, and probably us walking in the timber (it was almost dead calm, with a slight breeze blowing from him to us), and assumed we were an elk moving towards him. The day before Keith had been going in front to get setup for a shot, while I called from behind him. This day, he insisted I go forward and setup, while he setup a little further back. We got ready quickly, which was a good thing, as less than a minute later I could hear the bull coming toward us. In a few seconds he appeared on the trail and walked right in. I was 10 yards from him when he stopped briefly and I had a perfect broadside shot. The arrow went right where I aimed and he bolted towards Keith. Keith got a little flustered when the bull stopped at 15 yards (or less) from him and ended up ‘flinging’ a shot that went between the bull’s antlers! He knew I had hit the bull, but really lost his composure when trying to make a quick follow up shot. He doesn’t remember feeling his kisser button, or looking through his peep sight, when he took the shot. As he said, he ‘spazzed out’! He was pretty excited! The bull turned and walked just out of sight, but appeared to be laboring as he went. Ten minutes later we started to look for him, and found him in a few seconds piled up only 50 yards or so from where I shot.
When I first saw the bull, I thought he was a pretty nice bull – maybe a nice 5x5. I knew he was legal (needs to be 3 point or bigger in the area we were in), and concentrated on getting a good shot, so I really didn’t pay attention to his headgear after that. When we walked up to him we found a big 6x6 – the biggest bull I have taken. Not sure yet what he scores, but he is a great bull. The other thing we noticed was his huge body. That reality was a little intimidating, because we had to carry all that meat out! It took us from 10:00 in the morning to 9:00 that evening to cut him up and pack him out. It was about a 4 mile trip, maybe a little further, from where he fell to the truck. We each made 2 trips with grossly oversized pack loads through some nasty timber, steep slopes and alder choked trails. We thought last year the pack was tough, but this one was tougher. At least our new packs handled the loads quite well. We kept saying “a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step” and, after what seemed like 2000 miles, got all of the meat and the antlers to the truck. On the hike out I said I never wanted to shoot an elk again – the pack out was definitely the hardest physical thing either of us has ever done. But with the hard work behind us, I’ll probably change my mind on that! I couldn’t be happier with this bull. A beautiful, big, mature 6x6. This is the kind of bull I have been hoping for since I started elk hunting. I’ve appreciated every elk I’ve been lucky enough to get, but getting a bull of this size is extra special. Now to try to get one for Keith! Hopefully a smaller bull(!) and a lot closer to the road!
The first day we hiked into the area, crested a ridge and heard our first bugle of the year. We hunted through the area, bumped a couple of elk (unfortunately), but overall the bulls weren’t bugling much. It was a little warm and it is a little early in the rut for them to be too active. Through the course of the day we heard a few different bulls, and had two different bulls at 30 and 45 yards, but no shot opportunities. What a great start to the season. The 1st of September and we had a number of bulls calling, plus a couple in close. No shots, but absolutely a terrific day.
The next day we hiked back into the same area, hoping to get on a bull we had heard in a deep drainage the evening before. We glassed and called in the area for a couple of hours, but only saw one cow elk on a ridge across the valley from us. We heard no bugling. We decided to get into the timber to try and locate some water. We had previously spotted some areas, on the maps, that looked like they may have water. We found a fairly major trail into the timber, walked in 50 yards or so, and Keith gave a couple of cow calls. We started to walk more when a bull screamed a bugle at us not far away in the timber. He had obviously heard our calls, and probably us walking in the timber (it was almost dead calm, with a slight breeze blowing from him to us), and assumed we were an elk moving towards him. The day before Keith had been going in front to get setup for a shot, while I called from behind him. This day, he insisted I go forward and setup, while he setup a little further back. We got ready quickly, which was a good thing, as less than a minute later I could hear the bull coming toward us. In a few seconds he appeared on the trail and walked right in. I was 10 yards from him when he stopped briefly and I had a perfect broadside shot. The arrow went right where I aimed and he bolted towards Keith. Keith got a little flustered when the bull stopped at 15 yards (or less) from him and ended up ‘flinging’ a shot that went between the bull’s antlers! He knew I had hit the bull, but really lost his composure when trying to make a quick follow up shot. He doesn’t remember feeling his kisser button, or looking through his peep sight, when he took the shot. As he said, he ‘spazzed out’! He was pretty excited! The bull turned and walked just out of sight, but appeared to be laboring as he went. Ten minutes later we started to look for him, and found him in a few seconds piled up only 50 yards or so from where I shot.
When I first saw the bull, I thought he was a pretty nice bull – maybe a nice 5x5. I knew he was legal (needs to be 3 point or bigger in the area we were in), and concentrated on getting a good shot, so I really didn’t pay attention to his headgear after that. When we walked up to him we found a big 6x6 – the biggest bull I have taken. Not sure yet what he scores, but he is a great bull. The other thing we noticed was his huge body. That reality was a little intimidating, because we had to carry all that meat out! It took us from 10:00 in the morning to 9:00 that evening to cut him up and pack him out. It was about a 4 mile trip, maybe a little further, from where he fell to the truck. We each made 2 trips with grossly oversized pack loads through some nasty timber, steep slopes and alder choked trails. We thought last year the pack was tough, but this one was tougher. At least our new packs handled the loads quite well. We kept saying “a journey of 1000 miles begins with one step” and, after what seemed like 2000 miles, got all of the meat and the antlers to the truck. On the hike out I said I never wanted to shoot an elk again – the pack out was definitely the hardest physical thing either of us has ever done. But with the hard work behind us, I’ll probably change my mind on that! I couldn’t be happier with this bull. A beautiful, big, mature 6x6. This is the kind of bull I have been hoping for since I started elk hunting. I’ve appreciated every elk I’ve been lucky enough to get, but getting a bull of this size is extra special. Now to try to get one for Keith! Hopefully a smaller bull(!) and a lot closer to the road!
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