TROPHYROCK
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When it comes to hunting, my brother Dusty is actually more passionate about chasing big bucks, so the few elk points he had were burning a big hole in his pocket last winter. He really wanted to get back to building deer points again. So me being the archery elk nut in the family, I talked Dusty into applying for a Fishlake Bow Permit this year and he drew it.
The first 10 days of the season we took it slow hunting only two nights a week. We placed a blind on a catch pond and a trail camera over Trophy Rock in some dark timber in another good area. We should have had a camera on the wallow. We could tell that a solo bull was using it; we just couldn't time him right. I think this bull was hitting it after hours.
Our Trophy Rock site took some 500+ photos of elk for us in two weeks. We were trying to be patient waiting for herd bulls to show up for the pre-rut and join all the cows and small bulls that were coming into our camera. We?d check it every 3-4 days to keep an eye on things. Dusty was worried as each day ticked away. I kept telling him it's going to be great here in a week or so and to have faith.
On the evening of Sept.1, we decided to check the camera again that evening after work. It had been 4 days. While we were pouring over new images, we heard what we thought was an elk coming in. I was sure I heard an antler hit a tree and told Dusty to get an arrow ready. Because we hadn't been quietly talking, I softly hit the cow call for a bit hoping it might cause whatever was below us to calm down and think we were some elk on the Trophy Rock. Whatever it was, it went silent. I was glassing in the timber below and caught the rump of a big bodied elk bedded only 60 yards away under a big pine.
We shifted position and we could see the backend of his left beam sporting a long sword. He was looking away from us the whole time. Dusty took off his shoes and slipped down in the deadfall to get within range. I cow called again and the bull didn't seem to care what he was hearing. I got aggressive with my cow sounds and still nothing, he kept staring forward. During all this, Dusty got in even closer and then the bull turned to look at him, he must of heard something. I softly got on the cow call a third time to keep him settled. The bull stood up in slow motion and took two slow steps with his head to the ground out from under the pine tree. The bull presented Dusty with a perfect broadside shot and Dusty stuck him good at 27yds. The bull went crashing below us. I tried to get it all on camera, but it was just too darn thick and my auto focus was hitting the brush closer to me.
My brother had the elk fever shakes when I got up to him. It was hilarious! He said he had to actually bite a hole in his lip to keep his composure with the shot. He said he has never been that shook up. He was pumped when we found 5 inches of arrow and bloody vanes sitting there on the ground. We waited for a few minutes and talked about what just played out as it was getting dark fast.
We went 10-20 yards to see what kind of blood trail we had to follow and there below, only 50yds ahead, was a rack sticking up. I told Dusty...?There he is!? While at the same time things weren't right with the color of it's antlers in my mind. Well come to find out, Dusty?s bull ran right over the top of another dead bull that had been laying there for quite some time. We decided it was late and not enough of a heavy blood trail to follow it up in the dark, so we backed out until morning. That was a long night for Dusty he couldn't fall asleep.
We recovered Dusty?s bull that next morning. It was high fives! He didn't go far and it was fun seeing Dusty?s excitement. I was glad to be able to enjoy the moment with him. He deserved it! We caped and de-boned him. We hiked out two heavy pack frames. On the return trip, only 3 hours later, Dusty was cussing me because the 4 water bottles I left for us were empty, scattered and crushed. He thought I did it maybe washing my hands again right before we left. I went over to them and they had been chewed up! We were so thirsty we drank the one that was ? full hoping we wouldn't catch anything. A back strap and a hind quarter we had hung in the trees was chewed on and dirty there on the ground. That's the first time in all my years an animal has messed with a kill I have been a part of. I thought this bear was pretty darn bold!
To finish the story, on Labor Day, Dusty took his kids and two of mine for a hike to take-down our trail camera. That's when we noticed we caught two different bear on the Trophy Rock after he killed his elk, a chocolate sow and a big tall long black boar. The boar tried ripping our camera off the tree. He got two of the mounts to break and then gave up on it thank goodness. We showed the photos to some local bear hunters and they caught the old sow (they thought she was really old). They caught her twice this past week but they haven't been able to get a chase with the big boar.
We had a great hunt? Dusty has him a sweet bull and now he can focus on another big buck again, that's if elk fever hasn't totally taken over! Way to go Bro!
(We had to place rocks around the Trophy Rock, the elk were pushing it off the hill)
(I notified the DNR about this bull)
