P
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I finally connected on my first elk during the last weeked of the bow season in Colorado. It's not a monster, and it doesn't compare to most of the elk posted on here, but I've very proud of him. It's a 5x5, and it took me 16 days of hunting this month to get him. I heard him bugle a few times above me on the mountain, so I looped ahead of where I thought he was going, and tried to get to a similar elevation. I found a good spot to set up, and was getting ready to call when he bugled again. He was already pretty close, and I seemed to be in a perfect spot. I cow called a few times, and he bugled back immediately. This went on for a while, but he seemed to hang up probably about 150 yards out. I took out a second cow call, and tried to direct the calls in different directions to make him think there were a few cows. He went crazy. He started screaming and came running straight at me. I dropped the calls and grabbed my bow, but he stopped at about 70 - 80 yards and was looked all over to find the cows. He bugled again, and I made a soft cow call and he came charging right at me. He passed by at 15 yards, and I sent an arrow all the way through him. It hit a little farther back than I would have hoped, but it did the job. He bolted, and I cow called right away. He stopped and looked back towards me, and there was plenty of blood on his sides. I kept calling to hold him there, and after a few minutes, his knees buckled and he went down. I couldn't believe I'd actually just taken a bull elk with my bow. I'm still thrilled. It was a lot of work getting him out (8 miles in), but it was worth it. The experience of a lifetime for me.
I also want to say thanks to DeerKing for his help. I know there was another recent post with 60 or so responses saying what a class act he is, and how he helped them. I completely agree - he also played a part in helping me get this bull. When I moved to Colorado, I was looking for a place to go scout elk so I would have a chance to watch and learn first hand, since I'd read everything I could get my hands on but knew that wouldn't be good enough. I asked for help on the MM elk board, and DeerKing jumped in and pointed out a spot near home where I had a good chance to find some elk to check out. I spent a bunch of time up there, and had a chance to watch quite a few elk. Although I ultimately took my elk in a different area, DeerKing pointed me to a spot where I was able to observe elk first hand, and I learned so much from that. General behaviors, how much they fed, how fast and far they traveled, good bedding areas, a lot about how vocal they were, etc, etc. All of this played a huge part in actually getting my bull. I know you hear it a lot Jeff, but I wanted to say thanks as well. Helping out a complete stranger like that is a very generous thing to do.
I have a picture to post, hopefully this will work. It's a self portrait I took using the camera timer and a tripod made out of sticks and my backpack, so it's a little out of focus.
I also want to say thanks to DeerKing for his help. I know there was another recent post with 60 or so responses saying what a class act he is, and how he helped them. I completely agree - he also played a part in helping me get this bull. When I moved to Colorado, I was looking for a place to go scout elk so I would have a chance to watch and learn first hand, since I'd read everything I could get my hands on but knew that wouldn't be good enough. I asked for help on the MM elk board, and DeerKing jumped in and pointed out a spot near home where I had a good chance to find some elk to check out. I spent a bunch of time up there, and had a chance to watch quite a few elk. Although I ultimately took my elk in a different area, DeerKing pointed me to a spot where I was able to observe elk first hand, and I learned so much from that. General behaviors, how much they fed, how fast and far they traveled, good bedding areas, a lot about how vocal they were, etc, etc. All of this played a huge part in actually getting my bull. I know you hear it a lot Jeff, but I wanted to say thanks as well. Helping out a complete stranger like that is a very generous thing to do.
I have a picture to post, hopefully this will work. It's a self portrait I took using the camera timer and a tripod made out of sticks and my backpack, so it's a little out of focus.
