R
RNR
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-08 AT 02:01PM (MST)[p]I share the following account of my early rifle elk hunt. Not to boast but to share with other hunting enthusiasts.
My son and I were slipping down the mountainside in the predawn darkness to the "lookout". From the lookout we would have a good view of the opposite hillside and some of the few open clearings in the canyon. More importantly we would be within shooting range of most elk we would see. We hoped to catch elk out feeding and to be able to evaluate some bulls and thier headgear. We never made it! As we were nearing our destination several bulls bugled. One across the canyon, one down the canyon and one within a hundred yards of us!
We hunkered down into the brush and my son cow called, I bugled, he cow called come more, the closest bull bugled back, we could hear something approaching. The wind was blowing downhill and whatever was approaching was coming in below us, the sounds were near but we could not see anything. The animal got downwind and got our scent, we could hear the elk move off. I thought the gig was up.
Then we heard a bugle from the same general direction as before. I whispered to my son to follow me and to be as quiet as possible. If the bull would not come to us we would go to him.
We had been hearing elk bugle from this area below our camp for the past four days. As we set up camp in the dark the night before opening day a bull elk bugled from these quakies. Each night I would be awaken by elk bugling close to camp. We tried to lure the elk out each day with no luck. We watched the few open areas hoping to ambush a bull, we were unble to lure them out or catch them in the open.
While being patient we pursued other bulls, each of the previous days we saw elk and a bull each day. Opening morning while it was still to dark for unaided humnan eyes to see we just made out a silversided bull with our binoculars, he bugled and moved his harem into the thick stuff. Not sure just how big he was but he was a respectable bull.
The second day while still hunting down a ridgeline we came upon elk sign so fresh that the "wet spots" were still wet. We knew elk were close by. Then a bull bugled off to our left no more than thirty yards away, bringing a smile to our faces and shakes to our legs. We advanced in the direction of the bull only to find ourselves in the thickest stuff we have ever been in. I have spent some time in the rainforests of the pacific norhtwest, and they don't have much on this area. It was so thick that we backed out to find a better approach. The whole area was extremly thick, we hoped that by moving down the ridge farther and then moving in we may have a vantage point to spot the bull from. So after moving seventy yards or so we moved into the thick stuff. We were making noise even though we were in bowhunt mode. It was so thick you could'nt move without making some noise. We could hear elk making noise also. Then the top of an elk's back appeared above the brush, near it other brush moved but no elk was visble, a cow and a calf. Luckly we had entered the brush near the edge of the herd, we cow called as we moved downhill trying to get in front of the elk.
Every now and then the bull would bugle somewhere above us. His bugle was always challenged by a couple other bulls nearby. When we felt we were below the elk we move to get in front of them. We came into a stand of pines, here we could sneak along quietly without difficulty. The bull let out a bugle he was close, we cow called trying to bring him in. We could hear elk moving around above us, but we could not see any. The bull bugled again I moved to the right, there he was standing in the pines looking my way, I could just make out a good rack. He turned to flee, I had a quick shot thru a small "window", I missed! Man what an experience! At one point my son said his legs were shaking so bad from all the excitement that he did'nt know if he could stay standing! If we did'nt get excited we would'nt hunt.
The third day we saw a small bull in the afternoon. We headed down to the "lookout" that evening, we saw a cow and a calf. My son and I spent a few hours whispering a conversation about all kins of things. Joking and having a good time. It is great to spend time in the outdoors with family.
The morning of the fourth day found us going back to the lookout. The first time in the a.m. As I said we never made it.
We moved off slowly in the direction of the sound of the bulls bugles. Shortly we came to a small break in the trees and could see across the canyon to one of the openings. There was a cow and a bull in the open. I raised my gun and looked at the bull thru the scope, he was about two hundred yards away just a small five point with a bit of a raghorn look to him. I asked my son "should I shoot him?" He said "I don't know" I looked again I asked again he said "no!" "this bull closer sounds big." With some reluctance I turned from the five point and continued to sneak towards the other bull. In awhile a bugle sounded, we were close, where in the heck is that bull? Then thru the quakies I caught the siloute of a bull on the ridge I looked thru the scope, he was moving through the trees and I could juist make out parts of his rack. Heck he was smaller than the five point. I tolt my son so. I thought we could at least have some fun with this bull, so I whispered for my son to cow call, he did and the bull lit out like his tail was on fire! What's wrong with him? maybe our calling is no good? Then our hair stood on end! Our legs went rubbery! The most awsome bugle errupted so close by it seemed to shake the ground. Now why would that bull lite out the way he did and then bugle back like that so soon? Well we will just keep sneaking along like we have been.
We were sneaking thru an elk haven, feed, cover, water, wallows, trees with there barked stipped by bulls polishing thier antlers, it smelled like elk! What a find. Then my eyes scaned above us and there looking our way was a large bull. His mane seemed almost black, his antlers sweeping above and behind him. Like all the other elk we had seen in this thick stuff we could only see the top of his back, head and neck above the cover.
Never one to dwaddle I raised my gun trying to stay clam, telling myself to place the crosshairs on his vitals. I remember the sight picture. I started with the crosshairs above his shoulder and then lowered them to the brush line , then down a little more, I wanted to make sure I did not shoot him to high or perhaps shoot over him. He was just 30 yards away!
I shot, he started moving uphill, I shot twice more quickly, dug another shell from my pocket and ran uphill parrallel with the bull, I came up even with him. It crossed my mind that he must be hit as I would never be able to catch up to an unwounded elk. The bull pivioted and turned 90 like a quarter horse spinning in the keyhole event, I fired at his neck and then he was gone.
I yelled for my son to catch up. I was thru with being quiet. I handed him the gps and asked him to mark the spot. The younger generation is beter with new technoligy than me. I asked him to stay put while I looked for blood.
I went back to find where the bull was, when I first shot. I could not find any sign of a hit.
When I got back to my son's location I told him, " I can't find any blood." He said he heard something crashing in the brush. We proceeded to look for the bull with no luck, we returned back to the GPS quadrants and looked higher, lower, and in between. Still nothing, to make a long story short some other hunters who we met previously had heard and found our bull. Heading down hill, we had not looked "low" enough to find the bull. After much anticipation, frustration, despair, we found the bull!! Thanks to our new friends. The bull is magnificient, a solid six point, with heavy dark horns and ivory colored tips! It was like we had to hunt for the bull twice. Once when we first got a shot at him, and then again to find him. He had traveled 250 yards.
There was much celebrating and picture taking. A great father and son experience. Thanks goes to my son for his elk calling, encouring me to pass on lesser bulls and his determination to be there when I got a bull. This will always be "our bull" I am sure he will get his own someday soon. I hope to be there helping him and having another father and son hunt.
trying to figure out posting pictures these should be better.
Chantz (Chance) on the bugle.
330 gross
11 year old Chantz with our elk.
My son and I were slipping down the mountainside in the predawn darkness to the "lookout". From the lookout we would have a good view of the opposite hillside and some of the few open clearings in the canyon. More importantly we would be within shooting range of most elk we would see. We hoped to catch elk out feeding and to be able to evaluate some bulls and thier headgear. We never made it! As we were nearing our destination several bulls bugled. One across the canyon, one down the canyon and one within a hundred yards of us!
We hunkered down into the brush and my son cow called, I bugled, he cow called come more, the closest bull bugled back, we could hear something approaching. The wind was blowing downhill and whatever was approaching was coming in below us, the sounds were near but we could not see anything. The animal got downwind and got our scent, we could hear the elk move off. I thought the gig was up.
Then we heard a bugle from the same general direction as before. I whispered to my son to follow me and to be as quiet as possible. If the bull would not come to us we would go to him.
We had been hearing elk bugle from this area below our camp for the past four days. As we set up camp in the dark the night before opening day a bull elk bugled from these quakies. Each night I would be awaken by elk bugling close to camp. We tried to lure the elk out each day with no luck. We watched the few open areas hoping to ambush a bull, we were unble to lure them out or catch them in the open.
While being patient we pursued other bulls, each of the previous days we saw elk and a bull each day. Opening morning while it was still to dark for unaided humnan eyes to see we just made out a silversided bull with our binoculars, he bugled and moved his harem into the thick stuff. Not sure just how big he was but he was a respectable bull.
The second day while still hunting down a ridgeline we came upon elk sign so fresh that the "wet spots" were still wet. We knew elk were close by. Then a bull bugled off to our left no more than thirty yards away, bringing a smile to our faces and shakes to our legs. We advanced in the direction of the bull only to find ourselves in the thickest stuff we have ever been in. I have spent some time in the rainforests of the pacific norhtwest, and they don't have much on this area. It was so thick that we backed out to find a better approach. The whole area was extremly thick, we hoped that by moving down the ridge farther and then moving in we may have a vantage point to spot the bull from. So after moving seventy yards or so we moved into the thick stuff. We were making noise even though we were in bowhunt mode. It was so thick you could'nt move without making some noise. We could hear elk making noise also. Then the top of an elk's back appeared above the brush, near it other brush moved but no elk was visble, a cow and a calf. Luckly we had entered the brush near the edge of the herd, we cow called as we moved downhill trying to get in front of the elk.
Every now and then the bull would bugle somewhere above us. His bugle was always challenged by a couple other bulls nearby. When we felt we were below the elk we move to get in front of them. We came into a stand of pines, here we could sneak along quietly without difficulty. The bull let out a bugle he was close, we cow called trying to bring him in. We could hear elk moving around above us, but we could not see any. The bull bugled again I moved to the right, there he was standing in the pines looking my way, I could just make out a good rack. He turned to flee, I had a quick shot thru a small "window", I missed! Man what an experience! At one point my son said his legs were shaking so bad from all the excitement that he did'nt know if he could stay standing! If we did'nt get excited we would'nt hunt.
The third day we saw a small bull in the afternoon. We headed down to the "lookout" that evening, we saw a cow and a calf. My son and I spent a few hours whispering a conversation about all kins of things. Joking and having a good time. It is great to spend time in the outdoors with family.
The morning of the fourth day found us going back to the lookout. The first time in the a.m. As I said we never made it.
We moved off slowly in the direction of the sound of the bulls bugles. Shortly we came to a small break in the trees and could see across the canyon to one of the openings. There was a cow and a bull in the open. I raised my gun and looked at the bull thru the scope, he was about two hundred yards away just a small five point with a bit of a raghorn look to him. I asked my son "should I shoot him?" He said "I don't know" I looked again I asked again he said "no!" "this bull closer sounds big." With some reluctance I turned from the five point and continued to sneak towards the other bull. In awhile a bugle sounded, we were close, where in the heck is that bull? Then thru the quakies I caught the siloute of a bull on the ridge I looked thru the scope, he was moving through the trees and I could juist make out parts of his rack. Heck he was smaller than the five point. I tolt my son so. I thought we could at least have some fun with this bull, so I whispered for my son to cow call, he did and the bull lit out like his tail was on fire! What's wrong with him? maybe our calling is no good? Then our hair stood on end! Our legs went rubbery! The most awsome bugle errupted so close by it seemed to shake the ground. Now why would that bull lite out the way he did and then bugle back like that so soon? Well we will just keep sneaking along like we have been.
We were sneaking thru an elk haven, feed, cover, water, wallows, trees with there barked stipped by bulls polishing thier antlers, it smelled like elk! What a find. Then my eyes scaned above us and there looking our way was a large bull. His mane seemed almost black, his antlers sweeping above and behind him. Like all the other elk we had seen in this thick stuff we could only see the top of his back, head and neck above the cover.
Never one to dwaddle I raised my gun trying to stay clam, telling myself to place the crosshairs on his vitals. I remember the sight picture. I started with the crosshairs above his shoulder and then lowered them to the brush line , then down a little more, I wanted to make sure I did not shoot him to high or perhaps shoot over him. He was just 30 yards away!
I shot, he started moving uphill, I shot twice more quickly, dug another shell from my pocket and ran uphill parrallel with the bull, I came up even with him. It crossed my mind that he must be hit as I would never be able to catch up to an unwounded elk. The bull pivioted and turned 90 like a quarter horse spinning in the keyhole event, I fired at his neck and then he was gone.
I yelled for my son to catch up. I was thru with being quiet. I handed him the gps and asked him to mark the spot. The younger generation is beter with new technoligy than me. I asked him to stay put while I looked for blood.
I went back to find where the bull was, when I first shot. I could not find any sign of a hit.
When I got back to my son's location I told him, " I can't find any blood." He said he heard something crashing in the brush. We proceeded to look for the bull with no luck, we returned back to the GPS quadrants and looked higher, lower, and in between. Still nothing, to make a long story short some other hunters who we met previously had heard and found our bull. Heading down hill, we had not looked "low" enough to find the bull. After much anticipation, frustration, despair, we found the bull!! Thanks to our new friends. The bull is magnificient, a solid six point, with heavy dark horns and ivory colored tips! It was like we had to hunt for the bull twice. Once when we first got a shot at him, and then again to find him. He had traveled 250 yards.
There was much celebrating and picture taking. A great father and son experience. Thanks goes to my son for his elk calling, encouring me to pass on lesser bulls and his determination to be there when I got a bull. This will always be "our bull" I am sure he will get his own someday soon. I hope to be there helping him and having another father and son hunt.
trying to figure out posting pictures these should be better.
Chantz (Chance) on the bugle.
330 gross
11 year old Chantz with our elk.
