Califelkslayer
Long Time Member
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- 4,078
Whew!! Its all over cept the chukar huntin.
Nv. Antelope was fun but I didn't do it justice.
Alberta duck/goose hunt was lots better!!
Colorado archery elk was the highlight of my year. Possibily the best hunt I've ever been on!! First 7 days (Sept 15-21) the bulls were very vocal. VERY VOCAL!! Never could get them to committ. Sneak within 150-200 yards in very THICK oak brush. Call most of them into 50-75 yards and they'd hang up. Had several come in silent from behind and make us while focused on the primary bull, so goes archery elk huntin.
Last week muzzleloaders cleared out and it was on. Mon we were set up between 8 bulls, very agressive bulls. Missed a nice 6 point @ 20+ yards cause I tried to squeeze an arrow through a small opening in the brush instead of waitin for the bull to come 8 feet further. He spooked to about 50 yards and I called him back, actually closer the second time but he caught me drawing and after a 60 second stalemate, I had to let up and he spooked again. Dad took a shot @ 45-50 yards and he was gone.
I then set up the decoy and continued calling. Another 300"+ bull came in to about 60-70 yards and hung up. After a lot of coaxing, he dropped into the thick oakbrush towards me. Figured it was a done deal. Morning thermals were just changing and instead of just comming straight in like the first one, he swung just a lil down wind of where I was. Another one gone :-(
Two of the other 6 also came in from down wind while messing with those first 2. They got to 100-120 yards, and just quit talking (winded us I'm sure) I then got the best bull I saw aroused at about 400 yards. Gruntin, sqealin, screamin!! Just pissed cause the girl wouldn't come to him. He closed the distance to about 200 yards while I had Dad go at least 100 yards towards him and down wind. He made dad movin and although he would still respond, he slowly left us. A 330-340 bull. This was all in one set up over a hour and a half period.
Monday Dad slept in and I took my bull @ 8 feet. Came in from over 600 yards away while I was trying to work a 300-310 bull that was below me. (Actually called this bull to 50 yards while trailing mine) I initially ignored my bull cause of the distance and focused on the other one. When he screamed @ me from 200 yards, he got my attention and response. I then heard him running, hooves on rock til he stopped @ 50. A small grunt and the second sweatest cow call ever and he ran to about 20 yards. I could see his rack over the oak brush where he was swinging his head back and forth trying to find that hot cow. A very soft, one note grunt and my response with the very sweatest cow call I ever produced and he ran to 8 feet and stopped. Perfect!!! All that practising really wasn't necessary I guess cause even I can't miss @ that distance. Nice, symetrical 6 point. Going on wall. Not my best bull but my best with a bow. Can't figure why I put the bow down 8 years ago, won't happen again.
Last 4 days I called in 2 bulls less than 20 yards to Dad. one he bumped cause he was movin to get a better shooting lane. That 300-310 inch bull gave him another chance @ 40 yards. He said the release, released early.
The other one I got some on video. We sat up, me 30 yards behind decoy and him 30 yards in front. That bull to within 90 of me when I tried to stop him. Instead he turned to me, went behind a tree and stopped. After about 90 seconds, I'm cussin on the camera asking "What the F is going on?? Just shoot him!!) To break the stalemate I called again. Apparently that moved him around some oak brush so Dad could draw but he didn't get the release all the way on the string saver and it slipped off making a twang. I got the bull leaving and calling. After the first fiasco I interviewed Dad on camera, after the last one I didn't have the heart. That bull was @ 18 feet for over a minute before he moved and things went downhill fast.
Dad's taken several bulls with a rifle,
including one pig but he said that was the most fun he's ever had. @ 73 he was very game, only missing the one hunt in 14 days.
Met my girlfriend Tina and her son Zack the next day in Wyoming for our antelope hunt. Tina, one of the mellowest people you'll ever meet, was the exact opposite of my dad. Hit the first 2 antelope she shot @. The second at about 375. I'd left the range finder in the rig and told her "300 yards, high on the back." I missjudged and she hit it in the ankle. It ran 5 yards out of site. She jumped up and went after it. I asked, "Where you going?" She said to go get her antelope. I told her she'd never see that antelope again, our only chance was to watch it and hope we could see it bed. She reiterated she was gonna go get it, I tagged along. When we got to where she hit it, the antelope was 400 yards away, limping away. One prone shot later she had her second antelope and her first buck. Zack took his first animal the last day, a small buck. We filled 4 of our 8 tags which was about as many of those stinky critters as I wanted to gut and skin.
Whew, want a fun, busy 5 weeks. By the way, hows the Nevada chukar doin this year???
Nv. Antelope was fun but I didn't do it justice.
Alberta duck/goose hunt was lots better!!
Colorado archery elk was the highlight of my year. Possibily the best hunt I've ever been on!! First 7 days (Sept 15-21) the bulls were very vocal. VERY VOCAL!! Never could get them to committ. Sneak within 150-200 yards in very THICK oak brush. Call most of them into 50-75 yards and they'd hang up. Had several come in silent from behind and make us while focused on the primary bull, so goes archery elk huntin.
Last week muzzleloaders cleared out and it was on. Mon we were set up between 8 bulls, very agressive bulls. Missed a nice 6 point @ 20+ yards cause I tried to squeeze an arrow through a small opening in the brush instead of waitin for the bull to come 8 feet further. He spooked to about 50 yards and I called him back, actually closer the second time but he caught me drawing and after a 60 second stalemate, I had to let up and he spooked again. Dad took a shot @ 45-50 yards and he was gone.
I then set up the decoy and continued calling. Another 300"+ bull came in to about 60-70 yards and hung up. After a lot of coaxing, he dropped into the thick oakbrush towards me. Figured it was a done deal. Morning thermals were just changing and instead of just comming straight in like the first one, he swung just a lil down wind of where I was. Another one gone :-(
Two of the other 6 also came in from down wind while messing with those first 2. They got to 100-120 yards, and just quit talking (winded us I'm sure) I then got the best bull I saw aroused at about 400 yards. Gruntin, sqealin, screamin!! Just pissed cause the girl wouldn't come to him. He closed the distance to about 200 yards while I had Dad go at least 100 yards towards him and down wind. He made dad movin and although he would still respond, he slowly left us. A 330-340 bull. This was all in one set up over a hour and a half period.
Monday Dad slept in and I took my bull @ 8 feet. Came in from over 600 yards away while I was trying to work a 300-310 bull that was below me. (Actually called this bull to 50 yards while trailing mine) I initially ignored my bull cause of the distance and focused on the other one. When he screamed @ me from 200 yards, he got my attention and response. I then heard him running, hooves on rock til he stopped @ 50. A small grunt and the second sweatest cow call ever and he ran to about 20 yards. I could see his rack over the oak brush where he was swinging his head back and forth trying to find that hot cow. A very soft, one note grunt and my response with the very sweatest cow call I ever produced and he ran to 8 feet and stopped. Perfect!!! All that practising really wasn't necessary I guess cause even I can't miss @ that distance. Nice, symetrical 6 point. Going on wall. Not my best bull but my best with a bow. Can't figure why I put the bow down 8 years ago, won't happen again.
Last 4 days I called in 2 bulls less than 20 yards to Dad. one he bumped cause he was movin to get a better shooting lane. That 300-310 inch bull gave him another chance @ 40 yards. He said the release, released early.
The other one I got some on video. We sat up, me 30 yards behind decoy and him 30 yards in front. That bull to within 90 of me when I tried to stop him. Instead he turned to me, went behind a tree and stopped. After about 90 seconds, I'm cussin on the camera asking "What the F is going on?? Just shoot him!!) To break the stalemate I called again. Apparently that moved him around some oak brush so Dad could draw but he didn't get the release all the way on the string saver and it slipped off making a twang. I got the bull leaving and calling. After the first fiasco I interviewed Dad on camera, after the last one I didn't have the heart. That bull was @ 18 feet for over a minute before he moved and things went downhill fast.
Dad's taken several bulls with a rifle,
including one pig but he said that was the most fun he's ever had. @ 73 he was very game, only missing the one hunt in 14 days.
Met my girlfriend Tina and her son Zack the next day in Wyoming for our antelope hunt. Tina, one of the mellowest people you'll ever meet, was the exact opposite of my dad. Hit the first 2 antelope she shot @. The second at about 375. I'd left the range finder in the rig and told her "300 yards, high on the back." I missjudged and she hit it in the ankle. It ran 5 yards out of site. She jumped up and went after it. I asked, "Where you going?" She said to go get her antelope. I told her she'd never see that antelope again, our only chance was to watch it and hope we could see it bed. She reiterated she was gonna go get it, I tagged along. When we got to where she hit it, the antelope was 400 yards away, limping away. One prone shot later she had her second antelope and her first buck. Zack took his first animal the last day, a small buck. We filled 4 of our 8 tags which was about as many of those stinky critters as I wanted to gut and skin.
Whew, want a fun, busy 5 weeks. By the way, hows the Nevada chukar doin this year???
