D
DonV
Guest
NM and lady luck graced me again. Got a raghorn 4X4 (pics soon). Hunted Carson National Forest NM. Worked very hard and was into elk often. Called a P&Y bull in on the third morning, he stopped at 100 yards to punish a tree, I took the oppurtunity to sneak to within 30 yards. He was broadside for a full minute as he worked a pine tree. I was SHAKING all over. One tiny little group of branches in the way. I could have probably shot through it but did the right thing and waited. He eventually turned to come to the calls and I drew and waited for a shot. He came around a bend in the trees and was walking right at me and froze, head down, staring at me at 20 yards. After a pause I cow called (I know very bad idea but my mind was silly putty at this point). He swapped ends never to be seen again.
I also got into a herd with a good herd bull one evening, spotted them at 3/4 mile with 1 hour of light. Got in behind them (they were heading into the wind) and crawled across an open rock slope to within 45 yards of the last cow. Me dream is to sneak into a herd, bugle and have the herd bull come in mad. I was about to live my dream. I had crawled into the herd as close as possible. Herd was spread out over 100 yards. Bull just out of sight - no way to get closer. I got ready and bugle (spike squeel). Bull beats a bush but never comes! Half the herd is looking at me (I am in sight from waste up kneeling behind short bush - there is a drop of behind me where I planned them to think the bull was). I waited and waited. Cows wondering what I was. I then bugled with chuckles (a little more aggressive). He keeps beating a tree. By now it has been a few minutes and I am swaying a little, long story short, bull never comes in and cow gets nervous and herd trots off!
Another evening I glassed a herd come into a water hole, one cow even waded out into it! Neat.
I got my bull at 7:30 AM Saturday, started out high glassing, spotted a good bull, actually watched him "threaten" and run off 2 mule deer! He charged them and shook his antlers, awesome. On the way to them (1.5 miles) I ran into my bull in a park. Through binos at 400 yards I can see he wallowed and was muddy on his lower half, and was alone. I decided if I could get him I would take him and fly home early and have some vacation time for wife. I used a few pines to get to 300 yards and then waited for him to go behind a small patch of aspens - then I ran full tilt to get closer. He came into view before I reached the pine I intended to make my stand at. I kept the pine between me and him as he walked and slowly got closer. Finally I was in place, got ready quickly, bull is know walking by pine heading uphill to bed. It is flat and open all around me, nothing at all to use my rangefinder on. I range him at 79 yards and figure if he comes in halfway he will be 40 and I will shoot, that is my distance gauge. I have diaphram call in my mouth and give a couple cow calls. He stops and looks (he had glanced at me a few times while this is going on). Then he decides that there is a cow elk hiding behind that tiny pine tree (10' tall) in the open! He comes in slow as I watch through the pine, he zig zags trying to see me and finally comits to coming in and tries to get downwind. Luckily until now I am not to nervous since he is not to big but he turns out to be a little better then I thought and the excitement of getting my 2nd elk gets me going. Finally he comes around the tree and I am at full draw and guess him to be at 40 yards and use his chest size on my pins as a reference to confirm this I put my 40 yard pin on him and let fly. I think I see my arrow hit a little back. He takes of fast and I immediatly begin cow calling loud and hard, he pays no attention. I thought that was good. As he runs he turns and I see my arrow only halfway in. This makes me nervous, up and down it looks good but I still suspect it is back a little. I pause to regain my composure (not)! and listen to his hoof beats in the rock, I think I hear him go down just around a bend but he rant about 200 yards in sight so I was sure no double lung hit. Blood is dark and somewhat heavy. I decide one lung or liver hit. 20 minutes has gone by now and I decide to take up position for 2 hours to be sure where I could see uphill where he went to watch for him or other hunters and wait. Other hunters and elk are buggling around me now. While walking to where I was going to sit I look uphill and see a brown pile! Binos confirm my bull is down! I hit 2" back from the diaphram and nicked the liver and angled into the lungs taking out one lung. Bull went about 250 yards. I thought I was only 3/4 mile from the road but it turned out to be 1.5 miles. Mostly downhill. Got him gutted with the help of another hunter who was nice enough to help out when he came by (he was chasing the herd I saw the night before and they ran into me gutting their buddy and did not seem to happy!). Went to get gear and buddy I knew would want to see elk whole (first elk hunt). Packed out in afternoon and took to butcher. Flew home monday 3 days early. He was a 4X4 trying hard to be a 5X5 (little bumps but no points).
Great hunt, dad and buddy both passed cows and spikes and still hunting. Pics to follow soon. Lots of mice all around me in tent at night but wall tent sure beat little $40 tent I used last year! Much better camp this year. Weather hot which made elk hunting tough. I learned a lot about calling (thanks elknut) and practiced a ton and it really paid off. Saw coyotes, turkey, mulies, elk and fox. Great hunt! Saw around 11 branch antlered bulls, most were nice 5x5 or bigger.
I cannot thank everyone at bowsite and MM enough, as always I got a lot of good advice about elk hunting and gear. It really plaid a big role in my success again (as it did last year).
I am very pleased to take my second elk (both with bow, no guide) on public land. The high country is breathtaking and I am already planning next years hunt.
Sorry for the long winded story!
DonV at home and tired!
I also got into a herd with a good herd bull one evening, spotted them at 3/4 mile with 1 hour of light. Got in behind them (they were heading into the wind) and crawled across an open rock slope to within 45 yards of the last cow. Me dream is to sneak into a herd, bugle and have the herd bull come in mad. I was about to live my dream. I had crawled into the herd as close as possible. Herd was spread out over 100 yards. Bull just out of sight - no way to get closer. I got ready and bugle (spike squeel). Bull beats a bush but never comes! Half the herd is looking at me (I am in sight from waste up kneeling behind short bush - there is a drop of behind me where I planned them to think the bull was). I waited and waited. Cows wondering what I was. I then bugled with chuckles (a little more aggressive). He keeps beating a tree. By now it has been a few minutes and I am swaying a little, long story short, bull never comes in and cow gets nervous and herd trots off!
Another evening I glassed a herd come into a water hole, one cow even waded out into it! Neat.
I got my bull at 7:30 AM Saturday, started out high glassing, spotted a good bull, actually watched him "threaten" and run off 2 mule deer! He charged them and shook his antlers, awesome. On the way to them (1.5 miles) I ran into my bull in a park. Through binos at 400 yards I can see he wallowed and was muddy on his lower half, and was alone. I decided if I could get him I would take him and fly home early and have some vacation time for wife. I used a few pines to get to 300 yards and then waited for him to go behind a small patch of aspens - then I ran full tilt to get closer. He came into view before I reached the pine I intended to make my stand at. I kept the pine between me and him as he walked and slowly got closer. Finally I was in place, got ready quickly, bull is know walking by pine heading uphill to bed. It is flat and open all around me, nothing at all to use my rangefinder on. I range him at 79 yards and figure if he comes in halfway he will be 40 and I will shoot, that is my distance gauge. I have diaphram call in my mouth and give a couple cow calls. He stops and looks (he had glanced at me a few times while this is going on). Then he decides that there is a cow elk hiding behind that tiny pine tree (10' tall) in the open! He comes in slow as I watch through the pine, he zig zags trying to see me and finally comits to coming in and tries to get downwind. Luckily until now I am not to nervous since he is not to big but he turns out to be a little better then I thought and the excitement of getting my 2nd elk gets me going. Finally he comes around the tree and I am at full draw and guess him to be at 40 yards and use his chest size on my pins as a reference to confirm this I put my 40 yard pin on him and let fly. I think I see my arrow hit a little back. He takes of fast and I immediatly begin cow calling loud and hard, he pays no attention. I thought that was good. As he runs he turns and I see my arrow only halfway in. This makes me nervous, up and down it looks good but I still suspect it is back a little. I pause to regain my composure (not)! and listen to his hoof beats in the rock, I think I hear him go down just around a bend but he rant about 200 yards in sight so I was sure no double lung hit. Blood is dark and somewhat heavy. I decide one lung or liver hit. 20 minutes has gone by now and I decide to take up position for 2 hours to be sure where I could see uphill where he went to watch for him or other hunters and wait. Other hunters and elk are buggling around me now. While walking to where I was going to sit I look uphill and see a brown pile! Binos confirm my bull is down! I hit 2" back from the diaphram and nicked the liver and angled into the lungs taking out one lung. Bull went about 250 yards. I thought I was only 3/4 mile from the road but it turned out to be 1.5 miles. Mostly downhill. Got him gutted with the help of another hunter who was nice enough to help out when he came by (he was chasing the herd I saw the night before and they ran into me gutting their buddy and did not seem to happy!). Went to get gear and buddy I knew would want to see elk whole (first elk hunt). Packed out in afternoon and took to butcher. Flew home monday 3 days early. He was a 4X4 trying hard to be a 5X5 (little bumps but no points).
Great hunt, dad and buddy both passed cows and spikes and still hunting. Pics to follow soon. Lots of mice all around me in tent at night but wall tent sure beat little $40 tent I used last year! Much better camp this year. Weather hot which made elk hunting tough. I learned a lot about calling (thanks elknut) and practiced a ton and it really paid off. Saw coyotes, turkey, mulies, elk and fox. Great hunt! Saw around 11 branch antlered bulls, most were nice 5x5 or bigger.
I cannot thank everyone at bowsite and MM enough, as always I got a lot of good advice about elk hunting and gear. It really plaid a big role in my success again (as it did last year).
I am very pleased to take my second elk (both with bow, no guide) on public land. The high country is breathtaking and I am already planning next years hunt.
Sorry for the long winded story!
DonV at home and tired!
