elkchaserreturns
Active Member
- Messages
- 348
Hello all,
Just wanted to try to post some pics of the bull I harvested this year. I've been chasing these buggers with a bow in CO. for more years than I would like to admit. Finally, I was able to close the deal (sort of) this year in my home state of AZ.
Upon learning I drew the tag, I scouted hard all summer, and I thought I had things "dialed in" for opening day. Well, as is often the case, I had to adjust my plans after the opening day! Way too many people in my primary hunting area!
Found another area, well off the beaten track, and found a "secret" little basin with several GOOD BULLS hanging in there. Oddly, there were very few cows with them! I was determined to take a "mature bull" or nothing and so had passed up shots at two spikes, and a small four point, during the first five days of my hunt.
The bulls seemed to be hot, then cold, as far as responding to the calls. However, on the second Saturday of the hunt, there was weather coming in and it really made the difference. We had found this basin earlier in the hunt by the bulls responding to the calls, but only when it was nearly dark. On this day, we had two different bulls coming in at the same time, at 11:30 in the morning! This was as we were following a third bull that kept moving away from us.
After following this "third bull" all morning, we decided to let him go and get set up on the other two which were coming towards us. We found a small clearing and got ready. This bull was on us in no time! My buddy was able to see him coming but I had only a few seconds from the moment I first saw him, to wait for him to turn from "straight on" to "broadside"! I remember cursing myself for not remembering to put my diaphram call in my mouth. What a big mistake that turned out to be!
This bull was moving steadily through a very small opening so I really had very little time to take the shot. What makes that particularly hard to admit is that I KNOW BETTER! When I taught Hunter Ed many years ago, I used to tell my students that "half a shot, is no shot at all"! Anyway, I had my top pin on him as he turned broadside and I released.
I remember thinking that the shot was a "little far back", but still a good solid hit.
I finally put my cow call in my mouth and called to stop this bull from running very far after the shot. This worked as intended but I never had another shot at him.
Still thinking I had a pretty solid hit on him, we started tracking him after only waiting a half hour. He bled fairly steady for the first fifty yards or so but "dried up" after that!
An hour and a half after the shot, and only 125 yds or so from where I shot him, we jumped him again. He had layed down and would have probably never got up if we had just waiited longer to start tracking him. An hour after that, It opened up and poured rain on us!
We looked all afternoon that Saturday, in the rain, until darkness forced us to break off. My brother, and son came up to help us look all day Sunday. Monday, I searched for him alone and still no luck. Finally, on Tuesday, at around 3:00 in the afternoon, the buzzards and the crows showed me where he was! According to the GPS, he had gone .42 miles from where I shot him, ALL UPHILL! I never would have thought he could go that far!
Believe it or not, in those three days I spent looking for that bull, I had two opportunities to shoot even bigger bulls but I just couldn't give up on this one. I have been told that I am more stubborn than I am bright!
Now, how the heck do I post the dang picture?
Elkchaser
Just wanted to try to post some pics of the bull I harvested this year. I've been chasing these buggers with a bow in CO. for more years than I would like to admit. Finally, I was able to close the deal (sort of) this year in my home state of AZ.
Upon learning I drew the tag, I scouted hard all summer, and I thought I had things "dialed in" for opening day. Well, as is often the case, I had to adjust my plans after the opening day! Way too many people in my primary hunting area!
Found another area, well off the beaten track, and found a "secret" little basin with several GOOD BULLS hanging in there. Oddly, there were very few cows with them! I was determined to take a "mature bull" or nothing and so had passed up shots at two spikes, and a small four point, during the first five days of my hunt.
The bulls seemed to be hot, then cold, as far as responding to the calls. However, on the second Saturday of the hunt, there was weather coming in and it really made the difference. We had found this basin earlier in the hunt by the bulls responding to the calls, but only when it was nearly dark. On this day, we had two different bulls coming in at the same time, at 11:30 in the morning! This was as we were following a third bull that kept moving away from us.
After following this "third bull" all morning, we decided to let him go and get set up on the other two which were coming towards us. We found a small clearing and got ready. This bull was on us in no time! My buddy was able to see him coming but I had only a few seconds from the moment I first saw him, to wait for him to turn from "straight on" to "broadside"! I remember cursing myself for not remembering to put my diaphram call in my mouth. What a big mistake that turned out to be!
This bull was moving steadily through a very small opening so I really had very little time to take the shot. What makes that particularly hard to admit is that I KNOW BETTER! When I taught Hunter Ed many years ago, I used to tell my students that "half a shot, is no shot at all"! Anyway, I had my top pin on him as he turned broadside and I released.
I remember thinking that the shot was a "little far back", but still a good solid hit.
I finally put my cow call in my mouth and called to stop this bull from running very far after the shot. This worked as intended but I never had another shot at him.
Still thinking I had a pretty solid hit on him, we started tracking him after only waiting a half hour. He bled fairly steady for the first fifty yards or so but "dried up" after that!
An hour and a half after the shot, and only 125 yds or so from where I shot him, we jumped him again. He had layed down and would have probably never got up if we had just waiited longer to start tracking him. An hour after that, It opened up and poured rain on us!
We looked all afternoon that Saturday, in the rain, until darkness forced us to break off. My brother, and son came up to help us look all day Sunday. Monday, I searched for him alone and still no luck. Finally, on Tuesday, at around 3:00 in the afternoon, the buzzards and the crows showed me where he was! According to the GPS, he had gone .42 miles from where I shot him, ALL UPHILL! I never would have thought he could go that far!
Believe it or not, in those three days I spent looking for that bull, I had two opportunities to shoot even bigger bulls but I just couldn't give up on this one. I have been told that I am more stubborn than I am bright!
Now, how the heck do I post the dang picture?
Elkchaser
