Congrats to those who scored. I was unable to get the job done despite several chances. The weather was up & down weird, but I had more than enough action that I just didnt convert on.
Rob... commented in your other thread first, but that's just freakin' unbelievable. You really sure you wanna come back to Montrose and hunt with me sometime? Dang Rybo... I was pullin' for ya buddy!
Alright guys, sorry for such a delay in getting a photo of my elk posted. Just got back into Kansas City about 2:00 am this morning and needless to say had a lot of work, especially cutting up a lot of meat! Here he is, actually a 5 x 6, since that last point didn't measure over an inch. It was a textbook afternoon hunt - I guess. My morning hunt was really long and we came back into camp cold and wet from the first snowstorm of the season. I was a little down since we didn't hear anything and busted a small herd as we returned to camp. That afternoon we had just started hunting the north face of a particular hillside that generally ran E-W from the east end and planned to work westward into the wind. It took us longer than we thought it would to get to this starting position and only had about 30 minutes until sundown. Started near the ridge line and hadn't gotten 60 yds into it when we heard this guy bugle. He couldn't have been more than 80 yds in front (west) of us so I proceeded about 25 yards in front of the caller and picked a position that gave me a clear lane of 45 yds looking west, a lane about 60 yds looking diagonal down the hill side, and several spotty openings along the ridge of this hillside to my left. He responded to a bugle and cow in heat call but it didn't sound as if he was getting closer. Didn't hear a bit of movement and I waited not more than 10 minutes when he came walking in along the ridge of the hilltop. This being my first elk hunt I was impressed by his size and lost all reality of how close he was to me. I knew if I reached for my rangefinder that he would spot me so I remained as still as possible. The sun was directly behind him as he came into view and he continued along the ridge above me. Waited until he was dead-on broadside then I let out a short Mew to stop him only for a fraction of a second and I slapped an arrow through his chest that hit his lung. Clean pass-through and I never located that arrow as it sailed over the ridge. He picked up his pace just a little after that shot and I nocked another arrow and the caller sounded another cow call. By now the bull was back to the left of me almost back where my caller was (this guy was a local cowboy that knew the area pretty well). Another cow call and he froze as I quickly let another arrow rip, but in the excitement of it all I failed to mentally realize that he was more like 40 yds away now and the arrow went under him, again over the hill top and forever lost in the sage along the south side of the hill. The bull was confused. He didn't see the cow and didn't see the bull that was produced by our calls. He turned and started walking back to the west along the ridge for about 10 yards. I got up from my kneeling position and moved about 4 feet to position myself for a third shot. I could tell the first shot was good but was a bit too far back to penetrate both lungs. The bull spotted me as I drew my arrow but he wasn't alarmed as he now stood broadside looking to the southwest. This time I took a breath trying to calm my nerves, settled in on the 30 yd pin and it ripped through his front shoulder and lodged in to the opposite side shoulder bone. He limped about 10 feet then fell to the ground breaking the last arrow as he roled on his back, quickly dying with one of his legs in the air. I would say that he fell about 10 feet from where I stuck him with the first shot so I could have tracked this guy blind-folded. I was a bit embarrassed that it was so easy, but after realizing all the effort I had put in for this trip over the last year, and the fact that I was the only one that had produced a bull, I was very grateful and thankful that I had the opportunity to spend a week with these great creatures. I had a blast driving back to Kansas City yesterday with his rack proudly displayed on the top of my car.
Great job, and nice bull! What state were you hunting? Me too... one of my favorite parts. I've got a lot of video of us out the back glass of the truck going home with the rack on top of our trailer... :D
Good stuff guys...nice job justhunt and archarrow123...any elk is a tough one - congrats! And elkhuntinut...WOW is all that comes to mind on that bull. brought my tag home - but amazing how much I learned in just 5 days hunting...my odds will be many times better next time. Here is a link to the story of my hunt at Will's camp: http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?t=16026
Greg, I was hunting in Colorado, just south of Gunnison in GMU 67. My brother knows the owner of a ranch that I believe is about 11,000 acres and straddles the Gunnison National Forest. It was a great set-up.
Well guys I guess I will add to the list of stories from this season for your reading enjoyment if you like. At least check out the videos at the end. http://forums.bowhunting.com/showthread.php?t=16034
score a big goose egg for me. Great hunt, saw lots of elk and a few close encounters, but never with the one I was after.
Awesome stuff guys. I love seeing the excitement everyone is getting. Reading all of your write-ups is extremely humbling. I hate to admit it, but I feel that I take living in elk country for granted. I believe many western hunters do. Heading up tonight after work for my last two days at camp for the regular season.
Well i'm done! No luck. The elk hunting was very odd this year. Very low elk counts and they weren't talking, at all. I sitll have a late season hunting in December. I may not count that in the contest though. Don't want to hold it all up for one hunt.
I like the way the teams turned out, pretty stacked either way IMHO. Once everyone checks in we can pick new team names
Ok guys, it's been a while since we have seen any activity. Is anyone still hunting? If not we can end this contest. I do not we will have the contest next year, just not enough elk hunters on the site. Perhaps we will do a feeler thread to see what is here next year. Thanks to all who participated!
I was in the same boat, no luck and no talk. I do have a late hunt the end of November but I too dont want to hold everyone up. I conceed.
