Well I had a little extra time this evening to make it over to the elk hunting spot that I have permission to be on. I got there and was confronted by landowners son, he asked who I was and I told him yadayadayada its all good. I get in behind a dab of brush and start the waiting game. I have a small case of ADD it seems like and you mix that with a rookies elk call, you know the push type, you get a great pastime. Well I was doing some calling intervals not really knowing if I was helping or hurting the situation. After about 45 min I look off to the SE and see a cow sticking her head up above the brush on the next ridge over about 600 yrds. I start really trying to reach her with the call, I am pretty sure she was hearing it because she was looking hard in my direction and starting slowly making her way accross the draw and behind her was another mature cow and a calf. Well they have a long way to cover and still have to jump a fence about 20 yrds to my left before they become fair chase, so I am trying not to get to excited. Everytime they would look off or start moving another direction I would call back to them and they would keep walkikng my way. When they started to get within a hundred yards or so I got pretty excited, you know start shaking and trying harder to keep still while moving more. Well when they got right across the fence from me I started thinking there just might be a chance one would cross. As luck would have it the lead cow walks a section of fence for a little while then jumps it looking for whatever was calling to her earlier I guess, but I was worried about the two left behind her. she moves from my left to right at about 19 yards and I swear It was so still and quiet I could hear her breathing. Being on the ground adds a whole new aspect to hunting, I dont think I have ever had to look up to see what I was wanting to shoot at. Make a long story short got busted while trying to draw on her and she jumps back accross the fence game over by the cows but my gosh that was probably the most intense hunting moment I have ever experienced, I guess the long call in made it even more exciting. In the later part of the evening I watched a young whitetail buck chase a few does around and a nice 140-145 inch 10 pt make a scrape and rub on some oak brush, he ended up coming within 100yrds or so of me and that was cool. He was definately rutted up and looking for some loving. To bad I dont have a deer tag. I will post a picture up when I get it loaded of the elk about 40 yrds from me Here you go for the pic.
Sounds like an awesome hunt. Wished it had worked out for you. Some very great looking country you get to hunt !! Tim
I have to be honest I came away from this one pretty content, to be that close to that big of an animal I am hunting, that was almost as good as killing it. (almost) I am very fortunate to get to live where I do, I will try to take some more pictures next time I go out to share.
