Thursday
Drew and I decided to head back to “elk valley” and we were greeted by bugles as soon as we hit the rim. BR was going to sit a wallow we’d found the day before.
We chased bugles that morning but the elk were really moving and the wind was horrible. We split up, each working a different side of “the valley”. I happened to hear a bugle from the next drainage to the north and started making my way down. Finally we had good stalking conditions with the previous nights rain and a steady wind. When I got to where I thought I needed to be I gave a couple quiet cow calls. Nothing. Then about 1-minute later the woods erupted. From far up above I could hear elk crashing my way. I assume someone else bumped them because I heard tress snapping and hooves pounding for a good 10-seconds before I saw the first cow break from the trees.
At first they were heading several hundred yards to my left but as they reached the bottom of the hill they swung and started directly my way. At 80 yards I came to full draw. There were about 20 cows with a herd bull and a satellite bull…the herd bull was horning the satellite the whole way, trying to keep him from his cows. That was a cool sight. I could tell they were going to catch my wind before coming all the way, and of course they did, changing course at about 40-yards, heading directly up the steep hill I’d just came down. I let down my draw and sprinted 50 yards up the mean hillside paralleling the herd, breathing hard and trying to attach my release to my string I come back to full draw. While all the cows were running hard the bull kept trying to herd them and kept working back and forth. Finally I saw him approaching an opening and mewed just as he came clear and my arrow was on it’s way. He didn’t go far.
Drew and I had him quartered and hanging in the shade a couple hours later. I wish I could say I called him into my lap or silently snuck into range, but as they say, I’d rather be lucky than good!
I also have to mention how lucky I am to have a champion for a wife, when I called to give her the good news, the first thing she asked is if there was anything she could do to help. Drive the car to another trailhead, etc. I could only imagine her and the B’s helping pack out an elk. I am blessed!
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, with the exception of me and BR having a close encounter while returning from fetching water. We were walking back, neither paying too much attention to elk hunting when I glanced up and saw a bull feeding 80-yards above us. The wind was perfect and he had no idea we were there. BR quickly closed the distance to 40-yards while I stayed back to call. When he was in position I gave a couple quiet mews, textbook style he headed right toward me. From my angle it looked absolutely perfect but not so good from BR’s perspective as the bull was walking directly toward him. With almost no cover to work with BR got busted coming to full draw at 25-yards. Bummer – that was close!
We dined on fresh tenderloin-Raman noodle stew that night.