Zach and I had a great hunt in southern Colorado last week. My main goal was to get him on his first bull elk. This was his 2nd time hunting elk. He had a cow tag in NM last year and filled it. This year he had a bull tag in CO, and he filled that one too.
We hunted 1,800 acres of private where we'd seen lots of elk on trailcams prior to the season. The guys that hunted the place in early September also saw plenty of elk. We got there just as the rut was firing up, and we were pumped. But the elk moved to a big ranch across the fence just about that time, where there were loads of cows. It was a freaking ghost town on our side of the fence. Dang it!
The 2nd day hunting we had several herd bulls with cows anywhere from 200 yards to a mile away from us on the other side of the fence. We were able to call a satellite bull in across the fence though. He came in a dead run from over half a mile away and stepped in just 5 yards in front of Zach. The bull spooked when Zach drew, but he got him stopped at a little over 40 yards broadside. He let the arrow fly and made a great hit through the shoulder. About 400 yards later, we found the bull dead in a stock tank. Had to drag him out (that was fun).
We hunted the rest of the week trying to get on another one for me. We had a few encounters with bulls, mostly on the wrong side of the fence. We couldn't get any to leave their cows to come to us, naturally. And the fences kept us from getting closer to the bulls. We did have one really nice 5x5 up on a hill talking to us one morning. He just wouldn't come down to us, and the cover was too sparse to allow us to get any closer to him.
It wasn't in the cards for me to kill one this year, but I couldn't care less. My main goal for the hunt was to get one called in for Zach. It was one of the most satisfying things I've been a part of. Elk hunting with a bow is such a team effort, and Zach and I have always been a great team. The memories we made will last our lifetimes. The elk steaks won't though, so we'll have to get back out there next year to get some more for the freezer!
We hunted 1,800 acres of private where we'd seen lots of elk on trailcams prior to the season. The guys that hunted the place in early September also saw plenty of elk. We got there just as the rut was firing up, and we were pumped. But the elk moved to a big ranch across the fence just about that time, where there were loads of cows. It was a freaking ghost town on our side of the fence. Dang it!
The 2nd day hunting we had several herd bulls with cows anywhere from 200 yards to a mile away from us on the other side of the fence. We were able to call a satellite bull in across the fence though. He came in a dead run from over half a mile away and stepped in just 5 yards in front of Zach. The bull spooked when Zach drew, but he got him stopped at a little over 40 yards broadside. He let the arrow fly and made a great hit through the shoulder. About 400 yards later, we found the bull dead in a stock tank. Had to drag him out (that was fun).
We hunted the rest of the week trying to get on another one for me. We had a few encounters with bulls, mostly on the wrong side of the fence. We couldn't get any to leave their cows to come to us, naturally. And the fences kept us from getting closer to the bulls. We did have one really nice 5x5 up on a hill talking to us one morning. He just wouldn't come down to us, and the cover was too sparse to allow us to get any closer to him.
It wasn't in the cards for me to kill one this year, but I couldn't care less. My main goal for the hunt was to get one called in for Zach. It was one of the most satisfying things I've been a part of. Elk hunting with a bow is such a team effort, and Zach and I have always been a great team. The memories we made will last our lifetimes. The elk steaks won't though, so we'll have to get back out there next year to get some more for the freezer!
