The morning started on 16 Sept with high expectations. I honestly didn't think we would get it done on day one though. We talked about our game plan for the past few weeks and how we would tackle the full moon. My son and I agreed we needed to be roughly 1.7 miles in an hour before light was on the horizon due to pressure ( archery / muzzleloader) We felt like we could also listen and gauge direction of movement and where they wanted to go at sun up.
1.2 miles in/ 0430L we bumped I'm guessing a small herd of 6-10 animals. We didn't see them and they didn't see us as they trotted off with one bark back to us which we answered with a lost cow call. 20 Minutes later we heard our first bugle down in the valley to the west of us. I knew the general direction they were gonna move and just made the assumption it was a bull with 5-10 cows based on the date. The wind was bad so we decided to end round them. They were moving though at a quick click and we dropped that group as more bulls were beginning to vocalize. While covering ground and cow calling every 10-15 minutes the lead cow from the first group zeroed in on us and brought in 6 more cows and a very nice heavy horned 5x5 right in behind us. I thought it was squirrels making a racket
No shots or drawbacks as they passed us by at 20 yards. Utterly amazed every year at their triangulation ability, they were a solid 600 yards away in old growth timber when we made the last cow call and they intersected us within 15 yards of that position.
While that's going on its evident a herd bull is getting his cows taken away from him by just being outnumbered. We worked our way down further ( now 2.5 from camp/8600') and got between him and all the young bulls. My son is a dang good caller, very proud of him. He pulled in 5 bulls in the span of 2 hours. Two he could have shot himself One I was on the wrong side of a 15' diameter blue spruce looking 180 degrees out as we had 2 bulls coming in from two different directions. The herd bull 6x6 snuck in and spooked as I turned my head. My son apparently was in his calling hidey hole spot motioning to me " hes coming from there" " Look this way" I never saw him or the bull. We were both worried that was our one chance that trip.
After he spooked though (didn't wind us) he went 200 yards and bugled again. I couldn't believe it. We agreed he was still workable so further in we went. While going slightly downhill in some darker timber I got the glance of brown coming in and lazed an opening at 22 yards that I thought he would walk through. Another satellite 4x5 was working his way back to the last cow call we made. He walked though a shooting lane and I let it rip from my knees. ( if its brown and legal its down)
I didn't realize he was quartering to me as much as he was and the arrow hit main lobe left lung, liver and tail end of the right lung. FMJ/Blazer/G5 Montec produced a clean pass though and stuck in some deadfall 5 yards on the other side of him. He wheeled downhill, crow hopped on all fours and let out a huff with an arched back. 50 yards later he balled up with a big crash. Although not our first elk we both let out a tear and hugged. I wish i could bottle that post shot excitement.
The arrow had blood splatter on the tree it was lodged in with 1 small piece of lung. Very easy blood trail to follow as I suspect bleeding liver into the lungs and out his mouth as he went downhill. We broke him down and humped out the tenderloins and front quarters that day then went in the next day for rear quarters, back straps, antlers and neck meat.
All in all another great day in the woods and the reason I moved to Colorado! Next up first rifle!
1.2 miles in/ 0430L we bumped I'm guessing a small herd of 6-10 animals. We didn't see them and they didn't see us as they trotted off with one bark back to us which we answered with a lost cow call. 20 Minutes later we heard our first bugle down in the valley to the west of us. I knew the general direction they were gonna move and just made the assumption it was a bull with 5-10 cows based on the date. The wind was bad so we decided to end round them. They were moving though at a quick click and we dropped that group as more bulls were beginning to vocalize. While covering ground and cow calling every 10-15 minutes the lead cow from the first group zeroed in on us and brought in 6 more cows and a very nice heavy horned 5x5 right in behind us. I thought it was squirrels making a racket
No shots or drawbacks as they passed us by at 20 yards. Utterly amazed every year at their triangulation ability, they were a solid 600 yards away in old growth timber when we made the last cow call and they intersected us within 15 yards of that position.While that's going on its evident a herd bull is getting his cows taken away from him by just being outnumbered. We worked our way down further ( now 2.5 from camp/8600') and got between him and all the young bulls. My son is a dang good caller, very proud of him. He pulled in 5 bulls in the span of 2 hours. Two he could have shot himself
One I was on the wrong side of a 15' diameter blue spruce looking 180 degrees out as we had 2 bulls coming in from two different directions. The herd bull 6x6 snuck in and spooked as I turned my head. My son apparently was in his calling hidey hole spot motioning to me " hes coming from there" " Look this way" I never saw him or the bull. We were both worried that was our one chance that trip.After he spooked though (didn't wind us) he went 200 yards and bugled again. I couldn't believe it. We agreed he was still workable so further in we went. While going slightly downhill in some darker timber I got the glance of brown coming in and lazed an opening at 22 yards that I thought he would walk through. Another satellite 4x5 was working his way back to the last cow call we made. He walked though a shooting lane and I let it rip from my knees. ( if its brown and legal its down)
I didn't realize he was quartering to me as much as he was and the arrow hit main lobe left lung, liver and tail end of the right lung. FMJ/Blazer/G5 Montec produced a clean pass though and stuck in some deadfall 5 yards on the other side of him. He wheeled downhill, crow hopped on all fours and let out a huff with an arched back. 50 yards later he balled up with a big crash. Although not our first elk we both let out a tear and hugged. I wish i could bottle that post shot excitement.
The arrow had blood splatter on the tree it was lodged in with 1 small piece of lung. Very easy blood trail to follow as I suspect bleeding liver into the lungs and out his mouth as he went downhill. We broke him down and humped out the tenderloins and front quarters that day then went in the next day for rear quarters, back straps, antlers and neck meat.
All in all another great day in the woods and the reason I moved to Colorado! Next up first rifle!
