A couple friends and I made our annual drive to Colorado for archery season on August 26th. We had a great time, with better than usual weather for the opening week, and also better than usual rutting activity for the first week.
Day 1 started with a couple early bugles and some close encounters of the spike, cow, and raghorn kind.
Day 2 we got on a large herd with several bulls present and one cow that appeared to be coming into heat driving the bulls crazy, but with all the eyes present we were unable to close the distance before the thermals began to get unsteady and the wind began to swirl.
Day 3 was much the same as day 1 with some close encounters some bugling but no shots presented, although my two friends had what we believe to be the bull I ended up harvesting get to 24 yards without presenting a shot due to the thickness of the cover. With unstable wind conditions we elected to glass in the evening rather than push the conditions and spook the elk. We were rewarded with a show with the large herd cresting out over a bald ridge and dropping into the valley we were in just before dark and the bulls putting on a bugling concert into the night.
Day 4 the large herd was up and headed over the ridge very early, and they were not approachable. We saw a separate herd that morning with what appeared to be a nice bull headed in the opposite direction of the large herd.
Day 5 we moved to a different area about 3 miles from the large herd just to see if we could find some other elk to work as the large herd had some really nice bulls present but it also had too many eyes it seemed to get within bow range. We called a cow into range and one of my friends hit an aspen tree as he shot at her. I had her at 35 yards and would have taken the shot but another friend was in the general vicinity, and it was not worth the risk since I was unsure exactly where he was in relation to the cow. That evening we heard a few distant bugles but did not see anything.
One of my buddies had to leave after day 5
Day 6 we elected to go back to the area where the large herd had been and see if we could find the smaller group of elk that had been heading off into some dark timber at daylight for days 3 and 4. We made it to an area between where we believed they were bedding in dark timber and the wallow they were using in transition just after daylight and stopped and listened. After a few minutes we didn't hear a thing and thought we may have made a mistake but then heard a single twig break. Then another twig snapped, and a distant cow call was heard. We decided to split up, my buddy Ben went below me about 100 yards and I went up onto an aspen bench approximately 75 yards off of a small clearing. After about 2-3 minutes of being setup, calling, and having nocked an arrow cows started to come through the small clearing at 65-75 yards and as they continued to parallel me I thought the bull I was hearing raking in the brush below them would follow their exact path and not give me a shot. Just as the bull appeared so did a cow, and she was walking right at me. She passed by at 2 yards as I hugged an aspen tree hoping she wouldn't smell me. 2 calves followed her and the bull looked her way from the clearing at 75 yards. A third calf appeared and passed by me on the opposite side the cow did, and by this time the bull was walking straight at me at around 40 yards and closing. I had little cover between the bull and I at this time and I thought there was not way I would get drawn. Just then the calf started bucking and playing around and I used this extra noise and movement to draw my bow as the bull continued to come on the same trail as the cow had. At 15 yards the bull stopped and watched the elk behind me, all the while I am at full draw. He again started walking and stopped at 10 yards facing directly at me with not a twig in the way I released the arrow and it completely disappeared into his chest through his dark mane. As he turned it looked like a garden hose was coming out of his neck and he made it 49 yards before toppling over and all was quiet. It was one of the most humbling moments I have experienced in the outdoors. We waited a few minutes before walking up to the beautiful creature and spent time admiring him before we got to work quartering him to get him off the mountain. When we cleaned him the arrow had passed through his carotid artery, the base of his heart, one lung, the liver, and lodged in his rumen.
[/URL][/IMG]
Day 1 started with a couple early bugles and some close encounters of the spike, cow, and raghorn kind.
Day 2 we got on a large herd with several bulls present and one cow that appeared to be coming into heat driving the bulls crazy, but with all the eyes present we were unable to close the distance before the thermals began to get unsteady and the wind began to swirl.
Day 3 was much the same as day 1 with some close encounters some bugling but no shots presented, although my two friends had what we believe to be the bull I ended up harvesting get to 24 yards without presenting a shot due to the thickness of the cover. With unstable wind conditions we elected to glass in the evening rather than push the conditions and spook the elk. We were rewarded with a show with the large herd cresting out over a bald ridge and dropping into the valley we were in just before dark and the bulls putting on a bugling concert into the night.
Day 4 the large herd was up and headed over the ridge very early, and they were not approachable. We saw a separate herd that morning with what appeared to be a nice bull headed in the opposite direction of the large herd.
Day 5 we moved to a different area about 3 miles from the large herd just to see if we could find some other elk to work as the large herd had some really nice bulls present but it also had too many eyes it seemed to get within bow range. We called a cow into range and one of my friends hit an aspen tree as he shot at her. I had her at 35 yards and would have taken the shot but another friend was in the general vicinity, and it was not worth the risk since I was unsure exactly where he was in relation to the cow. That evening we heard a few distant bugles but did not see anything.
One of my buddies had to leave after day 5
Day 6 we elected to go back to the area where the large herd had been and see if we could find the smaller group of elk that had been heading off into some dark timber at daylight for days 3 and 4. We made it to an area between where we believed they were bedding in dark timber and the wallow they were using in transition just after daylight and stopped and listened. After a few minutes we didn't hear a thing and thought we may have made a mistake but then heard a single twig break. Then another twig snapped, and a distant cow call was heard. We decided to split up, my buddy Ben went below me about 100 yards and I went up onto an aspen bench approximately 75 yards off of a small clearing. After about 2-3 minutes of being setup, calling, and having nocked an arrow cows started to come through the small clearing at 65-75 yards and as they continued to parallel me I thought the bull I was hearing raking in the brush below them would follow their exact path and not give me a shot. Just as the bull appeared so did a cow, and she was walking right at me. She passed by at 2 yards as I hugged an aspen tree hoping she wouldn't smell me. 2 calves followed her and the bull looked her way from the clearing at 75 yards. A third calf appeared and passed by me on the opposite side the cow did, and by this time the bull was walking straight at me at around 40 yards and closing. I had little cover between the bull and I at this time and I thought there was not way I would get drawn. Just then the calf started bucking and playing around and I used this extra noise and movement to draw my bow as the bull continued to come on the same trail as the cow had. At 15 yards the bull stopped and watched the elk behind me, all the while I am at full draw. He again started walking and stopped at 10 yards facing directly at me with not a twig in the way I released the arrow and it completely disappeared into his chest through his dark mane. As he turned it looked like a garden hose was coming out of his neck and he made it 49 yards before toppling over and all was quiet. It was one of the most humbling moments I have experienced in the outdoors. We waited a few minutes before walking up to the beautiful creature and spent time admiring him before we got to work quartering him to get him off the mountain. When we cleaned him the arrow had passed through his carotid artery, the base of his heart, one lung, the liver, and lodged in his rumen.
