Taking him out of school

RUTTIN

Veteran member
Feb 26, 2011
1,299
0
Kamas, Utah
Looks like your hunt was a great success, you got to spend many quality hours with your son, well done!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Don K

Very Active Member
Sep 10, 2011
664
22
Northern Illinois
Had a bull on the other side of this canyon that would answer my bugle. We went back and forth 20 times but both of us looked at this and neither of us would cross to the other side. Jason was amused by the whole thing though..........

 

Don K

Very Active Member
Sep 10, 2011
664
22
Northern Illinois
Thanks for the interest and all the comments.

We are back and he has made up a bunch of his work and has some left to go yet. Almost all the teachers where fine with this and at this point in time doesn't look like it hurt him one bit.

The hunt in a nutshell..........

We drove out and set up a base-camp that I figured we would hunt from a couple days to get used to the altitude. (we ended up putting 2966 miles on the rental) The first two days it rained for 40 plus hours and we tried to hunt and keep dry but we ended up with all our boots soaked through at one point. After drying them out we headed for the trail-head and pulled out our packs. We hiked in just short of 3 miles and set up our tent.

The first evening we crossed the creek near where we camped and headed into the timber. After a short walk and negotiating dead-falls we jumped a spike and three cows. The wind was in our face so I immediately started cow calling them. After a couple minutes I looked to my right and there stood another cow that I had called in and not even realized it. When she looked at us and we looked at her she was gone. Not much more action that evening as we just started to learn the area.

(Will be back in a bit to continue this.)
 

Don K

Very Active Member
Sep 10, 2011
664
22
Northern Illinois
The next couple days where pretty uneventful. We had numerous places marked and put between 6 and 8 miles a day on learning the area and scouting/hunting. We determined we needed to check a area that was a 800 ft climb and looked like it had a old burn up on top. The next morning we got up at 4:30 and headed to what we called "the monster'. We managed to get to the bench right as first light was coming up and sat to rest. I tossed a cow call in and gave out a couple chirps. Immediately to our right a bull screamed and this bugle was the most incredible sounding bull I have heard. A long drawn out bugle and we nicknamed him the "screamer"

Jason jumped to his feet and whispers to me "alright y then" and we examine our situation. Keeping the wind in our favor and guessing where he will head we slowly move into position to try to get within bow range. The bull lets out a couple more bugles and we can hear his cows talking back and forth. Our guess was wrong and I can hear the cows heading off into the canyon to the east away from us. I try to keep the bull interested with my cow calls and he answers every time but heads down into the canyon behind his cows. We try to catch up and coax him but they are moving faster than us as we listen to him getting farther and farther away. I forgot my bugle tube at the truck and cant challenge him. He was within 80 yards but we never got a look at him.
 

Don K

Very Active Member
Sep 10, 2011
664
22
Northern Illinois
That evening we did not see or hear a thing and decided the next morning we would head up the monster again.

Just like the morning before we headed to the bench and took the exact same route as it seemed to be the best way to climb. Again we got to the bench and sat as the sun started to come up and the woods alive. I let out a cow chirp and this time there was no answer. We sat there for a bit drank some water and glassed the meadows below. A long way off to the west we hear and bugle and then a bull immediately answers off to our left. This bull was answering and was within a couple hundred yards and we start working our way towards him. The dead-falls are like a giant maze and it is so quite you could hear a mouse run by. The bull far away is sounding off once in awhile and the bull close to us keeps answering. Every time he bugles we move in closer and closer climbing over and around dead trees. I now know we are getting close as we are trying to locate the bull and sneak closer. Over a dead tree I go as Jason follows my steps "snap" he steps on a branch. The woods erupts and off the bull goes as we hear his antlers crashing through the trees and it falls to silence. I could see my son was dejected but yet excited as we where about 50 yards from this bull. The terrain here is great for bow-hunting as you can only see 30 to 40 yards but very tough to get around as we have found out.
 

Don K

Very Active Member
Sep 10, 2011
664
22
Northern Illinois
We stayed high most of the day and sat back and relaxed. As the evening approached we heard a bugle down in the creek bottom near where the screamer had went days before. We headed in that direction bailing off the monster and working our way down to the creek. Every 10 to 15 minutes the bull would talk and we would be on our way again in his direction. We closed as much ground as fast as we could and now where getting within 100 yards of the bull. The running water in the creek was helping cover our noise as we moved in closer and closer. Next thing we know we bump a cow and she takes off to get away. The wind was in our face so I tossed in my call and started chirping. Immideatly the bull responded and he was headed in our direction. A hige pine was right next to us so we had great cover as Jason pulled a arrow out and was ready. I told him as soon as the bull gets behind the tree draw so when he comes past it hes ready to release. The bull was still coming and it would be a 10 yard shot. I thought for sure this was it. This was our chance, and Jason's time to take his first Elk. Just as I was thinking this I felt a slight breeze on the back of my neck..... Yep the wind had swirled, and the bull was gone............

Over the rest of our hunt we heard a few more bulls talking a little bit but not what I had thought. It was warm, and the rut didn't seem to be going much where we where. Overall, a excellent time, my son is now really hooked and is talking about our next hunt together.
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
8,074
4,301
82
Dolores, Colorado
What a wonderful time for both of you! As I posted earlier, my Dad took me out of school twice and we hunted deer together in a wilderness area packing in on horseback. I remember it like it was yesterday and it was 60 years ago. Your son will too. priceless experiences can never be replaced.
 

Hilltop

Veteran member
Feb 25, 2014
3,796
2,162
Eastern Nebraska
Don, Great story and great job as a dad. I promise he will remember that one that got away forever. It is memories like this that fuel the fire inside us for a lifetime. The immense challenge that archery elk presents is a wonderful experience if hunters allow it to be. Sounds like you put the right spin on it all and your son is the real winner. I promise he learned more there than he would have in any classroom... Good job dad.