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Originally there were gonna be 2 of us but my friend had to cancel. So I started making phone calls and found an outfitter with a pack string and a cancellation.
We packed in on Saturday and when we got to camp I could tell this outfit was legit. Everything you could need 7 miles other than personal items had been brought up 3 weeks prior and set up.
As soon as we got unloaded and sent the horses back down the mountain, we snuck in a bonus hunt, as the hunt didn’t start til Sunday morning. We had bulls bugling just a couple hundred yards from camp but couldn’t get the wind right and eventually ran out of daylight so we headed back.
Sunday morning 430 am came and we were headed up the mountain to get above the elk. Full moon had them bedding early and although we pushed in hard they were already above us before daylight. Bulls were screaming everywhere and we tried circling around but just couldn’t get things right. About 830 this bull bugles on the same shelf as us. We hunker down and the guide started calling and he’s answer every time. Finally we saw him and about 15 cows pass us at about 100 yds but he wasn’t gonna break off his cows for a closer shot.
We got above the herd and put this bull to bed and decided to sit tight all day. That took some doing, but about 330 Tel got him fired up and the wind was still pushing up the mountain so we closed the distance down to him as close as we could and still he wouldn’t commit. Tel says we’ll we are about to blow him out or be heroes and asked if I was ready. We edged up to the edge of the bench and every time the bull would bugle Tel would cut him off. I had the only opening in the dark timber, or so I thought, ranged at 52 yds. A couple cows showed up where they were supposed to and then I heard tree limbs breaking. This fella got so mad at being cut off he blazed his own trail and was standing at 36 yards and I had my slider set on 50. Went to draw and my arrow had lodged between rest and riser and pulled off the string. With one dinky cedar bush between the bull and me, I let down reset my arrow and tried again. Slider still at 50 and bull at 35ish so I aimed under his belly settled in and released. RIGHT OVER HIS BACK.
This is where the shaking started.
Bull looked around but the 2 cows didn’t hear a thing and kept on feeding. I rattled another arrow on the string and asked Tel to get me a range so I could adjust the slider. Well by this point my nervousness has Tel nervous and shaking too. He said I can’t get the dang thing to work. I looked back and he’s got it backwards shooting the laser into his eye. 😂
I snatched it up and he was still at 36 yards looking around. Second shot hit Pat dirt and as he went into the timber Tel got him to stop with a cow call so I hit him again. Bull stumbled just outta sight into the timber and we heard him crash.
This all happened in about 45 seconds but dang it seemed like forever and I’m thankful them cows didn’t have a clue we were right above them or it woulda never worked the way it did. Now let’s get deer season kicked off.
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Originally there were gonna be 2 of us but my friend had to cancel. So I started making phone calls and found an outfitter with a pack string and a cancellation.
We packed in on Saturday and when we got to camp I could tell this outfit was legit. Everything you could need 7 miles other than personal items had been brought up 3 weeks prior and set up.
As soon as we got unloaded and sent the horses back down the mountain, we snuck in a bonus hunt, as the hunt didn’t start til Sunday morning. We had bulls bugling just a couple hundred yards from camp but couldn’t get the wind right and eventually ran out of daylight so we headed back.
Sunday morning 430 am came and we were headed up the mountain to get above the elk. Full moon had them bedding early and although we pushed in hard they were already above us before daylight. Bulls were screaming everywhere and we tried circling around but just couldn’t get things right. About 830 this bull bugles on the same shelf as us. We hunker down and the guide started calling and he’s answer every time. Finally we saw him and about 15 cows pass us at about 100 yds but he wasn’t gonna break off his cows for a closer shot.
We got above the herd and put this bull to bed and decided to sit tight all day. That took some doing, but about 330 Tel got him fired up and the wind was still pushing up the mountain so we closed the distance down to him as close as we could and still he wouldn’t commit. Tel says we’ll we are about to blow him out or be heroes and asked if I was ready. We edged up to the edge of the bench and every time the bull would bugle Tel would cut him off. I had the only opening in the dark timber, or so I thought, ranged at 52 yds. A couple cows showed up where they were supposed to and then I heard tree limbs breaking. This fella got so mad at being cut off he blazed his own trail and was standing at 36 yards and I had my slider set on 50. Went to draw and my arrow had lodged between rest and riser and pulled off the string. With one dinky cedar bush between the bull and me, I let down reset my arrow and tried again. Slider still at 50 and bull at 35ish so I aimed under his belly settled in and released. RIGHT OVER HIS BACK.
This is where the shaking started.
Bull looked around but the 2 cows didn’t hear a thing and kept on feeding. I rattled another arrow on the string and asked Tel to get me a range so I could adjust the slider. Well by this point my nervousness has Tel nervous and shaking too. He said I can’t get the dang thing to work. I looked back and he’s got it backwards shooting the laser into his eye. 😂
I snatched it up and he was still at 36 yards looking around. Second shot hit Pat dirt and as he went into the timber Tel got him to stop with a cow call so I hit him again. Bull stumbled just outta sight into the timber and we heard him crash.
This all happened in about 45 seconds but dang it seemed like forever and I’m thankful them cows didn’t have a clue we were right above them or it woulda never worked the way it did. Now let’s get deer season kicked off.
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