Hunting Reports Thread, bad luck or suck part 4 in Hunting; I just typed up the ending and while checking for typos I hit control instead of the shift key with ...
I just typed up the ending and while checking for typos I hit control instead of the shift key with "w" maybe ? erased it all?
Sorry guys for the delay, the honey dew list, my real job, and going out of town for a couple of days delayed me from finishing my sad but epic story.
So anyway, there I was, the big 6 x is right in front of me but no shot opportunity. He finally moves left behind a juniper about 60 yrds away, I fish the call out of my pack an let out a deep raspy bugle, he replies and so does the smaller bull to the north west. The other two bulls way to my east across the canyon respond a couple seconds later. I expect the big bull to turn towards me and take a couple of steps but instead, he heads north west towards the other bull. knowing that he wants to eventualy go east to the bedding area, I pick up and run north east as I listen to the two bulls square off. I set up on a trail and I'm contemplating wether to head west towards them or to wait for them to walk to me when I see movement in front of me. Its the little 3x, he's grazing towards me again and since its the 12th day of a 13 day hunt I raise the bow as he steps behind a juniper. He must have seen me move because when he steps out the other side of the juniper, I'm drawn at maybe 25 yrds with my pin on his vitals and he's staring right at me. Theres lots of vegetation between me and his eyes but he knows something is wrong. I wait for a minute or so asking myself if I really want to shoot this guy when I have two wounded bulls somewhere close by, plus a massive 6x about 100 yrds away, and another good sounding bull just past him.
The 3x takes a step so now his head is in the open while his vitals are behind the bush. I can hear the other bulls bugle as I contemplate releasing an arrow. I have a clean neck shot at about 20 yrds but I pass on it. after my other misses and wounding shots I am not confident with aiming at his nech and i'm also not sure I want to kill him. I'm still at full draw as he stares me down and I let the bow down. Of course he sees this and bolts to the north...Right towards the other two bulls.
All three bulls scatter and I hear a bark from the 3x as I stand there with my dick in my hands.
that evening in the same spot I hear nothing...
Back at camp draining keystone lights I don't hear any bugles, I reflect back on the past 12 days and wonder why I don't have a filled tag. I'm torn up about the small 5x? I nailed before the rainstorm and the 6/7x with my arrow in his rear hip. I haven't seen any ravens or vultures so I don't think those two bulls died but still I don't know if I deserve to shoot another one. some guys would have packed it up and went home after the first poor shot resulting in a wounded animal.
Aside from the bulls I've shot at none have actually move towards my calling, as I suck down beers I decide that they are either call shy, the rut is not quite on, or they are just not into fighting. I've only spooked the little 3x so I decide I've been too cautious as I go to sleep.
The final morning finds me heading towards the mesa as it starts getting light. I can hear the same two bulls ( a big one with a little one) way to the east of me across the canyon as I climb up on the magic mesa. As I top out on the mesa I hear what sounds like the big guy straight in front of me. I also hear a smaller sounding bull to his north west. I decide to get aggresive and march towards them. I close to within about 150 yrds of the big bull when I walk right into the 3x again. he's coming from my left and grazing towards me as I nock an arrow, raise the bow and attach the release to the string. I draw as he goes behind a scrubby juniper about 35 yrds away and as he steps out into the open I contemplate releasing the arrow as the other two bulls just north of him bugle. I say to myself " relax and trip the release" just before I release, I catch movement just behind him. It's a much bigger bodied bull moving fast left to right. The 3x sees the new bull and freeks out and moves east, obviously scared of an ass kicking as the new bull trots just north of the 3x. He's about 75-100yrds away and his body is at least twice the size of the 3x. He's bugling at the big guy to the north of me as he disapears into thick stuff. the 3x slinks off to the east and I let the bow down.
The big guy screams his dissaproval as the new bull moves in, the new bull looks like a 320-330 plus class 6x but I can't be sure. he's fully mature and looks like he has a uniform rack. When the new bull gets within 75 yrds of the big guy, the new bull goes silent, he must have chickened out and moved off. the big guy keeps bugling and chuckling from his spot.
This is the final morning so I decide to move in before its too late. I head towards the big bull, I'm slowly picking a trail across jagged flagstone like sedimentary rock chunks and dry grass. I cut to within what I think is about 60 yrds. I have a big juniper seperating us as I check my arrow and my release aid. every thing is in order and the big guy sounds like he's facing to my left as I step to the right around the juniper. I expect to see his hind quarters as I clear the tree but instead I'm looking at 3 cow elk. They look at me but don't spook as the big guy walks behind them. No shot of course as he struts about 60 yrds away from me with 3 cows blocking the shot.
the big guy turns west again and disappears behind some scrub. The cow elk are burning lazer beams into me but I am in the shaddows and don't think they understand what is going on. I don't want to spook the cow elk but I don't think they can tell what I am so I move slowly to my left behind the juniper again. I'm ready to draw as I pass to the left of the big juniper. I expect to see the bull step out into the open about 50 yrds away but instead I see 7 more cow elk staring at me with the big bull behind them.
besides the opening day 6x and the 5x at the tank 3 or 4 days later, I have not seen a cow. I'm shocked that this big guy has a harem but it starts to make sense when I reflect on how many bulls followed him around for the past few days.
the 7 cows are not stupid and as I listen to them crash through the vegetation to the north east I fish my hootchie mama call out of my pack, I let out a lost cow call and hear bugles in response. the big guy standing in the opening quartering away from me at a poor angle responds first, the smaller 320-330? bull to the east goes second, the little 3x lets out a weak high ptched bugle and the two bulls far east of me respond a second or two later. I'm hoping that the bulls will work to me but instead the three bulls on the mesa head east following the cows. the two other bulls across the canyon bugle continuously to the east as I stay put and try to sound like a herd of lost calls as the sun rises.
I finally head east, I'm following the big 6x, the 320 ish? bull, the 3x and about 10 cows as they drop off the east side of the mesa. As I get to the rim I can hear the big 6x just down slope of me bugling at the cow elk. I call back and he stops. Unfortunately this side of the mesa is a jungle of cat claws, scrub oak, shin digger agaves, and stunted junipers, as I work down the slope I sound like a herd of elephants. The elk move east down the canyon, up the next hill, and disappear up a juniper and oak choked slope. I try bugling and cow calling at them but my calls seem to make them move faster and farther away.
I head back to camp. I'm happy with my adventure, sad with the knowledge of my wounding shots, and sick of keystone light, bologna sandwiches, and canned food. I hope that next year I draw the same tag....
ok, bring it on bitches, tell me where you would have made different choices. I obviously suck and want to get better. I am a very good shot with my bow and I do not want to wound another animal so I am embarassed by my saga.
Bio: I support single moms one dollar at a time throw in a lap dance and Im good
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Ok first thing great story ,now the ass woopin get rid of them shit broad heads ,practic more and then some more if the shot is questionable DONT take it ............ Oh yeah I would have packe my shit after the first wounded animal JMHO ,Oh yeah I think ya suck J/K man practice some more and chose your shots Oh yeah the G5`s are great broad heads use them the kill shit ,trust me I know
wow...crazy shit.....
i had over 60 days in the woods elk hunting under me before i killed my first Bull. You just got a huge amount of experience. I bet you do a LOT better next time. Cant judge you for what you did or did not do but blood trailing a bull is big time shit! Was that your first time archery elk hunting?
"ok, bring it on bitches, tell me where you would have made different choices. I obviously suck and want to get better. I am a very good shot with my bow and I do not want to wound another animal so I am embarrassed by my saga."
SLOW DOWN Easy to say hard to do.
Did you ever set up early in the morning? Sounds like you walked into an area and started calling?
"Very good shot"? Sounds like you need to sleep with the bow more....(shoot more) Don't know if I would ever take a neck shot with a bow.
You had a few opportunities in which it sounded like you had shots but didn't take them? IMO Archery hunting is 95% mental. You switched so often you confused me on what the heck you were trying to do.
Are you a trophy hunter? If not I would have taken the first good size bull.
You really were into them and should have closed the deal a number of times.
Great story!!
Glad I can entertain y'all and no offense taken to any comments. I have thick skin and I'm truly embarassed at my tag soup ending to an exciting hunt like this. I'm surprised nobody called BS on all my posts and honestly I left a lot of exciting stuff out. a bear sighting, a couple big mulie bucks, a nice conversation with a professional guide one morning. Hopefully I have a better story after my rifle mulie hunt next month.
I just wrote a bunch of other crap refuting any negative comments to my actions, I erased it all 'cause I sounded like a snob trophy hunter. Which I am not, however I do agree 100% with the 95% mental comment. This may be a new market, hunting psychologist? serious, I'll call a buddy who works as a guide for Primos and suggest it...
It's Bloodydecks! ya had to know some shit was going to roll your way. since you said it i will call Bullshit with out pics. Lets see some photos from the trip!!!!!!
It's Bloodydecks! ya had to know some shit was going to roll your way. since you said it i will call Bullshit with out pics. Lets see some photos from the trip!!!!!!
J/K man practice some more and chose your shots Oh yeah the G5`s are great broad heads use them the kill shit ,trust me I know
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