At 6:15ish we heard a bugle what we thought was about 1500 ft elevation above us. Decided to hustle up the ridge and try to make it happen. The whole way walking up we were hearing a faint bugle, on the wall of the other side of the basin. Sticking to our first bugle we got up to where we thought would be his general area, rip a bugle.... crickets. It's now about 6:45 pm, dark dark is 8:00. The elk across the basin is still periodically sounding off, too far to get too in a hour. For our ego's sake we blow a bugle at him, he responds. We decided our best play would be to run back down to the bottom in hopes that we might have a chance at bumping into something while we still have light. We take about one step down the ridge and hear a bull sound off in the bottom. Knowing our thermals are ripping down the ridge, we don't get too excited and know this will not end well. However trying to turn a dump into ice cream, we literally start to run down the ridge in the direction of that bugle.
As only the things of September can do, within about 5 minutes there are three bulls in the bottom, RIPPING like crazy. About 3/4 of the way down, 300 yards from the meanest growler, we bump into a rag 4. Starting us down at 100 yards as we were running down the mtn. Again, thermals are blowing right at him, young bull, he walks off but did "spook" too bad. At this point my brother takes the left fork i take the right, knowing they join up again in about 500 yards/bottom. You can't make this stuff up, i hop over a log, and my holster/pistol falls off my pack....., now shuffling down the mtn with my bugle and pistol in one hand, bow in the other, all while a barrage of bugles are at max 150 yards way. I sneak thru some dark timber to see that same rag 4 again in a small opening below me. I throw my pistol and bugle down, range the meadow as the bull walks out the right side, 63 yards. Just then, a bugle rips again and i see 4 legs walking towards me entering the left side of the meadow. I draw back, wait for a good shot/position, hit him with a mew, he stops and sent it down range. The sound was what every archery hunter dreams of, soft spot!
Bull runs downhill and i hear a crash about 10 seconds later. I mark my shot on my GPS and start to get my flagging tape out as darkness is quickly approaching. Threw a series of cow calls, my brother and i hook back up, as he was still chasing the big bugle that was going nuts. Upon inspection and finding of the arrow, it was a pass through and big blood. Only problem was it wasn't lung blood.... Assessing the anatomy of an elk, there are only so many places your arrow can pass through, with that amount of blood. Came to the conclusion it had to be a brisket hit, as we shot a bull two years ago and it produced the same result. We wait about 20 minutes, knowing we have lots of blood and heard a crash, we decide to follow the blood for 50 yards and make the decision then to pull off or not. At the 50 yard mark, we glass up the bull, bedded with head up, facing away from us, 47 yards. I rak another one in him, hard quartering away, the arrow buries, entering from hip all the way up to its nock. Now i can breathe a sigh of relief. Of course the work of breaking down and getting him off the mtn, makes you wonder how much "fun" this is... wouldn't trade it for anything! The harder you work, the "luckier" people get no doubt, but each time i get the opportunity at an elk I feel very blessed the lord lets us do this.
As only the things of September can do, within about 5 minutes there are three bulls in the bottom, RIPPING like crazy. About 3/4 of the way down, 300 yards from the meanest growler, we bump into a rag 4. Starting us down at 100 yards as we were running down the mtn. Again, thermals are blowing right at him, young bull, he walks off but did "spook" too bad. At this point my brother takes the left fork i take the right, knowing they join up again in about 500 yards/bottom. You can't make this stuff up, i hop over a log, and my holster/pistol falls off my pack....., now shuffling down the mtn with my bugle and pistol in one hand, bow in the other, all while a barrage of bugles are at max 150 yards way. I sneak thru some dark timber to see that same rag 4 again in a small opening below me. I throw my pistol and bugle down, range the meadow as the bull walks out the right side, 63 yards. Just then, a bugle rips again and i see 4 legs walking towards me entering the left side of the meadow. I draw back, wait for a good shot/position, hit him with a mew, he stops and sent it down range. The sound was what every archery hunter dreams of, soft spot!
Bull runs downhill and i hear a crash about 10 seconds later. I mark my shot on my GPS and start to get my flagging tape out as darkness is quickly approaching. Threw a series of cow calls, my brother and i hook back up, as he was still chasing the big bugle that was going nuts. Upon inspection and finding of the arrow, it was a pass through and big blood. Only problem was it wasn't lung blood.... Assessing the anatomy of an elk, there are only so many places your arrow can pass through, with that amount of blood. Came to the conclusion it had to be a brisket hit, as we shot a bull two years ago and it produced the same result. We wait about 20 minutes, knowing we have lots of blood and heard a crash, we decide to follow the blood for 50 yards and make the decision then to pull off or not. At the 50 yard mark, we glass up the bull, bedded with head up, facing away from us, 47 yards. I rak another one in him, hard quartering away, the arrow buries, entering from hip all the way up to its nock. Now i can breathe a sigh of relief. Of course the work of breaking down and getting him off the mtn, makes you wonder how much "fun" this is... wouldn't trade it for anything! The harder you work, the "luckier" people get no doubt, but each time i get the opportunity at an elk I feel very blessed the lord lets us do this.
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