Well I got my lumbar MRI results back. Spinal Stenosis. Severe degenerative disc disease (no discs left to speak of). Sever muscle atrophy in the lumbar area. I been a hurtin for a LONG time but always been able to walk and climb until the last couple of years. Kinda threw a wrench in my spokes when they told me how bad it was. I didn't tell them I was taking my Ibuprofen and going hunting anyways(with the wife's blessings as she knows how much hunting with my stick means to me). MY wife will go along and be camp tender (not to mention she is the love of my life and I enjoy her company). She will help me if I get something and I have friends who will be nearby to help me also. I have a game cart so I should do alright if by a miracle I call in something and get that golden shot away. The country is not real steep and no blow down. I had a bull last year JUST out of range. Man that would have been one of my easiest kills and recovers ever. I may have to just sit waterholes in the future. If so I will dearly miss the walk in the woods with the sights, sounds and smells all different around every boulder, behind every tree and across every stream. The woods in the fall are what keeps me going. I do so hope I get to call in a bull and play the old cat and mouse game one more time. : :cool:
I have mixed emotions for ya. Sad that the joys of traipsing through the woods may become come to halt but delighted to know that you have the definitive soul mate by your side to be your saving grace when needed. Best wishes to you on whatever path the Lord decides to put you on.
At least you will still be hunting and have the support of a loving wife to help you along your journey.
As said above and you'll adapt to your new reality, because you're a Hunter.
My L5 is completely gone, L4 is on the way out, stenosis etc. I have been hunting in pain for 5 yrs. Oct 4th I go for Endoscopic laser surgery. It is same day surgery, you walk out that day. No rods or any of that, just a 3/4 inch cut. Dr says I'll see plenty more hunting ahead. Check out laser spine institute.
Keep at 'em as long as your body will let you. If you can't hike the mountains like in years past, sitting waterholes might be a good alternative. You can still enjoy the outdoors; just a bit more slowly. Hang tough.
You are not alone. Get a personal trainer and you will be surprised at how much strength and flexibility you can retain or regain. I'm there with you but two days ago I hauled in a Screaming Eagle, climbing sticks, pole saw, back pack, etc. to set up for a monster buck I saw three night ago. It was about a mile in and out and the climbing, limbing, etc. took a toll on me next day but it was mostly muscle soreness. The more you cut back on physical activity the worse it gets. If you rest you rust.
Sorry to hear the bad news. I'm sure you are tougher, stronger and more determined than they know. We all only have so many days that we can hunt.
Take care and I know you will enjoy each hunt like it's your last. That is how we all need to hunt also isn't it? God bless and keep you strong my friend, You're a lucky man to have such a wonderful soul mate.
I also suggest that you find a good surgeon and at least have the conversation.
I also suffer from spinal stenosis but it is way less after surgery.
My surgeon told me what I could expect as the result of surgery and I am here to say that the very second my feet touched the floor I knew he was correct. He did exactly what he said he'd do and the result was exactly what he said it would be.
I thank him and God for a life that is relatively pain free these days.
I'm back to walking about 5k every morning in an attempt to get rid of my "blubber buddy".
I think you exhibit that you have great spirit and are brave at heart...keep on! keeping on!!
God bless,Mudd
that totally sucks, but sitting waterholes in the elk woods is still special.. good luck man!
You know how far and how much you can push your body. You may state its only a lot of pain nothing to worry about. Just make sure your pain does not cause you further injury so remember you know you have to pace yourself. The statement use it or lose it has a lot to it. A little while back some one posted about a book called "Pain Free" A revolutionary method for stopping chronic pain by Pete Egoscue with Roger Gittines for $17.00 its worth a look for a few exercises even if it helps some what to keep you moving. Has helped me somewhat. As stated above you are not alone in your experience and the best to your journey.
Headed out tomorrow. I will be taking extra pictures this time no matter if the critters stand in front of me or the elk have all loaded on a space shuttle and flew off to planet ZENO! I now ish I had taken more pictures over the years. I still sit at times and look them over with a bit of a smile. I wonder how much my mind embelishes the hunt as the years pass? :)
Good luck. I don't know what to say other than sometimes life throws us a curve. I have been cancer free for almost two years now. I sure didn't plan on that and I can definately relate to the helpless feeling of uncertainty about what your hunting future holds. But, I can also relate that as our situations change, we adapt to them and it is up to us to find our joy in the Blessings the Lord provides.
Know that having a great wife is priceless. I just can't put into words the appreciation I have for mine after taking such great care of me durning the 20 chemo treatments and the 6 months that followed. I am simply humbled by her devotion and caring nature cause for the ten months I was sick as a dog, it was no walk in the park for her I can assure you.
Keep the faith bro. There are new unexpected blessings coming your way. Just stay close to the Lord and trust his will to assure you don't miss them. Good luck and enjoy everyday. Keep the faith no matter your struggles, and stay the course. God Bless and I will pray for you.
you aint alone Bro my whole spine is stuffed from the tail bone to the top of my neck and they want me to have an opp i don't think so as long as i am walking i will keep walking
Back in 2001 I'd tried to tough it out,couldn't walk, sit or lay comfortly and landed in the ER. I had a MRI and had spinal stenosis, L4 & L5, and a couple of bulgeing discs which left my leg numb and weak. I had to us a cane and spent weeks at PT and still was in severe pain. It was suggested to go to a pain management center and recieve a series of injections into the spine. After several months I was able to walk normally, hike and backpack. Since then I have made several Elk bowhunts to Colorado and backpack in. You must continue to exercize and keep a strong core or your done. Well worth looking into. Good luck.
I am really bummed to hear of your woes. My mother suffered for years with it. Have you checked out the Laser Spine Institute? Might be worth a look. Good luck all the way around.
Tim
Well I had a most wonderful hunt this fall, no kills but the best I have had in years! It lasted only 4 days before I had to come and sleep in a real bed but well worth the struggles!!
Got there late and set up the wall tent in the dark(headlights). My wife and I gathered firewood the next day and I went out that night. Parked the Jeep and walked 50 yds through the sage towards the timber. It was a slight up hill and as I got that little elevation I see movement in the open. Used my Toelke Whip as my walking stick and bent down to hide. It was a cow and calf trotting towards the timber from the other side of the park....... (http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j423/KentTinney/fallhunting2102009.jpg)
So I use my cow call and talk to her. I tell her she has friends over here and to come on over. They both stop and look with interest but quickly look over their shoulders. HOLY MOLY it is a 6x6 and storming down on them and heis walking faster than normal making a beeline towards them. I am sure he is ready to offer drinks and dinner to her if she will only "stay awhile". Meanwhile I get the diaphragm call working and let out some sweet nothings in different voices and a small bull squeal. THIS gets his attention on some perceived notion that another honey is interested and needs a rescue raid from this "bad man" who has her trapped.
got my attention!!!!
The cow and calf lose interest in my invite and quickly head into the the timber. As he looses sight of them he looks my way. Now he is coming from my left to the right and the air current is going the same way. Well elk aren't stupid so HE heads into the trees as well still showing interest in the group of lil darlings that call his name. As he disappears I struggle to stand up and quickly get into the same stretch of trees maybe 100 yds to my right. I cautiously walk towards them not knowing if the cow is headed my way or not. I realize I am walking too slow as I see legs around 150yds ahead with my binoculars. It stops so I head closer as quickly as my stumbling legs will let me and not sound like an armored division on the roll. I lose sight of him and know he is headed my way and making good time for a cautious mature bull. I move ahead and set up to have a look see with my glasses when he appears in the lenses. 75 YARDS AWAY! OK Mr. Tinney think fast! To my left is several old and gray downed trees and stumps...hmm is this enough cover in this open timber? Well STUPID you don't have much choice now do you, dumazz? I jump into the middle of it and drop my fanny pack, nock and arrow tipped with a Simmons Landshark, give a little love whisper and wait for his reaction. He heads right to me and walks to my right all the while with his nose in the air. He gets 12-13 yards to my right and STOPS! He is broadside BUT is behind some rather large trees and I can not get any decent shot at his vitals. He lowers his head and looks right at me and I KNOW he smells me..........
wapiti sorry to hear that brother. I also have severe degenerative disc disease. I missed this years opener Oct. 15th and haven't been able to hunt yet. I may have to get surgery out of necessity. Hope you get better....Dave
Good luck to you on your hunt! And I'll throw up a few prayers that something positive happens with your back and you get to keep on hunting the way you like to.
Bisch
......he SLOWLY turns and heads back the way he came in. He stops and lets out a bugle at about 25 yards out, one of those deep head in the barrel bugles that gives you the shivers,but is facing straight away. DANG IT! He starts walking again but stops at 32 paces and is now slightly quartering away and lets out a scream. Completely out in the open, I draw and let fly. The arrow is on its mark as it heads towards him. He twists his antlers towards me to have a peek at the movement he has just spotted and I can see his huge bugged out eyes follow the arrow headed towards his chest. Just as the arrow is ready to smack him dead center in the lungs his legs begin to buckle to avoid this incoming missle of death and he manages to move enough to place the arrow right in his shoulder. SMACK! I am sick as I know that sound of bone and steel. He bolts off and none of my talking will convince him to stop. He heads straight away, boldly dashig hard for 30 yards or so and then folds into a trot. I watch until I can no longer see him with my binocs. Sitting still and sick to my stomach I ponder where he will go.
As mentioned, can't say enough about exercise; best of luck to you
Adapt and overcome sir. Good luck and god bless.Cant wait to see some pics when you get back. :thumbsup:
Elk like the timber. Often they will feed at night far out in the open but are long gone WAY before the days 1st light.Camp is a few miles from here. (http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j423/KentTinney/MyPictures3473.jpg)
The timber is not real dense in most places and can be hard to hide your movements. The ability to freeze your movement in an instant and hold that position "forever" is the norm. (http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j423/KentTinney/Elkhunting2011005.jpg)
I wait slightly less than 30 minutes and go to where the bull was standing at impact. The arrow was waving from his shoulder as he left in a hurry. I follow his tracks as far as I can before he turns to a walk. The ground is hard and dry with extremely poor tracking conditions. Absolutely no sign of blood for as far as I can make out his tracks. I scour the area to the point of following the fence line up and down both sides twice, NOTHING. He has shown no sign of the injury and I am puzzled as it seems he should have stopped somewhere to watch his back trail and to figure what is going on. I am also concerned my bright yellow crown dipped and chartreuse fletched arrow hasn't presented itself.I wonder why it hasn't pulled out or at the least broken off. With light fading fast I head back to camp. When I arrive I tell my wife what happened and she knows I am upset. We eat a quiet dinner and enjoy the heat of the stove. Into the cot, I ball up for a restless night. Sleep comes around 4AM.
That's good story tellin right there. Thanks for the ride.
Morning arrives and I am less than enthusiastic about the days prospects after last night. Maybe being tired and my back aching from holding a frozen position several times has something to do with it but i think it is more the mental drain I experienced. After having a roll and some of my wife's good coffee I head back to the fence to look some more. I search in a wide circle making it smaller and smaller down to where the action started. Still nothing! OK let me think. He either has gone over the rise and down the other side into the creek bottom and then up the side of that drainage and into the timber on the other ridge or down into a wallow area I know about. I decide to check the wallow area as it is close and a good area to lay down. I hope that he is around there and maybe stiffened up. I arrive quickly but there is no sign of any elk activity. This leads me to imagine that the bull went down the hill and into and probably out of the other drainage. I am sure the cow and calf were headed there the day before by their line of travel. I pack it in and head to camp to tell the wife I am heading across the creek to look for "sign". I hop in the Jeep and bounce across the creek and down the trail a scant half mile. Parked along side of the road I walk to the creek and the bottom of the draw that leads from the top of the hill where it all started. The area shows only old sign of elk activity so, frustrated, I have to admit to myself he is most likely fine and giving me a "moon" shot from somewhere hidden in the forest. Back to camp for a soda and a snack.
The creek behind camp. (http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j423/KentTinney/fallhunting2102005.jpg)
The next drainage over from where the action began. (http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j423/KentTinney/MyPictures3462.jpg)
:campfire:
Back at camp I find myself to be restless and do some stump shooting. Bailey my labrador retriever enjoys the frolicking in the creek and around camp. Shooting always relieves my frustrations and I feel better after 20 mins or so. I tire easily and have to rest my legs and back. My wife decides it is nap time too as the sun has peeked out and feels comforting on the skin. Sorry honey but you look so relaxed!! (http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j423/KentTinney/fallhunting2102001.jpg)
After a rest I am going to go back this evening and do some calling. You never know, He may still be in the area at this time of year and if one elk shows up more are not too far away. I arrive at the same spot and start calling softly with meek bugles and squeals. No answers gives me mind to go to the wallow and call there. Still no answers. It is very close so there is no surprise that the woods are silent. I cross the fence and saunter across the park into timber I have yet to enter this year. No fresh elk sign so I figure they are only passing through and I got lucky. Still smarting from the night before I walk slowly through the woods when I think I hear a bull. I stop to listen but no sounds. I let one RIIIIPPPPP and get an immediate but faint answer. We start a duet and I hear another bull join in. They are far off and it is 30 mins till sundown. With little time to get over to them I decide to wait until morning. I get back to the Jeep after dark. My legs are killing me and my back is on fire. It takes me twice as long to walk anywhere now and what would take me 30 mins to get to my Jeep now takes me over an hour. Dark and hungry I hit the switch and stomp the pedal. It is a rough ride home in the dark with a vigorous attempt to avoid the rocks and badger holes. Once back, my elk hunting hero has dinner ready for me. I turn in for the night around 11 PM with the "elk encounter" still on my mind. I have wounded 3 critters now in 30 years of bowhunting. Many years ago I hit a cow square in the chest on a frontal shot. Blood everywhere and good tracking, I could not imagine the trail would dry up and I would never find her. I spent 3 weekends looking to no avail. It takes me 3 years to take another shot at an elk after losing her. I try not to let this shake me up so much.
I'm hooked wapiti! Hoping for more tonight!
Great story, there is nothing like elk hunting.
More to come.
I awake in the morning to the sound of "pit pat,pit pat,pit pat" on the tents roof. With a light rain I decide to just stay in the sack and rest my back knowing full well I can sneak around the woods in silence from the dampness leaking from the sky. I reawaken and my wife, Karen, has scented our canvas home with the aroma of coffee which she made on the wood stove. Taking my morning ritual of coffee and a roll for breakfast whilst out in hunting camp I sit and ponder what I want to do. Karen says she would like to see where these elk are so after finishing the pot of "joe" we climb in the CJ and head out. I will get high and do a lot of glassing and plan an attack for the evening. I walk a little along a fence line and set up in the tree line and begin looking around for the wily wapiti of Montana. I have seen them at all times of the day during the peak of the rut. In fact I dance down memory lane for second and recall when I lived in Wyoming and seeing the largest bull I have ever scene in the wild (and I have seen a lot of them in my 55 years) while driving into Bear Lodge for a hot cooked meal. He was standing 150 yards off the road and all by himself. A massive rack, he showed no sign of fear and simply trotted off to the north and away from such disturbances. With Karen and Bailey back at my faithful rust bucket with wheels I head out after seeing what I want to see which is no cows in my favorite spot. I am pretty sure the calls came from there and being undisturbed have a supreme confidence the elk will be in there tonight. It is overcast and chilly but no call for rain or snow. Slowly walking back I have lifted spirits for this evenings adventures.
(http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j423/KentTinney/MyPictures3477.jpg)
The woods are scary silent tonight!! It is an easy walk from the rig, a short slight downward march of a 1/4 mile. Every step is met with..........SILENCE! No crunching or snapping. The ground and air are both moist with an eerie dampness. After stepping in the timber and walking half way to where I want to be skulking around for the evening. I let out a small bugle/squeal. Just one mind you as I have that feeling. The wind is accommodating tonight and in my face which is a rarity as it usually comes up hill or down hill. Not tonight as it is coming from the timber out and into the open.I remove my rubber blunt from my quiver and let fly a couple of shots at pine cones. An answer! I knew it!!!!!!! They are headed into the feeding areas. Practice is cut short, no need for more as I center punched both cones at 20 and 25 steps. Besides they will be off the ridge soon and sneaking around among the fir and lodgepole waiting for o'dark thirty. Once I get to "the corner" I head slightly up hill and then work the side slope. 50 long yards and I cow call. A bull bugles back and he is close, Then another and another and then another. Two of them are still on the ridge but the one that is close is accompanied with cows mewing. I focus my attention on the bull ahead of me and wait to see if he comes nearer. I am antsy but soon startled to full attention from a bugle behind me! Slowly turning I spy a little bull with a fork on one side and a brow tine on the other. He is a legal animal and headed right to me. Crazy visions of chops and steaks all tender and juicy snap throughout my head. Only problem this dude is not stupid. He is approaching as cautious as any bull I have ever watched!!!
Well MR. Spoiler just keep coming and you and I shall dance together tonight. He takes his sweet time and my mind begins to race! Why is he so cautious? How could a bull of that size give such a full and mature bugle? Has he been that close all this while? He has to know he is treading dangerously coming towards "elk"? 40 minutes or so pass and he is now 20 yards away, broadside and looking right through me to what ever he has imagined in his little tough guy head. I draw on him but do not shoot. Over the years I learned to NEVER shoot at an animal when he/she is looking at me. I let down and then it happens!! Another bull lets loose a very loud and intimidating call. He is close and in less than 10 seconds I see black legs shuffle this way. Then he appears, a very nice 5x5 and he looks PISSED. He moves slowly and steady towards Mr. Spoiler ready to kick some hind end! The little one has not said a word all this time and I now realize it was the 5x5 doing the talking and lil tough guy was just trying to steal ahead of him and make off with a date or two. EVERYONE is nervous now! I draw at the little bull once again but he will not avoid me long enough to let me shoot with any confidence. The 5x5 hangs up at around 75 yards as he sees the nervousness of the raggy below him. After an hour of this we all tire and the small bull heads off and away, up the hill, the 5x5 in line. Once they disappear I begin to breath normal and my heart settles down. I continue my side sloping after 5 minutes of gathering my wits once again...............
Awesome story!!!!
MORE!, MORE!, MORE!
.......I walk all of 20 yards and stop to let out a bugle, wonder where the 1st bull is since all of this has occurred. I get an immediate answer once again, he is close. This is quickly followed by an even stronger voice but farther back up the hill. That one sounds like the 1st bull that answered tonight. He must be still up with his cows ready for a fight. I soon hear the mews when the bull close at hand bugles again. He steps out from behind a few trees and I shuffle my feet to get behind my own tree. This one is a 4x4, small yet thick, with no mudding of the hide and very light colored antlers. Hmm, he acts like he is rutting but yet......... That thought is thrown in the dirt as he continues his approach. He takes a step or two and stops, I mew sweet nothings softly and he takes a few more steps and bugles again. We continue our evening waltz when he stops 30 yards out slightly quartering to me. I do not like the shot at all as most of the target is covered in bone. He takes a few more steps and and stops between two trees at 20 paces away, BROADSIDE! I am at full draw and just ready to relase when he looks right at me. I sometimes think elk have a sixth sense. I hold and hold until I have to let down as SLOWLY as I can. The only exposed part is my waist up as I stand behind a tree with a horizontal branch at about eye level. It must be good cover as he turns and looks ahead again. I quickly draw focused on "the pocket". I settle my breathing and release. Everything looks perfect UNTIL the arrow gets near the mark. He is 7 feet (measured with my arrow) behind and directly between two trees with smallish twigs/branches above his back. The arrow veers sharply up and to the left and strikes him very high and slightly forward over his shoulder. I quickly and instinctively look for depth of penetration and there is little. Maybe 4"!!!!!!! WTH? He responds with a quick quarter turn and heads downhill and away on a full run. He spins through the forest like a cutting horse rounding up cattle. That sick feeling returns with a vengeance. I try to remain calm but a fear quickly over comes me and I struggle to push away the thoughts. It is sundown and clouded over so the timber is dark even with its sparsity. I set my buyt down and wait a few minutes before going to look at the spot where he was hit.........
More tonight....
:campfire:
.........21 paces and I didn't drop the bucket in the well! DAMN IT I say to myself. How can this happen twice in one year let alone twice in 3 days? I look at the torn up turf where he once stood and glance back at the two trees he stood between. Yep there it is, a twig of a branch that has to be the culprit. IDIOT! You didn't take the time to use your glass and look at the shooting lane. They hang around your neck in a harness with easy access and completely protected from the elements. I sit down to wait,unload my pack and rummage through to find my bright yellow flagging tape. I am in a downer mood from this situation. I growl some profanities at myself under my breath and then begin my wait..........
....of a little over 20 mins. I am going to follow the trail and decide what I want to do. I follow his tracks and mark them every few feet. When he turns a bit I place a streamer of ribbon from a tree limb. I make about 50 yards and go back to get an angle on his direction. He is heading down as I remember from the shot and slightly less along the side hill than I thought. The ground is moist and he is leaving tracks and turned up duff off the forest floor. I get another 20-30 yards and I run out of light. With a wounded bull I am not going to stumble around in the dark and possibly spook him. I turn back and follow my steps back outand into the open. Cell service is available from atop aand I lean on the fence and call Dan. He has hunted this area more than I and I need his advice. It's late and I disturb his evening but like a true friend he greets my call with enthusiasm. I cry my sad song to him and ask, "Where do you think he will head"? He answers downhill to where most of them feed during the night. "Look around the stock tank. The lower one with the water in it". This gives me hope I can follow up and find him. Once more back to the Jeep. The walk is slow and I demand myself to get out of the funk and think positive. I arrive back at camp and Karen has dinner ready and a warm soul searching fire going in the old military wood stove.
(http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j423/KentTinney/fallhunting2102012.jpg)
Sleep is difficult as the back is one big spasm. The hip feels like it is welded shut and I am sure I have a misplace my hunting knife, under my left knee cap! The terrain is not bad at all it is just the body is worn out. It speaks louder than I do now. It controls most of my activities. I say yes and it says "I don't think so Tim!" As usual I stretch and moan as I get up. Karen HANDS me a cup of coffee, She is a sweetie for sure. I think she even sweetened it by stirring the creamer with her finger of pure sugar. My spirits arise now as well and I am ready to face the day. I step outside for air and it is WET!! WET EVERYWHERE. REAL WET! It had rained that night at some point and brought REAL water to the area. I make sure I have my rain jacket stuffed in the top of my fanny pack, kiss the "woman" goodbye and fire up "Rusty", ease the clutch out and I am off. The clouds are low and thick and I wonder why it rained so much. I sit in the Jeep and ponder the forecast before we left home. No rain in the forecast just cool and cloudy. I think, a sprinkle yes but....oh well. I can't change things and wrap the jacket around me and begin another days journey. One I hope ends soon with my finding the bull. I cross the fence and head right to "the spot". Following the flags I can find no tracks. They should be with in a foot of the surveyors tape but they are not there. Puddles of water everywhere. Ok lets get right to it, I think. I make a long zigzag march and find nothing. Not even a magpie barking it's annoying call. I walk back and grab the tape littering this special place. I head down hill to the tanks. I watch from a short distance for a long time. Scanning the area with my binoculars I look everywhere for signs of death. Nothing shows so I decide to do a "walk about" of where he may have gone. I reach the bottom, have found zilch and head up to side hill my way back. I know this is not the ending I wanted but I have to accept it. Failure is a bitter pill to swallow at times. This is one of those moments. It's around 1 PM and time for a snack back at camp.
I eat a sandwich and rest my legs and back. 4 more ibuprofen settles with the lunch. The day has turned into an overcast chill accompanied by a sporadic drizzle/mist. Silk and wool is the name of the game now. Not heavy drag you down amounts but fight the chill and dampness kind.I stay warm enough and hope the weather holds and I can get out one more time. Late afternoon arrives with a mist in the air. It's enough to make me wet if out in it for long but not so much to keep me from hunting. I gather up my things and roll up the hill one last time before we have to leave..... So I am back in the same spot and no tracks and no sounds. I speak the best language I know to entice ANY elk to respond. SILENCE is the result. Something says to turn around and I do so slowly as there are bears around here. NOPE! It's a spike! His eyes bugged out he gets closer and closer wondering what the heck is going on. He stops outside of 30 yards and I enjoy the action. Finally he has had enough and walks away up and off into the forest. I am sure he is unhappy no one was there. Sundown has occurred and the hunt is over, or so I think. I hit the edge of the trees and behold a cow and a spike. She is a young one it appears and worth the effort to get close enough. I only move when the heads are down. I get around 35 yards and she is broadside munching on some sedge's. I don't even nock an arrow. I am wet and cold. My fingers are stiff and tight like a braided wire cable. 10 steps will be maximum and they are a long way from that. The only tree available is now between us so all I can do is sit and wait it out. It soon becomes too dark to shoot and I step out. Heads lift in surprise and I take a step. The pair walk back to the fence and leap it with almost no effort, easily clearing the top wire. They continue to the trees and stop and stare as I walk along. 50 yards and a spike stands aside the trail. He trots to the fence and leaps it in stride. The now shadow that was an elk stops at timbers edge and watches as I continue my walk to the rig. Tomorrow we pack up and head home. If ever I had a success this was the year. The drive back is slow as I savior the hunt I so hoped for.
-I hope you enjoyed the hunt. I sure did!!!
I wouldn't write things off yet, I also have stenosis as well as 5 levels fused and number six on the way. The doc says I have the most aggressive arthritis she's ever seen. I've been fighting it since I was 22 when I had an injury but for the past 10yrs it's gotten extremely bad with a total of 7 back surgeries in as many years. The docs say this will be a continuing pattern because as we have to fuse one level the next takes the load and so far none have lasted longer than a year after a fusion. I've also had three wrist surgeries and 6 tears in my right shoulder repaired. I quit bowhunting in 04 and hadn't been able to draw a recurve for a few years before that so I went back to gun hunting. I've killed several bulls since then and sometimes it's meant resorting to road hunting and of course with a gun but I switched from rifle to pistol. Last year I took my 72# Brack out just to see what would happen and to my amazement I was shooting like I'd never stopped and I was drawing the bow easier than I ever remembered. I made a point of it this year that I was getting out of the truck and back in the woods with my recurve and I did. I was on 5 different bulls although I didn't get a shot. The coastal mountains of OR are probably the worst in the lower 48 to traverse, the only positive point is you have oxygen. There are several guys on here that can affirm how rugged these mountains are. I would just hunt on my own terms, I'd find areas I could navigate and I normally had my wife with me just in case something happened or if I needed help getting an animal out. I also have people I can call if I get one down in a bad spot. I hope this gives you some encouragement, I should also mention I was permanently disabled in 07 at the age of 39. I've had to use canes and walkers at times and even been reduced to crawling. I have lost roughly 25% of the strength in my right leg but I refuse to quit.
Your passion for the hunt is obvious, thank you for taking us along...
Hoping more get to read the story posted above. I still smile thinking about the fun I have had through the years in the woods. This one didn't turn out as I had hoped but none the less was particularly sweet for me.
That was a great story and mirrored our Elk hunt here in AZ. We had some very similiar experiences that ultimately resulted in no Elk coming home but great fun.
BTW I recall you had a warm weather cap you were selling in addition to the ones shown in your link. Are they still available?
I quit making the knit caps as they were not popular enough to warrant stocking the material.
Kent
Thanks for the story. Any of us that have been at it very long have walked in those same shoes. Few things are worse than a "lost" animal, but only because we pour so much of ourselves into our bowhunting. It's who we are, and what makes us whole. It's obvious that your heart cares deeply for "doing the right thing" for our sport. Don't ever change that.
I have a feeling you're not done yet. You have a very supportive wife, and a passion that will motivate you during your rehab.
Good luck with your health and looking forward to next season's story from you.