HA! 5x7 sounds more impressive than he really is, but I'm pleased as punch with him!
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCF1259.jpg) (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/Owlgrowler/media/DSCF1259.jpg.html)
This is where I found him.Top arrow is the exit side of the initial shot, bottom arrow was the unnecessary insurance shot. More to come.
Looks pretty impressive to me.
:campfire:
Nice!
:thumbsup: :notworthy:
CONGRATS! !!
CONGRATS! !!
Beautiful! I'm looking forward to every last detail!
Congratulations!
Awesome! Congrats Brother!
Very Nice!!
Heck yea! Man, I miss Wyoming! Congrats!
Nice Bull :thumbsup:
Good job!!!!!!
Congrats,well done.
No need to qualify that animal. I'd be more than pleased to take him. Nice bull. Hope to go after one before I head to the big trad shop in the sky. Double thumbs up. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
congratts! :thumbsup:
Very Nice, Congrats
Congratulations!
That should be some fine table fare, congratulations!
Awesome animal! Congrats!
Congrats that is awesome
Congrats!!
Beautiful animal!
Well done........
Awesome!
:thumbsup: Excellent!
Congrats
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: I think I'd take him
Well done
I am impressed!! Cool!
Well done.
I always put it this way...how often would one pass up that animal when a shot presented itself...I would shoot it every single time...I would guess that even mismatched side to side like that the bull will still make the Pope and Young minimum
DDave
QuoteOriginally posted by Sam McMichael:
Looks pretty impressive to me.
Me too.
Congrats on a great bull.
congrats
well done, very fine meat in the freezer now!
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
way to work! we need a tale here...
Beautiful Bull. Congrats!
Well done!!
Awesome, Congratulations. In my dreams..........
What a memory! Great job....
Way to go! :thumbsup:
Very nice animal. No qualifier necessary. Well done. Congrats.
Awesome
Nice Bull.....congrats..!
Dang! That is an awesome bull. Would love to know your bow setup too. Great arrow penetration and location.
Nice shooting. That bull appears to be smiling for the picture. Congrats
That's a beautiful bull! I'd be in a great mood for at least a year if I killed him!
Great shot on a super nice bull! Congrats!
Congratulations!!! Nice one
Awesome!! Congrats!!
:pray:
Beautiful bull.
You done really good!
Terry
beautiful bull, congrats to you! looking forward to the rest of the story.
Very nice bull, also looking forward to the story!
-Jay
That's the coolest thing ever!!!
Congrats Great bull!!! :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Awesome Awesome! Let's hear the story!
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Nice! Congratulations! Looking forward to your story. :thumbsup:
Bernie
Congrats!
Well, I'm just jealous! That's sweet.
I'd be tickled pink with that bull!
Congrats to you!
Bisch
Awesome job, congrats to you!!
Steve
Nice Bull :bigsmyl:
Congrats, that's a fine bull.
That's a nice one in my book :thumbsup: :thumbsup: congrats on a fine elk
Congrats!!! This gets me soooo pumped I leave for Wyoming on the 18th! Where about a where you? Are they really active right now?
Anyways congratulations I think we'd all love a chance at an animal like that
Nicely done! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Looks impressive to me. Looks like a good first shot to. Some day I will hunt elk with a bow. Congrats to you
:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Awesome!
Looks pretty nice to me! Congrats Mr.!
Great bull!!! Congrats!
WOW!! Thanks for all the accolades Brothers, I'm overwhelmed. I just hope you don't get bored with the rest of the story!
Anyhow, I killed my last bull in '11 on No Name Mountain,(that's a made-up name to prevent spot burning), and then had a bit of a dry spell in '12 and '13, I didn't draw in '14. I saw a bunch of bulls those years. One morning my son bugled in 3 bulls in a half hour time period, the first was a bit smaller than I wanted, the second was a nice 6x6 that walked by at 20 yards in a thick aspen grove that offered no shot opportunity and then spooked when he saw my son, and third was a beauty of a 6-pointer that came straight in to me and turned to his right and stood there with a tiny bit of clear snot running out of his left nostril with his left eye trained on me 10 feet away! After he winded me and ran off I literally had to sit down.
Then there was the non-typical that was scent following a cow that passed in front of us 5 minutes earlier, when he got to 15 yards I rose up to shoot, he spotted me, I froze, satisfied I was nothing to be concerned with he resumed his frantic search. I drew back picking a spot on his left side, and just as I released he spun to his left and my arrow clipped him on the point of his right shoulder! AHHH!!
This year was going to be different. Big bull or nothing. I'm closer to 60 than 59 and elk hunting is for the young studs right? The end of my hunting tunnel is getting bigger and bigger. The neck/back injury I sustained 30 years ago is making it harder and harder to pull back my old second-hand Black Widow with the 63# limbs on her.
When I first went West in '76 it was all new. New smells, new trees, new animals, big hills, big mountains, Big Sky. And just like my Traditional Archery journey, it's been about chasing my youth, an old man trying to find the magic again.
I've also evolved into a more Spiritual person, maybe not so afraid of my own death, feeling more of a Brotherhood with everything that suckles it's Mother's teats and bleeds red blood, more of a part of the Great Spirits' plan and nature itself.
8/31/2015. I arrive in Jackson, WY where my son summers as a fishing guide, and it's good to be back. We lost our private land access to NoName after 2011 and have been hunting various other public lands ever since. The kid hunts with me the first couple days of the season and we get into some elk. It's all about conditioning now anyhow, just start wearing off the boot rubber. Hunting is going to heat up this weekend, new moon, The One Fly is on and he has to work, but after that look out. We have some unfinished business with a couple monster bulls we played cat and mouse with back in 2013.
Enough of the tangent stuff, off to bed now, story to follow.
Dude- great post!
"I've also evolved into a more Spiritual person, maybe not so afraid of my own death, feeling more of a Brotherhood with everything that suckles it's Mother's teats and bleeds red blood, more of a part of the Great Spirits' plan and nature itself."
You nailed it.
Any elk with a stickbow is impressive....Congrat's!
Can't wait for "The rest of the story"
That last post of yours is great, helps put the rest of the story in Perspective. Have a great time with your son.
You are living Life well in my perspective! Congrats!
Nice bull. Looking forward to the rest of the story!!
Great bull, congrats.
Oh man nice job!! Great story so far, looking forward to the rest...
Congrats .. Nice bull !
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :campfire:
Congrats!
awesome bull, tuned in!
Congrats on a fine bull... :thumbsup: :notworthy:
Nice Bull! Congratulations! :thumbsup: :clapper:
Awesome!!!!!!!!
that is a nice bull.!
Congrats on a beautiful bull!!! I enjoyed reading your last post, and I'm looking forward to hearing the details. :thumbsup:
Bob
Been dealing with truck u-joints and heat and meat, but, didn't lose an ounce of meat and it looks and smells great. yahoo!
Last Sat. the 5th I came in from my hunt and once again studied the maps. And right there it was, a tiny public access to NoName on the side we like to hunt, about an extra mile hike, but what the heck, the Kid had the next day off before having to do about 12 days straight. We were going back in!
It's been pretty much cookie-cutter weather here, 30 at night, 70's in the day, might see a cloud or 2, no smoke. We arose about 4am, downed a 5-hour energy and bottle of water on the drive to our spot, got out, put our heads down and hiked. It takes about an hour and a half to get to the elevation where the elk usually are, and bingo, Jim sees the first one in a tiny park about a mile south of us straight across the ravine. Couple minutes later I spot a nice bull.
The Kid's like "let's go get 'em!" But the old "Flatlander" here was stilled gassed and said, "no no no, let's give a few toots on the horn around here and see if we can't get something goin' closer". We like to elk hunt the way I learned to turkey hunt, run and gun. Call, hike, call, hike. Find a hot one and work him. I got nothing against guys that sit blinds with decoys or treestands. But for me, I like buglin' em in. There's nothing like trying to put an arrow in a 6-800 pound beast that's huntin for you and wants to kick your ass!
Well, we couldn't find anything after an hour or so. So it was time to go down our side of the ravine and back up the other side. ugh We've been using external reed bugles, but still keep a mouth diaphragm in so that when we make a loud, clumsy human crack or thump we follow with a cow chirp. Elk can be pretty loud too.
We got in close to where the elk were and Jim took off his pack to find a better sounding call. I think we both did a couple chirps and as he was putting his pack back on, I thought I heard a hoof hit a log, but the Kid, who has much better hearing, didn't seem to notice. Probably a squirrel dropping a pine cone.
I don't think we went 10 yards and there was a huge clamoring of elk fleeing noises about 50 yards ahead. Oops, shoulda said something :bigsmyl:
After we topped out on that spine and went over to the next ravine, it was time for me to have a sit in the shade. The kid gives a toot and thinks he hears a reply down the ways. So, he take his call and walks a bit up the hill to a better spot. I'm content to stay right where I am. Tough following a young dude through these hills.
I hear him bugle out 3 times in about a 20 minute time period. And here he comes back with that look in his eye, "I got one fired-up". "How many times did you call?" "2" Oh yeah, even I could hear that one. He points to a little bench where the bull is, 5-600 yards away and we start our maneuver.
I'm following close behind when he stops suddenly and I know he's seeing something. Bowhunters. Jim walks over and I see a sign of recognation on the other guys' face. They know each other.
Turns out this guy is the local self-appointed elk hunting pro and he proceeds to tell us to "Stop bugling. These are pressured public land elk that don't come into bugling, cow calls maybe, but never bugles. I don't even carry a bugle". Yeah, but you carry a pistol, and bear spray, and, this isn't even Griz country. And, a pack big enough to summit Everest. Whatever. We head back down the mountain and as soon as we're out of earshot we start recounting all the bulls we've bugled in in the past. It's all good.
Time for me to grind meat, more to come.
Cool! Congrats!
Awesome, congrats on a fine elk!
That night I slept like a fourteen year-old. After a sitdown breakfast and couple cups of coffee, I still had a sleep hangover! I spent the rest of the day scouting out a new spot and doing some stump shooting. I did pick up a piece of obsidian that appears to have some knapping marks on it, dropped by one of our Brothers a long time ago, and decided I would carry it for the rest of the hunt.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCF1280.jpg) (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/Owlgrowler/media/DSCF1280.jpg.html)
I hunted this area the next morning, arriving at a good glassing spot just before shooting light. Even though I hunted a different area every morning they all started almost eerily the same. First I would hear an owl hooting during walk in, coyotes going off just before daylight and then bulls starting up soon after. This morning was no different, problem was all the bulls were down on private land. One was closer and I thought if I moved a bit to the north I might get ahead of him. Concentrating my sight down the hill where I heard the last bugle, I slipped my pack on and was in the process of putting the binos on when something caught my attention to my left. Cow. She had me. Down the hill she went. Oh well.
So I continued on up, checking out some new terrain, deep in thought about youth, bowhuntin, the west, love, magic.
Wed., Sept. 9, 2015, started out just like the rest of em. Back to NoName, flying solo. Up up up. Owl. Coyotes. No bugles. I was feeling a bit tired, burned out, almost sick. Push on. Daylight. Get out my horn and play a melody. Nobody else wants to play. Up some more, play a tune, listen, nothing. Stop in a sparse aspen grove, feeling a vibe, don't see anything, crack, crash, elk busting out, cow and calf, but, I didn't spook em, they run past me 40 yards out. What the? Nock an arrow, there's gonna be a bull. Here he comes. Raghorn chasing like a whitetail.
That was cool. At least I saw something. Maybe she's running to her preferred lover. I'm gonna follow. Up up up. Call call call. Nothing nothing nothing. That prime morning hunt time window is coming down, almost closed. God must be mad at me. "Are you kidding me you whiney ba$tard? (That's me lecturing myself) You got life by the conjones, great wife and kids, health, friends. You live in the greatest country on earth. YOU'RE IN WYOMING HUNTING ELK!!!" whew, I'm better now. Seems like when the body is getting run down, the mind follows.
Give a bugle. Nada. There's a nice flat spot in the shade under that big Doug fir that looks like the perfect place to take a nap. Off comes the gear. Down goes the old man. Great spot. Lay there a couple minutes, need a pillow, take my vest and shirt off the pack. Now it's perfect. Eyes close, I'm going to nod off pretty qui-"weeeoooo". BULL!!! Spin to my knees, grab my bugle that's carabinered to my pack and bugle with it right there in the dirt-and he cuts me off! He's comin in! Grab my bow, nock an arrow and scoot 10 yards towards him, and get hidden behind a group of small firs, and there he is, maybe 60 yards out, looking and coming. Not quite as big as I wanted, but this set-up is looking too good. I go into kill mode. Wind is nonexistent and if he continues he's going to walk past about 6 yards away below me. Only he didn't read the script.
He gets to the other end of the firs I'm hiding behind, 30 yards, and I can tell he's going behind me up the hill. I'm half crouching, half kneeling with me left knee down. I spin 180 degrees and he hears it. Luckily the firs are thick and he can't make me out and after a minute he's satisfied. He starts walking again, angling slightly towards me up the hill, there's a couple trees he needs to walk by before he's in the clear. And he keeps right on going, clears the last tree and I come to full draw, he steps into the only patch of sunlight on the hill and stops looking straight ahead without a twig between us. I'm anchored-up and it's all systems go.
I watch the arrow hit him a couple inches lower than I was looking and sink almost to the fletch. And when he spins straight away I catch a glimpse of the business end sticking out the off side.
As my good friend John P. would say when describing a good shot on game, "It was beautiful!". But, I did have something nagging me, no blood visibly gushing immediately on impact.
I sat down and texted the Kid the same message I sent 4 years ago when I killed my last bull on this very same mountain. And, unbelievably, he was with the same client on the same river that he was 4 years ago. His advice was to wait at least an hour.
Couple minutes later I have my binos back on and I'm at the impact site looking for blood. Sparse. I start to have a sinking feeling. You know, I never felt like I tricked this bull, or that he made a mistake. It was more like the Great Spirit putting 2 of His animals together on 1 of his planets to do what predator and prey do.
After the shot I only got about 1 second of visual contact as he fled straight up the hill. But it did appear that he stumbled on his second jump, and then he was gone.
I got on the blood trail, which consisted of about 10 drops, the largest being the size of a dime, and that was it....nothing. My mind went straight to the bottom of despair, this might not end up good. I looked up at the heavens and vowed to God that if I didn't find this bull I would quit bowhunting forever.
The bull initially ran straight west, directly at a huge blowdown. I know he didn't turn south because I would have been able to see him. So I started checking all the avenues he could have taken in a northerly direction. And there it was, another drop or 2. Makes whitetail hunter sense. He's gonna head back down from whence he came. At least I have a direction determined.
But for some inexplicable, (at the time), reason, I headed up the hill to the west. Just stillhunting, glassing, going real slow, when all of a sudden I hear a crashing of sticks, bodies, antlers, and all the while there's a great bellowing roar. 2 bulls fighting high up on the hill above me, about a hundred yards away. I take a couple steps towards them, and I hear em starting up again. Only now I catch motion 20 yards in front of me, (my hearing really stinks), throw up the binos, it's a decent bull, wait, that bull is on the ground and there's a bloody wound on his side with an arrow protruding from it!!
I watch him for a minute and can't detect any breathing movement. I nock up and slip silently a few yards closer until I have a clear shot...he doesn't react. The Great Spirit has let me witness my warrior Brother enter Elk Valhalla. And I feel great, predator and prey, doing what we are supposed to be doin. THANK YOU LORD!
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCF1263.jpg) (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/Owlgrowler/media/DSCF1263.jpg.html)
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCF1268.jpg) (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/Owlgrowler/media/DSCF1268.jpg.html)
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCF1273.jpg) (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/Owlgrowler/media/DSCF1273.jpg.html)
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCF1271.jpg) (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/Owlgrowler/media/DSCF1271.jpg.html)
I call Jim to let him know it's a sure thing and tell him to try and line somebody up to pack this beast down to refrigeration. I quarter him up, wrap the loins in my space blanket. Tear a piece of the space blanket off, wrap the hanging tenderloins in it and carry them off the mountain. The Kid and I both arrive back at his place simultaneously and he is noticeably agitated. He either can't get a hold of the packers he knows or gets excuses from friends with pack animals.
I tell him to forget it, I'll get up in the middle of the night, hike up there, bone him out, and take 2 trips to get the meat in the coolers. Leave the head for another day. It'll be fine. He says, "Let's go see Eric."
Eric is a part Native American, former hockey player,former bull rider, construction business owner, with a beautiful pack string of mules and horses. We pull in his driveway unannounced and he starts grinning. The grapevine has been at work and knows exactly why we're showing up now. It was like meeting someone I've known forever, Brothers from different Mothers. And, his busy work schedule had an opening tomorrow big enough to get my bull off the mountain.
Your looking at one happy boy in this pic.
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCF1275.jpg) (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/Owlgrowler/media/DSCF1275.jpg.html)
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z304/Owlgrowler/DSCF1276.jpg) (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/Owlgrowler/media/DSCF1276.jpg.html)
I have to throw in a disclaimer about Eric. He is NOT an outfitter and would not take a penny for packing my bull out. Sonofagun even paid for dinner that night when I went to the mens room to clean the ribs residue off my hands and face! That's the kind of guy he is, they don't get any better. Now he's letting me use his grinder and vacuum sealer, unbelievable how the stars align sometimes.
Well, this has been one heck of a hunt. A lot of soul searching, reflection and reckoning. This whole year has had a lot of foreboding for me. The magic of youth, the west, bowhunting and love, was feeling gone forever. And in a way it is. But I think it's only because you've figured out the trick to the magic, and you've got to be satisfied with that. Have I reached the age were I'm actually achieving wisdom? I think maybe it's all about satisfaction, and realizing it's satisfaction.
I do know I want to do it again. And I want a bigger one next time! Ha Thanks for reading my ramblings and may the Great Spirit be with you.
Great story thanks for sharing, congratulations on a wonderful animal. I'll be in alfin Friday night and up a mountain Sunday, sure hope they are still rutting
Great stuff bud, congrats!!
Wow! That is so cool! Great animal. Great countryside. Happy for ya!
Great story and pictures.
Thanks for sharing. Great story!
Great Stuff for sure.
Thank you for bringing us along and congrats again!
What a great story and pics! Thanks for taking us along!! Congrats!!
A fine bull sir! Congrats and thanks for the great narrative
Great storytelling and nice bull. I'd bet any good hunting publication would print that story as is.
Awesome story! Congrats! :thumbsup: :clapper:
A truly inspiring read. Thank you.
It just doesn't get any better than that! Congratulations on an awesome hunt! And thanks for taking the time to share it all with us. You do a lot more than ramble with your words. You stir feelings and paint pictures.
Man, That was well put.
I will admit that I sometimes feel guys from the east and south don't GET western hunting, (especially run and gun elk hunting). Its hard to put it into words.
You did a great job of just that. Congrats on the whole thing!
PS Keep bugling... :) its about all we do, and we only hunt public land. Guys who don't think it works aren't doing it right, or enough of it!
Congrats again...and thanks for sharing more!!!
Great Stuff!
I enjoyed the heck out of the rest of your story. I was right there with ya the whole time. :bigsmyl: Congrats again!!!
Bob
congrats-fine bull!! outstanding story! :clapper:
Loved the way you told this story. You got me all jazzed up to get back up there tomorrow.
loved this phrase; "At least I saw something. Maybe she's running to her preferred lover. I'm gonna follow. Up up up. Call call call. Nothing nothing nothing. That prime morning hunt time window is coming down, almost closed. God must be mad at me. "Are you kidding me you whiney ba$tard? (That's me lecturing myself) You got life by the conjones, great wife and kids, health, friends. You live in the greatest country on earth. YOU'RE IN WYOMING HUNTING ELK!!!" whew, I'm better now. Seems like when the body is getting run down, the mind follows."
I was at that place on saturday, all over the map. Passed up two smaller bulls, blew a very close and great chance on a big one, was in buglin bulls most of the day. But, I saw one other hunter, had a crossbow, and it about ruined my brain.
So grateful for you relating all this. and Congratulations!
Very cool. WELL DONE!
I love a good story. Very well written. Congrats.
Congratulations, not only on the beautiful bull, but also for absorbing and appreciating the whole experience. And to be able to put your experiences and emotions into print for the rest of us shows a true talent. Thank you. You earned that bull.
Congrats. Great hunt and education.
Dan in KS
Great story about the Elk on No Name Mtn, congrats.
Well, I've been back in NJ for 2 weeks now and I'm just starting to feel human again! Took me hours just to get caught up with Trad Gang stories, lots of meat going in the freezers this year!
It's been brought to my attention that I neglected a couple points including shot distance and arrow specs. I shoot Gold Tips, blems from Big Jim, 10 grains per pound, so 630 grain arrow, tipped with VPA 3 blades. And, 20-22 yards for the shot.
Thanks again Fellers, and Zig, it's all real.
Congrats...very well done!!
Nice story and pics. Congrats
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: