HH bug got me ... Part One!

[David Mitchell]

Rik, thank you for the excellent story and beautiful pictures.  I made sure not to scroll down past each post as I read it to keep the suspense up as to whether or not you would connect--alas, I was betting you did. You have some real tenacity,my friend.

[Shinken]

Thanks for sharin' your hunt and associated trials Rik!

It was *definitely* one of the hottest (temperature) elk seasons that I have experienced and the elk activity was concentrated in "the swamps."

At what point did you decide to transition back to the bow quiver?

Sorry you did not fill your wolf tag - yet.  Any plans?

Shoot straight, Shinken

 

[Ben Maher]

Rik,
Another fella emailed me about Idaho and the wolves ... my heart breaks for you .
Still. it looks like some amazing country to roam with longbow in hand .

Thanks for sharing .

Ben

[Aussie Stickbow Hunter]

Seems like it was one tough hunt Rik and I'm sure it will take you some time to get over the effort you put into it. Great story and I loved the photos!!!

Thanks

Jeff

[stik&string]

Rik, awesome photos and story. Thanks for sharing a tough hunt with us!

[Okie man]

Great pictures of some wild country Rik. I have been waiting for you to get back to see hero pics. Sorry it turned out the way it did. And glad it didn't dampen your enthusiasm for elk hunting. Keep the pics coming if you got'em.

[tradlongbow]

Rik-

Great story and great pics., you have some beautiful country in your area.

Darren

[Ben Maher]

here are a few more more general pics ... my Hill Redman, Hill back Quiver and best friend in the world .... the best way to spend a day ... no doubt

[bayoulongbowman]

Love the Lefty!!!! cool pic...mc

[toddster]

only thing better than a day with bow and best friend, is with game

[Ben Maher]

Unfortunately ... the rabbits bested us that day .. but this summer will be different ... well maybe .... lol

[Nate Steen .]

Great story Rik...  The Hill boys got game!  any more stories out there? small game or otherwise?  nice trying Ben, keep us posted.

As an aside to Rik's story...another perspective on Idaho elk hunting....

I've been envious of Rik's elk hunting areas for many years...he usually hunts as elk as wild as they can be, far away from human interference.  Rik's elk usually bugle just like the movies, often and intense.  Me on the other hand...I don't have the time to devote to elk like I should, and I like to hunt all game, so I usually spend time chasing elk, deer, bear, antelope, and small game.  My elk and deer hunting areas are close by, with pretty easy access, and plenty of game to chase.  However,  I've been dodging the wolves since I saw my first wolf chasing and killing elk in 1994...before the wolf news ever hit the media.  I've watched the elk herds decline in my usual areas......BUT....

elk are resilient animals....they are getting smarter every year, just like the mule deer and whitetails and bears...  In the areas I hunt,  I've had wolves howling in the same small draws I'm chasing elk.  Now the elk aren't bugling near as much, not cow-calling as much, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.  but an elk that doesn't talk is very hard to find.  Like a whitetail that goes nocturnal if you understand me.  So I've changed my tactics for elk...I hunt all day, I still-hunt like Hill taught in his book and Asbell teaches as well.  I don't bugle three times in two years....I cowchirp very little.  But I use my ears and legs and the last few years I'm getting closer to more elk than I have in years...

In some areas of Idaho, the elk are making a comeback.  my area had more elk than in many years....they were bugling again.  They were bugling at midday.....but they hardly come in to a bugle anymore.  I blame call-happy hunters for educating the elk more than I do the wolves for killing them.

This year I had exactly 20 hours hunting elk.  I had a nice 5 pt. at 17 yards broadside and 25 yards and the swirling wind busted me both times...I had another bull at 35 yards but cowchirped too much and he left.  I had a herd of elk (cows) at 20 yards but got busted by the wind...for me a successful season except for getting a shot...I had chances and that's all I ask for.  I stalked a big 3 pt buck to 20 yards before the swirling wind busted me and I've been within shooting range of many, many does already.  The weather wasn't as hot as where Rik was hunting...in the 70s and 80s during the day, (I feel for you Rik).  But allowing for my scant time, I feel the chances were there.  No, the elk hunting isn't the same as I used to know, probably will never be the same, but then all game hunting around the world has changed pretty much from what we knew it.  I accept the challenge and will still go out there after the game....

Funny thing....I hunted with a polished white glass bow, plaid, backquiver, no facepaint, and none of that stuff ever hurt me in getting close so far this year.....it's always been the wind, something I can't control...

that's part of why it's called...."hunting the hard way"

[ron w]

Rik....what happened to the Arrowmaster quiver, I see you had your bow quiver back on???

[sticknstring_AK]

Man, wish I hadn't sold my HH bow 3 years ago  :( .  Reading this thread sparked the fire back in me, pm'd two different ppl on the classifieds.

[sticknstring_AK]

It wasn't fast, but it had cast.  More so than my Tomahawk.  Found my Hill bow to have better instinctive shooting ability, for me at least.

[sticknstring_AK]

One is light, and one is just right.  Hope to hear from one of them tonight.  LOL had to keep the rhythm going.
Steve

[Rik]

Ron W,

You asked about seeing my bow quiver back on. Way back on page 302, I fessed up that my wife was outshooting me. I will paste that text below:

"I have an interesting dilemma.

All summer I have been practicing barebow-----no quiver attached to my bow. I was feeling pretty good about my shooting, and decided to hunt elk for the first time without a bow quiver. As you guys know, for me, that was a major decision.

Well, my wife, who is one of those rare individuals who never has to practice to be a good shot, started shooting with me about three weeks ago, getting her bow muscles ready for elk season.

In our 21 years of marriage, she has never beat me in shooting. In many 3-D shoots though, she has been ahead of me in score at lunch time, but I have always pulled ahead to make sure she does not beat me (my friends would have way too much fun if she scored higher than me with her wimpy little 52-pound longbow----WAY too much fun).

Anyway, for the last three weeks she has out shot me every night. She keeps asking why in the world I am planning on hunting without a bow quiver if I cannot shoot as well without it. I just kept trying.

Well, last night I got curious and, for the first time, put a quiver on my new Big Five. Results? You guessed it, my shooting increased right back to normal, and my poor wife got a schooling in good shooting .

I do like the idea of hunting with my new Big Five bare bow and with my new Safari Tough Arrowmaster (which I really, really like), but man, I am feeling a strong urge to hunt with the setup that I shoot the best, and that means using a bow quiver.

I pack into the high country for 20 days on Friday-----------and I feel like The Darkside is calling my name. . ."
_____________________________

UPDATE:  When the elk season ended on Friday, I returned home, and promptly took off the bow quiver. I am going to see if I can improve my shooting to the point that my wife can't outshoot me when I am not using a bow quiver. We'll see how it goes. Trust me, she will not give me a break. I either have to shoot well, or she is going to kick my butt on the range, and enjoy every minute of it.

[LongStick64]

Here are pics of my two new to me Hill style Longbows.

First up is my Jay St. Charles Classic Yew Longbow.
Man this bow is super, light as a feather, very smooth to shoot, quiet, quick and the grip is sweet. Real happy with this one. Would of made it as my number 1 hunting bow but it has a gloss finish on it.



Next up is the new to me Hill Sirocco I picked up last weekend. This is one of those bows you say, should I save it from hunting use and cherish it, or should I use it like Uncle Howard would and hunt with it even though only 50 made.

Baleen Tips


Stingray grip


Marlin Inlay

[ron w]

Thanks Rik for the update....this post is to darn long for me to keep up with what I missed...lol!

[Greg Skinner]

I'll add a few thoughts with regard to the elk hunting in Idaho this year.

First of all, Rik, I enjoyed your narrative and pictures, as always. Like Nate, I'm a bit envious of the time you have to devote to elk hunting; sorry to hear that things didn't come together for you this year.  I know it certainly was not from lack of effort and desire on your part. But, as I have been saying for some 30 years of elk hunting, there is always next year.  

I wish I could say that elk have been making a come-back here in north-central Idaho, but such does not seem to be the case.  Part of the problem is the lack of fires and logging, hence habitat suffers.  However, the wolves have definitely had an impact in this part of the state.

I spent a total of about 3 days and hiked somewhere around 30 to 40 miles on closed forest service roads and saw not one animal - a few tracks here and there. On one such stretch of road I could scarcely walk 200 feet without encountering a pile of wolf scat.  It was old, probably from spring or early summer, but it was there nonetheless - and full of elk hair.

Nate, I agree that elk are smart and resilient and that they will and do figure out how to adapt to adverse conditions.  One of the ways in which they accomplish this in our area is to move onto private land around human habitation and out of the back country.  They are safer from wolf predation in that proximity, although there were numerous instances this past winter and spring where residents had dogs or horses killed in their yards - the wolves have gotten pretty brazen because they have not been hunted, so the elk are not totally safe even around mountain communities.

This means of adaptation is reassuring from the standpoint of perpetuation of the elk herds, but it is discouraging to a bowhunter (or rifle hunter for that matter) who cherishes the primitive wilderness type of hunt.  What is the point of packing 5 or 10 miles back in with llamas or horses or a backpack when there are more elk to be found in the neighborhood around human settlements.  

The last day of the season I was able to discover (from talking with another bowhunter) a place where a couple of herds of elk were hanging out and bugling.  However, we had some pretty warm weather, too, and I was reluctant to go the 6 to 8 miles to where the elk were because it would have been tough to haul meat out before it spoiled.  As I said, there is always next year.