Search the Community

We had a fantastic hunt this year! The bulls were screaming & rutting hard. My two brothers, myself, & our good friend Tony drew tags for the archery hunt. This was one of the most memorable hunts I have ever been on. More than anything, I feel grateful just to have had a tag & to be able to hunt these beautiful animals. There is no place I would rather be than in elk country with friends & family. Thanks to my wife for letting me hunt as long as need be. It really does make a HUGE difference when you don't feel the pressure from home. Also, there are a couple of members on here I'd like to thank for their extreme generosity & help. Coach & the "Bull Whisperer" as I call him, both of you are stand up guys & have been very generous with your time & info. I'm humbled & thankful to be able to rub shoulders with good people who have the same passion I do. Anyways! I was able to kill my bull on day 8. I paralleled him & his cows for about an hour and a half waiting for them to make their move out into the meadow for the evening. I was able to stay close to the herd because of the thick country they were in & a steady breeze from the east. As daylight was slowing fading, I finally found an opening through the trees & let an arrow fly. Unsure on the hit, we backed out & gave the animal some time. The next morning we went to the point of impact & began tracking. I have to say, following a blood trail to your downed animal is an experience that I just can't describe. Your emotions are taking you in so many directions! What once were doubts about the hit & condition of the animal turned into supreme joy as the blood trail only got larger & larger. The beast only went 200 yards & expired! Once again, all the credit goes to good friends willing to help & show me some new country. Daryl hammered his bull on day 4 at 20 yards & we had an easy tracking job to say the least! His bull only went 70 yards & died in some thick canyon country. Thankfully there were 4 of us and a ranger, because if not, I'm pretty sure we'd still be out there packing him out. Tony lambasted (is that a real word?) his bull on day 3 with a Gravedigger broadhead. He only went a short distance & fell next to a road which made for an easy pack job. Gotta love that! Speaking of broadheads, Tony discovered what a Magnus Stinger cut on contact tip can do to a leg. Despite the huge gash, he continued to hunt & assist with all pack jobs. When he got home the cut was infected & he needed stitches! Hey, potentially losing your leg to infection is well worth it when you're hunting elk!!!! He's a tough SOB. And lastly, my brother Trent arrowed his bull at 40 yards late on day 7. Once again, the knives were re-sharpened & the head lamps were put on for a pack job in a steep canyon at night. My muscles are still sore, there are bug bites all over my body, I'm still catching up on sleep, & I need to wash my truck because there is blood everywhere! But, I wouldn't have it any other way.