Joe Kauffman Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Last Thursday I headed up for what I was hoping would be a great elk hunt due to our very wet Spring and Summer. Opening morning I was up at 4am in order to get to the area I would be hunting and have time to hike 1/2 mile before sunrise. I was pleasantly surprised to hear several bugles within the first 10 minutes out of the truck which gave me some direction on how to tackle the massive amount of country I had planned on covering. After hearing a dozen or so different bugles, I decided to head towards the deepest, largest sounding one and see if I could get a look at him. Within 30 minutes I was less than 70 yards from a bugling bull but couldn't see him due to the thick Juniper and Cedar trees. This was easily remedied with a few blows on a cow call which brought him within 20 yards broadside. He was a decent 5x5 bull but wasn't what I was looking for so I headed for the next closest bugle which was less than 100 yards away. This process went on until 9:30am when I ended up calling in a total of 14 bulls, all being 5x5 and smaller. The excitement of the morning was enough to wear a man out since each bugle and call in could potentially mean a nice trophy presenting a shot so I headed back to camp for a quick lunch and to decide on a strategy for the evening hunt. I decided to head a bit north of where I had hunted that morning in hopes of finding a larger herd bull I had caught a glimpse of during a previous scouting trip. I was quickly presented with many smaller satellite bulls within 30 yards after enticing them with a few cow calls. The evening ended with another 6 called in bulls and still no shooters….although I heard one deep growling bugle just before dark. The next morning I headed back into the same north country hoping to relocate the larger sounding bull and was happy to hear that he had move a bit closer while feeding during the full moon. I was able to quickly get within 100 yards of him and once quick glance at him through the trees told me he was definitely the mature herd bull for this area. I stalked to within 60 yards of him in the thick trees but no amount of cow calling or coaxing with a grunt tube would convince him to close this distance any. After 3 hours of tracking and calling him I finally found out why he wasn’t interested in my one lonely cow call…he had 23 cows with him already! From them on each time I saw him he was busy keeping his cows close and making sure they didn’t stray to close to the many satellite bulls he had surrounding him. Around 9:30am they quieted down so I once again headed back to camp to analyze what I had found and come up with a game plan for the evening, but found a surprise on the way back to the truck. Someone had shot a bull the day before and not recovered it do to a poorly placed shot. I GPS’d the location in case I was able to run into the hunters so I could let them know where he is. By 2:30pm I was 2 miles from the truck smack dab in the middle of where the larger bull and his cows had been a few hours earlier. I was happy and surprised to get an answer from him this early in the afternoon when I presented him with a squealer type bugle and began the stalk again. The following 2 hours were a mimic of the morning hunt with several glimpses at him and two close encounters at under 50 yards. Each time though, he was in the thick trees and did not present me any type of shot. Around 4:30pm I decided enough was enough and that no amount of calling would part him with his cows. I figured one last effort was enough and I would try to sneak up within shooting distance without spooking him, his 23 cows or the now 4 satellite bulls that were surrounding them. The shadows were starting to grow longer so I kept myself in the shade the tall Junipers were providing, kept my scent downwind and finally rounded a small group of trees only to see 3 cows walking through a small clearing 40 yards in front of me. His constant bugling let me know that he was still behind the cows so all I had to do (hopefully) is wait for him to follow the same path. After counting 18 cows and for what seemed like eternity (but was really only about 3 minutes) I heard his bugle from behind a tree to my left and saw the tips of his polished antlers. I quickly drew my bow and waited for him to step out into the small opening of which I was hoping to get a shot through. He followed my plan and stepped out into the clearing where I then made a small cow call to get him to stop and let the arrow fly. I had judged it at 40 yards and the arrow hit the mark perfectly. A nice double lung shot and he traveled about 60 yards and expired. My parents and I spent 3 hours getting the quad to him and were back at camp skinning by 2:30am. A long night but one of the most eventful and memorable elk hunts I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing. I want to thank my parents for their help in the recovery process. I would probably still be quartering him and carrying him out if it wasn’t for them! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YOUNGGUNZ Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Great Story and better Bull. Congrats!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeepers creepers Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Congrats! Nice story and pics! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rabbit Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Joe, Congrats on a nice bull. Sounds like you were having good vocal interaction and changed to a successful strategy. Opening morning must have been real exciting with all that bugling around you. Doug~RR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AzHunt Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Sounds like it was a great experience. Any luck finding the guy who downed the other elk? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stanley Report post Posted September 15, 2008 BIG congrats to you on your success! Nothing like being amongst a bunch of bugling bulls!!!! S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joe Kauffman Report post Posted September 15, 2008 No luck finding the hunters who downed the other bull. My dad did run into a young guy and his son who both had bows with them but that was before I told him about what I found. I thought it might help to post it here just in case they are a CW.com reader. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
257wby Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Congrats on a nice looking bull. Have you had a chance to put a tape on him? Again, nice job!! Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ultramag Report post Posted September 15, 2008 good bull congrats! what unit were you in? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZBAR Report post Posted September 15, 2008 Sweet story man & thanks for sharing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEWHITETAIL Report post Posted September 15, 2008 NICE BULL CONGRATS SOUNDS LIKE A HUNT OF A LIFETIME. THATS TO BAD PEOPLE SHOOT AND LOOSE GAME BUT I GUESS IT HAPPENS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hunterdan Report post Posted September 16, 2008 Nice Bull. Congrats to you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fatfootdoc Report post Posted September 16, 2008 congratulations!! nice bull!! ag Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunterdude Report post Posted September 16, 2008 Great story, nice Bull! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllBoutHuntn Report post Posted September 16, 2008 Great story and congratulations on a nice bull!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
