Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Shooting and Hunting => Topic started by: Keenan on September 25, 2008, 07:36:46 pm
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Just got back from another outing. Found some incredible meadows with trees ripped to shreds, elk beds and piles of fresh green droppings. Tuesday morning we had a big bull scream back at me but as I was trying to determine if he was a satellite or herd bull he decided to take his cows and sneak away ??? what a coward >:( he wouldn't come out and play,,,,,,
Several of the trees were around 6" diam and marked higher then we could reach. ;)
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Good luck Keenan, How much more time do you have? Have had a missed shot and several near shot opportunities here. I have obligations for Saturday but am going to try hard Sunday which is the last day here in Colorado. Was a lot more action last weekend than the two weeks before. Have been staking out a watering hole/ elk crossing/ trail intersection. This work schedule really gets in the way of my hunting. Oh by the way, that terain is beautiful but looks too flat for elk terain (joking), here in Colorado there would be a 10'000 sq ft log mansion on it and the landowner complaining that the elk were eating toe landscaping and bears getting into the trash. Kenneth
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Looks like a real great time! Next weekend you'll get that Elk. I'm sure of it!
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Thanks Kenneth, This weekend is the last of our hunt as well. I'm going back out in the morning and all day Saturday so one last push.
Yes this area is quite a bit flatter then where Lulyn got her bull, However looks are deceiving that is a pic of a high meadow in between some ridges and about 1 1/2 miles in off the road. My S/I joint in the hip is real bad and so it's limiting my walking lately and didn't think I could make another trip in the higher country.
Good luck on your last weekend, keep us posted on how it goes.
Thanks David, Your going to have to give it a try sometime,,,,It's a real heart throb when you have a big bull ripping up trees and screaming in your face ;)
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Good luck this weekend, everyone. Joel
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I will one day! Just need to learn how to hunt and get a little time off from work. You know how the ladies are!!! ;D (Inside joke! Ask Keenan!)
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Beautiful pictures,that had to be a great time.Got to do it again someday.My son is now in
law school in WY. so I will be headed west more often the next few years.Just need to get the timing right. :)
Pappy
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That's some beautiful country Keenan...goodluck on your last weekend! You're going to have to go through some self-therapy after this hunting season! ;D
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I can see it now! Keenan behind the desk bugling his Elk call as a customer comes in the door!!!! ;D
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good luck to ya sir...hope your medicines strong
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Yesturday was incredible to say the least. Started very early with wading through frosty meadows. Pick a good spot set up and call a while. Light soft cow calls at first, increasing in volume and intensity to resemble a small herd. Then a small chuckle to pierce the crisp morning air. Antisipation builds as I stumble upon a fresh wallow,the water still mirky from a bull splashing and rolling the night befor. Set up after set up the routine continues,,,,,,inside reminding myself not to lose faith,,,,remebering all the times in the past that it did eventually all come together. But this time is different,,,,,,this is the heart dream,,,,,,,,, to take a bull with all primitive gear.
Looking intently at the stone tips that I'd made,confident that they will do what they where made to do. My trusty yew ambush bow. The one that has become my favorite shooter. Thousands of shots have helped it become as a part of my hand.
The day has been long and hot. It's late afternoon and only a few hours of light left for the day. My good friend and life long hunting buddy James and I are working our way back to the truck. Following the stream running from meadow to meadow. Glancing ahead I see another clearing through the trees........then a body,,,, then another,,,,,,,We drop in the brush,,, all of the sudden a cow elk jumps a log right in front of me. She had been on the other sde of some trees just fifteen yards away. now standing slightly quartered at twenty yards and not a clue we are there. How much I would love to take the shot,,,,,,,,however this is a bull only area,,,one of few and earlier in the day we talked about going to a diferent unit that is either sex. Looking past the cow I see the bull,,,,,,oh what a bull,,,,as he lifts his head the sun reveals the crown at the top of the rack. He's a Rosevelt and a full mature "crowned out bull" I can see at least 7 on each side........He's 60 yards away with the cow between us......sorry guys it's 4:30 and time to leave, we are heading back out....... More to come ;D
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You dog you! Leave us hanging like this. >:( I'll be back later...and this better be good! ;) Pat
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Yeah! The anticipation is killing me!!!! What I would not do to be out in the woods with ya guys. ;D
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;D ;D Ya that was fairly rude for me to get have way through the story and leave,,,,,,,, :D
Finally back home with some incredible memories.
When I left off on the story, I had a cow between me and a huge bull. The cow now presenting a perfect quartered away 20 yrd shot. Ironically we are only 1/2 -1/4 mile from where cows are legal. Fortunately the bulls incredible size now has my full attention as the cow grazes off to our left. A few more steps and she is now behind some trees and the path to the bull is open. He is now behind a tree and grazing away towards the hillside. Carefully scanning the opening I can no longer see the other cow that I had spotted earlier. With extream caution I work forward to the creek bottom that is between me and the bull. The sunken depression will give some cover and allow me to get closer to be in range.
James is working his way in between the bull and the lead cow.She is now past us and heading toward the meadow that we had just come threw. I crawl down the creek bottom toward the tree where I last saw the bull. Closing the 60 yards to now 20 away from the tree, James makes a few light cow calls in the background. With both of us in position I answere with a few light cow calls as well. Silence is all there is, no movement, no responses. A few more cow calls and a chuckle to make him think a small bull has come into his cows,,,,,still nothing,,,,a time slips by we realize the bull and his cows have slipped by as well. Right through us.
This isn't the first time, earlier in the week on Tuesday morning he'd answered my calls as his scream pierced the stillness of the morning. Just like this time he out smarted me that morning as well. Slipping out to our side and down the drainage without a sound.
However this time I was close. Close enough to have taken out his lead cow and to get a glimpse to know that I was up against one of the best.
I've been bow hunting elk since I was 16 years old and have had allot of success and have been blessed to have taken several real nice monarchs. As I look at my 7x8 Roosevelt mount that is on the wall and remember the intensity of that hunt in comparison to this one. I realize just how savvy this old boy is and must admit that he just outsmarted me on every move.
We did get back on him the next morning, only to be humbled again. My body now weary from the month of hard hunting and my hip screamming with pain from the miles of abuse.I conseed a salute this big bad bull that gave me such a wonderfull challenge this year. Hoping he will survive the on coming rifle season and meet me for another round next year. ;)
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8) !!! It ain't so bad if you're outsmarted by the best out there. ;) ...and what an adventure. 8) Sounds like a successful hunt without the prize. Thanks for sharing. I was right there with you through out your tale. Pat
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Thanks Pat, I do wish I had been able to get some pics of him just to share and gaze at in remembrance ;)
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Sounds like you had a great time! Thats why its called hunting not killing. We don't always have to kill a animal to have a great hunt! ;D
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thank you Ryan. that is exactly how we feel ;) I measure a successfull hunt by how close I can get while undetected and for me thats the real challenge and fun of it. And with that I had a very successfull year and even learned some new things as well ;)
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Congratulations Keenan on an awsome adventure, and chance to be a primitive predator. Hopefully we will still eat even tho we were unsucesful in the harvest. I ended up hunting ten days and each one was a gift from God and not to be taken for granted but to be put into my hunting memory scrap book. I had near shot opportunities and even a missed shot so can't complain about that. Awsome wilderness camping, good eating, beautiful country, no other hunters in my area, burning lungs and legs. The older we get I realize that such things are worth lots as each hunt could be our last, we are not guaranteed anything. I also salute the bull I did not harvest and wish him good luck thru the rifle season and winter. Kenneth
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I am living vicariously through all your adventures since I am stuck at home and work during hunting season. One day I too will travel to the great hunting grounds of the Wapiti and actually breath fresh air and actually live like God meant us to. I will continue to follow all your adventures!
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I can relate to being outsmarted by the bugling warriors... just returned from two weeks of elk crazy hunting ... saw lots of elk but didn't connect with any ... will try again when it opens back up on the fifteenth of Oct... great story ... can't wait for the story in PA.. did you hunt with elkie... Hawk
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Hawk, you are right it is easy to be out manuvered by these warriors. This weekend I had the elk close and thought they would come in and get a drink at my stand or be pulled in by cow talk, should have been more agressive with them I suppose but you never know. I did not know if you were asking me or keenan about Elkie but no Elkie pulled some sinue loose from her back and I have not had the time for repairs, I am sure she would have made my medicine much more potent and surely would have made the difference. I will have her in shape and back in action for next season, best get started as it is only eleven monthes and counting. Good luck on your later season, is it a rifle hunt or you hunt with a bow in the rifle season? Chin to the wind. Kenneth
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Great stories,it is like I was there ,just without the legs and lungs burning ;D ;D.
Hope to do it again someday.Maybe next year.Good luck through the rest of the year. :)
Pappy
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Great story...I was mentally visualizing along with you! Like already said, there doesn't have to be a kill in the end to determine a successful season. ;)
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Kenneth, sorry to hear about elkie.... my later hunt is with a bow but it is rifle season... i have waited for years to draw this area and am holding out for a big one... had sevreal bulls already at bow range ...... missed a possible world record class bull :'( when my bow broke while drawing on it... saddest day of my recent life... ...keep to the shadowed Side of the hill ...Hawk
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Thanks guys.
LJ, sorry to hear about Elkie, You are right everyday that I'm able to spend out there is a blessing for sure.
Hawkbow,sorry to hear of your bow as well. Holding out for the big ones takes great discipline but it dose eventually pay off. We have a late hunt as well that is in Nov. for blacktail bucks and a late cow elk hunt. Good luck on your second round.
Pappy: Thank you,I was hoping to help others experience it the way that I was able to. Next time I'll throw in the burning legs, lungs, blow downs, frozen mornings blazing, hot afternoons and swamps complete with mosquitoes for free. Hate to short change you on the experience ;D
Greg thank you. ;)
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Keenan thanks brother. good luck to you on the rest of the season... should be a good one if the weather will cool down....shoot straight... and keep your chin to the wind... Hawk a/ho
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Must hunt ELK!!!! :D
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David, you are correct that you must hunt elk. To me they are one of the most awsome animals to hunt and also much more do able than sheep, goats grizz, moose and such. To me it is not just the animal but the wilderness terrain that makes them so special.
Hawk, man oh man for my bow to break while drawing on a trophy would be the sadest day of my entire life. Hope it did not whack you in the face to add insult to injury. Dont worry about Elkie she just needs for me to spend some time on her which will be easier to do this winter when things slow down.
Keenan, thanks for the great description of your adventure, and you are right , next time you need to add about all the hardships that make such a hunt special.
Kenneth
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If you guys need more hardships, take me along. Eh Kenneth? ;D Pat
ps. I love reading about these elk hunts. I still have another one coming if I can swing it. 8)
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You got it Pat, On a wilderness hunt you just take it like it comes and do what it takes, sometines it is hardships. Don't worry Pat you will be here if I have to come to N.C. and load you up. Oh yea, there will be enough gas to get us back on our way won't there. Oh by the way life is good. Kenneth
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Take me with you! PLEASE!!!!!! ;D
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Tiller you can come with me ... will need someone to carry elk quarters... ;D ;) HAWK
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No problem! I'll help ya pack out yours if you'll help me pack out mine!!!! ;D
Though, getting to Wyoming will be a little hard for me this year.
David
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No worries david, there is always next season... with the wolf populations down. the herds are making a great comeback...i saw dozens of bulls in two weeks of hunting this year.. passed on several good bulls waiiting for an old warrior but haven't got him yet... opens back up on the fifteenth.. HAWK
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Your on for next year! Just need to plan the time off and find a way to get out to Wyoming. What part of that beautiful state are you in?
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northwest corner... along the Absaroka front.... Hawk
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Congratulations David that is a great opportunity and very generous offer by Hawk. Wyoming has some incredible elk. Start you conditioning now and that way you can come by here on your way back through and help pack my elk as well. ;D
Watch allot of videos and hit some 3d shoots to get used to field judging distance on elk. They are big critters and can fool you if your not used to the size.
If it turns out you can't swing the dollars for the trip and out of State tags, there is a good elk population there in Washington. Coast can be real rugged as you know but eastern Washington by the Idaho border is some great hunting as well. I have a friend that just got back from guiding up there and called in 7 bulls for clients and shot a 5x6 himself.
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That was one awesome story Keenan! Finally had time to sit down and read. Hope ya get another chance at him next year :).
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I'm going to keep all options open. I've never really hunted before so I'll need pointers and all the help I can get! Do want to do some boar hunting one day too. But with my schedule these days its lucky if I get sleep. Tomarrow I'm ditching the property for electricity all 1000 feet of it. Man I am a glutton for punishment! The dream of Elk hunting will keep me going through the day.
Hawk, you got any pictures of your trip?
David T
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Keenan.....sounds like you had one Awesome Time.....I envy you the Chance to just be out there for a Month in that Terrain...with those Majestic Beasts....one of these Days I will pack it all up ....and get out of this Desert!!!
Hey Hawk..that ain't that Fantastic Bow that you just had made for you is it??? Man that would suck to have one that close...and have a Material or Workmanship Failure....man I Feel for you....there is always next year though..........and I am Invited too??? Heck I'll even Gut Your Kill .....and Pack it out!!!!
;) >:D
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Wow Hawk, if you play this write you could probably get coffee, bacon and eggs with out even having to get out of the sleeping bag ;D Maybe even someone to carry your gear and a camera to film the whole thing ;D ;D ;D sorry couldn't resist.
just being a rebel rouser ;D Help is always good to have with elk hunting. I've been really blessed to have some good friends that are always eager to help. Having an elk on the ground is like processing a dead horse. You don't just drag it to the truck and throw it in. Just packing out quarters can be like packing a whole deer,,,, times 4. Somehow they always seem to go right to the bottom of the nastiest blowdown or drainage around.
My very first was a 6x6 bull when I was 16 years old. SnakeRiver unit ,,,,,,,,mile deep, mile wide canyons......dropped right in the bottom of the canyon below camp. Camp was on the ridge ::) ::) ::)Quartered it and hung it in trees just out of reach from the bears. Took me three days with a horse to get it all up to camp. Narrow switchback trails and so steep I had to go clear up to the head of the canyon to work the horse all the way down to it. Swore I would never do that again....... ::) ::) ::) famous last words.
If you do get an elk down and others are there to help, don't forget to reward they with some of the meat. They will have earned it. ;)
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Hear are a few more pics from the hunt.
The first is the wallow in the story. then a few other wallows.
Next Tony is still in awe after hearing his first real bugling bull in the wild that morning so I'm helping him relive the experience ;D
Then the last pic is my life partner and love of my life all tuckered out sleeping by a stream running through the meadow.
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Wowser! Now that is some nice country Keenan.
Hawk let me know when your ready to go next year and I will be sitting on your door step bow in hand and obsidian tipped arrows ready to go! You show me what to do and I will be the best student you will ever have when it comes to learning the Elk hunting trade. MMMM!!! Elk....its whats for dinner!!! ;D
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Tiller, I live for elk hunting, every year the bugles in the hugh lands transform me into a rut crazed bull myself... this time next year if you find youself rubbing your head on the bedpost and rolling in urine soaked mud while bugling obscene challenges at the neighbors.. then and only then are you truly ready to hunt elk ;D ;)
el destructo... No builder error with the bow... was the finest bow I have ever shot... shot a squirrel from a tree and a grouse in the air the first day i had her... looks like the glue failed on the boo backing probably because our temperatures went from freezing in the am to eighty in the day and back to freezing in evening combined with rainy weather and then dry for days... I would never consider blaming Mac for the failure... his bows are top notch and his craftsmenship is second to none...HAWK
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Tiller, I live for elk hunting, every year the bugles in the hugh lands transform me into a rut crazed bull myself... this time next year if you find youself rubbing your head on the bedpost and rolling in urine soaked mud while bugling obscene challenges at the neighbors.. then and only then are you truly ready to hunt elk ;D ;)
el destructo... No builder error with the bow... was the finest bow I have ever shot... shot a squirrel from a tree and a grouse in the air the first day i had her... looks like the glue failed on the boo backing probably because our temperatures went from freezing in the am to eighty in the day and back to freezing in evening combined with rainy weather and then dry for days... I would never consider blaming Mac for the failure... his bows are top notch and his craftsmenship is second to none...HAWK
Mike....Sorry you took it that way....wasn't blaming anyone...thats why I said material too!! I just stated that it would be terrible to lose out due to anything like that...didn't know who your Bow was built by.....or if You built it.....You didn't say which Bow it was....just sad to have anything like that happen at a time like that.........and just for clarification...Mac Who???
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Hawk, couldn't have described it better myself. It really is what my wife and I look forward to every year. We always schedule the majority of our vacation time to the elk rut. And yes elk urine is a must.
The first time i took my wife (Dating at the time) elk hunting I was explaining to her that if something answers, we were going to have to spray on some urine. She opened the bottle in the truck took one sniff and explained to me that there was no way in God's creation that she was going to spray that anywhere.
When the bull screamed at us and we saw the rack busting through the trees towards us, I looked back and she was spraying it from head to toe :D ;D She's been hooked since ;)
Tiller watch allot of video's even though most aren't primitive they will teach allot of elk behavior and when to draw and shoot. Also learning to make the elk sounds is just a small part, knowing what sound when is a major key to success.
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destructo... no worries brother... i meant I wouldn't lay blame... not you..... no offence taken.. just had a long day and wasn't typing what I meant.... stay cool HAWK
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Meant Marc... not mac ;D
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Lets see, Bugle, Grunt and when you see the bull have your girlfriend squirt urine all over herself. ;D
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Keenan - that picture of you bugling in your buddies ear, now that's hilarious :D :D ;D ;D ;D. Worth a thousand words - now I'll know how to recognize a rut crazed bull ;D ;D.
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Hawk, How hard is it to get non resident tags where you hunt? Wyoming is a totally draw deal for elk isn't it?
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yes total draw... must have tags in by january and they cost about five hundred.... with your archery license.... and conservation license... the buggest problem for non residents is finding hunting areas to hunt...HAWK
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Yep, that is what I thought. Makes it hard to plan a hunt that far in advance, especially when you don't know what area to put in for and don't know the area when you get there. Almost need a guide to help out. Colorado hunting is probably not as good as some of the other states, but the best part is the over the counter tags and lots of public land to hunt. Kenneth
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Well, the cost for the Wyoming Elk just put me out of the running. I think its WA or OR for me then. Keenan whats the price like to hunt down your way for an out of stater? Man I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about going after one! Grunt, Bugle and Elk Urine ! ;D
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David, Non resident as follows; Hunting licenses 76.50
Elk 361.50
Deer 264.50
Cougar 151.50
Bear 151.50
Antelope 277.50 :o :o :o
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Wow! Those prices make me glad Im a resident. With our sport pack. About $120 WE get all that except the antilope. Plus Fishing licence Spring turkey. Joel
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Dag nab it! What is the govt. trying to do? Make me poor? >:(
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Those prices seem cheap for the west. Colorado is $500 for an either sex tag for non resident. Pat
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And Texas is ..........General Nonresident Hunting ......$300.00
Nonresident Spring Turkey Hunting .....$120.00
Antelope Permits ......from $750-$1000.....and that is on top of the Nonersident License
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Wow! Now I know we are all s#@$#@ by the govt! Now I understand why people poach game especially when they have mouths to feed!
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David, I understand your frustration about high price for out of state tags but must agree with it to a degree. You will find that your local tags for resident hunters is much less as it is with every state. The reason nonresident is higher is to protect the rights and hunting for locals. If tags for non resident is cheap there is a larger number of out of state hunters and guides that come in and ruin things for locals. Seen it hear several times. Oregon had very low non resident tags for many years and out of state guide services over booked hunts in certain areas and saturated some units with out of state hunters ruining those spots.
If I were to go into your back yard and hunt your favorite spot I would expect to pay more for it. And it should be lower for the residents,after all it's their state. Don't mean this to sound wrong or uncaring for your situation but keep in mind that the dollars that go into DFW helps to manage and support our wildlife as well. I have several friends that work for the DFW and believe me they are not getting rich and most of the dollars are being well used. They are one of our best advocates for fighting the anti hunting groups that are trying to ban all hunting.
Just food for thought bro. Would love to have you come hunt Oregon. And I would love to hunt Washington and have a friend that just got a nice 5x6 bull up in your state. But I know it's going to mean I'll shell out a few bucks to go up there..
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Just give me a little time to get the bucks together and then I wont complain so much. Do want to go hunting with ya one of these days. It looks like a lot of fun. Say, do they have any feral hogs in OR? I bet the only price on them is a hunting license and not tags. They taste pretty good too! Just need to get out and smell some fresh air.
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David, hogs are few and scattered and mostly on some of the private farm ground over by John Day from what I've heard. The farmers would love for you to take as many as you can get. Also Coyotes are a good challenge and no tags required. Just start tucking away some dollars and make it happen on the elk. ;) You'll have to clear things with my wife on cornering some of my hunting time. The list is long on people begging to go with us and she has got kind of protective and limiting on who I can guide and call for. Though it's nice to feel needed, I've been guiding for allot of people over the last few years and there are a few others ahead of you on the list. Love elk hunting so much I'd love to take anyone any time, just not possible and don't want to offend anyone so trying to be methodical and fair about it.
If timing works we probably get you in on a hunt mid week while others are working. At the very least I can put you in an area to find some. ;)
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Sounds good to me! Will need to clear it with the schedule too. But sounds absolutly magnificent ol'chap! ;)