3 months until a duodecennial….

[Buzzard Breath]

It wasn't all just herd bulls either. I blew my fair share of chances at satellite bulls too. One evening, we were in our honey hole and had the herd bull fired up. But, there was a nice 5x5 satellite bull that was between him and us. This smaller bull wanted to play. AT was setup 60-70 yards behind me and the satellite bull kept coming to within 35 yards broadside, but he just wouldn't clear a small thing of brush and give me a shot. He was completely silent the whole time, but he sure loved raking the pine trees in the area. He tore every one of them to shreds. Eventually, it got too dark and we had to lay off the calling so we could slip out of there.

The next day was the last day of bow season, so we returned to the same spot hoping to make a play on one of the 2 bulls. While glassing, we looked across the ridge and Mr. Blue Hat was glassing the same basin as us. Only his scent was blowing straight into the honey hole. We never heard a bugle. Just before legal shooting light AT urgently whispers "nock an arrow". I nock an arrow. AT, "look left". Me, "I don't see nothing". He lines his hands up on each side of his head and gives me the ole tunnel vision signal. Just then, the 5x5 steps out from behind a pine tree at 40. He's coming straight at us. We were in a basin surrounded by desert. He had no option but to cut to my right and walk right by us. Elk are elk and for some reason, he cut up over the ridge and started to walk out into a barren desert. I run up to the ridge but he caught my wind and blew out of there.

Just like that, bow season was over............

 

[BPhunter]

Herd bulls become herd bulls because they don't screwup very often. For instance, the second morning, we were hunting in one of our little honey hole pockets that had a herd with a nice 6x6 in it. AT was setup behind me to call. I had a nice clearing to my left and it was the perfect runway for the bull to come down. The bull must have read the script. The bull came into the clearing and him and AT bugled back and forth with each other for about 10 minutes. The bull finally had enough and came through the opening like he was being pulled by a string. That is, until he got to 15 yards from me. Then he decided he wanted to cut through the pine thicket I was setup in. This was going to put him to my right and on my downwind side. I had to reposition myself while drawing. He was having none of it and busted out of their. A bugle by AT stopped him at 40. He was slightly quartering away. A shot I could make in my sleep. Except there was a dead pine tree with all it's branches running the length of its body.

Or, the next day. We called another 6x6 in a different area. He had a decent herd of cows with a couple spikes harassing them. He was working his way up the meadow towards us when a satellite 6x3 came in from the side and challenged him. The satellite bull had a typical 6 on his left, but his right had 2 spikes and a big club coming out of his left side. Super cool bull. The herd bull charged him and ran him off, but chased him up into the woods. When he finally showed back up, he herded his cows up and ran them up an adjacent mountain. 2 days later we did glass this herd back up as they were returning their pocket we initially encountered them in.

The morning after we glassed them up, we made another play on them. This morning, they were silent, but we spotted them coming up and area they'd cut some timber out of and were working towards us. Remember those spikes I mentioned? Just as the herd was coming into a shooting lane, the big bull finally had enough of them. He charged them and run them into the next county. Just as he returned, the cows got downwind of me and they all buggered out.

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Yes sir. It's always exciting hunting elk. They are a breed of their own and you just never know what they will do at the last second. Where I live I see a nice herd almost on a daily basis. A very majestic animal. Sounded like a very enjoyable and productive hunt.

 

[AT Hiker]

That weather is pretty typical around bow season…

Not where we were at. We have been breaking high temp records for a few weeks now. We are still 10 degrees above average.
Supposed to break another 80 degree day time high temp tomorrow. No moisture or cold front in sight.

 

[BPhunter]

Not where we were at. We have been breaking high temp records for a few weeks now. We are still 10 degrees above average.
Supposed to break another 80 degree day time high temp tomorrow. No moisture or cold front in sight.

In this part of the west like anywhere else sometimes you get warmer temps than usual, sometimes colder than usual.