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The Moose starts swaying in my direction perhaps the 10 yards I came forward and stops. I walk backwards to Railsbacks and put my hands to my nose while vibrating my “Moose” cow noise. This makes the Moose very happy as he beats the living daylights out of 2 small Aspen tree’s. I tell Railsback I better quit while I am ahead. As he pushes me towards the Moose he says “Yeah, I think so too”. We move behind a very protective (yeah, right!) 7 foot tall Pine tree and the Moose goes by at 20 yards allowing us to take a few photos. Within minutes later we hear an Elk bugle very close out to the southwest. We set up like we did in the morning except I meekly hit the bugle a couple times as well and get no other response over the next 30 minutes. I approach Railsback and state I did not hear a thing. He said “ He answered your bugle almost every time but he is going the opposite way, must have some cows with him”. We head in his direction and up over the knoll there is a nasty bench thick with Oak brush but it has some cattle trails through it that are manageable. Its time to try something else so I hit the bugle hard as I assume a dominate Bull may and we get 2 responses immediately. Railsback states “I’ll go after the one to the southwest you go after the one to the northwest”. Fine by me and I am gone. I head back the direction we came from and head up hill100 yards and try to cross back. I hit a wall of thick Oak brush and back out repeating this process 4 times before I finally have an accessable trail in the Elks general direction. Looking at my watch its taken me over 30 minutes to navigate through this brush and I was not able to do it quietly. My bow keeps getting caught, my pack grabs every bit of brush I go by and even my ears reach out to hang onto this nasty stuff. The Oak brush is only 30 yards wide at the most and I come out in a small boxed in area. I hit the cow call and wait 5 minutes with no response. Meekly hit the bugle and instant response from the other side of the hill and to the north. Climb the hill and slowly peek over from around a small Pine tree. Another bowl this one though very large, with Aspen and Pine clusters everywhere. At the top of the bowl 150 yards away is a wall of dense Pine trees. I hit the bugle again and get 2 responses. One directly across from me but some distance away and the other from the Pines.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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I put the hand held reed call in mouth and cow call constantly as I stalk uphill for about 70 yards. I take a knee, control my breathing, slow down and listen for 10 minutes. I attempt to really work the estrus into this setup and out of the Pines runs an extremely high spike bull and 5 seconds later and 20 yards further away trots a 5x5 bull. The spike is heading right for me, stops at 20 yards and the Bull stops at 40 yards. The spike is slobbering all over himself and looking around for the cow elk he just heard. The wind is minimal at best and heading west. The spike starts walking south, he hits my scent and barks twice extremely loud running into the timbered Pines with the Bull right beside him.
I cow call though I know they have no intention of coming back to me, so I head west about 100 yards and start downhill on one of the many forest trails you come across. I am not on this trail 50 yards when I see on the trail ahead of me at 70 yards a cow Elk. I am caught standing there so we stare at each other for mere seconds and she trots off to the west without making a sound. I nock a Cedar arrow and continue down the trail in her direction and barely can get over a large downed tree in the trail. I am actually sitting on the tree about to lift my leg over and further down the trail out steps a branched antlered Bull feeding. I have to sit about 5 minutes until he goes off the trail to the west in the direction of the cow. I start to move and see 2 brown shapes to the east at only 30 yards…yikes, stay put.
The 2 Elk close to me move east down the hill out of site after only 2 minutes. For no reason I do not go towards the Bull I saw, but I head back up the trail 50 yards and then head east towards the 2 Elk, which I never did make out to be male or female. I go off the trail maybe 20 yards and see a great looking bench with a large downed pine on the edge that overlooks the forest. Good place to set up and cow call to locate the Elk that went off into the shadows. Stupidly, I go to the edge to look over and I believe we all gasped at the same time. At 15 yards looking right at me is a 6x6 Bull, frozen in his tracks with his 6 cows. At some time after leaving the log I was sitting on I had put my arrow back into the quiver. The Bull and cows gave me time to pull an arrow from the quiver, nock it and angle myself slightly sideways for a shot before they all took racing off up towards the dark timber.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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I saw the cows seconds later heading up towards the timber 30 yards away and the Bull never did show himself cross the small opening. Possibly he did not see me and make me out to be an extreme danger and was just standing below. I stepped behind a small 7-10 foot Pine and with my mouth call, I cow called for almost 10 minutes. Nothing showed from down below so I turned around and there standing behind me at 20 yards are 5 cow Elk looking at me. Amazing, the size of these animals and how quietly they move, I had called back the majority of them. Though they of course are not my intended target I am busted and they make a ruckus busting branches as they run off.
I pull my watch out of my pocket and read 11:35 am.. Man, time sure can fly. At the pickup 1hr 55 minutes later I meet Railsback, where he tells me he saw and heard nothing after we split up. We have hit the mother load of an area, so we plan to get another friend Todd Hill tomorrow and his 10 year old son to come along as well. This day turns out to be uneventful for the most part with some far off bugles heard and nothing coming in.
I get home at 3pm wash my hunting cloths put away 90% of my gear and have to come to terms that tomorrow is Saturday and Monday is back to work after 10 days of hunting. I will hunt tomorrow afternoon get a good nights sleep and call the season, a heap of fun. I turn on the television to one of the sportsman channels to hear some noise while going to and fro getting things done. One of the shows a guy states in the background voice that the most consistent hunters are the ones that keep after it day in day out no matter the consequences, that’s me. 3:30 a.m. comes and I decide I am not going to go easily away I am going out again. I get to the trailhead at 4:45 a.m. and Steve’s camper has a light on inside. I am parked 100 yards away and at the back of the pickup putting on my backpack when I hear him shout out. Moments later he is by my side and we discuss some of what has happened and his plans are for the day. While talking we hear a bugle off in the distance across the road, near the dreaded Oak brush. He states I am going that way again this morning, but I will be up there later as I stashed my backpack real high up in a tree. I plan on going up to the top bench past Bear Pond towards Preston’s pond but will hunt Bear pond in the afternoon.
I get to the high saddle 15 minutes before even good daylight. I stand for 10 minutes with my headlamp off and I hear down off in the valley that I was heading towards a bugle followed by 3 more bugles. Jackpot! Nobody in their right mind is this far off the road and in front of me, especially coming in from another direction. I crest over and head west towards Prestons water hole where one of the call appeared to be coming from when suddenly the 4 Elk bugle again. One appears to be from ahead of me but another is northeast. I decide to head west when the Bull from the northeast bugles and follows it up with a couple grunts. Okay, your choice here I come as I turn and head east from the direction I just came.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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100 yards later I cow call and get an immediate response about 200 yards northeast of me. I cautiously head north 50 yards and east about 75 yards. As close as I should get without determining where he may be before continuing. I cow call softly and again instant response to my right and there he stands at 40 yards a small rag horn 5x5. I can do nothing, he is looking 20 feet to my left for any sign of cows. He proceeds for over 2 minutes to beat the daylights out of a 4 foot tall bush. After he stops he looks off in the same direction he was looking previously, I am sure its to see if he has impressed any females. He turns and walks away from me. I quickly head in his direction about 10 yards and there is no place that looks good to set up. I cow call so he does not get too far off and he instantly appears again. He is facing right at me but he is still looking to my left. I have an arrow nocked but he is still too far off and is not giving me a broadside opportunity. He then starts to lick or chew on a 15 inch diameter tree for almost 5 minutes. I do not recall ever seeing or hearing of this happening though you always see apparent teeth marks on many of the Aspen tree’s. He suddenly stops turns and is gone. I hear one or two bugles but nothing pans out.
I head off to Prestons pond where I sit until noon then head to the saddle to meet Steve for some lunch. I put two sticks in the trail in an X formation leaned against a log as a stop sign. I get off the trail by 20’ where the high altitude sun is shining and close my eyes momentarily, enjoying the fall warmth. I fly buzzes me and I look at my watch 1:30. Cripes I was out for an hour. I sit barefoot to air out my Smartwool socks as well as my hunting boots, look at my topo maps, investigate my GPS marked points, sharpen a Broadhead or two and its now 3:30 p.m. and no Steve. I need to get going to my tree stand as its pitch dark by 7:30 and I have a ½ hour walk to get there.
I hit the trail and the X is gone! Either he came by when I was sleeping or someone else did, though doubtful and neither one saw me. I have to get going time is wasting away fast. I take off on the trail about 100 yards towards Bear Pond and drop 50 feet in elevation and stop. If that was Steve he climbed up all that way in elevation 900 foot, I need to let him know I am here and am glad he is here (hopefully). Back up the hill and ½ mile along the mountain side, I am not hunting I am cruising along quickly. I get close and continually cow call as I approach and there he sits in a timbered blind overlooking Preston’s water source.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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We talk of my morning and my nap, advising him that 3 of those Bulls had no contact whatsoever with me and they know this is a major water source. Steve said he was going to sit until 7:15 or zero visibility, then head my way. With that said I am off after 25 minutes of whispered conversation to the tree stand. When I hit the saddle, instead of continuing along the trail I decide to go in to the stand a more difficult way, but also a way to conceal my scent and my approach. I cut across the mountainside and then go down a steep hill and through some small Aspens groves.
I get all harnessed in with enough cloths to endure the approaching cool mountain air and an hour later I hear noise behind me about 70 yards. I see 5 turkey heading off the main cattle trail eastward. All is quiet for the next hour when I hear a noise again from behind me from the same area as before. I turn and see 2 Turkey running out of the area that they originally went into.
Numerous times during “this evening” I spoke to the heavens’ to a friend named Rona that had died of cancer 3 months prior to hunting season as if she were with me. She knew how a Bear was the animal that I really wanted. She was at my home the 2 previous times when I came home from hunting and had blown opportunities on Bear. This night I would repeat to her “Go ask God to send a Bear my way“. 10 minutes later I would say “Go ask God again Rona”.
At 7:14 p.m. I looked at my watch and with visbility almost gone, I knew Steve was probably on his way. I looked to my left at the pond and instantly from the small Aspens on the north side of the pond out stepped a Bear walking quickly towards the water. I immediately thought good bear. He went around the pond and walked around a impenetrable log-jam that Preston and I had made at the far corner of the pond to make any Bear show his left side and to make the Bear go past the mark I had put in the tree with my knife at 31” for size referencing. During this time, consistency and familiarity with my bow had kicked in and I was on auto. My fingers were on the string in the shooting gloves grooves, my bow arm was up and I was focused on the Bear’s side with the fletching touching my nose. The Bear was at the waters edge for 2 seconds and my arrow was gone. I heard a loud roar and he ran into the saplings in the direction he had come with my arrows fletching protruding from his side. I looked at my watch it was still showing 7:14 p.m., this had not taken 60 seconds.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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Rick, Great story...! Made my snowy Saturday morning.!!
-------------------- Colorado Traditional Archers Society Compton Traditional Bowhunters Charter/Life Member PBS Associate Colorado Bowhunters Assn. Big Thompson Bowhunters
TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 2145 | From: Colorado | Registered: Apr 2005
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Due to the aftershock of what had just happened or the cold I started to shake, a lot. Taking the tree stand down, lowering my bow and backpack and removing the steps out of the tree took quite some time. I was removing the last 2 steps while standing on the ground when I looked up the mountainside and saw Steve’s headlamp coming down the trail. The light stopped right where I assumed the Bear should have crossed the main trail on his run. Thinking Steve may have seen blood I shouted out “ What are you stopped for? “ No response and the light starts moving down the trail, crosses through the saplings goes along the ponds edge and comes to me.
Steve said “What the heck did you yell out to me for?” I just wanted to know why you stopped, don’t know why! He started in again “ All I saw this evening was squirrels, how about you?” Steve you need to know is a man’s man. Rugged dude in appearance and manner, worked for Uncle Sam, trains dogs, builds custom rifles and brews his own Beer among other things. “I said so you think you are pretty macho, huh? How macho are you?” He says, “I am not carry your backpack out for you just so you can carry that tree stand”. I jumped on him right then and said “I just shot a big Bear and WE are going to track it in the dark”.
More (manly) hugs, high fives and I tell the tale as we eventually get to where the Bear was last standing and find no sign of blood. We walk 20 feet to the Aspens and find a couple of spots on downed timber. Initially, every time we would find blood we would leap frog with one of us staying at the last located spot until the next blood was found. We were finding blood every 10 feet for the first 30 yards, when we found 8 inches of the front end of my arrow with the broadhead all covered in blood.
The bear crossed the main trail, jumped on a 24 inch diameter log and went along its entire 30 foot length. There was blood splatters every 3 feet all along the right side of the downed tree. Yahoo! He is bleeding very good from the opposite side of the arrows entrance. At the end of the downed tree we go into more small Aspens and then we hit a wall of Oak Brush with a small opening like a dogs door. It’s a freaking tunnel entering the Oak Brush! Numerous times we are on our stomachs and our backs pulling our way through this Bear maze, which at times appears less than 18 inches high. This Bear must have been much smaller than I assumed when observing him briefly prior to my shot to be able to get through here. Another 20 yards and we find the rest of my Cedar arrow with blood covering fletching and all, with the next blood found on both sides of the Bears escape route.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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I had put my camera on my belt through “double” Velcro bands in my camera carry case when we had stashed our packs at the main trail and I just realized the camera was missing, *&^@#$%! Told Steve to wait here, I left my bow with him and crawled back through, locating the camera in less than 20 feet, then returned.
Steve said “Bad news I did not wait and we are at a dead end, I can‘t locate any more blood.” There is a massive amount of blood in this one spot and we can not immediately locate any blood elsewhere. We crawl every compass direction for 20 minutes before Steve speaks out “Got some blood”. The Bear had backtracked on his trail about 40 feet and started to go down the mountain side. Yawhza! I have read about Bears doing that.
We belly crawled forwards 20 feet and came to an opening about the size a pickup and stood. I for no reason reach down and my camera is gone again!! Wait here this time Steve! Do not go on without me! I crawl up through the tunnels we had just came and see a reflection from my headlamp. It’s my pocket watch given to me by Rona and 3 feet from it is the camera, wow, I am being watched over.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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I crawl back to Steve and he says, “We better back out, this Bear has gone a long way, we may be pushing him with all the noise we are making, maybe he’s gut shot”. “No way! He is bleeding like crazy. You go back to the main trail and wait. We have a tremendous blood trail, I’ll go alone, I am fine with that“.
He says okay put your glasses on and you lead for awhile. Nothing clicks in my mind. Steve says “I think we need to go east and he points in that direction”. I take 3 steps and there lays a dead Bear 15 feet away. He had seen the Bear but had not went any closer. We get closer and we state simultaneously “He is huge!” It was just after 10 p.m., many pictures later we pull our knives and game bags out to get started. Steve says “ What are your plans for the Bear? Do you know how to take care of the hide and everything?”. I had carried for 5 years in an upper pocket of my backpack a printout from a taxidermist I had found on the internet on how to properly cape a Bear for a rug. We followed these instructions to a tee. Steve had a knife I had never heard of, a Havalon. This knife had replaceable surgical blades that made easy straight cuts amazingly simple. The various knives we used and grasping the hide were made more secure with latex gloves which I had never worn while skinning which Steve also had brought. My arrow had entered just in front of the Bears rear left leg and the broadhead along with a small portion of the Cedar had exited out its front right legs armpit. 3 a.m. came none to quickly as we completed bagging all the meat and drapped the hide over a large tree leaning against another. We could easily see or breath from our headlamps as we gathered our backpacks, the tree stand and headed for his camp. The lights were on in his camper and his wife Deana then got to hear the tale and see the pictures on the digital camera.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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3 hours later after some food and a quick nap we returned to the Bear . To my horror there were blow flies everywhere. I have killed numerous Elk and never had I seen anything near this intense. We were swatting them away and removing as quickly as possible all visible blow fly eggs. Filling our backpacks and hiking out took our immediate attention. At my pickup with the Bear meat and hide all accounted for numerous hunters were there and the conversation went fast. I had to get this meat and hide taken care of now!
Having no idea of how to cut and package a Bear I took it to a game processor, where I was told I had done a great job and the fly contamination was non-existent. Whew! The taxidermist where I took the Bear exclaimed that our capping was excellent and that the fly’s caused no damage there as well. Whew again! The Bears estimated weight approached 400 pounds! What an exciting 60 second ride.
-------------------- Schafer Silvertip 58" 61@28 Hunter Safety Certificate Bowhunter Safety Certificate Colorado Traditional Archers Society Colorado Bowhunters Associatio Pope & Young Club Posts: 570 | From: Silt, Colorado | Registered: Feb 2005
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