Here is a kind of funny story from my hunt up there. In camp there was a very nice Older gentlemen from Idaho. This guy had never killed anything with a bow, but thought a caribou hunt may be a good start. Anyway, he shot a compound. In camp we were shooting at targets and he was a good shot with his compound. After I had killed my 2 bulls I had a few extra days to help him get his. One day we really got into them. I mean TONS of caribou. After he had completely missed two big bulls he confided in me that he was having a difficult time remaining calm when the moment of truth came since he had never actually killed anything with a bow. I had been watching both incidents with binoculars and noticed he was really rushing things...taking shots too early, and not waiting for a high-percentage situation. I offered to go with him on the next stalk to try to help him out. He laughed and said "I was hoping you would say that!" There were bulls swarming everywhere, but we spotted what appeared to be a real monster bedded down. The terrain was perfect and we had the wind so we started the stalk. I told him not to hurry and that we needed to get within 20 yards before he should consider shooting. We got to within 40 yards or so and I could tell my friend was getting really nervous. I reminded him to try and stay calm, but you guys know that this is much easier said than done. I still experience this when hunting unfamiliar species too. It's fun! I told him that I would stay back while he finished the last 20 yards of the stalk. He agreed. I was lying down on the ground and he was crouching right next to me. He stood there for awhile, and I was waiting for him to advance when all of a sudden I saw him drawing his bow! Before I could say anything he launched an arrow and missed the bull by two or 3 feet! The bull stood up, but was not sure what was going on. It was very windy so he could not really hear us. Now the poor guys was a wreck and was shaking and breathing hard. He then proceded to empty nearly arrow out of his quiver, missing the bull by a long shot each time. The bull finally realized what was going on and took off running. Out of desperation the poor guy took a running shot with his last arrow and missed by a mile! I did not say anything. I waited for him to speak. After a minute or so he started laughing so hard I thought the old guy would kick the bucket right there from a heart attack! He looked at me and said "That's not how it was supposed to go was it?" I said "no." He laughed and said, "You wanna do it again?" I said "sure, but this time....." "I know" he said. "Get within 20 yards." I said "yes, and try to calm down. Don't shoot until you know you are ready." Unfortunately for the poor fellow, he just could not keep himself calm. The same thing repeated a couple more times on nice bulls until he finally laughed and said, "You know Jon, I'm not sure if I am really ready to do this...but I'm having a hell of a good time!" He never did get a bull, despite numerous opportunities, but he never complained. I kept in contact with him for awhile after that hunt, but then just kind of lost track. That was a fun couple of days.
Topic: Bowhunting Caribou...you Gotta try it! Pics! (Read 2209 times)
