Last arrow; winter caribou

[KentuckyTJ]

Wow this is already great. Us lower 48ers long for these stories and Caribou is a dream hunt of mine. Thanks for sharing!!!

[KAZ]

[GRAYBEARD]

Like others, caribou are my dream quarry. Get on with it!!

[ron w]

     Cool stuff.

[D. Key]

Great pics.  I too have a Caribou on my bucket list.  Best of luck to ya.

[joe ashton]

I had to put on a hat and gloves just by looking at the pictures. Brrr
   

[joe ashton]

I had to put on a hat and gloves just by looking at the pictures. Brrr
   

[chinook907]

Thanks guys.


So somehow I'm taking 2 days to tell a story that happened in 1...
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So I'm at the first lake, back in the brush around 75 yards, sitting in a depression at the back of my hide.

And a little lone caribou is suddenly trotting past me ! I had no time and maybe 2 seconds after I saw it me first arrow was gone.  It was good East-West but well under it.  Second arrow same (the caribou had stopped).  Third arrow went in the snow also.  And off the caribou ran, not a nick on him.  Ugh.

[chinook907]

Turns out it was about twice as far as I might have guessed, if I had had the time and state of mind to think about it.
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It gets pretty silly now.
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After a bit it was very late in the day so I thought I should look for my arrows.  Never found them.  But while I was shuffling in the snow for them, out on the lake I see this ( you can't make this stuff up !).
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Maybe 15 caribou or so, you can't see them all in the pic.

[chinook907]

They had me spotted of course.  It was close enough to sunset I tried sneaking on them but got only to 100 yards and they took off.
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I turn the corner on the way back to my hide, and here are 10 or so caribou staring at me, they had just walked past my hide apparently, and ran back past it as they spooked...
 
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[chinook907]

[chinook907]

So it occurred to me to just sit until dark.
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I was standing for a better view not long before sunset when I see 4-5-6 I'm not sure how many mature Bulls ghosting thru the trees coming down the creek trail towards me.  No antlers, the rut was over weeks,ago and most bulls had shed their antlers.  Didn't matter, it was an any caribou hunt.  I was here for fun and meat, probably in that order.

[chinook907]

I quickly crouched down on my knees, bow up, just downstream of the hide.  There would be no rising up to shoot, I would shoot as the first bull came into view downstream of my hide. Bow was darn near horizontal.  About all I would need to do was draw.
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When I'd seen them briefly, they were single file, head down, had that heading to the barn look about them.
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I was ready, with my last arrow on the string.  And if I need to say it I was determined to make that arrow count.
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I felt cool as a cucumber but it was hard not to risk a peek over the blind.

[chinook907]

The bull appeared from my right.  My last arrow hit him with a load whack, just a little high but with the upward angle he went down.  I ran over and finished things.
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Where he was when I shot.  And yes that's a blue folding camp chair.
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[chinook907]

Sorry about the mess, it's tough with the snow, and I get in a hurry to get things cut up and packed out.
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[Chad Orde]

awesome job what a gift

[chinook907]

So I took a few pics and then it was dark.
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Took me awhile to get him all processed and in my sled.  It was well into the evening when I was done, and heading out with the sled.
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Thats it guys.
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Goodnight lake.
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Goodnight caribou.
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Goodnight moon.
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[Irish Archer]

Great story and hunt. Thanks for taking me along. I enjoyed it.

[GRAYBEARD]

You are a good storyteller! Thanks!!

[TIM B]

Atta'boy!!  Great story thanks!
Tim