Bigfoot-----------bows??

[Captain*Kirk]

  ....and then?!!!

[Mad Max]

....and then?!!!

Yeah, I'm burning a lot of wood over here 

[Captain*Kirk]

Right? I'm almost out of popcorn.

[kennym]

He may have been abducted by the ol girl...

[Kirkll]

Sorry guys.... I had an emergency trip to the coast that had to be done that had nothing to do with the story....

Ok.... Where were we?..........

I'm standing there in this puddle looking at this track thinking this can't be real.... . Someone else came by last night and made this imprint just to spook me... This foot print was HUGE!  So i shook off that tingly sensation, and headed down the trail. But i still couldn't help looking over my shoulder now and then checking my back trail. That shadow i saw crossing the cave opening wasn't a figment of my imagination, and what ever it was, it was large.....

I spent the next 20-30 minutes in the pre dawn twilight picking my way back and forth on a series of switch backs dropping a good 800' into this canyon before it flattened out. as i got towards the bottom, the little stream of water that was trickling down through into that small meadow was like a small river now. That storm had brought a lot of water with it, and All the moss hanging off the rocks above me were dripping like soggy dish rags too. Couldn't ask for better sound cover and easy  quiet walking. but i was concerned with the wind once i got down to the stream. It typically  flows down hill in the same direction the water is flowing. At the moment it was dead calm. I needed to get to the bottom side of this meadow before it got too light and the elk started moving again , or i was going to get caught out in the open. There was very little cover on the trail i was traveling and i need to get off it as quickly and quietly as possible. 

Going down stream the meadow started opening up, and i was able to get off that main trail as it made a sharp bend to the north. The steep rocky cliffs on either side of the gorge were replaced by stands of beautiful alder trees painted in shades of orange and yellow, And even the vine maple was starting to show signs of brilliant red leaves. But the amazing beauty was momentarily washed away by that  unique scent of Roosevelt elk..... I froze solid, and took in the scent..... There was no doubt now that heard was still in the valley. The fact that i could smell them. and the first noticeable breese was in my face was excellent!  This increased my odds of pulling off a good stalk unnoticed.

By this time my visibility was up to about 40 yards, and i could see a lot of trails coming and going from the meadow edges at the south end. The big question was... Where did the herd bed down for the night?  Then i spotted a huge wind fall up ahead with the root wad reaching towards the sky like wicked fingers silhouetted in the sky line. This might be a good place to set up and do some calling to locate the elk without getting busted.  What i learned the hard way about calling elk in heavily wooded areas is to cover your back more so than hiding behind something. You never know where they are, and how quickly they will come in... if at all. But the biggest mistake is moving too quickly after you start calling. These big bulls will circle down wind if they can every time. So i like to back into a spot where i cannot be winded easily if possible. I cannot count the number of times i've had bulls come in dead silent right behind me and have no chance for a shot.

This root wad was big enough to give me what i was looking for, and i tucked myself back against that big log that had to be 5' in diameter at the butt. It was a big Douglas fir that had been undermined by the high waters coming down that gorge i had just climbed down. it looked to have been dead for many years by the look of it, and it had fallen clear across the stream and snapped off on some boulders on the other side and had to have been 200+ feet high when standing. Believe it or not, those 200' trees you still see standing down there in areas on the coast are all second growth trees. The old growth stumps still speckle the forest standing 12' high and are running from 8-12' at the base. You scan till see these monster stumps with spring board notches that were chopped into the base with hand axes, so the loggers could stand on them while using two man falling handsaws.... These big stumps make great elevated stands for hunting too. Its mind boggling how big they are and some of the big cedar stumps are very , very  old.

With daylight finally here, i pulled out my grunt tube and whispered a few cow calls  to break the morning silence, and waited for a response for several minutes.... Nothing but was rewarded with only the sound of running water .... So i turned up the volume and tried again with a cow in heat squeal.....Now THAT woke up the chickens!  I immediately got an elk bugle that echoed down the valley, followed by another high pitched squealy bugle obviously from a young bull across the other side... I could not tell the direction of the mature bull, but just knew he was farther north up on the hill side somewhere. I also knew that neither of these early morning talkers were the bull i was hunting. That big 7X7 had a deep rumble to his bugle that was almost like a growl. The first time i heard him bugle two years ago i almost wet my long johns.... And.... i knew he was in this canyon .... I just knew he was.....

To be continued......   

[Kirkll]

Once you get more than one bull bugling back and forth, i've always found its best to just stick with cow calls and see how it plays out. The fact that i didn't hear any other cows calling told me i was still well away from the herd, and the younger bulls that were calling back and forth were the satellite bulls..... Time to move and try and locate the herd before the sun comes over the hill, and the wind shifts.

So i slipped my pack over my shoulder and slipped back into the tree line and headed north. the ground was soft with the recent rain fall and made it easy to move without making much sound. I had traveled about 300 yards when i got another whiff of musky elk, and could see a brown patch along the edge of the stream that looked like a wallow, and matted down grass in large circles spotting the other side of the stream. It was quite obvious the elk had been bedding down at some time in this spot, but they were not here right now.  I could also see a main trail heading west up the steep bank, but it leveled off into a bench that followed the stream bed at a higher elevation... Looking at the way it cut through the trees, id say it was most likely a very old logging road leading up to a landing. This type of trail is excellent hunting if it isn't too over grown and littered with too many wind fall trees..... Unfortunately the stream was moving to fast and too deep to cross at this point. So i made a mental note to hunt that on my way back once the wind shifted as the thermals of the warmer air rising changed the direction of the flow....

After another 200 yards , the canyon opened up even wider as it turned to the west following the creek, and i spotted movement about 100 yards ahead..... Using my reed, i made a soft cow call and was rewarded instantly with a number of replies.... Bingo!  I found the herd..... But i desperately needed more elevation  so i could see better and make a plan of attack. So rather than heading towards them any further, i slowly back tracked up one of the trails going up the hill behind me until i could look down into that meadow. Reaching a little switch back in the trail i cut back to the edge and belly crawled so i could peak over without notice.... Wow!  The herd i saw last night looked like 30 head. This group was 50-60 cows at least, and about half were still bedded down. Along the edge of one side there were two small bulls on the same side of the creek i was on kind of off on their own, and i couldn't see the herd bull anywhere. But my bets were that he was closer to those cows than the two satellite bulls i could see, and standing or bedded down in the shadows somewhere. I needed to get across that creek and get in closer to the herd before making my play. The cow calls i had made had the smaller bulls attention, and i was quite certain i could call them in pretty close. But i didn't come this far looking for an average bull. I have taken many of those as well as cows in the past, and i really wanted a shot at the monster bull if i could get it..... 

So i eased myself back into the timber, and back tracked back the way i had come at a bit quicker pace than i arrived. i needed to get back to that huge wind fall to cross the creek without swimming. I wasn't too concerned with getting wet at this point, but it was moving to fast to try and wade it up where i was out of site of the herd location. My adrenaline was pumping a bit now that i knew where they were.... Now i just needed them to stay put for awhile longer so i could get closer, and the thermal wind clock was ticking.....

The stream crossing was uneventful and the main trail on the other side looked like a freshly plowed field with deep ruts. This trail had been used for many years, and not a human track in sight. So i hot footed it down to the bend before going into stalk mode again. As i saw the meadow open up i took a side trail going up the other side that wrapped around the bend about 30 yards higher than the meadow floor. The smell of the herd was like a slap in the face as i peeked over the edge. It was time to nock an arrow.... I could see the cows 50 yards below me, but still no sign of that 7X7..... So the question was... Do i let my presence be known and throw out a young bull call? or try getting closer?   This is the tricky part of elk hunting... To get a herd bull to come to you, you have to be close to his cows and present a threat. To get between him and his cows if possible is even better, but very difficult to pull off without getting busted by the cows...... But i had no idea where he was.... So i played it safe and did some cow in heat calls as i inched my way further along the trail above them..... This instantly got bugles from the smaller bulls across the creek, as well as more cow calls from the herd.

About that time all hell broke loose... One of the smaller bulls with a 3X4 rack came charging across the creek into the herd. Cows started jumping up everywhere as he approached, and the thunderous roar of the herd bull bellowing a full bugle about stopped my heart.... He was CLOSE!
REAL CLOSE!!!!!




To be continued......

[Mad Max]

 

 

[Pine]

 

[gifford, MO]

Dang, this is a great narrative. Off to get another cup of coffee.  :-)

[Kirkll]

For the readers out there that have never experienced calling in a bull elk before, i can't really express the emotions mixed with adrenaline flowing through you the moment that 1200-1500 pound animal comes in running in close and starts tearing trees out of the ground that are 4" at the butt and throwing them over their shoulder like it was nothing right in front of you.... It goes well beyond fear, and touches a very primitive part of your survival instincts clear down to your core. It gives me chills every time i think of it....

Getting back to the moment..... The first wave of adrenaline mixed with excitement had my full attention, and I slowly sunk to a kneeling position and froze solid with the bellow of that bull still ringing in my ears. The old predator camo  i commonly wear in the jungles of the Oregon coast does a real good job of breaking up my pattern, but when calling in elk i use a grease type face paint in jagged lines of green and black, not forgetting the ears. This particular morning i had taken care of that as i made my hike back across the stream. So i was feeling pretty ghostie hunkered down trying to get my breathing under control.

I could smell this bull BIG time!  How those cows put up with that raunchy stench is beyond comprehension. But that was the last thing on my mind at the moment as i heard the bull crashing through the brush in front of me heading back toward his cows. It sounded like a bull dozer pushing trees over, and i could actually see the tree tops dancing as he passed through that dense thicket he was hiding in. Once i realized he was moving away from me i decided it make a move myself where i could see what was going on. So i slipped down the next trail leading down into the meadow below in a slow two step movement.... Two steps, pause.... two steps pause. When running with elk, you need to sound like an elk. None of that steady walking crap... When i had almost reached the bottom of the trail it started opening up a bit causing me to slow to almost dead stop. I could see the elk herd up on their feet now and starting to mill around. My first sight of the big bull didn't happen until he bellowed another half bugle/ half growl and i turned my head to the left. He was in a slow trot running around the far side of the herd rounding them up and pushing them away from the edge of stream where the 3X4 stood rooted. I think the big bull had intimidated him too much to go much further, but he was stlll making a chuckling sound, almost like a whining noise...You cannot believe the strange sounds these elk actually make sometimes....  As the big bull started prodding his cows away from the creek, they had turned in my direction, but pretty much were staying in the meadow abot 30 yards out.... As the bull reached the far side of the heard i thought this was going to be my best shot, and i ripped off with my first bugle of the morning.I didnt do the little squeally bugle of a young bull either, i hit him with a short , but pretty full bugle of a mature bull.... i was on the other side of his cows, and pretty close too.... The response was instant, and it was a blood curdling scream.... Yup... i woke up da chickens with that call...

The next thing i see is this big boy come charging right through the herd with his head laid back and those huge antlers wrapping almost around his hindquarters. He was grunting with every step he made. My soul for a video camera at that moment... Incredible sight to see. But as soon as he cleared the cows he came sliding to a stop and did another full bugle looking right in my direction.

There was another decision to make on my part now. There was no good shot available with him facing me dead on at about 30-35 yards. and bugling again would only cause him to push his cows away from me like he did the other bull down the valley a bit. So i chose silence for a few minutes and just watched him... But he didn't stand still for long and instantly started pushing his cows away trotting back and forth swinging his massive horns with authority. I had tension on the string as he first turned broadside, and confidence in 35-40 yard arrow placement.... But a moving target at that distance wasn't something i felt good about at all, and froze up at about half draw and did a soft cow call trying to get his attention or stop him.... But he wasn't having any of it and pushed the cows away from me further.... Damn.... So close.... But no shot opportunity.

But what happened next was awesome.... While i had distracted the bull, that little 3X4 swooped into the back of the heard and cut about a dozen out of his herd and was pushing them up the hill on the other side of the creek.... When the big bull spotted it was when i figured out what was going on myself. He let off another monster bugle and took off in a dead run after that other bull scattering cows  in his wake....  I'm thinking ALRIGHT!  I get a second chance here. But I'm going to have to move quickly to pull this off..... I needed to get around this herd and get between the cows and the big bull and call him into me, or ambush him as he returned to the herd with cow calls if he got by me.... The heard had scattered and he would be trying to round up strays now...
This could be exactly what i was looking for....

To be continued.....

[Pine]

 

[Captain*Kirk]

Pass the popcorn, please...go on! We're waiting! 

[Kirkll]

Now that the herd is scattered a bit, it going to be more difficult getting around them, but judging by the direction most were walking, I’m betting they will eventually move north again back to that main trail I followed getting down here. The meadow funneled down quite a bit at one point and could be a good spot for an ambush…. But I’m seriously considering just going the other direction after the bull and try to get him to come back and fight…. Damn… What to do here?.... Too many eyeballs out there to cross that opening going after the bull without being spotted, so I turned back up the trail and hot footed it back the way I had come trying to get back to the narrows before the herd arrived.
After getting around the corner , I dropped back down closer to the edge of the flats just above the main trail and started searching for an elevated position 15-20 yards from the trail to set up. The sun was going to come over that ridge soon, and I needed to be tucked back in a shaded spot asap. But…. My time was up as I saw the first bunch of cows coming around the bend in a trot. So I hunkered down beside the first clump of brush next to me, and slipped off my pack. I was in no hurry to nock another arrow , because I had no intention of shooting a cow. But something had spooked these cows….. They we not running, but were definitely in a slow trot with their heads on a swivel and noses in the air. If they wind me at this point, it’s game over…. So I sat frozen with my eyes looking down as they passed my position praying I had enough elevation so the wouldn’t catch my scent. There were about a dozen in this first batch, and a couple of calves too….. Then nothing….

At this point I figured this was going to be as good as it gets, and slipped my grunt tube around into position and wet the reed with my tongue as I positioned it just right. I started out with a deep bull chuckle and paused. Then a series of cow calls….. The dead silence that follows those first calls is maddening…. I’m always temped to bugle again. But I know better…. After 5 minutes I started the cow calling again, and got some responses above me now… Damn! That first batch of cows had circled back on a trail above me, and now the main portion of the herd was cautiously rounding the bend below me. So I thought I’d try a young bull squealy call next…. Nothing fancy, or long and drawn out…. Just a squeal or two with no chuckles…. THAT did the trick right there… There was another bugle above me, and a second one behind the main herd. Hard telling the size of these bulls from their sound, but they were not the big bull…. Then they started bugling back and forth and the main herd picked up the pace heading towards me…. It was time to nock an arrow and see how this plays out. As the herd came onto the main trail in single file past me I was watching the rear of the column looking for horns, and sure enough, two small forks and a spike were bringing up the rear. But they looked too young to be a threat to a herd bull. Those big boys will often let the little ones hang on the outer part of the herd untouched, and they were not making any noise back there. There was a different bull screaming somewhere else back there that I couldn’t see, but he sounded fairly close.  So here I set right in the middle of all these elk with two bulls bugling I cant see, So I figured I might as well get in on the action and I bugled again myself just as that herd passed me with a deep full bugle of a mature bull. I could still see the two young bulls at the back of the column, and they freaked out and bolted away from me….. But it really got things going now… I could here the bull above me thrashing trees, but couldn’t see movement, but finally the other bull showed himself coming up the same trail in a trot after the herd….. Nice looking animal in the 1000-1200 pound range with the ragged looking horns of a fighter. He had one tip broken off one side of his rack leaving a jagged edge that looked lethal. The other side had 5 points that were not symmetrical at all…. Scary looking bull to be honest….  As he approached about 35 yards, I chuckled at him a few times and gave another short squeal….. He stopped dead in his tracks and just screamed out a nasty bugle that echoed down the canyon walls… I’m talking very loud!  THIS was a serious challenge here….. The bull above me came crashing down through the brush in a dead run passing by me no more than 15 yards to my left…. Absolutely beautiful 4X4 with very long tines polished white at the tips. His body size was pretty close to the raging bull on the trail, and wasn’t intimidated in the least….. The rag horn came charging up the trail and when those two bulls locked horns it was like two freight trains colliding about 25 yards in front of me…. Once again…. My soul for a video camera set up right then.
Watching two bull elk fight is an incredible experience. But to have them so close and hear their grunts , the grinding of their horns, and smell their musk was beyond anything you can imagine without being there yourself. This was brutal!
After a couple minutes of thrashing back and forth everything came to a sudden stand still as the far off sound of that monster bull bugled…. Both bulls I was watching disentangled their horns, stopped dead and turned their heads in the same direction and just stood there a moment….. Then the 4x4 spun like a top and headed back up the hill behind me, while the older fighter with the battle scared body and horns turned his back on me, and screamed a challenging bugle to the incoming monster bull…..

To be continued……

[Pine]

 

[Smguinnip]

I had some time to catch up on here while on my way home from a Colorado elk hunt and came across this thread, wow, perfect timing Kirk, and a great story so far. Now I’m back to work and find myself checking in more often than I should just to see how it all ends. You have me on the edge of my seat. Thanks for a great read so far.

[Kirkll]

After watching two bull elk mixing it up at close range, you would think it doesn’t get much more exciting than that….. You would be wrong though. Getting one glimpse of the monster bull I have been hunting for the last few years is breath taking. In all my years of hunting elk I’ve never seen such an animal before.
So watching this old bull with the busted up horns trotting away from me screaming a challenge to the monster, made me wonder if these two had tangled before, and this was yet another rematch. As the bull disappeared around the bend, I didn’t hesitate a moment. I went after him in a trot myself. I knew damn well he wasn’t going to be looking over his shoulder right now. He had a lock on the incoming 7X7 and planned on kicking his arse!   
I did slow down as I rounded the corner, hugging the steep bank and peeking through the tall ferns that were almost chest high. When I use the term “The jungles of the Oregon coast” I do not use it lightly. Its literally like a rain forest in spots down there with huge ferns and big leafed plants that seem out of proportion to the rest of the world. The huge tree stumps with 4-6” of moss hanging off them is awesome to behold too…. But what was more awe inspiring at the moment was watching that huge bull come out of the trees about 150 yards ahead of me across the creek. The old bull had taken a position next to some alder trees ahead of me about 75 yards and was screaming his lungs out, and trying to tear out a few trees by the roots from the look of it, and in his way saying “Bring it on big boy! I’m going to kick yer arse!”   
Well I’m all out of places to go without being spotted, and cannot move up any further on this trail, so I back tracked until I found another trail angling up the steep bank, and went into serious stalk mode moving like a ghost up that trail above the old bull tearing up the trees. I didn’t have far to travel and I had pretty good cover in this forest of ferns in this area… There was a big moss covered wind fall I could see ahead of me just above the raging bull to slip in behind, and all I could do was pray for a shooting lane…..
The last 20 yards of my stalk, I was on my hands and knees behind the log and had almost reached the end when I heard the clash of horns and heavy grunts of the two bulls as they engaged. Damn…. I sure wish I could have watched that first hook up. It cracked like a rifle it was so loud….. As I peeked around the windfall the bulls were about 30 yards below me and spinning around like tops. If the old bull was 1200 pounds, id estimate the big boy at 1500#s if not more… But the old bull was seriously thick through the shoulders and neck, and had no problem holding his own in strength, but the shear mass of the 7&7 was pushing deep ruts in the ground pushing the old bull around….. I watched as they went back and forth twisting and turning trying to gain an advantage. Their eyes were wild with rage and both were foaming at the mouth…. It was an incredible site to see so close.
After about 5 full minutes of battle, I could see the older bull getting tired. At this time I nocked an arrow and waited for an opening. Their movements were slower now, but still fully engaged. As they turned broad side and paused for a moment I put tension on the string and raised my bow to a shooting position, but the big log in front of me wouldn’t allow the right angle shooting down hill at  45 degrees. So I shifted into a better position at the end of the log, and the moment was lost as they spun away again. That old bull actually flipped that big bull on his side with the twist of his massive neck. The shear power of these animals is incredible. At that moment I could have taken the shot at the old bull in a perfect quartered away stance, but I waited…. I didn’t have to wait long either as the younger bull jumped back to his feet and charged in again. This was an epic battle, but I just couldn’t get a clear shot at the 7X7 with him constantly moving…….


It was about that time that everything came to a complete halt….. That strange musky smell I had experienced on the edge of the cliff outside the cave was back, and it was much stronger now…. The two bulls had disengaged their horns and were both looking up the hill not far from where I was hiding, but further south a bit. The wind was coming from the southeast, and I know damn well the elk were not getting my sent, and that strange musky smell had the hair on the back of my neck rising too…….

The world was dead silent for a moment with everything frozen in time….. It’s as if all the creatures  of the forest were holding their breath…… Then there was a half growl half scream that ripped the silence like an explosion….It was like nothing I’ve ever heard before…..I believe my heart stopped for a moment……

To be continued…….

[Captain*Kirk]

 

YOU CAN'T STOP NOW!!!!!

[Pine]

 

[Kirkll]

I'm not real sure what just happened here.... But the sound of that ungodly half growl , half scream chilled me to the bone. The shear volume alone was uncanny...... As the silence that followed settled, i glanced back down the hill where the battle of these two bulls was taking place, and they both were still standing rock solid looking back to my left up the hill with their noses in the air... That was the only movement i could see was their nostrils flexing, and the slight shaking of my arrow on the string. By the time i started to draw my bow, it was too late. Both bulls spun like a top and took off like the devil himself was on their heels, leaving me standing alone. I think that was the moment the shock turned to raw fear.....

I'm not easily spooked, and have faced a lot of different animals in the woods before. But the fear of the unknown had a death grip on me right now, and i was at a loss of what to do next. i had no idea what was up there on that hill side with me, but i could hear the branches snapping as it approached my location..... then i spotted something moving through the trees…. And it wasn’t elk, or a bear… but it was BIG…. At about 40 yards straight up the hill from me it stopped. All I could see is a very large dark shadow. The heavy musky scent was gone, and at that moment I got another chill down my spine realizing what ever that was up there, it just got a full blast of my own scent as I felt the breeze blowing on the back of my neck that was thoroughly drenched in sweat ….. This was it… If this thing charged down the hill, my bow isn’t going to stop it. I’m toast…. So I licked my lips and slid my hand down to my belt line and unhooked the leather thong I had holding my bowie knife in its sheath. Dropping my bow I unsheathed the 10’’ blade with the elk horn handle. If I was going down, it wasn’t going to be without drawing blood of my own. Anger replaced my fear, and I let out a scream of my own as loud as I could yell….. “Bring it on you SOB!  You want a piece of me? Come take it!” 
Another moment of silence followed as my scream echoed through the valley, then the shadow disappeared without a sound…. I mean nothing…. Not a bush moving or a snapping twig, or anything at all. The silence was deafening…. I stood there for 5 minutes with all my senses alert, and still nothing but the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears…. Then the adrenaline dump came on, and I started to noticeably shake, and felt my knees weaken a bit…. I sheathed my big knife, and pretty much collapsed to the ground. My legs could no longer carry my own body weight. Yup…. I was rattled pretty good….
For the next 30 minutes I didn’t move a muscle. I just sat there trying to get myself back together and listened intently to the sounds of the forest as they came back on line again resembling something more familiar to me again. I kept playing what happened over in my head and nothing made sense of it at all…. The realization that I finally had an opportunity to get that monster bull elk withing bow range, and didn’t make the shot, sat in a lump in my guts. But the close encounter with this very large other unknown creature pushed that lump of disappointment aside as I shouldered my pack, and started back tracking again….

After getting back along side the creek again a good ½ mile away from the encounter, I was feeling pretty cowardly about back tracking not going up that hill side looking for tracks…. But to be honest about it, I didn’t want to hunt whatever it was that was hunting me…. I can live with it,  I told myself. Nobody is going to believe what I saw anyway, and if I go the rest of my life without seeing one of those big foot prints again, much less hear that ungodly scream. It will be fine by me……….     But do not kid yourself …. There are creatures out there they have named Big Foot for good reason…. I’m a believer now……   
                                                         The End

[Bryan Adolphe]

Wow Kirk that was an incredible story. I’m sure like most that read it we’re thoroughly entertained. Awesome job  see I knew you should’ve been a writer. Very well done.