Last night I thought I would go sit in the meadow that always has so much morning activity. My plan was to take a Montana cow elk decoy and place it where it might be seen by anything entering the meadow.
Shortly before getting there I heard a bugle come from above and behind me. I sat down where I was and waited for more to give me some kind of indication where they might head. A half hour of sitting produced no other elk sounds though, so I continued on with my original plan.
If you've been following this thread all along you can probably complete the rest of the story by yourself. I saw and heard nothing in the morning meadow. I left a little early to start heading back to see if I could catch anything out along the way.
Sticking my head over the top of the ridge I could see seven cows and calves feeding. And a decent 6x6 bull standing uphill from them not 100 yards from where I had stopped to listen on the way in.
I'm as tired of making excuses as you are reading about them. But what it boils down to is sooner or later you need a little luck to fall your way. Make the right move or decision at the right time. And so far I have had a problem doing that.
This morning was just another excuse in a long line of them. Back to the morning meadow, this time with Ohne in tow so that hopefully he could get in on a little action.
As we approached the ridge overlooking the meadow we could hear what sounded like two different bulls below. We eased into the timber to get in place above them and see what would develop when they were done feeding.
It was still mostly dark, especially inside the woods. There is a reason they call it dark timber. We hadn't gone 30 yards when a sudden crash and a flash of elk hide through an opening informed us that the game was over once again before it even started.
We heard a couple of departing bugles and that was the end of that. What the heck were they doing in the timber so early? The bull(s) were obviously still in the meadow.
The window of opportunity in the morning seems to be getting smaller each day. When I first got here, on the days I did see elk, it seemed like you might have at least three hours to work with. This week after the first hour or so it seems to be over. I really think the moon is a factor.
Time is no longer on my side. The season only runs two more days. And we talked last night about the possibility of ending it tomorrow. We'll decide today what to do, but either way, the end is not far off.
I'd like nothing better than last minute success. A cow would be wonderful at this point. But I know as well as anyone what the odds are. All I can do is give it my best until it is done.