My Turn at a WY elk thread....

[Duckbutt]

At this point we are feeling pretty discouraged.  All the small herds have joined together to form one massive herd way out on the prairie, as if they've rehearsed this scene a hundred times over.  I had heard about a private basin to the west of us that the elk gathered in when pressured and this is exactly the scenario that was unfolding.  We took our boots off to let our aching feet dry out a bit, ate some granola bars and pretty much just started to pout.  Then, to pour salt into our wounds, a darn plane starts low flying around the elk as if to intentionally mess with the herd.  Like partners in the plot against us, they start trotting towards the private basin.  We're hosed.

[Duckbutt]

So now we have two crappy options.  Sit in camp and lick our wounds or sit in this empty canyon and lick'em.  I waited seven years for the tag....we choose to sit in empty canyon.  

Then, about an hour later, out of nowhere some lost bull that apparently didn't graduate from the save your elk hide class with his peers, wanders over the ridge out on the horizon.  He eases down the hillside in our direction and dissapears into a draw at the bottom of the hill.....and off we go.  There is really no safe way to approach the draw because if he pops out of it, we will be caught out in the wide open.  So, we decide to set up close to the wallow area that had significant activity on the first day and do some calling.  It was pretty hot that afternoon so we thought water might play a factor in his afternoon plans.  We got settled in against some small scrub downwind of the wallow area and I bugled once and hit the cow calls for a bit.  No response.  After about ten minutes, doubt is back and I start just trying to get comfortable to wait out the lonely hours left of daylight.  All of the sudden, I'm startled by my buddy who is blurting "here he comes, get your bow ready."
I look up and he's fifty yards and trotting right at me!  I'm all tangled up in this little burnt up bush, trying to get on my knees, trying to move my bow around to make sure I've got limb clearance if I get a shot, all the while watching him and trying not to get busted.  He's coming straight at my tree so I'm thinking surely an elk is going to take the downwind side which is my right.  I can't swing to my right and shoot.  Heck, he'll have a snout full of my wind before I can shoot anyway!  What's this!?  He's going to my left.  He's broadside and walking fast at 20 yards.  I pick a spot, shoot, and the arra sails right over his back.  The elk takes a few quick steps and then resumes his normal cadence and direction.  I put my face in my hands in pure disbelief.  I've just flubbed a chip shot.  All of this wait and preparation and that is what I do with it.  I can't even look back to face my buddy who is a mere 10 feet behind me.  

I'm heartbroken.

[Steve O]

Buddy, whenever we go, we are taking my tipi.  I am   NOT humping that tent you have there up any mountain.  I'd have to talk Mitten into going with us...

And there are no Mountain House Baked Beans made OR allowed!

Now, back to those elk you guys keep tripping over    

[Shan]

PLEASE keep it comin. this is incredible. keeping me thoroughly distracted from homework

[Duckbutt]

So I guess ten or so seconds go by while my face is buried in my hands.  My buddy is watching the bull closely.  When the bull gets fifty or so yards past us, he starts chewing me a new one to get my bow and get back in the game.  I slowly look back over my left shoulder and see the bull flop down in a wallow.  Having seen this show a couple of days earlier, I knew I had a second chance.  These bulls lose their minds when they go to playin in these wallows.  He was only 80 to 100 yards away, up wind, and I've got a few trees between me and him to work with.  I'm gone and on auto pilot before I've had time to give the situation any conscious thought.  This is the view looking back up to the wallow from "the whiff tree."
 

[Duckbutt]

Over the course of a couple minutes, he starts wallowing around and I move closer, he lifts his head and I freeze.  Luckily, he still seems to be focused up the hill away from me....likely still looking for the source of my calls 15 minutes prior.  Finally, I make my way up to the last bit of cover.  This split tree was made for a bow hunter to stand behind and shoot through.  This pic of me gives you the scene I had of the elk in the wallow at 25 yards, as I was standing ready at the split tree.
   

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

uh oh...a shot at vengeance on a big bull elk? Seems that most trad hunters have the guts to make it happen the second time around! Can't wait to hear the rest.

[Duckbutt]

A few minutes earlier, my mind was scrambled eggs and I couldn't perform at any reasonable level of competence.  Now, as I stood behind this tree in a comfortable and familiar shooting position with plenty of time to settle in and focus, I knew there was nothing that could go wrong.  The wind was right.  It was just like the shot I've made thousands of times in the yard over many years.  I had zero doubt and knew that I was watching a dead elk wallowing.....

[Duckbutt]

A minute or so passed and he finally stood up.  When he stood up, he was perfectly broadside.  Like the cliche, I don't remember drawing or releasing, just seeing the arrow bury into his shoulder to the fletching and him taking off out of the wallow.  He sprinted up the hill about 50 yards, slowed to a walk, then started to wobble.  Within another second or two, he was down in plain view.  I looked back at my buddy who was going nuts at this point, then bowed my head in disbelief trying to absorb what had just happened.

[Shan]

 beautiful

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

YEAH! Way to go! Gotta go do homework now...

[doug77]

congrats, I was starting to get worried.

doug77

[Duckbutt]

[Duckbutt]

[Shinken]

Congrats DB!

Excellent 2nd shot!

Enjoy the feast!

Shoot straight, Shinken

   

[Shan]

YEAH! Way to go! Gotta go do homework now...

haha same here. gotta get that electrical engineering.

great story duckbutt. awesome bull too

[Steve O]

Those are great pictures and that is a great bull.            

[Duckbutt]

Now to the good luck charm...

As some of you know, my daughter Delaney has been blessed with a big role in the St. Judes auction the last couple of years.  After her first auction, our friend Tippit made her one of his incredible custom knives.  When Delaney went on her first deer hunt this past youth day, she killed a buck while wearing her "Tippit Knife."  Having concluded it was the major mojo machine that day, I asked Delaney if I could borrow her good luck charm for this hunt.  We both knew I would need it!  What she'll understand some day is that this was my way of taking her on this hunt with me.

[Duckbutt]

[lpcjon2]

That makes it the hunt of a lifetime. Congrats that is a slammer, and Congrats to Delaney for lending you the luck.