elk adventure from the land of enchantment

[Hopewell Tom]

Great read, thanks for the effort.
As above, good the big guy is OK. You're hurtin' more though, but that'll mend.

[kennyb]

This is great, Jeff!....thanks!

[COOCH]

Well after the debacle of a the previous day I was just in a mood.Just flat out mad at myself for not heeding those inner voices.I know better.Things always go awry when I don't act on that initial instinct.Should have re rebuilt the shooting window.(That will not happen again)

We returned to camp after tracking and Kenny could see my mood and suggested we shoot a bit.So I handed him the widow and he was a bit upset and said "what the heck did you do to my bow look at the lower limb"

I hadn't even noticed there was a very large and deep scratch in it.It must have hit the bailing wire that holds up the side of the blind.   :eek:        :eek: . It for sure hit harder than I felt in the moment.

[COOCH]

The next day and a half or so I just felt like I was going through the motions.It's kind of an odd process I somehow need to go through.The one thing that was helping was that the elk were getting more vocal.I just couldn't get out of my own head.

 

 

Just a few random pics of some of the wallows that seemed to be appearing by the hour.

[COOCH]

Two days later the elk took us up a drainage that was off there normal pattern but man was I glad they did.This drainage was so fell of rub,wallows,fresh sign and elk stink so over powering it was almost to much to absorb.I don't think there was a tree in that drainage that wasn't rubbed.I'll try to get some video up soon.(I struggle with all this technology.)

The one thing that really was cool about this spot was the sheer number of hummingbirds,there were literally hundreds of them.Darting here and there,hovering inn front of you,licking the arrow nocks.Everywere you looked hummingbirds.It was just to cool, we let the elk go up the drainage and just enjoyed the free show that mother nature was giving us.The video doesn't do justice to the actual number of them.

[Gen273]

         
great story, I am enjoying it.

[COOCH]

Thanks guys sorry it''s dragging but my puter/typing skills are terrible.Were having a bad storm here right now and the power keep flitting in and out just to add to my frustration.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I'm enjoying this!  

[COOCH]

Yea I've got power this evening.Lost it last night in a wind storm.Now were was I....

Perry and I continued up the drainage and found a tank that we didn't know was there but the elk sure did.This place was being hammered.I was getting ready to do a bit of video and all of the sudden there was a laud rapid huffing and the sound of something running towards us.  

Over the dirt berm came a chocolate colored bear running full tilt and he swan dove into the tank kept right on running, took 2 or 3 laps of water,and ran right past us about 10 ft away,shook himself off and kept right on running.Man do I wish the camera was rolling.It was one of those moment in the forest that leaves you thinking (what the heck just happened and did I really just see that) It was a very good morning.

 

The elk got ahead off us but we had a tree picked out for a stand that evening.

[COOCH]

Just a few pics of some of the terrain I think these photos get taken just because I'm usually sucking wind and use a photo op as an excuse to breathe.It's tough being an elk hunter from CT.

[swp]

Great stuff!!

[COOCH]

Some of the things that you run into along the way.Makes me wonder what went on here many moons ago.

[COOCH]

Found a shed one day and had this beetle land on the burr.I've never seen one of this color configuration.

 

[COOCH]

Well I grabbed a tree stand and some ladders and let early for the evening hunt to get the stand set and let the area settle down before elk thirty rolled around.If the elk showed up at the water the far side was only 21yds away The wind in this drainage allowed for a very tight set up.

About an hour into the sit I had a 5x6 feeding down the drainage and he just fed around the tank at around 20 tp 25 yds for almost 20 minutes.I just sat there filming him and smiling very broadly.This bull got a pass.For whatever reason it just didn't feel like a time to shoot so I just enjoyed the moment.What an incredible day.

As I left at dark the elk were starting to talk.and I was finally at peace with my inner demons.When I got to the truck Perry reminded me that there were only 2 days left in the season.And I simply said that is still 4 hunts plenty of time.It only takes a magic second.

[COOCH]

Well the next morning was fairly uneventful but the elk did go up Hummingbird drainage.And I knew where I would be this evening.I'm sorry there are no stills of the set-up got mostly video.

[COOCH]

I got settled on stand fairly early just wanting to absorb as much as I could with the time I had left.About 4 O'clock I looked up and saw a tan hide moving through the cedars at a pretty good trot.It's go time.no mater what this elk was bull or cow if it came in it was going to reside on the east coast.

The camera switched on the bow was ready and I ooozzzed into a standing shooting position.all of a sudden the bull was just there 30 yds and closing coming straight at the stand 25 24 23 still no shot,he needs to turn,Just as he starts to turn I see the wind feather on my upper limb turn towards him for a brief second and return back in my favor.But in that brief second you could see his body language change.still facing me and the shot is slightly obscured by the tree in front of me..

[stocker56]

Great story. Thanks Jeff.        

[COOCH]

"Your a daisy if you do", was what I was thinking at the moment.If this bull turned and left any way other than the way he came I'd get a shot.This mexican stand off lasted almost 6 minutes the wind stayed constant and the bull started to relax.Not me my concentration was so intense there was nothing else in the universe,just this bull and me doing the death dance.The breeze again decided to tickle his nose again but this time he turned to leave quartering away and walking.

I was so focused on this bulls opposite leg bone that my aiming point kept changing as he was moving away.As he cleared the obstructing limbs my bow was anchored and the arrow was away....

[COOCH]

At the release it seamed os though the arrow was in the air for a long time but I saw the feathers disappear midship just in front of the left hip.At the hit this bull tore out off there like he was shot out of a cannon,he angled back toward the stand and there was already a football sized splotch of blood forming on his side.       .

I got out of sight in a hurry so I was sound tracking him.Well I'm telling you this bull was gettin it he was tearing up some country.He took a straight line and stayed on it,literally running through the cedars and knocking down pine trees what a racket.I could still here him running over the 2 track that was 460 yds away...

After the adrenaline started to subside(I come unglued after a shot) I radioed Perry and we assembled for a pow wow.I replayed the shot in my head and knew this bull was done.

[COOCH]

With darkness quickly approaching Perry talked me  into leaving this bull lie over night.Hard quartering shot,no exit wound,and the distance that I heard him travel.Lest just leave him till morning and give him a chance to give up the ghost.I did have to agree with his logic though,so I consented.

When we got back to the ranch and replayed the video we both agreed that this time I did it right.We would find this bull in the morning.