Well, after setting camp I went out for an evening hunt. I worked my way along the main ridgline looking for sign and listening for elk. About 1/2 mile from camp I came upon a deep, nasty looking little draw and gave a few chuckles down it. Immediately I got a screaming bugle followed by some hard grunting back!
Game on! This guy wanted to fight! The hard grunts following a bugle is the turkey equivelant of "the second gobble" to turkey hunting. This was an animal that was game to play.
I checked the wind, -good. Moved closer to the edge and returned his challenge with my own bugle-hard grunting-bugle response. He fired back! I moved lower to get to his level and started breaking some brush with a big stick. He came unglued and started moving my way bugling, grunting, and busting some brush of his own. I spotted him at about 75 yards and started to come unglued myself! I was looking at a world class 6X6 with palmated fourths that each had a 6" sticker facing back on them. He had tremendous mass, and main beams that appeared to "melt" in the back they were so long. This was a good 375-385" bull!
I regained my composure, and when he disappeared behind a small cluster of pines I hit him with some more grunts. He fired a bugle back, but before he could finish I cut him off with my own bugle-hard grunt sequence.
I'm not exactly sure what it does to a bull who is up for a fight to cut his bugle off, but I'd assume it is akin to spitting in someones face, or insulting ones beloved mother. The bull came straight for me, bugling and grunting the whole way in. I nocked an arrow and turned my left shoulder to where he would come in, about 15-20yds broadside. He did just that, and at 20yards turned his head towards me and fired off one last challenge.
I picked a spot, came to full draw and loosed my arrow.
Topic: A little Pre-elk Season Story. (Read 4774 times)
