Archery 2003 Week 2

September 5^th – 7^th

Two weekends of rain in a row? I’m going to buy a lotto ticket on my way up before all my luck runs out. What a gift to have overcast and rainy weather 2 weekends in a row! Things are getting better all the time. I heard and saw more elk. More, aggressive bugling too.

Here are the pictures of the second weekend.

Same area, different weekend. Things are going well and I’ve recovered from last weekend. One of the most important things I own is wool socks. I feel 100% better when my feet are dry and warm. Well, at least warm. But enough about my gear, let’s talk about the hunt.

Let’s cut to the chase. It’s early, around 7am and I hear this bugle up the canyon. Every time I hunt with someone and we hear an elk bugle in a canyon we both point in opposite direction where we heard the bugle come from. It’s funny now but not at the time. This time I’m alone and I hope I get it right. It can be very tricky when the sound of a bugle bounces off canyon walls. Hard for me to pinpoint.

After making a lot of noise and breathing hard I get to a point where I can observe. Turns out that’s all I can do but things get better. I see this dandy 6x6 from a distance. He’s eating and he’s got a few cows that I can see. He’s the first symmetrical bull I’ve seen all year and he’s perfect. A classic 6x6. I try to strategize my way into bow range. From this point it doesn’t look easy but it never really is.

Things start to heat up and I catch him bugling with my digital camera. Oh man, if I can just get closer. He’s what I’ve been looking for. Of course when you get a nice bull bugling that’s always an advantage. I’m a little hesitant about bugling back at him because it’s still early in the season. I don’t want him to leave if I scare him off with a bugle. So I hold off on any calling until I can figure out my attack. The terrain is steep. It’s always steep. It’s wet too and the only thing to my advantage is he doesn’t know I’m there yet.

I let out a cow call with my Hoochie Mamma from Primos. I set the call to the estrus cow sound. I squeeze it a few time and man, does the sound carry far or what? It’s loud but not alarming. The bull looks in my direction, which could be a problem. Why? Because he doesn’t see the cow that made the sound. I wish I had a decoy right about now. He’s interested but not going to leave his cows for me. The terrain is absolutely full of brush. It’s hard to navigate quietly. I move so slowly. I need some sort of distraction so I can make up some ground on him. The place is so wet. I’m soaked from the water rolling off the leaves and onto my pants. But I don’t mind as long as the bull is in sight. I can dry off later.

Uh oh! He’s showing the body language of an alert bull. I’m sure he’s heard me and I’m busted. It’s just a matter of time until I see him run off right? Well, wait a second. I see movement out of the trees off to my right. Another bull? This is getting good I think. Then I realize the showstopper. There is a good 500-foot drop off into a creek. That’s 500 down and 500 feet back up the other side before I can even get close enough to be in the game. There is no way I’m going to be able to do that without rope or a helicopter drop. The closer I get to the edge the more I wonder how those elk ever got over there themselves. The perfect place to graze. Out of bow range and all I can do is watch. Bummer.

Back to the bulls. Here’s the picture of a nice 5x6 with tall antlers. He’s grazing his way over to the other bull and cows. It’s like he’s acting not interested in order to sneak closer. This ought to be interesting. Maybe they’ll fight.

There’s my shot. Except I’m too far away and the brush is in the way. Oh, well. The 6x6 heads towards the 5x6. I’ve seen bulls just give other bulls a look and they go running off. But these two are pretty close in size. I’ve seen a 5x5 with really long tines hold off 6x6s before. It’s not uncommon for the herd bull to be smaller, just tougher than all the others. I’ve learned to never disregard a satellite bull. They can be a lot better/bigger than herd bulls sometimes.

The 6x6 lets loose a nice bugle with a mouth full of leaves. That seems to hold the other bull off for now. But you can tell the 6x6 is getting nervous. Competition for cows can be fierce. It’s still early in the season and he wants to keep his harem. There are times during the peak of the rut that bulls will fend off other bulls all night. It’s very intense. Lots of bugling, chasing and herding cows. A herd bull will spend a lot of energy and lose a lot of weight during the peak of the rut.

The 6x6 checks the air for certain smells. It’s a nice photo but man I wish I were on the other side of the canyon. The elevation is around 10,000 feet. I was originally heading up higher this weekend. I’d like to know if there are any elk in the basin above this canyon. Elk in my area seem to stay up high until the snow pushes them down. I don’t blame them. It’s so nice and green up here and there is water everywhere. Sure is beautiful.

I snap one last photo as the bull turns away. He herds his cows down the canyon and into the trees. The 5x6 continues to graze in the area. I like this photo because it is a unique angle and really shows off the bull’s headgear. He sure is a nice bull. The good news is they still don’t know I was here. I’ll try again next weekend in hopes he will be a little lower and his competition will be more aggressive.

I continue to put in the miles by foot. Up and down the mountain all day long. I must have fell in the creek 4 times. But it was all worth it. It’s still early in the season and my luck could change in a second. What I’m hoping for is a lot more bugling. It helps me to locate elk. If I can strike up a conversation with a bull my chances significantly increase. I can either pull them to me or we can meet in the middle. It can be very intense when the vegetation is thick. Wind is my friend I keep telling myself, until it swirls the wrong direction and gives me away. Stay tuned because the next 3 weeks are bound to be more active. If I’m lucky I can find myself in a better situation with a screaming mad bull ready to fight.