September 27-28

This is my last chance. I’m hunting up a bit higher today. Around 9500 – 11,000 feet. This creek is in a nice area. Heard a bugle from hear this morning but couldn’t tell which direction it came from. He didn’t bugle again after that. I didn’t see or hear any other elk the rest of Saturday. Bummer.

I’m going to write a more in-depth article on this next topic but here’s something to think about. The four Ps: Position, Patience, Persistence and Passion. If you successfully fulfill all four of those requirements you’ll find yourself in elk heaven every time. Here’s what I mean. Position – find the best possible habitat and circle the area until the wind is blowing directly in your face. Now sit down and wait. That’s where Patience comes in. Elk are most often more patient than we are. Whoever makes the first moves usually loses. It’s a staring contest and you can’t blink. I’ve stood still for about 30 minutes staring at this cow. She had me busted but I wouldn’t move. She eventually stomped her one of her front legs to try and get me to flinch. It eventually worked as I had to go to the bathroom (really bad!) and the bull behind her was walking away. Make yourself stay put and move very little. Persistence means sticking with it. Stick with an area that is perfect. And cow call or bugle. Be persistent with your area and your calling. The cows were VERY quiet this year. I think I heard 10 mews all season. I stuck out because I cow called more than I think the bulls were use to hearing. When I was persistent with my calling I had more success. I would throw my sound, whine, beg and plead like a cow in heat would. I tried different sounds I’ve heard and listened to on tape over the years. I tried a diaphragm, open-reed and push-me cow call. I called randomly instead of with rhythm. Finally, Passion. I can’t tell you how important it is to have passion in your calling. Don’t do the call if you’re going to do it half-assed. Mean it. Put some feeling into it. Convince the elk that you are another elk and you want to talk. I see and hear a lot of people make mistakes with their calling. I do it too. Most mistakes are ok, as elk don’t make the perfect call every time either. However, all it takes is one mistake to chase of the matriarch cow and she’ll take the bull with her.

Check out this bird. I found it up high. I want that camouflage! Look how it blends in with the rocks perfectly. Not sure what kind of bird this is but they didn’t fly off. They made some chicken like noises as I stumbled by. I think this was at 11,000 feet but I’ve seen them lower too. I sure wish I could alter my camouflage to completely match my surroundings!

Sunday. The last day of the hunt. I get an early start. I think I have finally figured out the elk in this area. I’m a little slow. They hit the meadows well after dark each evening. They are on the move before sunrise. Seems they head half way up their favorite ridge to bed for the day. Here I am walking all over the place and they only seem to move a mile or two up and down this valley. All that “hunting” was actually “hiking” as I think back about my daily routes. Good exercise. This young bull was in a small but tight little valley. I heard him bugle to my desperate cow calls. And would you believe the wind was on my side this day? I quickly close the gap. It’s around 0730 in the morning. I finally set up just below him near the top of this little hill that separates me from the valley he’s in. I cow call some more. Now that I’m close he is more vocal with me. Finally he comes! I see his antlers first. He’s tall enough. I count the tines as he slowly makes his way to me. This bull is hot. I mean he’s ready for this date he thinks he’s about to go on. Smelly, nasty and what a bugle he makes. It’s deep and scratchy. Impressive. I think bulls I’ve encountered this year STOPPED BEHIND EVERY TREE on their way in. How many times has this happened to you? He’s within 40 yards now and he looks in my direction. Am I busted? He was too close to call. I had to be patient and wait him out. It was a staring contest from here.

BUSTED! He never offered the shot I was looking for. I wasn’t about to take a quartering to me 40-yard shot. This is the photo I captured just before he spun around and left. He didn’t like something. I know it wasn’t my scent this time. The wind was still or blowing in my face. I was quiet when I barely moved. He either sensed something was wrong or he didn’t like what he saw. The tree behind me wasn’t good enough to break up my outline I guess. For five good minutes on the very last day I had a chance to take an elk. He was a fine young bull too. It just wasn’t meant to be.

I hope you enjoyed this year’s virtual elk hunt as much as I did. I never had the shot I was looking for but I did see my share of elk. I learned a lot and I’ll pass those things along. The first thing I’m going to do is catch up on my sleep. The next thing I’m going to do is take all of my notes and write them down. I hope you will benefit from my experiences. The more I think about the art of hunting the more I realize, “it’s a lot of work!” Bookmark this site, as we will be adding a lot during October and November. New photos, elk sounds and articles.

Stay tuned. I drew a cow tag for January 2004 in Unit 20. This time I’ll be hunting with a rifle to increase my chances. With a little luck who knows, I could be packing out a nice big cow during my next virtual elk hunt.