Just in time to help pack!
I had a free day to hunt the coast today. When I got out of the rig at our elk camp at 5:30 am, I got the " just in time to help pack out my old mans bull."
Well I'm going thru the big D and hunting time is at a premium this year. I wanted to tell them to bad, but I didn't want to be selfish & packing Elk is a two way street.
We got to his bull at first light. A little 5 x 5 he was sorta bummed with. The bull was running without cows, and the old guy wasn't calling. The bull never new he was about to get one in the sweet spot. He said he ranged it at 65 yards and drilled. I must say he hit the boy solid. Apparently the old boy is a good shot.
He'd gutted it in the last of light the night before, so he hacked and we packed. It was all out in 4 hours. He kept us loaded and packing.
The kid & I droped into a spot we got at 11:00. Good fresh sign going in. We called & threw out a few bugles, raked some trees with a branch. Five minutes later we got a bugle from way down in the hole, I thought. He thought it was back in the draw behind us. We screwd up and moved back out, and bugled again. No, I'm right. So we get back to where we were before. But we still aint got a good location.
Should have just stayed put, but the kid goes nuts and I let him drag me off with out us thinking. So the kid lets another dandy bugle off. And guess what the bull is coming hard and fast. We got a read on him now. Boom another bugle. A real mean one, we got two bulls. And he's coming and making a ton of noise doing it. Downed timber is breaking. Well I think the second bull was coming over the oppisitte ridge on the quite. When he heard the other bull go off he was [celery sticks!]. The second bull is a coming and we got no time to close the distance. He comes down the other draw and starts ripping a tree up. Sceams again at us. Mind you hte wind was good 10 minutes ago. I give it a check cuz, I'm thinkin if it stays with us were goaan do this bull. Well it's not what it was, it's now at our backs. The bull hangs up and shuts up we can see him abut 90 yards out.
The first bull we never heard again, I think he knew to give the big boy room.
Well we pulled up and tried to move around the guy. We got below and circled him. I moved like a ghoast off an the kid set up. He threw a bugle, out and I was 200 yards in deeper than him. Checked the wind, good & cow called. The bull is tearing the the woods, he thinks he's gonna cut this cow off from the other bull. I hear him coming, the kid lights one up again & I call again. I check the wind. The bull is quiet, I check the wind again, and were done. The wind just keeps swiling and changing. I hear the bull bust bak up and out the ridge he came over.
That was a rush, we both agree. We're off to another spot we know. We get thier and hop out of the rig to hear elk just busting thru the timber. Well that blows, we aitn hitting the bush here!
We drive to another hole & the kid wants to nap in the rig. He's 21 and pounds the beer @ night so he's nappy @ 3:00 pm. I drop in to the bottom of the draw, crossing fresh sign as I descend. Wind's in my face. I get close to the bottom and cow call. It don't take long and I hear a sneak & peak coming down the other side. The wind is no blowing across me down the draw, but the elk is above me. He creeps to with in 40 yards, it's thick and I only can see him or shoot him if he comes onto the elk highway I droped in on. He starts to head up the side I came down. I move back up the trail to keep him from getting behind me.
Well the next I heard him he just went down wind of me below me, and he goes busting out of thier.
I head for the rig, drop the kid at camp and come home.
I got take my son to the football game tonight & his game is tommorow @ 11:00am. It was a bummer to have to leave. I'd love to hunt it until the close. I think I'm gonna take him over tommorow after noon, or Sunday morning. My son is 11 and I want him to get a taste of it.
The bummer is a got a honey hole that I was gonna hit today, but it's so deep it's a all day deal. I can't take the kid into it and I know the bull is tucked up in that sucker.
Well I hope those who can't get out, before the close can get a little bit of a fix from my day's adventure.
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