The hunting buddy and I had a new first for elk hunting. We pulled a double header, he got his bull in the morning and I got lucky on the evening hunt. The morning started out with an answer when we got into one of our lick areas, that encounter was over real quick as the bull came in on a rope. Got caught in a thick, nasty area and got busted. We followed his tracks for a bit and ended up in stand of spruce with good visibility, things had been quiet for a while. I gave a bugle and got an answer not 100 yards away, I bolted out of the bluff and out of sight. The buddy, his 11 year old son, and 2 other hunting friends all hunkered together as they had already been spotted by a cow. The cow came to my calls and the bull snuck in cautiously behind her. The buddy stopped the bull in a small opening, pegged him perfect at 38 yards quartering away, a tough shot from his knees with everyone else around. Bull went 100 yards and piled up. Great thing was his son got see all the action up close and personal. He was totally pumped!
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Got the bull out of the bush, done up and into my cooler by 3:00. Headed back to camp for a couple of rums to celebrate the success, late lunch, a quick nap and we head back into the bush at 7:00.
30 minutes in we get an answer from across a creek, we boot it thru the creek as we know them buggers will not cross and come up a bank! He is answering the cow calls steady! Find a spot off a game trail and get setup next to a big poplar bluff. Turn on my Kodak playsport camera mounted on my bow and get ready for the action. I hear the bull walking on the other side of a thick stand of willows, draw my bow and hope he will walk thru. The bull bugles not 20 yards from me. 20 seconds later he steps thru the willows and stops 12 yards from me, totally zoned in on my buddy’s cow calls. He bugles looking right at me. Wow, what a rush! No shot as he is quartering hard to me. I have been drawn for over a minute and the arms and legs are starting to vibrate from the adrenaline. For some reason, the bull turns his head back hard and looks away opening up his front shoulder. Put my pin right up his leg and let fly. Arrow buries right to the fletching, can see the nocturnal nock in the perfect spot. He spins and bolts away. He went about 75 yards and piled up.
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My most amazing hunt to date, have never had them bugle that close to me.
Big high fives on a heck of a day of elk hunting.
Youtube video of my hunt:
https://youtu.be/gttl5uB5Md4