motrin

Idaho hunter 58

I shot a cow elk with my bow.

Story and pictures are here: http://www.huntingnet.com//forum/tm.aspx?m=1890909

David/Mo

The details: arrived at hunting area Fri 9/15 11am, set up camp in rain/sleet/snow. Didn't get tarp over tent. That night I (sleeping by door farthest from stove) woke up at 3am with pillow, sleeping bag, cot and my shoulders wet from water coming in. Got up and set by stove till morning.
Set out hunting at 1hr. prior to sunrise, snowing variably, 25 degrees, started working up a ridge, didn't go to very far and started feeling like elk around (fresh tracks, smell them), stopped and cow called a little, nothing. Move on up to flat in ridge, hear cow calling ahead and to right, nock arrow, cow call couple times, bull above bugles, I cow call again, see elk coming (think its probably spike, my luck), see its a good bull. He comes down to about 15-20 yds., stops facing me, looks at/thru me looking for cow. After a few seconds he circles to my right, staying about 20yds, I have good opening this direction, draw and when he comes into clearing a touch off the release. Now being that it was cold and snowing I'm wearing a lot heavier coat than I like wearing hunting. Needless to say string slaps in sleeve and throws arrow left hitting him in the paunch area, he runs off. Now under normal conditions I would have backed off and gave him several hours, but its snowing harder, covering sign quick. I decide to follow up a little to determine the hit,(actually didn't know paunch hit yet)at that time I had no idea. I start tracking and find arrow shaft broke off 4 inches from broadhead, finding good blood. I continue to follow trail a short distance (100yd), think I hear elk moaning or something, look closely ahead and see him laying 20yd away head up. OH MAN NOT GOOD!! I start looking at a way to get another arrow in him. Can tell now and only now that he's a pretty good bull, I see the sword point and whales tail behind that, OH CHIT BIG BULL!!! Stand and watch him a minute or two, legs start shaking, Man hold your self together, got to finish this. The bull gets up facing to my left, I see an opening a foot wide thru 2 trees 8 yds form mewhere I can get a shot if he moves ahead. He does move ahead and as he comes thru the hole I release, hear a hard smack, but I don't know where I hit. He runs off again. I move ahead to try to find my arrow, jump him again not 75yds away. He goes away and to the right. Still snowing I get on his trail to see if 2nd hit increased blood trail. Find not much difference. Come up on him again bedded down not 75yd from 2nd shot. He gets up and stands there looking around, I can see blood on his back leg and point of the shoulder on his left side, and had seen blood spot in paunch on right side. He stands there looking around for several minutes, he's about 20 yds away, I can see his chest real well, (darn thats a thick chest, I can't get off a shot because of a few limbs, I move some to me left no better. After several minutes he slowly moves off, down and after a ways I think he swings right. I finally decide to back off and give him some time. I mark spot with tape and on gps and back out.
Go back to camp and after a lot of talk decide to let him alone till the next morning.
Go in the next morning and find him dead where I last heard him.

younggun308

Only that, we got 3 months in jail for hunting and killing game on a U.S. highway. So, we had Gee and Joe fill in for us on the picture.

markeklund

some nice elk guys

MinnFinn

That's one heck of a long tailed red bushy Elk "younggun"!

My cow from this year a gift from my Father in heaven.

elkslayer338

Yep no big bull this year so I hadto take a rag-tag 2nd to the last day of the hunt He is a 3x3 but has 8 inch brow tines" must be a4x4 or have at least 5 inch brow tine to be legal". This is the bull I cut my knee on, I did not take any pics ofhim but when the guy's went to get my bull they took a pic. just was e-mailed the pic and it brings back some memory's of that day.
Yep took a surgical hatchet to the knee. Let me unfold the event, to start
we pack in 7 miles to about 10,000 on horse and foot I have hunted the area for twenty years and have taken my share of Elk from there. This year was well kinda nasty you know lots of snow and no elk. We were forced to go low to the foot hills and hunt scrub oak on sneaks and drives.
well day nine after a long day of drives and stalks , I drew my last card
I decided to go to my Honey spot. A ridge of aspens that cliffs out to dense spruce Forest below. So I left the party on foot in knee deep snow
worked my way up. About 3:30 pm I came across a vary fresh track and right after that jumped three Elk cow,cow, rag-tag. Well being that it was the last day of hunting before pack out and we hunt for the meat I figured it would be good to get four more quarters. So made sure he was legal, in my area you must shot a 4x4 or the bull must have 6 inch or better brow tines, then took him. Well let me tell ya he was so easy to gut and work on I was making great time still lots of good light. Thats when it happened ,while using my hatchet to remove the head, it deflected into the side of my knee. Well it was about 2 inches deep and was bleeding pretty good. So I cleaned out the wound with snow and backed an insert with snow and used a strap from my pack to compress it. Then I tried to raise the party on radio but no go. so the hike to camp began it was about 2 miles to our tent. from there I had to go down to the ranch some 7 miles. From the ranch it was 30 miles to the near st hospital . well when I was in camp I boiled water,drank lots , put the first aid kit to use and with the help of my family made our way out. Its been one month and I'm getting around about normal, I feel lucky and thankfully no permanent damage.
Good hunting

Kinda spooky for me to see it just the way I left him note the tag I stuffed in his mouth when I was going into shock, before I took off on foot to camp.