My Elk hunt Story! You already seen the pics.
10-02-2008, 12:26 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Idaho,Stationed in Ludington,Mi
Posts: 1,324
My Elk hunt Story! You already seen the pics.
2008 Idaho Archery Elk Hunt
Online Hunting Buddies
By:
Jearred Foruria
Ludington, Michigan? Where the heck is that I asked myself? I had just received my new orders for deployment. Leaving the west coast for the first time in more then seven years seemed a little uneasy at first. That is until I started doing a little research about the area I was moving to. I found there was a plethora of hunting and fishing opportunities in the area. Whitetail deer being the biggest draw for me seems how I have yet to harvest the ever elusive Whitetail. I turned to the online hunting community for tips and tactics for my new quarry. Sites like Hunting.net and MichiganSportsman.com. Proved to be essential in my Mid-west hunting development.
Back in December of 2007 I met a guy name Harry on the Michigan Sportsman Forum online. Somehow or another we started talking about elk hunting, a topic that gets my blood boiling at a moments notice. Harry being a Michigan resident has only had the opportunity to elk hunt once before, he hunted with an outfitter in Colorado, and luckily for Harry he did harvest a cow with his homemade long bow. Myself, I was born and raised in Southwest Idaho. Growing up in a family of very successful elk hunters, I have been fortunate enough to experience some amazing elk hunts in god’s country. I have also been very successful hunting the mountain monarchs with archery equipment. Starting at a young age I began to consistently harvest elk with stick and string. One day Harry and I stared swapping pictures and stories of all of our successful bow hunts. Building up the excitement of a potential elk hunting trip to my home state of Idaho. I mentioned to Harry that I would be bow hunting elk in September of the 2008 season. It didn’t take long for Harry to muster up the nerve and ask if he could tag along. I willing obliged and the planning started immediately.
We decided we would leave my house in Ludington on September 6, 2008. Sometime early in the morning hours. Harry also mentioned that he had a buddy named Dave who would love to come along if he could. I welcomed our third member of our hunt with open arms. After the logistics of our hunt was prioritized we all new what part in our hunting tripod we each played. Harry was in charge of all necessary camping equipment, canvas tent, cooking equipment, and his famous outhouse. Dave took care of the trailer needed to get all of our gear from Michigan to Idaho. I was in charge the vehicle to get us there and was acting guide. The next few months went by extremely fast, and out anticipation grew as September grew nearer. We all discussed our hunt on several occasions ensuring that we were all on the same page and that not one item was left behind. Then before I knew it they pulled into my driveway!
I had hardly slept the night prior to our departure. So I was up early Saturday morning and had breakfast with my wife before I left on my quest. I had all my gear loaded in my truck and once Harry and Dave arrived we put all there gear in my truck and hooked up the trailer. We were off. Map quest states that out trek across America would last around thirty hours; thirty two hours later we gratefully pulled into my parent’s driveway in Boise. Most of my family was there to greet us; I had not seen them for nearly two years. After hugs and kisses were evenly dispersed we had a family and friends BBQ and headed to bead for the night. The three of us were all extremely excited to get up on the mountain, so, we left early and headed for the grocery store to stock up on the essentials for the next eleven days of hunting. After setting up camp we headed out for an evening hunt.
(The terrain was beautiful and very rugged)
The next four days where relatively uneventful. We managed to get onto a couple bugling bulls, but they all proved to be smarter then us. While returning to camp after a morning hunt I did manage to shoot a young 2x2 mule deer buck. The ice had been broken and we now had some camp meat. That afternoon I set out for a scouting trip, trying to find a secluded canyon that had been untouched thus far. I was successful. I parked my atv and waited a few minutes, listening and glassing for elk. At 12:30 pm I bugled, to my amazement the entire canyon below me lit up with screams from bedded bulls. I rushed back to camp smiling like I had just won the lottery. I pulled into camp and delivered the news to my companions. We looked at our map and began to plan our attack. We headed up to where I had last heard the elk and at 3:30 pm I had the elk screaming at me again. Harry and my friend Tracy headed down the ridge to get below the elk, while Dave and I waited. After thirty minutes Dave and I headed down the mountain straight towards the bulls that were still bugling away. I sent Dave down in front of me; I stayed back with the decoy and called every couple minutes. We got close, really close. Dave saw a nice bull shredding a helpless pine tree and snuck in for the shot. Suddenly a cow barked and the entire heard took off. They didn’t run hard, it’s like the matriarch new something wasn’t right, and took the heard away from us. Dave and I reunited and devised another plan. There was no sign of Harry and Tracy so Dave and I took off after the heard. We found them again about one mile away in a deep dark canyon. The problem was they we all on the other side!
(Here I am doing a first light bugle)
Dave and I quickly devised a plan to close the distance, he was to go one way and I the other. I dropped down into the canyon as quickly and quietly as I could. When I reached the bottom I jumped over a large downed tree, to my surprise and theirs, I met face to face with a sow and two cubs. A place that no bow hunter wants to be! I waited for them to move on, the sow woofing at me her eyes piercing mine. I almost felt sick. Once they were about 50 yards away I heard a big bugle up the mountain ahead of me so I headed straight for it. Forgetting of the danger that lurks nearby. I slowly made my way up the mountain, the forest with thick, dense and very dark. As I got closer the distinct musk of elk filled the air. As I crested a little knoll I could see horns violently ripping a ten foot tall pins tree to shreds, I bugled loud, and here he came. My heart was about to jump out of my chest. He stopped at fifty yards and ripped another tree to shreds. I watched him for a few minutes, hoping that he would come a little closer. I wasn’t about to risk a fifty yard shot at such a beautiful animal. He slowly turned and walked away. I shook my head in disbelief and tipped my hat to the big 6 because I knew that he had
Won.
(An awesome rub. This tree is more then a foot around!)
Over the next four days we hunted the same canyon were I had the close encounter with the big six point. We all got on elk, but the always were just on step ahead of us. One day Dave said something that I will never forget. He said “You know; Elk are Elk all the time. We are just part time Elk hunters.” I thought to myself, “Wow, what a true statement.” The Morning of day 8 the four of us decided to split up a little bit. Harry went above camp were we got on a bull the first morning. Tracy went to on of his favorite spots. And Dave and I went back to the same area we had been hunting. We both decided that we were going to walk the old logging road as far in as we could, hoping to find the elk in there again. We slowly made our way down the road, which was about ¾ the way up the mountain. We saw a few mule deer and a bunch of cattle. Dave was stopping and glassing quit frequently, but I was anxious to get to the end of the road. We rounded a corner and I heard something below me, I looked down and saw a spike bull feeding about forty yards below me. I threw my hand up motioning to Dave to stop. A cow briskly crossed the old road not forty yards in front of me. I knocked an arrow, then I took about twenty quick steps and I heard a bull let out a low gurgle sounding bugle. I saw his horns first; I dropped to one knee and drew my Black Ice. The Bull stopped and the road and looked at me, I put my thirty yard pin behind his shoulder and let my arrow fly. Whack! The bull spun around and took off back down the mountain. My arrow was visible sticking out of his side. I knew the Slick Trick broad head would do its job. I looked at my watch; it was 7:55 am. I turned and looked Dave who was dancing around like he had just made a touchdown. We quietly celebrated and headed back to my truck. Smiling and reminiscing about what had just taken place. We met Tracy at the truck and decided to head back to camp and get Harry. We wanted to make sure that my bull had enough time to bed down with out us potentially bumping him. To my surprise two of my good friends and life long elk hunting buddies drove up to our camp for the day. What good timing they had, John and Jeff have been bow hunting for elk for a long time. We have hunted together for seven years. After Harry returned from his hunt I told the tale of the hunt to everyone. We laughed and headed back up the mountain at 11:00 am pack boards strapped to our atv’s. The six of us spread out where I had shot him and worked our way down the Mountain. We made it about 200 yards and Tracy yelled out “I found him”. I was relieved. One thing I have learned about bow hunting is you almost always have a little bit of doubt after the shot. Not today, I was on cloud nine! We all congregated were my bull laid. I receive a bunch of hand shakes and hugs alike. We snapped some photos and began to quarter him up. We took every piece of meat we could possibly take, leaving nothing but bones and the guts for the scavengers. We all had a 200 yard pack straight uphill to the atv’s. The funniest thing was Dave was the oldest guy in our party, a very young 59 year old man. He took the heavies pack, and beat almost all of us to the awaiting atv’s. We took the meat to the crick to make sure we got it cool. Then we hung it in the shade on out meat rack, along with my deer and Tracy’s deer. What a sight that was. The next day after the morning hunt I took all my meat down to a local meat processor in town. He cut, wrapped and froze all my meat for me. Making it a much easier task for the long haul back to Michigan.
(My 2008 Idaho Bull)
The next few days of our hunt we very uneventful, the weather was not favorable for elk hunting, with the day time highs reaching well into the upper 80’s. At one point the inside of our tent was 104 degrees Fahrenheit. So we hunted hard in the early mornings and late evenings, not seeing or hearing another elk for the rest of our hunt. We packed up camp early in the morning on September 18th. Went to town and picked up my meat and headed for home. I made sure to stop by Boise and kissed my mother goodbye. Being in the Coast Guard and Stationed in Michigan I am unable to know when I will see her again. It took us 35 hours to get back to my house in Ludington, Michigan. Harry and Dave still had a four hour drive to the other side of the state before they were home. So I grabbed some elk steaks and hamburger threw it in their cooler and wished them farewell. Harry and Dave both are now great friends and are forever welcome in my Elk hunting camp. And to think that this hunt happened because we met online. More then 25 years of age separate me from Harry and Dave. But we all share the same passion. We love to bow hunt.
(Harry and I with my bull. Dave took the picture)
Online Hunting Buddies
By:
Jearred Foruria
Ludington, Michigan? Where the heck is that I asked myself? I had just received my new orders for deployment. Leaving the west coast for the first time in more then seven years seemed a little uneasy at first. That is until I started doing a little research about the area I was moving to. I found there was a plethora of hunting and fishing opportunities in the area. Whitetail deer being the biggest draw for me seems how I have yet to harvest the ever elusive Whitetail. I turned to the online hunting community for tips and tactics for my new quarry. Sites like Hunting.net and MichiganSportsman.com. Proved to be essential in my Mid-west hunting development.
Back in December of 2007 I met a guy name Harry on the Michigan Sportsman Forum online. Somehow or another we started talking about elk hunting, a topic that gets my blood boiling at a moments notice. Harry being a Michigan resident has only had the opportunity to elk hunt once before, he hunted with an outfitter in Colorado, and luckily for Harry he did harvest a cow with his homemade long bow. Myself, I was born and raised in Southwest Idaho. Growing up in a family of very successful elk hunters, I have been fortunate enough to experience some amazing elk hunts in god’s country. I have also been very successful hunting the mountain monarchs with archery equipment. Starting at a young age I began to consistently harvest elk with stick and string. One day Harry and I stared swapping pictures and stories of all of our successful bow hunts. Building up the excitement of a potential elk hunting trip to my home state of Idaho. I mentioned to Harry that I would be bow hunting elk in September of the 2008 season. It didn’t take long for Harry to muster up the nerve and ask if he could tag along. I willing obliged and the planning started immediately.
We decided we would leave my house in Ludington on September 6, 2008. Sometime early in the morning hours. Harry also mentioned that he had a buddy named Dave who would love to come along if he could. I welcomed our third member of our hunt with open arms. After the logistics of our hunt was prioritized we all new what part in our hunting tripod we each played. Harry was in charge of all necessary camping equipment, canvas tent, cooking equipment, and his famous outhouse. Dave took care of the trailer needed to get all of our gear from Michigan to Idaho. I was in charge the vehicle to get us there and was acting guide. The next few months went by extremely fast, and out anticipation grew as September grew nearer. We all discussed our hunt on several occasions ensuring that we were all on the same page and that not one item was left behind. Then before I knew it they pulled into my driveway!
I had hardly slept the night prior to our departure. So I was up early Saturday morning and had breakfast with my wife before I left on my quest. I had all my gear loaded in my truck and once Harry and Dave arrived we put all there gear in my truck and hooked up the trailer. We were off. Map quest states that out trek across America would last around thirty hours; thirty two hours later we gratefully pulled into my parent’s driveway in Boise. Most of my family was there to greet us; I had not seen them for nearly two years. After hugs and kisses were evenly dispersed we had a family and friends BBQ and headed to bead for the night. The three of us were all extremely excited to get up on the mountain, so, we left early and headed for the grocery store to stock up on the essentials for the next eleven days of hunting. After setting up camp we headed out for an evening hunt.
(The terrain was beautiful and very rugged)
The next four days where relatively uneventful. We managed to get onto a couple bugling bulls, but they all proved to be smarter then us. While returning to camp after a morning hunt I did manage to shoot a young 2x2 mule deer buck. The ice had been broken and we now had some camp meat. That afternoon I set out for a scouting trip, trying to find a secluded canyon that had been untouched thus far. I was successful. I parked my atv and waited a few minutes, listening and glassing for elk. At 12:30 pm I bugled, to my amazement the entire canyon below me lit up with screams from bedded bulls. I rushed back to camp smiling like I had just won the lottery. I pulled into camp and delivered the news to my companions. We looked at our map and began to plan our attack. We headed up to where I had last heard the elk and at 3:30 pm I had the elk screaming at me again. Harry and my friend Tracy headed down the ridge to get below the elk, while Dave and I waited. After thirty minutes Dave and I headed down the mountain straight towards the bulls that were still bugling away. I sent Dave down in front of me; I stayed back with the decoy and called every couple minutes. We got close, really close. Dave saw a nice bull shredding a helpless pine tree and snuck in for the shot. Suddenly a cow barked and the entire heard took off. They didn’t run hard, it’s like the matriarch new something wasn’t right, and took the heard away from us. Dave and I reunited and devised another plan. There was no sign of Harry and Tracy so Dave and I took off after the heard. We found them again about one mile away in a deep dark canyon. The problem was they we all on the other side!
(Here I am doing a first light bugle)
Dave and I quickly devised a plan to close the distance, he was to go one way and I the other. I dropped down into the canyon as quickly and quietly as I could. When I reached the bottom I jumped over a large downed tree, to my surprise and theirs, I met face to face with a sow and two cubs. A place that no bow hunter wants to be! I waited for them to move on, the sow woofing at me her eyes piercing mine. I almost felt sick. Once they were about 50 yards away I heard a big bugle up the mountain ahead of me so I headed straight for it. Forgetting of the danger that lurks nearby. I slowly made my way up the mountain, the forest with thick, dense and very dark. As I got closer the distinct musk of elk filled the air. As I crested a little knoll I could see horns violently ripping a ten foot tall pins tree to shreds, I bugled loud, and here he came. My heart was about to jump out of my chest. He stopped at fifty yards and ripped another tree to shreds. I watched him for a few minutes, hoping that he would come a little closer. I wasn’t about to risk a fifty yard shot at such a beautiful animal. He slowly turned and walked away. I shook my head in disbelief and tipped my hat to the big 6 because I knew that he had
Won.
(An awesome rub. This tree is more then a foot around!)
Over the next four days we hunted the same canyon were I had the close encounter with the big six point. We all got on elk, but the always were just on step ahead of us. One day Dave said something that I will never forget. He said “You know; Elk are Elk all the time. We are just part time Elk hunters.” I thought to myself, “Wow, what a true statement.” The Morning of day 8 the four of us decided to split up a little bit. Harry went above camp were we got on a bull the first morning. Tracy went to on of his favorite spots. And Dave and I went back to the same area we had been hunting. We both decided that we were going to walk the old logging road as far in as we could, hoping to find the elk in there again. We slowly made our way down the road, which was about ¾ the way up the mountain. We saw a few mule deer and a bunch of cattle. Dave was stopping and glassing quit frequently, but I was anxious to get to the end of the road. We rounded a corner and I heard something below me, I looked down and saw a spike bull feeding about forty yards below me. I threw my hand up motioning to Dave to stop. A cow briskly crossed the old road not forty yards in front of me. I knocked an arrow, then I took about twenty quick steps and I heard a bull let out a low gurgle sounding bugle. I saw his horns first; I dropped to one knee and drew my Black Ice. The Bull stopped and the road and looked at me, I put my thirty yard pin behind his shoulder and let my arrow fly. Whack! The bull spun around and took off back down the mountain. My arrow was visible sticking out of his side. I knew the Slick Trick broad head would do its job. I looked at my watch; it was 7:55 am. I turned and looked Dave who was dancing around like he had just made a touchdown. We quietly celebrated and headed back to my truck. Smiling and reminiscing about what had just taken place. We met Tracy at the truck and decided to head back to camp and get Harry. We wanted to make sure that my bull had enough time to bed down with out us potentially bumping him. To my surprise two of my good friends and life long elk hunting buddies drove up to our camp for the day. What good timing they had, John and Jeff have been bow hunting for elk for a long time. We have hunted together for seven years. After Harry returned from his hunt I told the tale of the hunt to everyone. We laughed and headed back up the mountain at 11:00 am pack boards strapped to our atv’s. The six of us spread out where I had shot him and worked our way down the Mountain. We made it about 200 yards and Tracy yelled out “I found him”. I was relieved. One thing I have learned about bow hunting is you almost always have a little bit of doubt after the shot. Not today, I was on cloud nine! We all congregated were my bull laid. I receive a bunch of hand shakes and hugs alike. We snapped some photos and began to quarter him up. We took every piece of meat we could possibly take, leaving nothing but bones and the guts for the scavengers. We all had a 200 yard pack straight uphill to the atv’s. The funniest thing was Dave was the oldest guy in our party, a very young 59 year old man. He took the heavies pack, and beat almost all of us to the awaiting atv’s. We took the meat to the crick to make sure we got it cool. Then we hung it in the shade on out meat rack, along with my deer and Tracy’s deer. What a sight that was. The next day after the morning hunt I took all my meat down to a local meat processor in town. He cut, wrapped and froze all my meat for me. Making it a much easier task for the long haul back to Michigan.
(My 2008 Idaho Bull)
The next few days of our hunt we very uneventful, the weather was not favorable for elk hunting, with the day time highs reaching well into the upper 80’s. At one point the inside of our tent was 104 degrees Fahrenheit. So we hunted hard in the early mornings and late evenings, not seeing or hearing another elk for the rest of our hunt. We packed up camp early in the morning on September 18th. Went to town and picked up my meat and headed for home. I made sure to stop by Boise and kissed my mother goodbye. Being in the Coast Guard and Stationed in Michigan I am unable to know when I will see her again. It took us 35 hours to get back to my house in Ludington, Michigan. Harry and Dave still had a four hour drive to the other side of the state before they were home. So I grabbed some elk steaks and hamburger threw it in their cooler and wished them farewell. Harry and Dave both are now great friends and are forever welcome in my Elk hunting camp. And to think that this hunt happened because we met online. More then 25 years of age separate me from Harry and Dave. But we all share the same passion. We love to bow hunt.
(Harry and I with my bull. Dave took the picture)
10-02-2008, 12:47 PM
#2
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location:
Posts: 138
RE: My Elk hunt Story! You already seen the pics.
great story. I can't wait untill I am able to get out and hunt again. The one thing I really want to do is Elk hunt. Sounds like you guys had a great time, congrats to you and your new friends
10-02-2008, 02:14 PM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Phoenixville, PA USA
Posts: 5,541
RE: My Elk hunt Story! You already seen the pics.
Awesome story, and congrats on the bull and deer. Could you please post the pics again? I don't think I've seen them.
That's great that you shared your trip with Harry and Dave. I'm sure it meant a lot to them and there is no better way to make friends than to share a hunt.
That's great that you shared your trip with Harry and Dave. I'm sure it meant a lot to them and there is no better way to make friends than to share a hunt.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
coolbrze0
Small Game, Predator and Trapping
7
04-06-2007 09:16 PM
