Stoke the Fire!

[Keenan]

It about -12 here this morning. Time to put another log on the fire. Gather around lets tell some stories.

Here is a good one:   Several years ago I took a group out elk hunting. Seven of us total, my wife and I and a life long hunting buddy, as well as 4 rookies. My hunting bud (James) and I were the guides and callers, and as we hiked into the wilderness I kept thinking there is no way we are going to get elk in close with this much noise and human sent. 
 Set up after set up and no results. By this time it was late afternoon and we had worked down into the bottom of a deep drainage. about 1,200 ft down in elev.   James and I decided to do one last set up just above the creek bottom.  We spread out along a bench paralleling the creek  and started calling. James was on one end and I was on the other, with all the others between us.  After about fifteen minutes of calling, I looked over and saw a 4x4 bull walking right toward Lulyn. who was between me and the bull.  She was in a depression next to a blown down ponderoosa. I went silent and watched as the bull finally stopped about 5 yards from Lulyn.  What I couldn't see, was the 5x5 bull walking just in front of Lulyn (over the bench)  that she was about to come to draw on.  She had not noticed the 4x4 walking in from the side.  She then caught the movement and noticed the legs beside her. I stayed silent knowing that James would eventually call from the other end and turn the bull for her,,,,this then happened as planned. The bull turned back and walked out about 10 yards and I cow called stopping the bull. Lulyn stayed calm and still,  until the bull looked back towards James, Then turning to make the shot she bumped a rock making a little noise.  The 5x5 that was below her busted and ran off,  then the 4x4 busted and ran right up behind one of the rookies, (Ryan)  At the same time what we could not see was a 3x3 that had come in on the other side by James and Tim.   Tim had shot at the same time and missed at 25 yards. (right over the shoulder) and that bull ran up and stopped in front of Ryan,  Now Ryan is a good friend, who had shot tournament compition for years yet had never hunted.  He was shooting a compound and kept saying that anything within 60 yrds. was dead. Lulyn and I had warned him that those words would haunt him.  Now with a 3x3 bull in front at ten yards and a 4x4 behind him at ten yards, he threw up and shot an arrow right over the 3x3. The 4x4 busted and ran a tight circle between all of us and straight toward Rob and his wife Jean.  Jean being tired, had dosed off next to a log and upon hearing the commotion jumped up as the bull was running straight at her. She screamed while waving her arms in panic, "It's going to run over me"   The bull then veered off and jumped over a root wad that Rob was behind.  He took a shot has it leaped right over himand the root wad, yet another clean miss.  After the dust had settled there had been four shots at under 25 yards and not one hair was cut.  As I watched the cohos unfold I started laughing hysterically.  Elk running,,hearts pounding and adrenaline running rampped.  The elk got quite and education that day and some first time elk hunters memories for a life time.

 Just got to love elk hunting! I am always amazed at how easily they can humble us humans.   Has happened to me more times then I can remember.  

[rileyconcrete]

Great story Keenan.  Reminds me of all my misses on bulls, then looking back laughing at how I think a shot at ten yards would be so easy, dead elk for sure, Yeah Right!


The last weekend of elk hunting this year,  My dad and I began calling a heard we had spotted only 100 yds away.  We had a great 6x6 coming in to us, my cousin set up to my right, the bull walked in straight to him, I cow called to turn the bull for him a shot, and at 7 yds he missed, right over the back.  The bull coming towards me now, I draw at the only time I can and wait for the bull to stop. ( I am new to trad hunting and was not comfortable shooting the long bow so I took my compound, having been shooting them for over 15 years.)  As I move with the bull my damn wheelie bow hit a limb and pushed the string right off my cam and BOOM!!  the bow explodes, bull standing within 10 yards but no blood.  Now I thought how in the world could both these opportunities end up with no blood.  Just as I got done cussing and throwing my stupid compound in the brush and stomping on it, my cousin says " I got him good"  I start laughing becausse I saw his arrow miss. He says" I got one more shot on him"  sure enough while my bow was busy ruining my day he got an arrow in the bull this time at about 35 yards.  Man I am glad he did because it sure made my day alot better.  We ended up with that bull on saterday, then on sunday my other buddy shot a nice 5x5 at 13 yards, made out for a great weekend for those guys, all I got was a broken bow and to help pack meat.  Thats usually how my hunts end up.

Tell

[Keenan]

 Now thats the spirit Tell, thanks for sharing. It's good when we can look at those missed opportunities and laugh and learn.

[bryan irwin]

great storys wish we hade elk.

[Sparrow]

Great storys ! Thanks for sharing them.
  I Don't have alot of good bowhunt stories to go with elk. (I haven't ever stuck one with an arrow yet) Used to have a ball hunting them with the muzzle stuffer.
Nearly run over several times while crawling around ( literally )  in bedded herds, They can pick some really nasty places when they get pressured. Had a calf walk up hill to me and sniff my boot. He did'nt like the smell and took the whole herd down the hill with him. Some of the best solo hunts I've ever made was for elk. They are always fun. Can't wait to hunt them next year. Primitive all the way !  I live in the Washington Blues now, Elk city, 30 minutes from home. Hope to have a bow elk story next winter. Stay tuned !  '  Frank

[Keenan]

 Looking forward to hearing the stories next year Frank

[Pat B]

No elk stories to share yet, but I have a feeling I'll have one before it is all over! 
  20 + years ago when I lived in Bluffton SC we had an archery only GMA near us. Now it is a gated community just outside of Hilton Head Is. SC.   This GMA(Victoria Bluff GMA) was only open twice a year for a week at a time in late October and again in early November, just about right for the rut. One area that was visible from the highway is a wide open savanna area with spotty loblolly pines and sawtooth palmetto, broom sedge and myrtle under brush. Most folks would not even consider hunting this area because it looked so open.
  Well, we knew better! A deer could(and frequently did) walk around freely because the palmettos, broom sedge and myrtles were tall enough to block their movement from ground level. Richard, my long time hunting buddy and I set our tree stands up about 100 yards apart and in full sight of each other, each within shooting range of a fire break that was a main travel route. Both of us had just began shooting trad, and both felt confident with our target shooting. 
  About mid morning I hear grunting behind me and get ready for action. A few minutes later a hot doe passes on the fire break about 10 yards out with with 5 bucks close behind; a big 6pt, a small 6 pt, a 4, a spike  and a button buck, all with their tongues draging the ground. As soon as I get the opportunity I shoot right over the big 6, reload and the same over the little 6, I reload my last arrow and again, right over the 4. The "train" moves off still being lead by this doe.
 Out of arrows I decide I had better climb down and retrieve my arrows. Back in the stand I notice the "train" of deer coming back my direction. Now Richard, not but 100 yards away is about to fall out of his tree as he watches my antics...and the antics continue. Here they come again and again I take three shots and again , three shots over the backs of my targets.  By now Richard has to climb down from his stand as to not inflict bodily injury from uncontrolled laughter from high altitude.
   Richard wanted to be mad at me for screwing up his chances but quickly got over that and we still laugh about this and other episodes in the woodlands and marshes of coastal SC.
   

[Keenan]

Ohhhhh Pat that had me rolling just imagining the scene. Thanks for sharing that was good. And it reminded me of another story

 Several years ago I was up on a ridge and had a 5x5 bull give a quiet chuckle and soon he was moving up the ridge to me. I  could see he was going to cut through a saddle to my right so I dropped the pack and back quiver grabbed two arrows and started crawling fast towards the intersect point.  Things worked good and the bull came right through the opening I wanted and I cow called and stopped him perfect at 25 yards. drew back and watched as the arrow started porpoising very badly. I instantly realized that I had forgot to put a tie button below the arrow to keep my fingers from slipping the arrow down the string. the bull started to bust so I called and stopped it again.  Perfect quartered just slightly further out.  I let the arrow fly and things looked so perfect, arrow headed right behind the shoulder,,,,,,,,,until it spun so incredibly fast that the arrow zipped right on by.   Remember that I only grabbed two arrows,,,,,,,,,Now to add insult to injury, the bull circled and came back,walking up to the log that I was behind.  It was grooooling watching that bull pose and give me such good shots while I was out of ammo.

[sonny]

.......almost hate to tell this story but here goes-
Last season, maybe a couple of seasons ago I headed to my afternoon stand shortly after eating lunch.
Tired, early afternoon, I decided that it couldn't hurt if I took a quick nap near the stand right by the river bank,
thinking that the deer certainly wouldn't be moving this early.So I sat down and watched some small fish in a
deep pool right in front of me, then laid back using my fanny pack as a pillow. I couldn't get comfortable as
there was a root under my back so I just laid there debating what to do, not wanting to climb up in the stand
quite yet. Hadn't been five minutes when I heard a commotion on the other side of the river- turned out to be
an average four point buck coming across the river straight to me. He got within 20 feet of me- standing in the
pool where I had been watching the fish- must've gotten a whiff of me as he turned and headed back across
the river. As he's walking along the sandbar I whistled at him to see what kinda reaction I'd get- three times I stopped
him with a whistle. Then he decided to come across the river just upstream from where I was. Seemingly shielded
from view by the river bank I grabbed two arrows and my bow, headed upriver in hopes of catching him coming
up the bank. Well apparently he either saw, heard or winded me and splashed back across the river, never to be
seen again.....
   

[JW_Halverson]

So I says, "Now before you go berating me over missing that buck with all five arrows, you gotta understand I was shooting over his back at a big copperhead that I wanted to back my next bow with!"

or, "Too early in the season, I wasn't missing...I was warming up the bow!"

or,  "I was airing out my arrows!"

Great stories, keep 'em coming!

[Pat B]

Here is another one I've told before but still have to chuckle when I think about it...
  I headed out to my evening stand in an area of white oaks along a cane patch near a creek. I was carrying my newest bow, a copperhead backed straight limb osage bow. Just after the sun set and the ground birds began to stir a brown thrasher flew up into the tree next to me and shortly began to attack me. He would fly up and swoop down at me all the while scolding me. I got fed up and headed back to camp just when the deer should be walking. The next evening I went back to try that same stand and again at sunset that same brown thrasher began attacking me again. With 2 evening hunts ruined by some pesky bird I walked back to camp trying to figure out why. Then I realized that the bird wasn't after me in full camo but he was after one of his enimies...the copperhead skin on my bow laying across my lap!
  Even though I love copperhead skinned bows I haven't made a hunting bow with one since. 

[Keenan]

  Great stories ,keep em coming.

Over the years I've managed to leave two bugle tubes in the forest one nice binocular, several finger tabs and the best one yet was a small camo flashlight. Now think about that ,,,,I got suckered into buying a flashlight with a camo paint job,,,,,,,,,,The only time I would use it would be night,,,,,,Why camo,,,,,so I could lose it ofcoarse,,,

 This last season i was hunting with Dave C.  Gordon F. and Dave H.  While out on a hunt I noticed that Gordon had a small orange ribbon tied to his back quiver. when asked he said it was so he wouldn't lose the quiver by leaving it on a set up,,,,,,,,,Intrestingly the very next setup he did just that,,,,,   I got a good chuckle as he went back to retrieve his quiver..  Thanks Gordon,you give me hope,,,,,,,Glad I'm not the only one who loses things.

[Gordon]

Dang Keean, you just had to tell that story didn't you 

[Gordon]

This happened to me two seasons ago. I was setup on the edge of a large meadow one evening waiting for some elk to show. I was situated in between two trails, one on my right and another on my left and had some brush directly behind me to break my outline. After a while I heard an elk cross the creek behind me, but I could not see him because of the trees and brush. As he got closer I figured the elk would come out on one or the other trail and I would have an easy 15 yard shot. Then the soundd stopped. I waited and waited, but nothing happened. The wind was perfect so he couldn't have smelled me, and I didn't hear him move off. I couldn't figure it out so I slowly started to swivel around in my stool to look behind me. Just as I caught sight of an elk head out of the corner of my eye, the elk realized that this thing in front of him was a hunter and he blasted out of there with me doing my best not to sucumb to cardiac arrest. Turns out the elk had walked up behind me instead of taking one of the trails and hung up when he couldn't figure out what I was with his head only a few feet from mine . What a rush.

[Keenan]

  And that's what makes the elk hunting so dang fun.