Ooops, I accidentally deleted my own post.... had to re-post it!
I have an elk tag this year in the same unit I'm going after bighorn ewes. I havent hunted this unit before for elk, and was a little disappointed in myself for not being able to have more time dedicated to just elk in here (since its a draw unit). I went up thursday night, and immediately was a little frustrated with all the camps I was passing on the drive in. I got out of my truck and had my backpack on at about 6pm or so. Straight up the mountain I go, and 2 hours or so later, I'm 2000ft above my truck, above timber in the pitch black. I set my tent in a spot that I camped earlier in the summer and crashed. I was up at 5:30am, watched the sunrise, and gained a little altitude to glass. I'm hearing distant bugling, and glassing across the drainage to some slopes on the other side. Theres a herd of about 60-70 elk, and they are high! Looking at the map, I'd say those elk were hanging out at around 13,000ft. There was a dandy bull in there though. No way I'm going after them this weekend though.
As I'm glassing, I make the fatal mistake of not being ready. My trusty bow "Lil Shorty" and my mini cat quiver, are laying just out of arms reach, and my bow is unstrung. As I'm glassing, I hear something in the rocks above me. I slowly turn around, and up over the saddle above me comes 5 bulls in a bachelor group, over the saddle heading right at me. All I could do was watch as these bulls trot by me at 25 yards, and head to timber. The wind was perfect, they never knew I was there, I was just not expecting to see elk at that moment. Oh well, another head for my "almost" trophy room :-)
Later that day, I stalked within 40 yards of a little raghorn bull with 7 cows. Boy, he thought he was something! He was screaming his head off at those cows, thrashing trees, and acting like a legit herd bull. I'm sure he'll be ran off in the next few days. Anyways, 40 yards was as close as I could get. So I tell myself, forget the little bull, lets get one of these cows. I'm knelt behind a row of small pines, and I know this cow is going to cross an opening about 45 yards in front of me. I need to make it to the next row of pines before she makes the clearing. If I can do that, its going to be a 20 yard shot on a broadside, feeding elk. As I make my move, BOOM, another cow pops out in the clearing, and shes looking my way. I freeze... The cow goes back to feeding, and I watch as both cows feed across the clearing about 35-40 yards in front of me. Man, that "almost" freezer is so full of "almost" steaks right now, I'm not going to be able to give them away!
