Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Keenan on November 24, 2010, 11:38:38 am
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It about -12 here this morning. Time to put another log on the fire. Gather around lets tell some stories. ;D
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. ::)
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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
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Now thats the spirit Tell, thanks for sharing. It's good when we can look at those missed opportunities and laugh and learn. ;)
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great storys wish we hade elk.
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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
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Looking forward to hearing the stories next year Frank ;)
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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.
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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. ::)
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.......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.....
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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!
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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.
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;D ;D ;D 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,,,,, ;D ;D 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.
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Dang Keean, you just had to tell that story didn't you ::)
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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.
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;D ;D ;D And that's what makes the elk hunting so dang fun. ;D
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sitting in the stand. typically i dont last long in the stand and i'll go stalking. this day i told myself to just stay in the stand. 3 hrs later about to lose my mind from boredom and trying not to fling all my arrows at one damn squirrell i hear a grunt. armed with an osage bow and arrows made with stone tools and my favorite quiver made from a deer i killed , i draw a viburnum shaft that is tipped with a deadly sharp normanskill point. now i can hear the brute walking through the leaves. he walks out of the hemlocks roughly 40 yards away. basket rack 8 pointer (4x4 for you westies). typical rack for these woods. heavy body deer. probably 220 dressed. big deer for these woods. now he stops and tastes the air. he's at a fork , right fork will bring him to me at 15 yards. he goes left. i can hear him walking away from me. then silence. back to boredom. oh well at least i got to see him and maybe next.........i hear him again and he's moving fast. coming back up the trail right towards me. now i had put that beautiful normanskill tipped arrow back in my quiver . i carefully reach in grab another arrow and nock it. buck is coming at a good pace and im trying to pick a spot between the saplings where i should stop him for the shot. i find the spot, bleat , he stops, im so focused my eyes are burning a hole through this deers chest. i draw, hit anchor, feel the string slide from my fingers, watch the shaft fly true right to the spot i was burning a hole through, .................................then watch the only blunt i had left in my quiver bounce of the chest of that deer. was so focused on the deer i never noticed i had nocked a hand carved 3/4" wooden blunt. arrow damn near landed at the foot of my treestand , buck ran 50 yards away and stopped. i sat down , took it all in , watching the buck lick his side, and then started to laugh my a$$ off. had 2 does come in but i was on the phone with my buddy telling him what i had done. by the time i got back home every hunter i knew had heard the story and was calling to see if it was true and to get a good laugh. ;D
quick p.s. that arrow still lays at the foot of that tree. not out of anger. kind of a reminder of that day.
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About 20 years ago my older brother and I were taking advantage of an early archery Deer season. We had been hunting for a couple weeks without seeing anything so we decided to take a break from Deer hunting. We grabbed our shotguns and took off for an area nearby that was full of Beaver dams looking for some Ducks. While we were out there it started to rain so we took shelter under a big Spruce tree. While we were waiting for the rain to stop we decided to start a small fire under the tree, it had a number of dead and dry branches underneath. Every once in awhile I would get up and break some of them off for the fire, they would go POP as I broke them. After several minutes of this we heard a noise off to one side. We both glanced over and there was a really nice 8 point slowly walking by looking for what had made those popping noises. He was not much more than 20 yards away and broadside. I was wishing for a bow in hand and I'm sure my brother was as well.
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Back in the mid seventies I lived in Alabama but hunted land in Tn as well as Bama. Every year we applied for drawing for a bow hunt at an Army ammunition storage depot in Chattanooga. Thousands of acres of fenced in land stocked with blacktail deer as well as whitetails. Some of the blacktail bucks would exceed the word record but being a fenced in area anything killed there couldn't be entered into the record book.
Most years we were drawn for this hunt. We would gather at the office for an indoctrination, and then be asked to forfeit a variety of things including anything that made a flame because there were thousands of bunkers with live ordnance in them on this area. The area was like a checker board of roads, with bunkers in rows and woods between the bunkers and roads as well as small woodlots here and there. It wasn't an easy hunt but was different so we applied every year.
We were pretty green hunters and were bussed out to various locations and dropped off at random. We were mostly recurve shooters, compounds had just come out but only one of us shot one. We would wander around and try to stalk up on deer or take shots and what ever happened by. We weren't very successful and our party only killed one doe in several years of hunting.
On our last hunt on the area each of us were tracked down and rounded up by the area military police. We were given a very through search. I asked one of the MPs what was up, he said someone brought a dead deer with only a small nick in it's back leg, when they searched the guy he had several poison pods in his pocket, he was from Ms where the pods were legal. When they rounded up the whole bunch from Ms they all had pods.
When we walked in the gate the prison sentence for carrying banned substances into the depot were posted in huge letters. I suspect these guys are still in jail.
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Great stories everyone,,,,,Jamie that blunt story had me choking on the coffee :D :D
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Here is another I've told before but...
At our club in GA I was heading to my afternoon stand. The pine tree I would have put my stand in is surrounded by water oaks and the ground was littered with these small acorns. As I broke into the woods about 100 yds from the tree I noticed a deer feeding under it. I squatted and removed my climbing stand from my back, nocked an arrow and did a short "toot" on my grunt call. The deer, a fork horn, turned and charged in my dirrection at full speed. When he was about 10' away he turned sharply to my right and lost footing with all 4 feet. He hit the ground only a foot or so from me, quickly got to his feet and was gone.
In the mean time 5 other deer that I never saw began to run but they went to my left. Without thinking I spun, drew and released on the lead doe. I hear a "whack" and the deer were gone. I went over to see if there was blood on the ground and found my arrow dead center of a 2" diameter sweet gum tree. I was using a Wensel Woodsman(3 blade) broadhead and it was buried half way through the sapling. When I attempted to remove it the arrow(cedar) broke right behind the point. I had to cut the sapling down and split it to retrieve my broadhead.
Normally I wouldn't shoot ar a moving target much less a running target but instinct took over. I still think if that sweet gum hadn't been there I would have taken the doe. My instincts are way better than any thoughtful shots I've ever made. This was one of the most exciting 15 seconds of my 30 years of bow hunting. 8)
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THIS HAPPENED LAST WEEK END....i went hunting for blacktails in an are that is mixed with pines and oaks...i was walking up a skid road when i came across some fresh deer track..so,i knew there was some deer in the area...the trouble i has was that the wind was blowing at my back side and all so blowing right into the same area the deer went to...after standing in one spot for 10Min's...i heard leaves rustling and deer running my way so i got into the ready shoot postion ...and here they come running in a panice..the doe was the first to show up but right after her was a young forked horn...in this unit of southern Oregon you can only shoot at least a fork on one side...when they came out of the timber and to the skid road they stop because i just walk past that spot and they smelled me...so,the blood was flowing big time in me and could feel my pulse in my neck...the doe picked me up and she went in the same direction she just came from..the fork stood there for awhile sniffing the area then he seen the doe was gone he left too...i circled the area to find them but they must have left the whole county...any how i walked up the skid road some more and then dropped off into a small wooded ravine and i found trails all over in the area ...i decided to just stand by a huge moss covered oak tree and just see what is happening in that spot...so,after standing there for an hour i seen a gray squirrel doing some daily travailing pass me...then all the sudden i herd what sounded like horns banging in the distance..but,i really was not sure if it was bucks fighting or if anther hunter was ratting or even if it was a woodpecker banging on a tree..then all the sudden to my other side i herd the scattering of leaves and the gray squirrel barking...MAN WHAT IS GOING ON HERE...i said to myself...i scanned the area to find out what the squirrel was doing. i couldnt see any thing happing.so, i turned back to the area of where i herd bucks fight and didn't see or here any thing...i turned back to the squirrel action..and all the sudden i seen it...it was a 20 pound bobcat that chased the squirrel up a tree..and he was walking on a log 20yards away and coming closer...when he got about 15yards away from me he seen me.but,rather than running off he was more curious of what i was...he went behind an old stump and thats when i got my yew wood bow up and ready..so,at 15yards he just stood there checking me out..thats when i slowly drew the bow back..but,when i got half way back with my draw the bow limb hit a branch above me and i didn't get my full draw i wanted and i released the arrow..the arrow went into the stump at 10yards and the cat just flinch...so,then i just flipped the bow over grabbed anther arrow and then the cat just walked out of range...i tried to do some squeaking with my mouth but he would just stop and look back then walk further out...that was fun hunt and some thing to remember for along time ....john
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Well a long time ago......in the early seventies, when I was in college, I took up archery, since I had, and still have, a Bear Grizzly, recurve, and thought I could learn to shoot better, and use their targets. Well I actually got fairly good at. I would practice at the 25, and the 50 yd targets, till, I was consistently hitting the center mark. Well, I had planned on bow hunting, that year, but I never got around to it, but the next year, I decided I would go. Well I go to a place called Brown's Farm, out near Belle Glade. It was an old Tomato farm, and at one time a bombing range during the 2nd World War. Found an old Fifty Cal. shell there once. It was starting to crumble. Anyway, I get there nice and early, just as the sun is starting to come up. I seen a few does, but no bucks. Then as I am coming back at noon to get something to eat, and go to another area, I am saying to myself, All I want is a chance. Well I no More than said that to myself, when, I see a four point eating about twenty yds. in front of me. He is sort of quartered, and a perfect shot angle, I am so excited, I am shaking, and didn't even get an anchor point, and my arrow goes all wobbly to the front of the deer, and he jumps back, and then sees me, and says crap, :o that was meant for me, and takes off, well I knock another arrow, and bleat like a fawn, and he stops about fifty yds out, and turns broadside to me. Well I had done quite well at that range, but then I start thinking, ......how high did I aim at those targets? It was a year or more ago, So I think well I will just aim about an inch above him about an inch behind the shoulder . Well I do, and I have a good anchor point, and good stance, and I release the Arrow, and it flies perfectly straight, towards, the Deer, and perfectly one inch above the shoulder, about one inch behind the shoulder, and on into the muck past it. The Deer, says yeah, right, ::) and down shifts, and I bleated, and then grunted, and he flipped me the hoof, and was heading to Miami. Well I look for the arrow, and found it, but didn't find the first one., so I go on down the trail to my truck, and about a hundred yds or so, I see this Deer tail, just wagging, and flicking back and forth. I walk up, and see a young doe eating something, and she is just in piggy heaven. I read in the Outdoorlife mag, years before about a guy, who watched a South American Indian walk up on a deer in the open to with ten feet or so. He said the Indian explained to him, that deer, when feeding will feed for about ten seconds, and then look up and if nothing is moving towards them, or they don't wind anything, they will go back to feeding. I tried this a few years before, and was successful, on a doe, and a fawn, till the fawn saw me move. I went to another area, and jumped two six points, that a small plane had circled above and dipped their wings to let me know there was deer there. 8) But they got up and left, and I couldn't get a shot at them. But I had a great time, I got my chance, but I just was not prepared. The next year, I found my first arrow. I haven't bow hunted since then, but I am going to get back into it. And I WILL be prepared for the next chance, ;)
Wayne
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In the early 70s I was teaching school and coaching wrestling in the little coastal town of Reedsport, Ore. We had made several bows, strings, arrows, etc. in a volunteer class. The bow I made was from materials from Bingham Archery which sold at a good price to schools. I had a tag for Eastern Oregon so I took the Wagoneer and headed for the mountains. The second day I had found some young bulls feeding on a rocky hill side about a mile across a canyon. I had already walked a good five miles from the jeep! By the time I finally made it across the canyon one of the bulls had laid down at the edge of a huge boulder. What a good opportunity for a good old Indian sneak. Took about 45 minutes for me to reach the back side of the boulder. What to do to get a shot? Dropped my quiver and took out my very best port orford cedar arrow with one of the best jasper points I had ever made. With much effort I started climbing the boulder with my bow across my back and the arrow in my teeth. Had to be slow and quiet and prayed the elk would not hear all the grunts and effort and head for the Sisters mountains. When I was almost able to break over the top of the rock I took the bow off my back and pushed it up and laid it there thinking that when I did top out it would be ready for a quick shot. Well, I still had the arrow in my teeth so it took it by the flech end and reached it toward the bow. It seemed to snag a little so I gave it a shove. I will never forget the noise and shock of the sound the bow made as the point cut the bow string! They probably heard the it all the way to Bend! There was no sound of hoofs beats of a very startled elk so I made it up the last little bit and stood up. There was the bull standing there below me looking up at about fifteen feet below! He only took a couple of seconds to decide he did not like the looks of me and headed full blast for the big timber! I did not know whether to cry or just laugh at what had just happened. With no extra string even back at the jeep that marked the end of my Eastern Oregon hunt that year! Thats when I started carring extra strings and of course have never needed one. A/Ho Pokie
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Awesome stories. thanks everyone this makes for good coffee sipping in the morning.
John to bad you didn't get the bobcat.
Wolf Watcher: Great story, I was also a wrestler and had a jeep waganeer years ago as well. got a good chuckle out of that story. Do you get down around these parts any more.
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Keenan: One of our daughters lives in McMinnville, but I never get out that way anymore. I taught school one year in Milton-Freewater before I went on to Reedsport. Later I worked as a pipeline welder all over Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Idaho. I grew up in Cody, Wyoming and thought I was a fairly good deer hunter until those little black tails proved me wrong. Had to learn to hunt in the rain and was constantly outsmarted by them. Have some elk hunting stories in the coastal mountains. You have to have been there to realize the difference in the hunting techniques. A/Ho Pokie
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Wolf I also grew up in the Valley around Cottage Grove so started out hunting blacktails in the bush. So definitely know what your talking about. Also was a pipeline welder for years and did allot of high pressure and boiler work. Did miles of ex ray certified stuff years ago for hydro plants. Looks like we have allot in common. ::)
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I have also welded for a living since the mid seventys. Prefer plants and stations over pipelining. No special hunting stories come to mind good enough for this thread but have made dozens of bow hunting trips for elk and each one is a trophy in its own. Love hearing other folks experiences. Kenneth
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Hey Kenneth, how about the one when you had to pack out the crippled grengo! ;D
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Pat is refering to the time when he came out to share a hunt with me in 2006. A great adventure but the eld did not cooperate very well. I think I got to stalk on cows a couple of times and the poor gringo never got to see an elk but got to run after a bugling bull that had traveling on hiss mind. Hard to catch up to that kind, much better is the ones that are coming your way and all worked up. Any way the gringo ended up spraining his ankle real bad on about day 3 or 4 and could barley get around even with a walking stick, probably lucky to get back to camp, so I opted to hike out and fetch a couple of horses to pack out the gringo and his gear rather than packing him out my self. Only about three uphill miles but too tough for old bow hunters. Pretty sure the gringo is coming back out this fall and we will have storys worthy of this thread. Pat, Kathie sprained her ankle real bad a couple of monthes ago and is just now getting around pretty good on it, says she can sympothise with you. Kenneth
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Kenneth, I remember you telling me about Kathie but I guess I never replied. I know her pain! ;D Those sprained ackles or feet take forever to hear. I hope she's doing better now.
...and the horse I rode out on!
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/CopyofColoradoelkhunt036.jpg)
...we were down there
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y199/PatBNC/CopyofColoradoelkhunt001.jpg)
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Thanks for the pics Pat, both of those horses have gone to new homes, but we still have a couple for packing. I never got even near Salt Creek this whole season, too buzy making a living but plan to have a delux camp set up for the 2011 season. Can't wait for summer. Kenneth
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Pat: That picture looks like a horse mounted prospector!! LJ: Diamonds are a packer's best friend and I like seeing them on a pack! Its good to know that there are some welders on the PA site. Where abouts are you doing the camps and elk hunting? A/Ho Pokie
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Joe, we were along the Salt Creek drainage in the San Juan Mts in S.W. Colorado, above Durango.
I might look like I know what I'm doing but all I was actually doing was holding on to the horn for dear life while the horse brought me out. That was the first time in almost 50 years for me on horseback but my riding style hasn't changed much! ;D
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Joe, I don't know if it really is a diamond or just an improvised squaw hitch but it works for me. The area is a large roadless non motor vehicle area that is only lightly hunted which suits me very well. At first I thought you were talking about Pat being a diamond. Diamond in the rough maybe. Kenneth
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I'm old so I have a lot of elk stories. When I lived in Reedsport, Or. there was a good sized elk herd that wintered in the hills and pastures along the Umpqua River on private land. Oregon had a late season Feb. hunt to help with private farm crop damage. I had permission to bow hunt there and one of the fellows that helped coach my wrestling team had a shad boat and dingy moored in the mouth of Dick creek. The hills next to the big pasture were very steep and covered with heavy brush. There had been a logging operation there years before and there was a logging road cut into the hill side that wound its way to the top and was narrow with a good sized cut bank on the up hill side and heavy brush on the down side. You have to remember that I was raised in Cody, Wyoming so hunting the coast was new to me. I took the dingy and poled my way up Deans Creek until I found a place to tie up the boat. Pulled it as far as I could out of the water and tied it to a tree. The plan was to hike up the logging road and wait until the elk fed out and move back into the hills for the day. Well, there wasn't enough time to reach the top before the elk started up country and it amazed me at how fast and easily they caught up to me. There was no chance in seeing them, but I could hear them below me. I hunkered down and nocked an arrow thinking if one came out on the road I would maybe have a shot. There was noise right across the road from me about 12 feet and a cow stuck her head out. The hill was so steep that her head was about level with the road. She was looking right at me and I was frozen with out a clue as what to do. Head shots are a no no and trying to draw would cause her to fall off the mountain. It seemed like an eternity that she stared at me, but when she retreated the whole hill side erupted and there were elk in the road above and below me and all sprinting to get out of there. When I finally got over the rush of excitement I spent several hours following them thru the brush. The plants there do not all loose their leaves in the winter so you can be right in the herd and never see them. When I made it back to the boat it was getting dark and the tide had gone out ant the boat was a good 20 feet out of the water! Did I say it had poured all day and I was soaked! The locals never let me forget about being in tide country. That area has since been made a refuge and you can see the herd from the highway. A/Ho Pokie