Long LONG story but will try and shorten it...Hope it is worth it for you, as we learned a LOT (have hunted my whole life)
starts off with a friend getting drawn 2 years in a row for his elk tag in montana, and these are his only 2 years ever putting in for draw...
last year he connected on opening morning when we called into a group of 6 bulls with cows etc. etc. was 9/11 @9:10 in the morning when he shot a nice little 4x5
this year, we got into camp, set up, spent three days trying to locate elk...sitting on top of mountainsglassing, then getting into them in the mornings...we did not get ANYTHIGN to respond till the 4th day guess what day...9/11 again....(Craigs first bull he has ever seen, and he drilled it at 17 yards)
We were riding up into the draw, and heard a bugle...decided to move a little closer in, parked the hroses, and do a set up...
We did the typical three guy set up, both guys at 45 degree angle from me (the caller) and when the guy on the left (Craig) entered the woods he saw a 6 point bull, small 6 but got his blood going...it held up at 60 yards...(I had only cow called once at this point) the guy to the right...had just barely gotten to his spot and he bumped 2 moose...
Well, then we heard the bugle form the hill and 20 seconds later it was in the trees across a meadow about 150 yards away...I could see Craig, adn he was intently focused...I bigled a response,a dn then started raking a tree...as soon as I raked the other bull SCREEMED in the meadow now 80 yards from me....So I knew Craig had to be within range...
righ then everything went silent and I heard CRASHING from Danny on my right...I was GEEKED as something must have come in silent (later found out it was Moose mating, and Danny moving closer and scared them...)
However, what I hadnt seen or heard, was that Craig had takena shot at the bull coming in, and MISSED!!!!! when the moose crashed off from their interloping, the bull ran right as Craig shot....However, as normal, when you hear crashing, I started calling, and then raked again, the 6x7 stopped and came right back in...now 50 yards from both Danny and Craig...I can now see Craig going full draw...and I am totally geeked thinking that we might have two bulls shot in one set up (thinking the moose crash was danny shooting) Well, I see Craig let down, and shake his head a little....I move a little just to cause osme noise and get focus back on me...then I hear MASSIVE crashe and run...and Craig shaking his hand!!!
Well, he shot, and Bull was quartering away...put it right behind ribs, and Did so, right as Danny was about to pull draw from 20 yards from thesame bull...Craig shot it at 48 yards..and STOLE
the shot from Danny
Well, as sometimes happnes...this is the real work!!! We backed out of their, went back to camp...started talking about it, and Danny saw the arrow half way in the bull placed nicely...we started chatting about Craig only having ever see three elk in his life and he has killed two of them...and then started chatting that it was now once again 9/11 and withing 50 minutes of one year to the date taht he shot his bull last year....it was 8:16 on 9/11that he shot his bull this year...
So, after waiting for 3 hours, and thenputting panniers on the horses, we head up to start tracking the bull...we start off finding good blood...track for a while then find a big pool where he must have stopped to listen to the calling again, trying to figure what happened...track for a while longer find another big pool with lung blood in it (all foamy etc. and about 18" circle of blood) we are gaining confidence in the shot and everything else...well, after tracking it for atleast another 300 yards...and now he is heading uphill (slightly) he enters a open park and the blood is spares and dried now...we are on hands and knees trying to find specks (pin prick size) pieces of blood...we are blessed and track him through this open sunny park...and now are back to semi non dried blood and now downfall timber again...(honestly trying to make this short guys, but this tracking job was INCREDIBLE) and we get to a dead end and now are seeing a bloody left hind track, so we see that for a few steps then step over a log and see the broken off back 1/3 of the shaft, and immediately behind the log we jumped over, we see two big pools of blood!!!! we are AMPED!!!! he has lost a LOT of blood!!!! we HAVE to be close...(keep in mind right now we are 5.5 hours after the shot) We track for anohter 300-400 yards and come to another big open park that is FULL of sunshine and dried blood...we track for about 75 yards into parka dn come up dead empty...and this is a HUGE park and if we dont get a general heading direction we are LOST....so I pretty much am at the point of saying we lost blood lets start cirlcling to find the bull....Danny (INCREDIBLE tracker) is also giving up...Craig (who shot) is COMPLETELY beside hiself...FREAKING out!!!! we are now 7 hours into tracking this bull and close to 3/4 of a mile...So Danny and I start circling this bowl above the park/meadow) we are about 50-60 yards a part, somethign crashes above me, so I run up to see what is up there, and never see what it was...but no blood from where I heard the crash...we finish our circle, know we need to go over and encourage Craig, and he has gotten us another 50 yards of blood tracking into the field...and then Danny decides to jump forward based upon the direction,a nd WOW Praise God he finds some blood about 80 yards ahead...and when I say blood, I mean TINY pin prick!!!! so we keep tracking on our hands and knees for another 80 yards, at this poiunt all our knees are DEAD!!!!! and I see the bull is heading toward a march area, and know that tracking throguh it will be IMPOSSILBE!!! so I decide to just go over stretch my knees and go on the other side of marsh...and look down (keep in mind I am color blind) and think I see blood...then I look alittle further, and realize the main trail is right there, and so I walk over to it, and there is a log, well low and behold BLOOD!!!!! and good blood!! the marcsh must have opened him back up again...
well I call everyone over, we are jubilant now, and decide to take a break and let Craig track for a while, and Danny and I head back to get the hroses, and I head back to camp to get more water for us (we are all dehydrated (we are in hour 8.5 of tracking) Well I head back into camp, Danny takes his horse and Mule back up to Craig, and when I get back, I am whistling and just humming, and they both come running up telling me to be QUIET!!!...I immediately know they must have foudn him...as it turns out Craig tracked the blood for another 50 yards up the trail (which was a pretty good little hill) and was finding progressivley better blood and he bumped the bull!!!! he WISELY backed off and waited for us, and then 15 minutes later heard crashing of timber then total silence....When I got back and they told me about it, it had been 30 minutes from the crashing, I suggested just waiting another hour...we did, and after a short track (we foudn the bull 80 yards from the main trail...
This is NOT a world class bull, but let me tell you, this was a WORLD CLASS tracking job and we found this bull ONLY by the Grace of God!!! there were HUNDREDS of time while tracking this thing that we ALL gave up!!!! but then we would find new blood and then we would get frustrated and then find more etc.etc.
So, for those still with us, here are the pics...Craig is the guy with beard...I am goofy dork with yellow glasses (remember, color blind, yellow helps)
6x7 Montana Bull
