I hadn't gotten an elk with my bow before this year, and I always blamed it on the fact that I wasn't putting in enough time hunting them. So, this year I went up every 3 day weekend of season.
Finally, on the 4th weekend, there was snow falling up in our hunting area, so I left work at noon on Thursday, with plans of hooking up with a buddy near our spot. But, unfortunatly, he called me as I was getting close to his place with the news that he couldn't go that evening, BUT said if I got one that he would come up and help me get it out.
SO, I went on up into our area. The elk had been bugling pretty good in the last week or so, so my plan was to simply cover some ground and look for tracks in the fresh snow and listen for a bugle. Well, first thing I found was bear tracks. Luckfully, the bear was going the opposite direction of my travels. Not long after I had found the bear tracks, I cut some very fresh elk tracks. I wasn't sure if they were cow or small bull, so I started following them. I hadn't gone 1/2 mile when I jumped the small bull from his bed. I immidiately did a couple of lost cow calls, and he stopped and turned to listen. I could see him just 60 yards away, so I did a few more soft cow calls, and he started my way. I quickly knocked an arrow and simply kept him interested with a few more soft cow calls. When he got broadside at 25 yards, I took the shot and placed my 100 grain inner-loc broadhead right into the shoulder. I could see the Gold Tip arrowburied to about the fletchings as he turned to run away, BUT the damage was done. I recovered him about 75 yards later. I field dressed him, entered his location on my GPS and went for help. We got him out that night, as the snow really started to come down.
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