Your worst hunt stories...
Lets all here that story that made you feel the sickest and wished you could have had another chance at...
Mine takes place in Colorado elk hunting in 06'. It was the second day of the hunt on public land after not seein much the first day. My morning started with working my way up a thick spruce and aspen tangled raviene that the elk returned to to bed for the day. At light I heard a soft bugle up the valley on the other side and figured I'd just hunt my way towards it. Aboutan hourafter light and closer to the bugle I heard some elk coming about 3 or 4 and as they cleared a knoll at about 50 yards I caught horns comin through the brush and saw it was a nice 6x6. He came past with his head laid back swaying his head through soem brush and limbs and I drew. He continued at about 30 yards and made it to a clearing and as I tried to stop him he turned to walk straight up the hill away from me so I turned my body back towards the others coming in hopes of a shot at them. As I turned I caught the bull turning back quartering away from me so I ewwed with my mouth to stop him, settled the pin and let er rip. Arrow entered last couple ribs and looked to go straight up in the cavity. He turned and bolted to the left and sounded like he went down after only 80 yrads or so but I couldnt see him. I was so excited. My first bull with the bow and he was about 300"s after killing a 250" 6x6 with the gun and a couple cows with the bowpreviously. I was jacked, I heard him go down, so I went and found first blood where I had hit him and sat there waiting for about an hour. I tried reaching guys on the radio but got no answer so I decided to go ahead and look for him. Well he wasn't dead and I jumped him from his bed and he busted the fletching half of the arrow off (about 6 inchesand blood was spotty. Never found him after hours of searching and to this day I still play that over in my head. I should have just gone back to camp and waited for 5 hours for everyone to return and then go find him. I was just to excited and wasn't thinking, I had no reason to go looking for him cuz I had all the time in the world that day to wait. Figured I must have got liver, one lung, and stuck the arrow in the off sholder...... What did I learn? I learned from that hunt that if you don't SEE the animal go down to leave them for plenty of time and return later. I'll never go looking for an elk that I didn't see go down without waiting 5-6 hours now. Lesson learned but still makes me sick. I did redeem myslelf somewhat by killing a huge cow two days later and will be back out there this fall again chasing elk. WCL