I was antelope hunting two days before opening day for elk. That's the best way to start this story! After a day of hunting goats i decided to get out of the heat and camp up on the mountain. While looking for a camping spot, i found a bunch of elk and dandy ones to boot. I VERY quickly scanned the proc and found out it is a draw unit with only 15 archery tags with no way of getting a tag at this point. So i turned around and went up the road and camped. In the middle of my supper (a can of chili and a hot dog) i hear a fella drive down the road and he bugles. Obviously he has one of the tags i wish i had at this point. He pulls down to my camp and sure enough...he's got a tag. I says to him "Ya lookin' for wapati?". He says yeah, i say "Find 'em?" he says nope. I says "I DID!". He says Really? I says "Yep. Want me to show ya?" He says "Hell yeah!". So i took him and his galfriend the next morning (instead of hunting for goats). We walk over the ridge where i saw the elk, and nothing to be found. So we glass for a minute and off in the distance......a bugle.... My newly acquired friends look at each other and go "He's right!!!!" He looks at me and says "Have you hunted elk before?". I says "yep!". He says "I never have!". Soooooo...i like the guy and his gal, so i call my wife and tell her "i wont be home for opening day of elk season! Instead i'll be taking Dennis huntin" (Wife thinks i'm certifiably crazy now).
So after deciding to hunt together, Dennis and Tara go home and i camped on the mountain. We met opening day 5am. We all hiked about half mile and hear one bugle. We glass, i find elk. I scope the situation, check the wind, and decide where we need to set up. I tell Dennis where the elk are going to come and where to sit. 10 minutes after shooting light we're all set up. I let one holler out, and right away TWO bugles TWO different elk. Dennis looks at me with a big grin!
One of the bulls is HOT. I reckon he wants a fight. At least that's the way it sounds! Accompanied with a few cow calls, one more good bugle and i could tell this bull hung up 50 yards just out of sight of Dennis. So i grab a stick from the ground where i was sitting. Keep in mind, Tara is sitting right next to me. She'd never been hunting before, let alone elk hunting in the rut! She's giddy hearing all the elk bugling! I go to beating the crap out of the small tree in front of me. Branches breaking, dirt flying. Tara looks at me like i've lost my gourd. Dennis turns around and gives me the "What the hell are you doing?" look. I furiously point at him to LOOK!!! This bull trots out into the opening 12-15 yards in front of him. 6x6, approximately 290-295 tops. Dandy bull! The bull stops broadside with a baby hoochie chirp. Dennis doesn't shoot! Bull busts out. I about DIE. I waved him back over and ask him "WHY didn't you SHOOT????" He says "sagebrush in front of me". Just then i hear a bark from a bull about 80 yards out, just out of sight over the ridge. I figure he's a bigger bull backdoor'ing the first bull. I tell Dennis "Lets go, we gotta get over here! We're not done hunting yet!" As he slowly re-knocks his arrow, i grab him by the collar and run 45 yards dragging him all the way (i was in a hurry!). We set up at the toe of the hill and cow call. Bull #2 grunts. He's over the hill 20 yards from us, but we cant see him. I tell Dennis "Soon as you see elk, draw your bull, he's going to look in this hole". I cow call a few more times, sure enough, there he is! 8 yards, lookin for cows. Dennis (finally...) lets his arrow go and drills him! Double lung! Bull spins and takes off over the ridge. We sit down and eat a candy bar. Dennis is stoked!!! And so am I! I hear a crash that i assume is the bull falling and tell Dennis "First bow hunt, first elk hunt, it lasted 20 minutes! And your elk's down less than 200 yards from the road! It's never this easy! Keep this in mind!"
We go find the bull, 30 yards away, piled up in the sagebrush. I show him how to quarter him out, he did great. An hour and a half later, we were on our way home with a new found lifetime friendship, i'm sure!
