My season was up and down. Archery provided aweful, wet weather and some close but not quite chances. I had passed several cows early in the week in hopes of shooting a bull and then never got the opportunity to shoot another elk the rest of the week...up and down. You see getting any elk in Saskatchewan is a trophy, many guys go years without shooting one and big ones while they are around it is not always the easiest of missions. I strictly hunt elk for the shear enjoyment, hearing them talk, experiencing friendship, outdoors and for the wonderful meat when so lucky to harvest an animal. Any hew fast forward to rifle season, bulls only now(sept. 15). The prescouting looked like we were going to have our way and be calling in bulls all over the valley we hunt. Until sunday crapped out and they shut up. Throw in the endless amount of so called Elk hunters who believe hunting is best viewed from the cushions in their truck[:@]. Monday we were set up in 2 alfalfa fields both groups had elk on the field in front of them and were just waiting for legal...when along comes the elk hunting convoy to chase the elk right off in front of us. DOWN!!! After some short words about permission and hunting on foot only signs the land owner had posted, we went up after the elk. Bugling/calling did nothing and envoked no responses. It was decided coffee and breaky was required with time to retool. Tuesday morning the elk gods smiled sending a young bull by one of our guys, which he promptly put on the ground. Weds morning I saw a herd moving along the river edge but being to dark to shoot, they made it to the thick hazel brush before I could do anything. Knowing full well they would bed their and be unprovoked I decided to slip up the ridge and scope out a spot to call from that evening. Being I have hunted this area for years, I knew that once they crossed to this side of the river/valley they would be coming up to the west to feed that night on one of the alfafla or oat fields that border the area. It was decide we would set up 3 guys as shooter in potential routes and I would sit in the middle and call, in hopes of luring a bull by one of the guys waiting to intercept them on route to moi. Bugling did nothing, no sounds..I switched to my cow calling and after 10 minutes of calling I heard a bull bugle, keeping with what worked I kept cow calling and within 15 minutes the sound of a solid hit rang out. Turned out the guy directly below me intercepted a very nice 6x7 bull. This was the high, as not only was this a good bull it was his first bull ever taken in 10 years of elk hunting...not a bad first animal. After 3 hours of hard work with the quads, we had him back to camp and skinned him out. Next morning we awoke to a hard forst, but only saw women & childern moving. The elk gods smiled on me that afternoon switching the wind to a direction so I could hunt my honey hole, a long skinning meadow that acted as a funnel from the river to the fields up on to of the valley. I slipped into place early and waited for an hour then began cow calling, nothing and then after a 20 minute break I started up again with the cow calling that worked the night before. 5:55PM I heard a bugle, kept cow calling and then bugle but oh know he was coming up the south side(he isn' t suppose to be there!!!!) that is where my wind was blowing. No time to move or change I decided to bugle to the north east in hopes he would swing around to the east and come up fight in front of me...well it worked sort of, he poped out not 50 yards from me and immediately winded me...with a bark he was gone. I began bugling and cow calling my lips off in attempt to bring him back or at the very least calm the woods! Then a short bugle with a chuck and snap their he was back this time at the end of the meadow some 175 yards away, keyed right in on my location...I slowly pointed my hoochie mamma to the north and squeezed, it was enough to draw his attention and I shoulder and pulled pin. He ended up toppling 50 yards from where I shot him and was a decent 5x5...no not a record book animal but a true trophy in my eyes.

I can' t wait till next year, only think keeping me going is the meat. Oh yeah my up coming hunts for mulies, whitetails and late season moose will help fill a few days