Hey, no offense whatsoever, I appreciate the feedback.

On the hunt I outlined, I agree that I could have gone in with a little more of a proactive plan. Instead, I wound up reacting on the fly, and it cost me, although I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. Thing is, the evening before that bull was bugling freely, so I expected the same the next morning. Instead he clammed up tight. My plan that morning, was to cruise up the canyon bottom without bugling, let him bugle and then move in. Finally, around wind switching time, having heard not a peep, I let out with a cowcall and a bugle, sort of a "where the heck did you go?" call. The rest I already talked about.

Also, I agree totally with your statement about finding the right blend of the passive vs. the aggressive. I think, however, that a cautious soul like myself is always going to lean a little toward the passive. Some one who is a real A-type buttkicker will naturally want to push the envelope a little more.

My three years have been quite a progression. My first year ('01), I took 16 days vacation, backpacked all over creation, and had lots of fun. However, it was like I had a plexiglass shield around me at a 50 yard radius. I could not get a bull within 50 yards, it was really hangup city. One bull, in the same canyon as the hijinks I already described, I had between 50 and 75 yards four times in 36 hours. He was the classic running bull type, who whipped his cows into a gallop at the first sound of a bugle. I think he did this because he knew he was the second fiddle bull in there; he was a 4 yr. old 260ish 6 pointer. I also had a 290 bull hang up on me that year.

My second year, also with 16 days off, I did the same backcountry stuff. This time I called elk into bow range on 5 different occasions, including the real monster. One was 310 bull that came in to some cow calling I'd done an hour or so before. When he came in I was sacked out taking a nap in the warm noon sun, with my bow 10 feet behind. He came in silent, like a whitetail buck with his nose on the ground. What a fiasco! I also missed a bull that year, shot under a little raghorn because I had talked myself into 40 yard shots and I missestimated the range.

Then last year, I finally broke through for real. (Truthfully, I think I broke through the year before, just no blood to show for it.) I had only 12 days vacation, but didn't need all that as it turned out. I had some fun on prevacation weekends, including one weekend hunt with my then-8-year-old nephew. I'm trying to break the kid in right. We had four bulls bugling at once, two came in, but no shots presented. Solo, I could probably have killed the second bull, but my nephew got a good show so it was well worth it. We cornered a herd bull, about a 270 6-by-5, and he really went bonkers, but wouldn't quite leave his cows to come down to us. Three days into my vacation, I had three different elk in very close on one day, and killed the third. He'll go P&Y if I ever get him scored, about 265 net. I'm very proud of that bull, and I've probably mentioned him in about four million different posts by now.

I know I've got tons to learn yet. That's sort of why I started this post.