I shouldn't complain but this year I was hoping to hunt with both rifle and archery for elk. But the way things turned out I didn't have the time and the funds to hunt two elk hunts for myself. My wife also drew out on a sweet early bull rifle elk hunt at the end the rutt, that will be a lot of fun for me too. And I am excited to go rifle hunting general bulls Oct 15, something I have not done since 1990. But tomorror is opening day of general archery season and I have not missed it for the last 12 years. I am dying inside wanting to go so bad. I know I'm being a baby and a whanny and most don't understand but for those of you who have archery hunted elk before. I am sure you know what I feel. To have a bull scream at you under 20 yards and have you legs turn to rubber, and your heart feels like its going to jump out of you chest. Well it doesn't get any better than that. It is a rush and a high that stands alone for me and can not be mached by anything. My memory of past hunts and opening days is fresh in my mind. I remember 1999 like it was yeasterday. The year before I killed a ok 6x6 bull and wanted one bigger. I also had my brother with me and he had never killed a elk before. We got into a heard of elk and he was supposed to be 20 to 30 yards in front of me. I called a big 5x5 bull into us, and my brother had wondered off chasing another bull. The 5x5 gave me plenty of opportunity to kill him. And I was wondering why my brother who I couldn't see wasn't shooting. I remember opening day of 2000 I was with two friends high in a bowl. There was a bachelor heard of 28 bulls feeding up to us. The bulls had no clue we were there and when they were about 60 yards away and closing, my excited friends started whispering and pointing to which bulls they thought were the biggest. Of course we didn't kill a elk that day, but we did have a successful year overall with several of us punching out elk tags. The next year (2001) I can never forget either. I called the biggest bull that I have had a chance at so far into me twice. Both times under 20 yards, and neither time offered me a good shot, only to watch him walk away in all his glory.
I punched my elk tag that year as well, but that big bull is vivid in my memory from that year. I remember a year ago today, on the evening before opening. I found three different herds of elk with 20 to 30 elk per herd. My family needed elk meat and I didn't have several weeks to hunt. So the next morning with only 2 hours into opening day, when I called a spike bull into 12 yards, the decision was easy to shoot. True I would have loved to kill a big bull, but the memory of that spike and every other elk hunt and kill is truly precious and I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world. Sorry for being so long winded it just felt good to remember and let all of you know how I am feeling.
If you have any elk stories/memories lets hear them, be they archery of rifle.
Thanks Idahoelkinsrtuctor