Awesome stories everyone! In 2001 I had my closest experience yet with a cow elk. We were working a big herd of elk early in the morning and were 40 yards away to some of the satelite bulls. We were hoping to have a chance at the herd bull. To make a long story short some hunters were packing in their camp on horses and came by us, not through us, but above us on a less known trail. I was surprised to even see anyone else because we were 4 miles away from any major trail. The elk scattered slowly and dispersed. I regrouped with my friend and we decided to give those elk a break until afternoon because they were not really scared and we knew they'd be back in the same place feeding. We decided to hunt a little drainage about a half a mile away from where we were and in the opposite direction that the herd of elk went. We also split up and hunted slowly to this drainage. I got to the edge of this little drainage and I thought I heard a lost/distresssed cow elk. So I mimic the same call I thought I heard. Sure enough I got an answer right back and this time a small bull called as well. I just kept talking back and forth to these elk and they got closer and closer. A small 3 point bull popped out of the trees at about 15 yards away, and he walked right by me at about 7 yards without knowing I was there. I called and he stopped but I didn't have a good shot. The next elk, a cow, comes into the same path as the bull and she does the same. She almost stopped in the same place as the small bull, but I was in the same place with a bad angle. After she disappeared I heard more elk coming, so I quickly moved about 5 yards to a tree, close to where the elk had stopped. Another cow elk pops out in the same place and she walks to the other side of tree and stops, like she knew something wasn't right. She is on one side of the tree me on the other, at that point we were about a yard apart. I was wanting to shoot a bull but at that moment I decided to take this cow, besides it was so cool that I was that close. I drew back my bow and she cought the movement and started to bolt, but a call from me stopped her progress. She was square broadside at 3 yards and I just pointed the arrow at her chest. The shot was perfect but she bolted so fast that I didn't know where I'd hit her. I was calling and she stopped again at 60 yards down the hill from me. Knowing she was hit, but not knowing where, I decided to let another arrow fly. That arrow, too, hit her perfectly in the chest. She turned, took another 5 steps and tumbled to the ground, dead. Both arrows went completely through her and were within 2 inches of each other in her chest cavity. That wasn't a big bull, but it sure was exciting.