Scanr1

Hello all, I need a few elk hunting stories to share with some people who don't understand hunting. I am on a jewelry making forum and a question was asked about elk ivories. Someone also questioned hunting elk andI wanted to share a few stories about hunting them and why. I have never been elk hunting so I could not share anything I have done.

Thank you in advance,
Tom

usa

easy yet difficult subject, how do you explain to a non-hunter how it feels to go one on one with something as grand and elusive as an elk.Maybe describing how addicting the pursuit is, it goe's back to primal feeling's such as man over animal and validateing yourself by bringing home food that someone else hasn't slaughtered/packaged and shipped to a convienent grocer. It say's something about our ability to challenge ourselves instead of staying home and having a beer with our nieghbor's and just maybe , somewhere in the back of our mind's that if push came to shove you unlike 90+ percent of the male population would be able to protect and provide for your family in the event of a major life changing national tragedy ! As you can see I'm passionate about hunting and the outdoors in general because they effect so many facets of our live's.If you are a serious outdoorsman you are forced to be a realist knowing that life will be taken, that you must stay in shape physically and do your homework to be successful. I live in California, probably the most anti-hunting state in the union yet most of my friend's can't wait for me to harvest some wild steroid free game so that they can mooch from me. I look forward to their happy face's every year thinking that they will never be hunter's but hopefully they won't be anti-hunter's due to my small part in their live's. Well I've gone on long enough, sorry for being so long winded ! P.S I don't know how actual hunting stories would help your explanation but I have a ton of them if you need them .

huntnmuleys

heres a story for ya.....
was gonna post on this the other day but didnt have time.
this happened last year,
this is a long story.........
me, my brother, and a couple cousins were hunting a particular basin in the high country in wyoming. we split up right away, with me starting lower and working my way up. got to where i was going first, nothing there, started heading up the hill. got to a wallow where i had luck before. thought i had heard a bugle, but it was very windy and i have stood in front of too many rock concert speakers to hear very well. anyway, came into the harem in the thick trees. had cows in front of me, and on both sides, 7 or 8 within about 30 yards. was contemplating shooting one when i saw "him"coming through the trees. when i finally got a real look at those antlers, i knew he had boone and crockett potential. he stopped and stood with 40 yards for about 10 minutes, through some thick trees. dont know how but they never winded me. its neat being in the herd like that, so close to some you can watch them blink and breath. what a beautiful animal. anyway, after 10 minutes or so they started moving off, and i hadnt moved, being pinned down by a couple of the cows the whole time. the herd went over a small rise and i followed, losing them momentarily. finally got my bearing on them and made my silent approach. said a prayer about killing this great bull. spotted him through the trees, standing broadside and looking my way. ranged him. 53 yards, in range. had an opening. didnt shoot. his head was up in the trees and i couldnt see the antlers. even though i was dead sure it was him, because of size and color, i just couldnt make myself shoot without being sure, even though it was my 2nd to the last day. i moved around a bit trying for a glimpse, nothing. finally he moved away, and i never had that look. i know in my heart it was him, and that was my chance at the big one. lost em in the thick stuff and had to move on. he responded to one call, in the wind i couldnt tell where from, and never again. still one of the most awesome things i had ever seen, and no shot. sorta dejected i moved on up the mountain. finally got to where i was going, indian head park. its a huge park near treeline. always elk there. anyway i didnt see anyone, so i sat at the edge of the park to watch. damned if i didnt hear a bugle from the northeast side of the park, in the trees. he was answered by one in the trees to the south. decided i knew the terrain better on the northeast one, so i hiked around them to get the wind right (about 1/4 mile) and snuck in. man i love sneaking in on them, even if there bedded (i know ill catch flack for that, ive never spooked any out of the country doing it though. elk just dont seem to be that weary to me). finally got close, this guy was bugling like crazy, but didnt seem to be moving, just answering or antagonizing that other guy. anyway, i figured to be within 70 or so yards, so i slowly advanced, and spotted him through the trees right on a cow. week before right here me and manboy had witnessed a 340+ bull chasing a cow here. this wasnt him, i figured maybe 320 or so.... a dandy. i usually dont call much, just sneak and i did following the 2 down through what turned out to be about 50 bedded cows, calves, and young bulls, none of which had the faintest foggiest i was in the area. finally the bull started pawing what looked like a wallow. i was within 50 now. thought id make my move to get around a tree for a shooting lane when he bedded down right there, facing me. it wasnt a wallow, just a cozy spot i guess. 45 minutes later we were still in the same damn spot. him bedded slightly quartering to me, facing me the whole time. i watched him through my binos a lot. watched him bugle. watched him just basically do not a thing. when he closed his eyes, and that damn cow wasnt paying attention i tried to make my move, figuring if i could gain like 6 or 7 yards behind this tree id improve my angle for when he got up. at this point something noticed me. she jumped up from my left and took off, taking the herd with me, but they only ran 50 or so yards and started feeding, now on the edge of that big park. for the life of me i dont know how ya only sorta spook an elk. anyway, he was back to bugling, and i could see 2 elk on my right bedded, and figured they must be satalites. i was right, but couldnt close the deal. got within 30 but the angle was wrong. what the hell, its 11:00 am, and im having fun, lets get that big guy. moved around above him on a small ridge in the trees, trying to come down on top of him. was gonna work, but when i peeked over the second time to see where i was, there was a smallish 5x5 walking parallel to me at 45 yards. perfect, hes coming up to a little down log pile, ill draw when he goes behind. just as he gets to it and i almost begin to draw, he turns right at me and comes my way. im not in any kind of hiding spot, but im not on a trail either, just not real dense timber. here he comes, and im figuring yardage the whole way for when he makes that fatal mistake. 35, 30, 25, 15, OMG hes getting close. finally he stops.....about 3 or 4 FEET from me, broadside with his head up. his eye looks like a baseball! i could have stabbed him if the arrow would have been in my hand, not on my undrawn bow. this is WAY too close,and im a bit tense. he stands there for a couple seconds then the big guy bugles, and he swings his head to look back there. now i can see his other eye, still cant draw. bull looks forward again. have you ever noticed just how big one of those friggen animals are at that range...wow. i am just about too scared to breath at this point, and he noticed me. swings his nose around right at me and takes a good look. not sure if i could have got him with a right jab to the nose, maybe could have. i flinched, scared he was gonna take me. he flinched, and turned to run off......thank god! stops at 35 yards and i try a shot, having drawn back when he ran. hit a branch, guess it wasnt meant to be. probably a good thing, i was pretty rattled by now anyway. dont know about you, but sometimes i just get so emotionally drained i have to leave the elk woods, so i did.....left and went to camp. i have NEVER been so scared in my entire life.
in the end, i didnt get my elk that day, but look at everything i saw. you cant put a price tag on that. i know thats an extremely long unbelievable tale, but i promise its 100% true....
sorry for being so long winded, but i tend to get that way when talking about our wild elk.......

hope theres something there you can use in my story, theres things there i take with me everywhere i go everyday.i am truly blessed....

Scanr1

Thank you, I will give you credit.