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

The last good archery kill bull elk was three years ago for me. The wind was perfect. I found a herd of elk feeding in a open spot of timbered hillside. I got to the side of them & cow called after they had passed by well out of range. The herd bull came straight to my call & I stuck him @ 12-yards.
This hunt had more highs than lows.
High point, Finding elk in the open & having the wind just right.
High point Stalking to one side of them while they were feeding.
Low point They all passed by out of range.
High point I waited to cow call until I figured the herd bull was about 100-yards away. He came straight back at a trot to pick up his lost cow.
Ultimate high point He turned broadside @ 12-yards, stood there & bugled. I released & herd the deep thump of the arrow hitting him just behind the left shoulder.

Thae last one I shot was a gift and one of the strangest things thats happened to me in the huntng fields. I was hunting on a friends Ranch in Wyoming. I drove down this fire road to get to a meadow that I wanted to stake out near a water hole. I stopped to open a gate and was about to drive through when this Bull Elk came walking down the trail. I had my Contender in 35 Remington in the cab. I took it out of the pistol case and put a shell in the chamber and laid down on the ground in the gate opening. The Bull was intent on watching something that I couldn't see off to his right. He walked to within 70 Yards and was still walking when I pulled the trigger. It hit him in the center of the chest and he dropped in his tracks. To this day I don't know why he never even looked my way. Maybe he had cought a scent off in the distance. Anyway I don't expect I will ever bag one that easily again. About an hour later the land owner who had heard the shot came out with a couple horses to see how I was doing. Tghat hunt was over. I rember thinking when is he going to look this way then head for the north forty.