No, I didn't sneak up this close behind an elk this season; it's a decoy that Dad and I use while we're calling during the archery season. However, a couple of weeks ago we did get a young raghorn bull to come within 5 yards of me. We were hunting west of town, in an undisclosed location, and essentially scouting for the opening of the rifle season in a week. There wasn't a lot of elk sign to speak of and moral was pretty low. Dad suggested that we just hike to the top of the ridge to look over the other side. Close to the top we got into a pretty elky looking area in an open lodgepole stand. For one last hurrah, we decided to set up and pretend like we were really hot cows.
I can tell you that I didn't take this call very seriously: I didn't even take off my pack to call and we didn't set up the decoy. So it really took me by surprise when I heard movement off to my right and suddenly saw a bull elk running toward me (Dad later said that he thought it weird that I was throwing rocks down the hill, but assumed I was just acting like a small herd. He unfortunately never saw the elk). The bull stopped to look around about 30 feet away directly on the opposite side of a big alder bush from me. There was nothing that I could do except freeze, helpless with an arrow nocked but unable to draw back my bow. He could choose to walk around the bush either way and was looking right at me, so my only hope was to wait for him to walk by me and hope for a shot at him walking away. After what seemed like an eternity of my heart throbbing in my throat and struggling to breath as little as possible, the bull made his way around the bush directly in front of me within about 5 yards. Then he saw me, sensed my shape or color didn't "fit" and jumped back behind the bush. I was able to draw when he dashed behind the bush but didn't have a shot. He wasn't completely spooked because he didn't run away, but deliberately moved down the hill never stopping within bow range.
I feel very blessed to have two bulls within bow range in my first year of bow hunting. It's frustrating to have been so close and not have an animal in the freezer but I have to realize that I have a lot to learn about bowhunting and hopefully a lot of opportunities awaiting me in the future. We're going to be back at it come next September with a vengeance.
Rifle Season Opener
Last Saturday was the first day of the general rifle season here in Montana, and we got out and about in elk country with our "thundersticks." It was huge mental shift for me switching from a bow to a rifle, trying to wrap my head around the concept that you can conceivably shoot something further than 30 yards away. We biked in several miles before it got light hoping to get up high just as the animals were moving back into cover for the day.
We didn't see anything except several groups of mule deer does, although were encouraged by the amount of sign: rubs and droppings. Yet again, we covered a lot of ground and saw some amazing country. The hunting is always good, but we have been lacking in the harvesting of big-game animals the past month and a half (I do have to remember that we have been slaying grouse with our bows). It's tough when success is measured in actually killing an animal and not in the day to day experiences we have while out in the woods taking our bows or rifles for a walk.
Near the end of the day, it started raining on us and a fog rolled in. We decided we had some time to kill before moving to the area we wanted to be for the evening hunt so we set up a "flying-diamond" tarp, built a warming fire to practice our survival skills, and took an hour long nap. It's always fun to feel like you can take care of yourself in the case of an actual emergency.
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