THE STRANGEST ELK HUNT EVER!
| Bows - Compound Bows |
It seems that everywhere I go, I am surrounded by a world of golfers. They can’t understand why I would want to go into the mountains and sit in a tree stand in sub-zero temperatures and wait for the golden opportunity and the shot of a life time. I try to explain the thrill, the adrenaline rush, and the excitement but it all falls on deaf ears. They would prefer to dawn on a pair of shorts and some golf cleats and stay in the sun. So let me tell you about my most recent hunt…They call it the late season extended archery hunt. The hunt is actually a method to keep the elk off the highways in the early winter months. It is a safety issue. The archers push the animals back into safer habitat and we don’t kill as many animals, as when they first utilized this method with guns. It just seems more humane than to hunt the elk with high-powered rifles and scopes when they are wading in snow up to their knees. We would like to think of it as “fair chase.” My golfing friends would like to think I’m completely nuts! I’ve have literally sat in 18 degrees below zero weather. When I think back, I’m pretty sure that either my bow or my bones would have cracked if I would have tried to pull my bow back in those freezing temperatures.
First of all, by sheer trial and error, I’ve figured out that you need the proper attire. I purchased some good under garments that protect me in sub-zero temperatures. Really good boots are also critical. Then I put a wool sweater on and two hand-warmers in my pocket. I only wear a little wool glove on one hand. I buy the one-size-fits-all at Wal-Mart for $1.50. I actually put both gloves on my bow hand. Then I nock an arrow and lean the bow into my body; keeping it vertical. I found out that if you lay the bow across your lap, you can’t get to a full draw without getting busted by the animal. I put both hands in my pocket with the hand warmers. I stay nice and warm and I hold perfectly still. I use my eyes to watch for animals and not my head. It seems the less you move, the more successful you can be. One more note: A really good scent eliminator is key. These animals will be five to 15 yards away when they come in and if they smell human, you’ve blown your opportunity - if they come in at all.
If you have done your homework and you have spent some time scouting, you will have your stand or ground blind in a good spot on the trail. You should also have an idea when the best times to sit in each spot. Funny thing, you don’t always need the expensive ground blinds or tree stands to be successful. For the last two archery hunts, I’ve left the ground blind and the decoy at home!
Let me tell you about the craziest hunt of my life. The late season elk archery hunt started in the middle of November. Most of the land is private and I’ve had a hard time finding a place to hunt. There is a little public ground, but people came to visit every night. I could even hear someone shooting a rifle at regularly spaced intervals right during the peak hunting evening hours. I didn’t let it stop me. I had to drive a treacherous road all by myself. It had a little hill to climb, a sharp cliff and even a big boulder to avoid. It took almost an hour to change clothes and get to my hunting spot each night. I didn’t take my ground blind because it was public property and I didn’t want to lose it. I just had a little chair under a tree. I would set up about 4:30 each night and stay until dark. Night after night, I kept it up. The temperatures would dip to 18 degrees and I would still be there waiting for an elk. My tag allowed me to harvest any elk. I was really hoping that a big bull elk would wander into the area.
One week before the hunt ended, six elk came into the stand. There was one spike bull and the rest were all cows and calves. I couldn’t make myself shoot. I really wanted a big bull elk so I passed on the shot and hoped I wouldn’t regret it later.
It was the last night of the hunt. It was New Year’s Eve and it was a Blue Moon. That means that for the second time of the same month, there was a full moon. It was beautiful. I didn’t have a single drop of hope that I would see an elk. There were no tracks. I tried to talk myself into going home and curling up in front of the warm fireplace, but for some reason, the hunter in me wouldn’t let me quit. I was only there for half an hour, when a calf elk came bounding into the tree stand. I drew back cautiously and let the arrow fly. The elk was only 15 yards away, and it heard the bow and ducked underneath what would have been a lethal arrow. I couldn’t believe it. I was trying to decide if I should go home because surly the calf would alert the herd and they were all in another canyon miles away by now. But for some reason, I still couldn’t make myself leave. About 20 minutes later, I saw movement through the trees. Legs! Another elk was fast approaching. I sat still. The elk circled around and came out right in front of me, only five feet away! She was cautious and alert. She walked slowly right past me. As soon as she was completely past, I drew back and picked a spot on the elk. The arrow flew out of the bow and SMACK! I stayed still. My heart was racing. I waited about ten minutes and couldn’t stand it any more. I wanted to see if I had a blood trail. I took a couple steps away from the tree, and turned. There she was! She had only ran about 20 yards and bedded down. I went immediately back to my little chair and waited some more. Before too long, I was so excited that I shivered as if I had hypothermia. I decided to slip out and get some help. I was sneaking in a new trail with snow up to my thighs as I made my way to the truck. I drove back to my house and waiting for my husband to get off work. I called my brother-in-law and a good friend. They both came right over. By then, my husband was home. We wasted no time getting back to the elk. It should be easy work. We could easily drive right to where I had left her and load her into the back of the pickup.
When we got back to the elk, we parked in the same place and I slipped back into the tree stand. But the elk was gone! How could that be? I know that I didn’t scare her when I left. I called the folks on my radio and told them to come on in, and that we would be tracking the elk instead. As we approached the bed where I had left her, we could see two big mountain lion tracks in the bloody bed. The only weapon we had, was my bow. By now, it was almost 11 p.m. and although the moon was really bright, it did little to help any archer.
 |
 |
We continued to follow the bloody elk tracks. I had cut a main artery and there was a lot of blood. The big cat trailed back and forth across the tracks. At several points, you could see where the cat was leaping almost ten feet. His tail was swishing a wide path and you could even see the claw marks as the big animal fell back into the snow. Two times, the cat had pulled the elk to the ground and the elk had pulled away. You could see a tangle in some bitter brush as the elk fought for her life. The hair on the back of our necks was standing on end. We knew we were close to the mountain lion. Then we found my elk. The cat had finally drug it down and began to feast on the tender meat. I do believe that we interrupted his dinner and the thought gave us all a chill to the bone. We cleaned the elk and left the entrails in a big pile next to the elk. Then we came back early the next morning. Sure enough, the cat had come back to his meal and finished off the gut pile, but thankfully, he left the meat for me. We had some friends bring up snowmobiles and drag the elk back to the original resting place. The rest was just a matter of lugging it into the back of the pickup. What a strange and exciting hunt! It won’t be forgotten for a long, long time.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
