I promised you the rest of a hunting story…
I closed my eyes for a couple of hours but didn’t sleep much that night. The morning brought a stiffer wind and to make matters worse; it was swirling all over the place. The animals were far more spooked than the day before. Due to some scheduling conflicts, I needed to head home the next morning, so this day was do or die for me or for the elk (at least I hoped).
From daylight, the bulls were on the move and making lots of noise. Within an hour, we were calling back and forth with them, and it seemed like a dream morning. By noon, we had called four bulls into less than 50 yards but not the one we wanted. It was one of the most amazing mornings spent hunting of my life. I barely noticed the 11 miles I put on my legs climbing up and down the mountain. With elk, you hunt them higher in the morning as they head back up the mountain and lower nearer the pastures in the evening as they move down the mountain to feed.
The afternoon was quiet and offered no good chances and quickly dusk was approaching. Al and I decided to bail on the current spot and set up near a wallow a couple thousand feet down the mountain and try our luck in the last 30 minutes of daylight. As we split up and sat down, we knew this was it.
Almost immediately upon calling, cows began to respond. Then off in the distance, we heard a deep, loud, powerful bugle. It came closer and closer, and we realized the big guy was coming in – the one we’d been waiting for all day. I stood up slowly and nocked an arrow. There he was! Directly above me, coming down the trail. As he came closer, I drew my bow and held it tight for what seemed like an eternity. Time slowed as I waited patiently for him to provide me the broadside angle I needed and then just like that, I let my arrow fly. It hit him perfectly right in the center of his vitals, and he staggered off and fell not far away. I sat, stunned, caught between crying and exploding with happiness and excitement.
Al and I danced around a bit and then I spent the next several hours quartering him out and packing the meat away. As I lay down that night, I felt blessed; I felt fulfilled, and I felt ready to come home and hug my family!
Some hunts we take the trophy and some we don’t. The important thing is never to stop hunting and always stay in The Hunt. When you hunt smart and hunt hard, success is always in season. You just got to be ready for it!
