Alright girls I might have maybe had a couple. Here we go!
So I get back from the morning hunt and crush some homemade cookies and catch me a nap. I wake up around one, casually grab some lunch, and head out.
One chunk of the ranch here had not been grazed all summer. I was planning on some recon through all the water holes to see if anything was moving. Park around 2 and start my walk in. See a lone cow w a calf going in which excites me about the possibilities of something moving. Put it into stealthy but cover a little ground gear. There's a huge wind out of the south that I'm walking into as I hug the brush on the edge of this huge valley.
Get to the first water hole and there's little sign. Which is a bummer because I was hoping this thing would be wrecked. No worries, I have two to go. About half a mile in I see a lone bull napping in the middle of the valley, one giant 6x side jutting up into the sunshine.
Hell yes this is a dead bull. A straight 30 mile wind in my face and plenty of cover I can hug between us. Creep up a little closer and find that he has 20 cows and calves w him, heads of about half are up and looking around.
I think they are probably 80 yards away from the edge of the brush, and my plan is to just climb into cover and head straight to that spot. Big enough wind to cover lots of sound. Takes a good bit of belly crawling and bushwhacking. 20 min later I'm getting close, but by the time I get to my spot they are up and milling around towards the north. Didn't want to risk the wind at all so I head back into the brush and work my way around ahead of them.
This happens a couple times.
I finally commit to a spot above one water hole w a peninsula of brush reaching out towards it. Creep in as the cows come and grab them a drink.
Cows at 75, bull at 115. He is a 6x4, w an awesome 6 side and a completely pedestrian 4. No matter to me because I'm equal opportunity killer and would have committed to a way smaller one. I thought it would be cool to kill him out from under these 40 eyes too. I'm already 1.5 hrs into this chess game stalk and he's not quite in range. I was hoping he would come snag a drink after the cows and fall in behind them as they headed north into the wind. Alas they left out at a faster pace than he liked and he skipped his drink. So up and around I go again, but this time the cows are angling towards me. He gives me broadside at 90 and I am all for it. Draw back and settle. Or try to. I didn't realize I was hanging out into this mondo crosswind until I get my bow up. I think I yanked it as I released the arrow. I miss. Womp freaking womp. Before you roast me too bad...I practice a lot (w broadheads) at distance. He jumps but doesn't quite spook. I roll back into the brush and cow call a couple times to try and settle him. It works but I'm not happy about my shot and am trying to figure out what happened.
Then I hear a splashin in the water back behind me. I'llbedamn there's a bull in there wallowing. Quick glance and I see he's legal (I got an any elk tag...they all legal!!). Looks like 5 or 6 x 2 something interesting.
Someone should have told this dude I shoot the little ones.
Roll back over above him as he's literally laying in the water. Range him at 73. Get set up and wait for him to present me w a shot.
He finally stands up but is still jacking around. A few seconds later he rolls broadside, then quarters away.
I draw back, but the wind is so godawful sideways at this angle. I take time and extra time to really get set and balance into it. Let her rip. Bingo great hit for quartering away and from above him (he was probably 7 yards downhill). He jumps out of the water as I knock another arrow and prepare to whack him again. I can see air and blood flying out of the entrance wound so I count it and pull out my phone to video him as he piles up.
Hot damn a dead one!
Meanwhile this other herd is only 200 yards away. So I immediately hoof it up into the brush and out of the canyon so not to bust them out. We get on them later in the evening but don't get anything done.
Found a piece of my arrow and looks like about 22" of penetration.
I'm happy w that at the angle I tookZ
Shot him at 4:30, finally got my hands on him at 7. Loaded him in the truck true redneck style and he's gonna hang for a delicious few days.
Double bull year baby! I hope to come back up here for rifle season to help put some hunters on some bulls. I might be a one too many drinks in so I can tell you guys, but we're gonna have a baby in march!!! So I have to get all the killing done this fall. I'm pretty sure I can sell one trip next year, but I don't know about anything past that.