OK team. I have a few min to crash course recap. I got no pictures.
Headed up on the 28th solo and met two buddies in De Beque. They both had deer and elk tags, and I only had the elk. Same place we hunted last year so we were pretty familiar with it. I had a pretty charmed week and got into elk every time I went out. Notable encounters were a non legal bull running straight into a cow call and over the top of me and then standing there barking at me for 30 min wrecking the whole evening. No hesitation if he was legal he would have gotten one in the chest. Had a great big bull come in from the only direction I wasn't anticipating, and his next two steps would have put him in my lap.
Third evening I told one buddy we were going to kill him a bull. I was committed to letting him whack one. So we work our way down into this hole that we reckoned some elk would be in and settled in for a while. After I bit I gave a couple soft cow calls, and we just sat tight.
20 min later, a bull was cresting the hill across from us. He was about 400 yards out, and we were set up on the side hill across from the one he was coming down. Told my buddy to stay put because I figured he was going to make his way straight to us. I was about 20 yards behind/above him. Bull was casually meandering down to us, and twice when he stuck his head in the brush and seemed disinterested I gave one little mew.
It takes him about 10 min to make his way down. Seemed like a hell of a lot longer, it was cool to watch him come in like this. When he was about 70 yards from my partner, two other small bulls (legal) come out to our left. They get the first bulls attention and he started side-hilling towards them, away from us. A couple calls has him turn and take a few steps our way, but he sees the other elk, and don't see no stinking cow where these noises are coming from. It is about this time I start considering shooting him, because I have a better position and can shoot further than my compadre. Then to my surprise he looses one!
Over him.
He was a little closer than I figured... 50 yards. I give a couple chirps to settle him down again at 60, where another arrow is flung!
Over him.
More mews from where I'm at in the brush and he stops again broadside wondering wtf is going on. I then decide that you've had your shot ol son. And a follow up. But I didn't even have my bow in my hand. So I snake over to it, range him, knock and arrow, and fling one 90 yards. (sort of over the top of my buddy. but it was steep enough there wasn't no danger...chill out). Hit home, and I start calling again. I see blood pouring out the hole through my binos so I chalk him up as dead, and focus over on the little ones to my left. We didn't end up double up as all the other bulls were suspicious. I felt bad for poaching my friends elk from right in front of him, but it turns out after he shot his second arrow he was whisper-yelling 'shoot him, shoot him!'...I just couldn't hear him. I think the thrill of watching him come in had him white knuckling his bow, and we all know what that will do.
We heard him crash in the oak brush a few min later, and went to get some help before we started the search.
Got him chopped up and out of there in a lightning storm (thank goodness it didn't start raining till we were done at 11).
The next night same friend and I go to a different spot, encounter the aforementioned big bull in our lap. Later, we heard some horn crashin, and stalked up on two bulls.
I ranged the spot I figured they'd be in front of us at and whispered '60 yards, its 60 yards.' To which my buddy responded 'do I use my 50 or 60 pin?' Keep in mind there are two bulls within 70 yards of is while we're having this conversation. I know I gave him such an epic wtf you ****** look, I wish we had it on camera. 'I said hes 60, use your 60.' Fairly certain there were some expletives in there. My mind just assumed he was enjoying some day before double elk miss PTSD and had no confidence, even though that morning everyone shot and it was determined his equipment was fine. It turns out he thought I said 'its 50 or 60' so he's not mentally deficient I guess.
Bull steps out, I stop him broadside. And he flings one! Perfect shot...I could not have put my finger on a better spot to stick an arrow. Bull runs up the hill a little ways and is hurt bad. Wasn't a chance to get a follow up shot so my friend pulls his phone out and starts filming, fully expecting him to pile up . It takes the bull a few minutes to make it 200 yards into the brush, with a couple stumbles. Got a good 15" of penetration. When he makes it into the brush we go get compadre B because there is an elk to be cut up. Make it back a bit after dark...and cannot find him. I would have bet the farm he was piled up just inside the brush. Trail him for 300 yards in the godawful oak brush before the blood plays out. Search till midnight and most of the next day, to no avail.
Sometimes they just decide to not die. He may be dead somewhere, but I can't believe he made it as far as he did on the blood trail.
Womp freaking womp. What a let down.
During the day we spent time searching for bedded bucks, and found a few and we flagged some stalks. But that brush is no joke. They both ended up killing nice bucks, but I wasn't there for either. For the first one I was taking a nap, and for the second one I had headed to NM to kill an antelope and then back to work.
In NM I had one day to hunt, so I brought a rifle as well. Busted my but crawling around in the rocks to get within range of a nice buck I liked. Finally got a shot at him at nearly noon. 77 yards. I missed hilariously low. Only thing I can think is I misranged. I don't mind admitting a miss, but this wasn't even in the ballpark. He trotted back to 125ish so I put the pow pow on him and had him hanging at the processor in an hour.
I'm headed back up there Sunday to kill an elk. And let me tell you, the boss lady ain't happy.
I always say I'm going to take more pictures.
