My archery Elk

[Duck-Slayer]

My story begins with a dismal Labor Day opening weekend with the city folk up for there last hurah and the opening of the bear season with hound hunters running there dogs all over.... I lasted 3 days of the 5 day hunt and decided it wasn't going too happen, I did manage too call in an elk too 10 yards but could not see it due too the think brush.... and passed on a doe Mule deer at 30 yards, it had a little one with it.....

Fast forward too Sept. 18 after alot of packing I headed back too elk camp for the last 9 days of the season, my hunting partner Adam joined me as well, was an uneventful scouting trip that evening, the following day we looked around for fresh sign and too where the elk have been recently, found some sign from the previous night, it rained every day we were up there so it was fairly easy too see where the elk have been and have not, that evening we sat at a spring and eventually eased up the logging road and set up too call, like a rookie we called and waited 5 minutes or so and decided too move up alittle further so we could see more area, well mistake, as we eased forward a couple cows coming up the road busted us, game over.... after we got busted we went back too another drainage, as we came around the first corner we looked across the canyon too find 2 cows that we could see a spike kinda making a noise and a 6 point bull screaming his head off, there was also another spike and a large 5 point on our side a way's above us screaming back at the big 6, we watched till dark and found that another person had found them as well, they were alittle farther up on the ridge.. so we went back too camp and made a plan for the next morning........

the next morning we awoke and brought along my other buddy Tony, we found that the main herd had moved and the other guys were working the big 5, we than crossed the canyon over too where the herd was the previous evening so too have a better vantage point on the big 5, well the other hunters just had a bugling contest with the big 5 until he decided it was getting warm and he moved too some dark timber on the back side of the mountain, we than pretty much scrapped the morning hunt and checked out a few bedding area's, trails, and water points, since we had never been in this particular canyon before,

that evening we made the hike up and around too where we saw the big 5 disappear into some dark timber/brush mix, we went half way up and sat and glassed the other side of the canyon until we were sure the thermals were going down hill, we than set up too call blind after we got too where we thought he could hear us, first session I decided too let Adam try and kill his first elk with a bow, we had the spike come in silent the wrong direction, so we moved slightly I called him in again but came in wrong..... we moved again, called him in for the 3rd time this time he came in fine but my buddy was on the wrong side of the tree.... he moved off..... well during this event the big 5 moved in too about 100 yards of me and 50 from Adam, so we were going back and forth with bugles and my occasional cow call..... and the spike comes back for a 4th time..... from a different direction and winds Adam this time and took off down the hill away from the big 5, well all in all it was great, but we ran out of daylight and as we walked away in the dark he was destroying a tree and bugling at us..... grrrrrrrrrr...... this was Sat. evening.....

Sunday the elk pretty much had enough and moved out of that canyon so we thought.... so we pretty much just carried our bows around and got some exercise....

Monday we needed a break so we went too a different unit where his dad and 3 of his friends were hunting, we also needed too get a flat tire fixed, we were coming back through the nearest town and found we had a 2nd flat, so we stopped at the store and got 4 more cans of fix a flat.... used 1 in that tire.... got back too camp and the next morning found we had a 3rd flat tire.... grrrrr used 2 more cans of fix a flat in the morning darkness..... Adam decided too take his Jeep back too the valley and get new/better tires.... and I left tues. morning and hunted by myself, I found a cow bedded in the middle of a steep brushy draw, tried too move in on her but that wasn't happening the thermals were swirling like crazy as I only got 150 yards away and didn't want too spook her, started walking up the mountain and too my surprise that cow "I think" was trying too be sneaky and sneak out of that drainage in front of me, but she cut up the mountain in the wrong place and we intercepted each other at 25 yards and I put the smack down on her, it was great, I'm not picky, I go for freezer filling..... and it was day 5, perfect quartering slightly toward me and punched one lung and her liver, man they bleed like crazy when you hit the liver(first liver shot), she ran 70 yards and laid down and expired, her calf ran off while I was walking up, it did not want too leave, got within 30 yards before it had enough... it wasn't too bad of pack, about 80 yards too the trail, as I was walking up a logging road.... so I was able too get my 4 wheeler close since I was by myself, also this is the worst weather I have ever been in, while I was quartering her a storm rolled in, not just any storm, 30 mph winds, rain, hail, snow, thunder, and the most freaky lighting i've ever been close too, I served 6 years in the army as a tank driver, so I know loud, the lightening was hitting so close it was louder than the 120 mm canon on the tanks going off, I was scared sh!!less, first ever while being in the mountains, I feel lucky too not have gotten hurt or even killed on the pack/ride out.... that freak'n mountain weather is crazy, here are a few pictures from my adventure.....
Matt















This was a mistake taking this picture, here is where I though I was going too get struck, I was parked under a overhanging pine tree, and you can see the ground is wet from the rain snow mix, the hale started after I started riding back too camp,

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[curt69]

Thanks for sharing your hunt . Looks like some good eating .
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[idahoron]

Great job! Ron
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[Mac7]

Nice congrats on the cow.
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[pardof16]

Hey, been following your posts, mostly because I love to ice fish perch!!!!! haven't caught one as big as the one in your picture, but have done well. I was wondering if you knew anything about the late archery hunt in unit 55. I'm originally from Grand View just south of Mountain Home but retired from the air force this last January here in Utah. Some I'm currently stuck with these Utah drivers!!!!!! I hunted elk and deer during the archery up in unit 59 and have a deer tag I would like to fill. Was thinking of that either sex hunt in 55, and it's close to my home in Morgan, Ut. any info would be great or just a point in the right direction.
thanks
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[Duck-Slayer]

is the boundary between 54-55 the highway that goes down too utah? if so I may know a spot... I can't really tell from the f&g zone map but I will look alittle more, I have never hunted there but i'm pretty good at finding those hidden gem spots off of a map.... nice bull by the way, one of these day's i'll hold out for a branch antlered bull, but i'm not picky, I like elk steaks too much too pass up spike's and cows..... especially with archery equipment, and yes those big perch through the ice are awesome.... I love it too, all about refining you technique and spots, I found all 4 2+ lber's off of a map and than refined that particular spot.... I just use my archery map and locating skill for ice fishing, same principals.....
Matt
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