The bull was getting closer, and I started to see flashes of brown in the trees below me. Ron held back and urged me to slowly work my way forward. We could hear the bull bugling in the meadow below the clearing, so we slowly crept in that direction while keeping the wind in our faces. The plan was to get between the elk and their bedding area, and only to rely on calling if absolutely necessary to get the bull into bow range. This time we were chasing a 7x7 bull that we had glassed one evening before dark. September 2015 found me again hunting with Ron. Eventually, we ran out of light as my hunt came to an end. Try as we might, we could not get closer than 100 yards of that bull. He knew where they were going, and before long I was watching the bull herd his cows in a meadow that was surrounded by thick timber. Once the bull left with his harem of cows, Ron hatched a plan. On the last night of my hunt, we saw the “wallow” bull 100 yards away as we watched him from the pickup truck. On several occasions, we had cattle spook and stampede toward the elk, ultimately ruining our stalk.ĭuring my hunt in 2014, we were after a 300-inch-plus bull that had been infrequently visiting a wallow Ron was monitoring with trail cameras. The cattle have free range over the entire area, and they are often found with the elk. The area is a mixture of Douglas fir trees that have been managed for decades for their timber value, and meadows and pastures where the landowners graze herds of cattle. He has built many of the service roads on the thousands of acres that he has under lease, and he knows the area like the back of his hand. Ron is a semiretired logger who has lived and hunted in that area all his life. I was hunting the famous “Sixes” unit along the Oregon Coast with Ron Hofsess of Avery Mountain Ranches. The above-mentioned hunt took place in September 2014. Thus, it was only fitting for these elk to thereafter be known as “Roosevelt’s” elk. Due to a steep decline in their population in the early 1900s, Theodore Roosevelt established Olympic National Park in Washington State to protect the elk and enable the herd to eventually grow into the huntable populations that we enjoy today. The Roosevelt’s elk is the largest of the subspecies. The Pope and Young Club recognizes three species of elk in North America - Rocky Mountain, Tule, and Roosevelt’s. Lesson Number Two: Draw your bow when the bull can’t see you. Be sure of the range before releasing an arrow. Lesson Number One: Roosevelt’s elk are big, and they can look closer than they really are as a result. The bull bolted, and I watched my arrow fly harmlessly into the brush below the elk. I guessed the yardage at 40, and released the arrow. He caught the movement of the bow and hesitated. When the bull hit the opening, I came to full draw. He was coming in so fast, that I had little time to set up and range some landmarks. I could see the white tips of the bull’s antlers getting closer as he neared an opening in the thick brush.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |