Over the past few seasons we have been treated to some great trail camera pictures form DJ Rankosky of Montana. He spends a lot of time in the offseason keeping track of wolves, bears and an occasional deer elk or moose with his trail cameras. So with as much time in the outdoors, a rainy day is hardly much incentive to spend another day out chasing elusive elk in the dripping trees and brush.
A rainy midweek day hunt paid off big. Since he had a day off and had fufilled his family obligations that morning he headed out, in the rain , to see if he could bump into a few elk near his home before he had to pick up his kids that afternoon.
Its only a 15 or 20 minute hike up a hill and over the other side, next to a clearcut, where the timber is dark, and elk like it. Perfect timing, as they are probably out of the clearcut and in the timber by now. I hit the timber at about 10:45, and right away see some brown legs, chins, and white rumps going away deeper into the timber(nothing in there eh?). Its wizzing rain and quiet walking. I move in closer, find where a root wad came up creating a little pit to get down in and call. Hopefully a bull comes back for his “lost cow”. Well about 1 minute into calling, a stick snaps directly behind me, downslope. And CLOSE!!
I turn my head to see this bull 15-20 yards down the hill, he startles, and circles downhill about 10 yards, I cow call and he stops, really wanting to see a cow I am sure. Broadside, ummmmm, 30 yards give or take a couple. Tree on the left, tree on the right, branch high, branch low, perfectly framing the ribcage on this bull. I somehow weasel around to a shooting position, and get drawn. And I let her go!! The fletching disappears but the bull leaves the “window”, not sure how the shot went. I cow call again, and hop out of my pit. The bull circles downhill 40 yards more and is just standing there. Thinking, drop, fall, die, do something(other than bolt down this steep freaking slope all the way to the creek. Then his rump starts sagging, and he lurches over backwards and expires. Yeahhh!!!!!
It wasn’t your typical big country western hunt with the spike camps and gear and such…
But it is a nice bull on public land filled with wolves and griz. I guess it kind of shows, you just have to keep putting yourself out there no matter how bleak it seems, you will find that bull that is just out of his mind enough to trick.
