Taxidermy artist Forest Farnsworth of International Big Game Studio with my 2010 California Tule Elk

Around Halloween I called my taxidermist, Forest Farnsworth , of International Big Game Studio and he informed me my cape was back from the tannery. I delivered the antlers and he promised I’d have the finished product before Christmas.
This week he left a message that my mount was ready to pick up.

After a 30 mile drive home and more than a few glances on the highway (and one thumbs up), My wife and daughters picked the perfect spot for him.

You notice he has a short “summer coat” rather than a long heavy neck mane. His antlers aren’t dark like my Wyoming bulls who polished their tips on burned pine trees. In fact they are dry, and seem to gather a light alkali dust. This surely has something to do withthe dry desert environment and the mineral deficiencies that make these tule elk’s antlers more prone to breakage.

I will admit, I never thought I would ever mount a 240 inch bull elk, and I never thought the first elk I would have mounted would be from California. But the memory of the epic hunt will last forever…

One of these characters was Eric Eidam.  This native of Pendleton Oregon is now a firefighter on the West side of the state.  In his time off he is an avid hunter, and shared this photo of his 2011 archery elk from Oregon.

Eric just returned from British Columbia with a  Canada moose with a 48 inch wide antler spread.  At a glance I’m guessing that this bull may be close to book.  If that wasn’t exciting enough, he averted a disaster when his group was charged by a mean tempered grizzly.

To be honest I was shocked he was that young.

Hee I am with my father Paul and what I now know is a 3 year old Wyoming Bull elk.

Matt Morris and his father DeWitt pose with Matt's 5x6 bull elk from Wyoming.

Matt was the first hunter in our camp to fill his tag during the General Wyoming Elk Season. On opening day evening, I heard the first shot, and a second later I heard a second shot. Even as far away as I was it sounded like a solid hit, with a finisher. The bull fell in his tracks and never knew what hit him. The 30-06 that Matt used was also used when his younger brother killed his first elk.

While this is Matt’s first elk, he is an accomplished bowhunter as well and has harvested numerous whitetails, turkeys and waterfowl in his lifetime. He is raising his son to appreciate the outdoors as well.

Rich got a nice elk as well. I’m sure we will hear the full story in a hunting magazine somewhere in the future!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilyi3UGDrqE

It was an epic hunt to be sure. More than words can express. I’ve put together a slide show with music by Dave Stamey to give an idea of what all went into this Adventure.

We had mild weather to start that changed to a nasty snowstorm that we had to pack camp out in. We were 11 miles from the ranch with 7 of us in camp.

DAY 1
We (Tony, Dad, Colby and I) packed in Camp on Five packhorses. 11 miles. Elk bugled us to sleep.

DAY 2
Colby and I rode out with the five horses to bring in the three Morris boys (Dee and Sons Matt and Jase- short for James Thomas) 11 miles.

DAY 3
Packed 3 horses and the Morris’s rode 3 into camp. 11 miles. The elk serenaded us again.

DAY 4
We hunted. Covered 15.25 miles on horseback.
Chased a bugling bull in the evening that another group of hunters bumped before I could get in sight of the bull and his cows.
Matt Morris killed a bull this night, a nice 5x6.

DAY 5
Went to the other side of the basin before daylight. Tied the horses and hiked in ½ mile where a cow elk barked at us. I answered with a cow call and hunkered down.
As shooting light came we could make out the cow who was boring holes in us with her eyes trying to see what we were. The bull stepped out of the rocks and trees at 30 yards. I saw branch antlers, put the crosshairs behind the shoulder and fired.
The muzzle flash blinded me. The bull was dead 150 yards away with a double lung shot from my .300 Win Mag.
Dad brought the saddle horses and we quartered and packed the bull back to camp before Colby and Tony got out to pack in Matt’s bull from the night before. We covered 5 miles that morning. We spent the midday Fishing.

I accompanied Dad and Colby on an evening hunt in the rain for another 4 miles. (9 for the day)
Jase shot a bull that night. Another 5x6.

DAY 6
Matt and I packed out our bulls with 4 pack horses to the ranch 11 miles.

DAY 7
Matt and I packed feed back into camp on 3 pack horses. 11 miles .

DAY 8
We packed the Morris’s and Tony out to the ranch along with Jases bull. 11 miles. Weather was getting colder and the clouds were stacking up. Dad Missed a bull that morning.

DAY 9
We (Colby Dad and I) rode back into camp with 6 empty horses as the rain became snow. 11 miles

DAY 10
Woke up to 18 inches of snow in camp. Collapsed Tony’s tent and the canopy over the kitchen area. We packed all of camp onto 5 horses and put an extra riding saddle on horse #6. Left Camp at 11:30 am and arrived back at the Ranch around 3:00 pm to everyone’s relief.

Total Mileage for the 10 days…112.25 miles

Well, we drew. So now begins the focused preparation for the upcoming out of state trip.

This also means I can start growing the “hunting hair” goatee that has been my trademark for the past seven years.

Stay tuned for updates, but it looks like at least one week in September or October is blocked out…

David Bormann went to Wyoming for an Archery Elk Hunt, where he succeeded in arrowing this nice five point bull.   David was nice enough to send his hunting log from the eight days he pursued these wily critters.    I think it gives a great insight to what it takes to be successful on Western big game. 

2010 WY. ELK HUNT
Sept 21st – 28th
Day #1
Get to camp area set up stuff. Go out and glass and listen for elk the first evening. I spotted a small 5pt and a few cows a mile across a wooded draw.

Day #2
Head out to glassing area. Spot a good 5pt bull with a smaller 5pt a spike and a few cows working up a draw. Checked wind and headed to other side of draw to try and catch up to them and work in for a set-up. Got to the bottom of draw crossed a creek and was going to head across a 100yd sagebrush open area to get to the trees. After getting 40yds into the open BAM at the top of the hill stands the smaller 5pt looking down in my direction.

I froze and got down and try to look like a sage bush. He ran straight to me turned broadside at 30yds and headed to my left down to the creek. As soon as he got 20yds to my left he caught my wind and turned and headed back to where he came from. No clean shot on him.

I then headed up the draw to try and get onto the bigger 5pt. After getting 2/3 up the draw I spotted 3 cows got within 40yds and set up called got a response from a bull but he headed away from me with his cows. I continued up the draw the bull would bugle every few minutes so he was easy to locate. I ended up on a nice bench wind was good. The bull was about 80 yds away.

Set the decoy started moving up when he stepped out and started bugling his head off at the decoy. I did not get to move to the spot I wanted only got about 10yds ahead of the decoy.

He ended up 60yds away and would not come any closer. But he was not the 5pt. this was a good 6pt with very dark horns. I did spot the 5pt another 40yds above him and after 20 min. of bugling and calling they headed back into the very thick cover. The wind was now changing. I decided to back out and try again the next day.

Day #3
Headed to the same area I saw the bulls and glassed. Did not see or hear anything. I made my way up to the bench I was on the day before and thought I would just set up and see what would happen. Sat for a few hrs and called a bit. No response. I decided to head out and find a high spot to glass a new area. Temp was around 75. Saw nothing

Day #4
I went to a different area at day light to glass and listen. I heard what sounded like a good bull a few hundred yards down into a wooded draw. Wind was bad so I had to try and get to the other side and work in from it.

An hour later got into some real thick heavy cover. At this point I had no idea if he was still around had not heard anything for an hour. I cow called and bam he responded only 50 to 60 yds away in the thick stuff.

I knocked an arrow and was ready heard a bit of noise and sounded like it was headed away and above me. I then headed back around the thick stuff to get the wind better and found a small clearing with a bog in it.

Wind was good, set up called got a response but he did not show himself and stopped responding after a few minutes. After another ½ hr. a coyote came into the clearing from his side. I did not get a shot at the coyote either.

Found a high spot to glass for the rest of the day and evening. Right at dark from the thick cover out came the bull he was a nice heavy 5×6 with about 20 cows and they headed up and over the next ridge.

Day #5
Found a hill to sit and glass. I spotted 2 spikes and a cow down low by a water hole next to some heavy timber. Could hear a bull in the heavy timber and thought I would head down and across the sage flat to the edge and try and draw him out.

After arriving at the wooded area it was a lot thicker than it appeared from the hill. I set up along the edge where I would be able to get a shot and started to call softly.

I could hear cows inside the woods and figured where there are cows there will be a bull. After an hour or so a cow stepped out just 12yds from me and walked past me and headed back into woods. I did here the bull but he was about 100yds in and the wind got bad so I just backed out and headed back to the hill top to glass and listen.

Today was another hot day. What happened next was one of the coolest things I have seen in the wild to this date. A small group of antelope was feeding down below me in the sage about 170yds out. Things had been slow so I started watching them. All of a sudden the whole group scattered like a bomb went off in the middle of them. I figured a coyote spooked them. When I glassed down at them I spotted a large lion standing there.

I wish I would have seen him try and get one of the antelope but just watching him for the next 40 min was awesome. He would look around then get low to the ground and start to sneak through the sage it is amazing how quick you can loose him even when you know he is there. After I lost him for good it was about time to hike out of the area in the dark.

After a few steps one starts thinking how hungry is that cat? Could he be hunting me? It made for an interesting hike out.

Day #6
I traveled to a different area today that was more remote and steep. Glassed and listened at dawn and heard 2 bulls. Spotted one at the very top he was a broken 5pt. did not see the other bull but he was bugling his head off. So I headed in his direction.

 On the way to him I ran into two spikes. It took awhile for them to make their way back into cover for me to continue. The bull was still blowing every few minutes. I worked my way into him. I got within 60yds or so of him. Wind was good.

I popped the decoy cow called and moved ahead. Out he came. He was a very nice 6×6 about a 290 class bull. He was headed along a trail 20yds below me that headed to my decoy. I got ready. Now he is about 18 yards away and stops to bugle.

He is locked onto the decoy. He only has to take 5 more steps for me to draw and then 3 more for me to let an arrow go. He stood there looking at the decoy and let out another bugle. (My knees are shaking now) After a few minutes (seemed like an hour) the wind swirled he caught my scent and spun around and headed back the way he came.

 WOW. I then head back up to the top to watch and listen again. This was another day with temps around 75. By 10:30 or so each day the elk would find a dark hole and shut up for the day.

Day #7
I headed to the deep hole again. I heard 2 bulls bugling back and forth on the other side of the large bowl so I headed in their direction. Both bulls were near the top. I did not want them to go over, that meant another hill to climb to get one out. I came to the end of the trees and saw a 5pt about 40yds in front of me heading over the top. I quickly set up and cow called.

He stopped, bugled back and kept going. I then started to skirt the top ridge towards where the other bull had been bugling. Out in front of me at the top I saw a few cows feeding in the open. They were about 75yds above me. I could here the bull but not see him.

After calling a few times and him responding I finally spotted him. He was bedded 65yds right above me. I could see his cows feeding while he just laid and bugled. It was the broken 5pt. He was a very heavy 5pt on one side and broken off after his second point on the other. He was facing away from me watching his cows.

I started to close in on him one small crawling step at a time. Got within 30yrds and got ready for him to stand up for the shot. After a few minutes he did stand but all he showed me was his butt then he walked over the top. The rest of the day was the same as the others. Nothing after about 11:00.

Day #8
I went to the same area today. Started to glass and listen did not see or here anything in the bowl but over the ridge in the next draw/bowl I heard a bull. I headed to a good vantage point to glass and listen.

I could here 3 different bulls blowing at each other. While glassing in the left side of the bowl I spotted a big 6pt bull in a park headed away from me. He looked to be a very good bull about a 320 class. The wind was bad and I did not think I would be able to catch up to him. So I went after the other two on the right side of the bowl.

I stood looking at the hell hole I was about to go down into and thought to myself well If I do get one down in there I have 2 days to get him out. Down I went towards the noise of what sounded like the bigger bull. After I started to close in on him he headed away from me and the wind was now changing to his favor. I decided to turn around and head after the other bull.

I moved farther up the mountain and skirted the hillside about ½ ways up. I was getting to within about 400yds or so of where I had been hearing the other bull when from above me came 3 cows and a spike running down across in front of me and ran past me on a trail 40yds below me. As they went by I heard a bull above them bugle at them and he started to follow.

I knocked an arrow and was ready for a 40yrd shot below me. The bull was coming but decided to take a trail 15yds above me. He was going to come right past me only 15yds away broadside. I did not have time to look him over but could see that he was a branched bull. He was watching his cows running ahead and below him and was bugling at them and following them. He went behind a few trees and I drew my bow.

He stopped above me a bit to my felt and bugled to his cows. I put my pin on him looked like I had a clear sight picture but could see that my arrow would hit a pine branch if I shot. He was a bit quartering to me so I held and waited for him to go a little further to my right. He started going now he is straight above me I have a clear shooting window.

I have to lean way back to get things to line up because of the steep angle. A cow call stops him in his tracks I release an arrow and hear the THWACK and see my arrow is deep inside him behind his shoulder only the fletching is showing.

He runs along the trail back to my right. WOW that happened fast. I did not have time to think about a set up or even pull up my facemask. I sat down had some lunch and waited. I had just shot my first elk.

After what seemed like hours I go up to the spot where he was standing when I shot him and look for blood. I start walking the trail he was running on and after a few steps I see blood.

Another 20yds I find half of my arrow and look up to see 40yds further the bull lying next to a tree on the trail. He was down. I watched to make sure he was dead. When I walked up to him I find out that he is a good 5pt bull.

Not the biggest bull I had seen or called in but the first one that had given me a good shot opportunity. I am very happy with him. Now the work started getting him out. Only took 8hrs.

Archery Elk Season is in the books for Oregon and Bob postel from Novato, CA had a good hunt.

Here he is. 5 hard days of hunting ended with this. 40 yard shot, double lung complete passthrough. He died about 80 yards from where I shot him. 426 lbs at the butcher for just the 4 quarters. Awesome trip and hunt. Elk were fighting, bugling and going crazy. This bull has about 15 cows with him and I was able to sneak in on him for the shot. Another hunt I’ll never forget.