Hunter4Life78
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2022
- Messages
- 1,154
Well Folks, 44 years ago on November 20, I came into this world a little after 6 a.m. I think this is why I love to hunt. Born during the rut, just about daylight in some places or the time one might find themselves walking into the heart of Mother Nature's splendor in hopes of finding the "big one" or simply in hopes of putting meet in the freezer.
This year I decided I was going hunting and kill an elk on my birthday. Little did I know that it was gonna be a lil' bit of a rodeo.
I spent Saturday with a coworker trying to find him a deer. No luck. I drove him back home three hours from where I was staying since he had to work Sunday. No problem. Get back to room and get up later than I wanted to. (HELPS TO TURN THE ALARM ON). I go to some wares for the day and my card is declined, not once but twice. This is odd. So there goes the morning, finally figure out some kind soul decided that my card should pay for a $70 meal at a restaurant I've never heard of let alone been to, as well as a $90 meal Denny's. Now don't get me wrong I don't mind me some Denny's, just not 90 bucks worth. They also felt the need to attempt to spend $300.45 somewhere in Vegas at 1:28 A.M. Now I'm frustrated, this is my bday, after last year's mess, the old man having covid and ma deciding to have a "minor heart attack" and a "mini stroke, I was hoping and praying this year would be better. Anyway I deal with debit card mess am able to get cash to continue my hunting adventure.
Not wanting to travel 45 mins to the area I usually hunt in since it's afternoon now, a conversation is struck up with the hotel night manager and he is kind enough to point me to some state ground bordering some private ground. He swears elk are in there and are traveling to this private land. We look at OnX and I gather my stuff and head to the guaranteed elk spot. Not gonna lie was very hesitant and trying not to get my hopes up.
I drive to the spot get out and start glossing. Low and behold I find a cow bedded then i see another cow, I can shoot a cow here I'm gonna take this opportunity for a gift to myself and start the pursuit.
I leave the pack, take the rifle, and start across roughly a mile of open ground to the tree line where she's bedded. I've got the wind in my face Sobieski start trucking. I watch as she stands up and starts to feed. Slowly what was two elk turn to five elk all cows and calves. I have time to watch so I find a cow with no young uns and make her the target.
I get to 576 yards away and a calf is locked in watching my direction I' m a little ways off, I obviously need to cover some distance yet, but I stop and let calf go back to feeding. I change direction and get some scrub bushes between elk and I. I get to the bushes and range again 482. Still not taking the shot. Confident in the rifle, not in myself. I now have zero cover except a medium sized bush that. I range it and figure thus will get me inside 300 yards. Still not what I want, but a distance I've practiced at.
Elk have now changed direction feeding towards me and lead cow finds me, she starts pacing back and forth checking the wind, which is still in my face downwind from them. She settles down and I finally make it to the bush.
They elk have clumped together now and are feeding. I get another range and they are at 283. Again not what I want, but the only cover is this bush or a group of pines that are in line with this group of cows. I get myself rested on the bush and start slowing down my breathing, I find the group in the scope and pick out get the target cow located again. She behind the lead cow looking at me. Lead cow runs off to her calf and continues the stare down continues. I let them all calm down and get myself ready behind the scope. Target cow is in the crosshairs. Here comes lead cow and she stops right in front of target cow. She moves and I get settled again on target cow and I squeeze the round off. I watch lead cow run off and I watch target cow walk and lay down. She tries to stand, but falls down. It looks like I hit her further back than intended, I'm not happy, but I watch her for 20 mins she lays her head down and doesn't move again.
I start my approach and get to within 100 yards of her and stands up and runs to the trees and lay's down. No shot. I give another 15 mins and go to where she first laid down at. No blood. I move to where she was when I shot, no blood. I'm mad at myself at this point and want to finish her quickly, I know she's hit, with lack of blood I'm sure she's hit in the paunch.
I jumped her three more times from her bed each time no blood. I finally decide to back at out and see if I can find her in the morning.
I didn't sleep much. Finally gave up at 0430 at trying to sleep after waking up all hours of the night and get dressed to go see if I can find her having made up my mind that I was notching my tag regardless. I grabbed coffee fuel and proceeded to the spot and waited.
At 0748 this morning I found her. She was in a group of pines trees expired. I said quick thank you prayer and apologized to her for her suffering and went to work at getting her field dressed. I did hit her further back than I intended, doesn't appear that a lot of meat was lost not a rancid odor, I feel horrible that she didn't expire in a timely manner. I said another thank you prayer and asked that she not be spoiled.
This year I decided I was going hunting and kill an elk on my birthday. Little did I know that it was gonna be a lil' bit of a rodeo.
I spent Saturday with a coworker trying to find him a deer. No luck. I drove him back home three hours from where I was staying since he had to work Sunday. No problem. Get back to room and get up later than I wanted to. (HELPS TO TURN THE ALARM ON). I go to some wares for the day and my card is declined, not once but twice. This is odd. So there goes the morning, finally figure out some kind soul decided that my card should pay for a $70 meal at a restaurant I've never heard of let alone been to, as well as a $90 meal Denny's. Now don't get me wrong I don't mind me some Denny's, just not 90 bucks worth. They also felt the need to attempt to spend $300.45 somewhere in Vegas at 1:28 A.M. Now I'm frustrated, this is my bday, after last year's mess, the old man having covid and ma deciding to have a "minor heart attack" and a "mini stroke, I was hoping and praying this year would be better. Anyway I deal with debit card mess am able to get cash to continue my hunting adventure.
Not wanting to travel 45 mins to the area I usually hunt in since it's afternoon now, a conversation is struck up with the hotel night manager and he is kind enough to point me to some state ground bordering some private ground. He swears elk are in there and are traveling to this private land. We look at OnX and I gather my stuff and head to the guaranteed elk spot. Not gonna lie was very hesitant and trying not to get my hopes up.
I drive to the spot get out and start glossing. Low and behold I find a cow bedded then i see another cow, I can shoot a cow here I'm gonna take this opportunity for a gift to myself and start the pursuit.
I leave the pack, take the rifle, and start across roughly a mile of open ground to the tree line where she's bedded. I've got the wind in my face Sobieski start trucking. I watch as she stands up and starts to feed. Slowly what was two elk turn to five elk all cows and calves. I have time to watch so I find a cow with no young uns and make her the target.
I get to 576 yards away and a calf is locked in watching my direction I' m a little ways off, I obviously need to cover some distance yet, but I stop and let calf go back to feeding. I change direction and get some scrub bushes between elk and I. I get to the bushes and range again 482. Still not taking the shot. Confident in the rifle, not in myself. I now have zero cover except a medium sized bush that. I range it and figure thus will get me inside 300 yards. Still not what I want, but a distance I've practiced at.
Elk have now changed direction feeding towards me and lead cow finds me, she starts pacing back and forth checking the wind, which is still in my face downwind from them. She settles down and I finally make it to the bush.
They elk have clumped together now and are feeding. I get another range and they are at 283. Again not what I want, but the only cover is this bush or a group of pines that are in line with this group of cows. I get myself rested on the bush and start slowing down my breathing, I find the group in the scope and pick out get the target cow located again. She behind the lead cow looking at me. Lead cow runs off to her calf and continues the stare down continues. I let them all calm down and get myself ready behind the scope. Target cow is in the crosshairs. Here comes lead cow and she stops right in front of target cow. She moves and I get settled again on target cow and I squeeze the round off. I watch lead cow run off and I watch target cow walk and lay down. She tries to stand, but falls down. It looks like I hit her further back than intended, I'm not happy, but I watch her for 20 mins she lays her head down and doesn't move again.
I start my approach and get to within 100 yards of her and stands up and runs to the trees and lay's down. No shot. I give another 15 mins and go to where she first laid down at. No blood. I move to where she was when I shot, no blood. I'm mad at myself at this point and want to finish her quickly, I know she's hit, with lack of blood I'm sure she's hit in the paunch.
I jumped her three more times from her bed each time no blood. I finally decide to back at out and see if I can find her in the morning.
I didn't sleep much. Finally gave up at 0430 at trying to sleep after waking up all hours of the night and get dressed to go see if I can find her having made up my mind that I was notching my tag regardless. I grabbed coffee fuel and proceeded to the spot and waited.
At 0748 this morning I found her. She was in a group of pines trees expired. I said quick thank you prayer and apologized to her for her suffering and went to work at getting her field dressed. I did hit her further back than I intended, doesn't appear that a lot of meat was lost not a rancid odor, I feel horrible that she didn't expire in a timely manner. I said another thank you prayer and asked that she not be spoiled.
