Trayball20
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2019
- Messages
- 82
This hunt was a welcome get away. My mom had been battling cancer for the past 4 years and it finally got the best of her on August 16th. During the summer I am lucky enough to work for a ranch in Colorado that is part of Ranching for Wildlife the owner in gracious enough to allow my brother and I to take our sons hunting. This was my son's first elk hunt and to say he was excited was an understatement.
We arrived at the ranch on Sunday the day after my mom's funeral and the day before the season opener. Cousins played cornhole and just had fun hanging out with each other. Monday morning was filled with high hopes as we driving in. After walking through some parks and open aspens that usually hold elk it was becoming clear that this was going to be more difficult than what I thought to find elk. Just then see a bear standing on his back legs looking at us at about 50 yards he had been feeding on a dead cow elk. After the bear runs off we continue on our search for elk. We had only walk about 400 yards when I look up and see another bear walking right towards us he gets to about 20 yards and finally see us and runs off I am guessing he was making his way to the dead elk as well. By now it is getting later in the morning, so we only have time for one last spot. As we get to the opening I can see a cow elk on the other side of some open aspens, so I decide to bugle to see if I can get a response. As soon as I bugle a bull responds in the dark timber beyond the open aspens. We get my son all set up hoping a bull will present a shot for him So, I wait for a few seconds and bugle again once again he responds. After a few more bugles I see the bull running up and down the edge of the dark timber checking on some cows that we can't see. At this time I am thinking that he is gathering up his cows and is pushing them into the timber, so I tell my son that we are going to move to the other side of the open aspens to try and get a shot. I no more than say that and here he comes on a full sprint through the aspens with his head laid back running right towards us. I tell my son to get ready I am going to stop him when he gets to about 70 yards. I let out a bugle and he stops facing us I tell him to shot him in the chest. He shoots I can tell he hit me right where I told him to hold, but the bull is still standing there so I tell him to shoot him again. After the second shot the bull takes a couple of steps and now almost facing away from us with his head to facing to the right at only 70 I tell him to shoot him in the neck he does the bull then takes a step to the right and is now board side to us. My son works the bolt, but I know he is out of bullets. He is so wound up that I have to reach up and take a bullet out of the shock holder and put it in for him the whole time I am doing this he is saying "Hurry up he is board side". He shoots him right behind the shoulder and he takes one step back and falls over. I am guessing the whole shooting sequence only takes 15 seconds. After a long hug and a few laughs over "Hurry up he's board side" we make our way over to his first bull.
Him and his cousin did 90% of the skinning. We noticed that the bull had broken his back right leg sometime. It had healed and he didn't show any sign of a limp.
After the adrenaline dump and a stressful couple of weeks he slept most of the way home.
We all need time out in the woods sometimes it is just needed more than others.
We arrived at the ranch on Sunday the day after my mom's funeral and the day before the season opener. Cousins played cornhole and just had fun hanging out with each other. Monday morning was filled with high hopes as we driving in. After walking through some parks and open aspens that usually hold elk it was becoming clear that this was going to be more difficult than what I thought to find elk. Just then see a bear standing on his back legs looking at us at about 50 yards he had been feeding on a dead cow elk. After the bear runs off we continue on our search for elk. We had only walk about 400 yards when I look up and see another bear walking right towards us he gets to about 20 yards and finally see us and runs off I am guessing he was making his way to the dead elk as well. By now it is getting later in the morning, so we only have time for one last spot. As we get to the opening I can see a cow elk on the other side of some open aspens, so I decide to bugle to see if I can get a response. As soon as I bugle a bull responds in the dark timber beyond the open aspens. We get my son all set up hoping a bull will present a shot for him So, I wait for a few seconds and bugle again once again he responds. After a few more bugles I see the bull running up and down the edge of the dark timber checking on some cows that we can't see. At this time I am thinking that he is gathering up his cows and is pushing them into the timber, so I tell my son that we are going to move to the other side of the open aspens to try and get a shot. I no more than say that and here he comes on a full sprint through the aspens with his head laid back running right towards us. I tell my son to get ready I am going to stop him when he gets to about 70 yards. I let out a bugle and he stops facing us I tell him to shot him in the chest. He shoots I can tell he hit me right where I told him to hold, but the bull is still standing there so I tell him to shoot him again. After the second shot the bull takes a couple of steps and now almost facing away from us with his head to facing to the right at only 70 I tell him to shoot him in the neck he does the bull then takes a step to the right and is now board side to us. My son works the bolt, but I know he is out of bullets. He is so wound up that I have to reach up and take a bullet out of the shock holder and put it in for him the whole time I am doing this he is saying "Hurry up he is board side". He shoots him right behind the shoulder and he takes one step back and falls over. I am guessing the whole shooting sequence only takes 15 seconds. After a long hug and a few laughs over "Hurry up he's board side" we make our way over to his first bull.
Him and his cousin did 90% of the skinning. We noticed that the bull had broken his back right leg sometime. It had healed and he didn't show any sign of a limp.
After the adrenaline dump and a stressful couple of weeks he slept most of the way home.
We all need time out in the woods sometimes it is just needed more than others.
