First Archery Success
I started off bowhunting maybe ten years ago, before the dog and before the family, those first few years brought me a few close chances but never could seal the deal, through the years with a growing family and less and less free time coupled with ever expanding hunting and shooting interests the archery thing just kinda dwindled into nothing, would pick it up with intentions of hunting that year but never quite made it happen, this year with a bull moose tag in my pocket i really wanted to give the archery thing a fair shake...
Having lost an animal with a bow before I started with getting back into shooting and spent a fair bit of time this summer getting some confidence back with my ability to make a clean shot, with confidence restored and plans to hunt elk with a very good friend it was off to the hills in search of elk
The first morning out, and nothing spotted other than hunters we decided to head into the bush and see if we could locate some elk by calling....ten minutes into calling we started getting a response, couldn't seem to get them to move in to us so we planned on trying to get in a little closer to them and try calling again....when we started to call at this new location it was clear that we got right into the elk, likely within 150 yards, with the bull bugling at us it was clear that they were coming our way....in the meantime a spike bull had made his way up underneath me and having planned on taking anything that presented a clean opportunity i attached my release to to my D loop....
This bull was close, close enough I figured no need to even range him(stupid I know)...but as I was beginning to draw my bow I started thinking about all the times I have ever messed this up and the possibility of losing an animal if I make a poor shot so I let down my bow and gave him a quick range....the reading was 18.7 yards, perfect... I drew my bow settled my 20 yard pin where i thought it should be and let the arrow loose
The arrow found its mark and off the bull went crashing though the bush, through a gulley and then what sounded like a big crash into some deadfall....needing to give the spike some time to expire and with the other elk still calling we kept up our calling to see if we could get him to separate from his cows , this went on for another fifteen minutes or so until the wind swirled and all of a sudden it was radio silence from this group of elk, having figured they got our wind and with one already on the ground it was time to go find my elk, After I had shot my elk i could see him bleeding and that the arrow had gone through both sides leaving fletching hanging out one side and the broadhead out the other but upon finding the spot he was standing when hit the first few yards of the blood trail did not look promising and thoughts of the animal I lost years ago quickly came to mind....we tracked drops of blood here and there for ten yards or so until the floodgates opened up and the blood trail was obvious enough a blind guy could follow it, another 30 yards down the trail we found my elk piled up into some deadfall....It was all high fives until the realization set in that now we have to pack this thing out haha, yes it is just a spike but being able to share my first archery harvest with a good friend is as good of a trophy as i could ask for
I cant thank my friend enough for hunting with me and for calling this bull in, it was an awesome experience and I now anxiously await my moose hunt this coming week
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