NoWiser's 2013 DIY Wyoming Archery Elk Hunt

[NELS-BELLS]

Yes, a big thank you to those willing to sacrifice the time and effort to share your hunts and experiences here!

I 2nd that! I love reading these stories but seldom express my gratitude to those of you that take the time to share it with us.

Nels

[Scoot]

Soon we were right in the middle of the lightening storm and it was like nothing else I've experienced before.... The lightening was so close that when a bolt hit struck, a split second before the deafening noise, it felt like someone slugged you in the gut and knocked your wind out. It caused your entire body to freeze. You couldn't breathe, and everything went numb.

The equinox lightening storms are amazing! I've been in a few of them now, but none nearly as scary as the one we experienced our first night on the mountain after our first day of elk hunting. It was nothing short of amazing and terrifying!!! Your description is spot on! Honestly, for those who have never experienced this, you just can't imagine what it's like. Instead of looking up and seeing lightning going from the sky to the ground or seeing it go across the sky, you are actually up in the middle of the lightning storm watching it go all around you. Without a doubt it put the fear of God into me that first night on the mountain. Jim, it sounds like you can relate!!!

[NoWiser]

Without a doubt it put the fear of God into me that first night on the mountain. Jim, it sounds like you can relate!!!

Yup, I almost crapped my pants....

[NoWiser]

Afternoon Addition - Day 7

The plan for the day was pretty much the same as the day before. We would hike to the waterhole early in the morning and hope to either catch an elk coming in for a sip, or hear a bugle to chase. It was a chilly morning and the ground on top of the ridge we took to get to our spot was froze. The elk were silent on our walk, but soon after we got set up a bugle rang out below us. It was close. I guessed about 150 yards away or so. It was Dad's turn to be the shooter so I grabbed the decoy, threw a call in my mouth, and ran uphill about 60 yards. I was going to call this bull right past Dad!

I let out a few cow calls and the bull immediately answered. I cow called a few more times and he answered again, coming our way. Pretty soon he hung up, though, and was just out of sight from my dad. Picturing the bull two nights before keeping his 60 or 70 yard buffer from me, I sprinted uphill some more to try to draw the bull the last little bit. I let up some really whiny cow calls and immediately started squealing like a little raghorn bull. I went nuts on the calls, trying to make it sound like the little bull was harassing the heck out of the cow. With any luck the bull below would come in to kick some butt and claim the cow as his own. Well, the bull was FURIOUS with me. He went bonkers screaming and grunting back at me. I let a few more cow calls and some spikey squeals and he screamed right back. He wasn't coming towards me at all, though. My plan wasn't working and it was time to make something happen. I ran down the mountain to grab my dad. We were going to get right up in the bulls face and I was going to scream at him and leave him little choice but to fight me. But, Dad was nowhere to be found. My plan changed again. I figure dad was using this bulls bugles to keep track of the bull and try to sneak in for a shot. It just might work! My goal now was to keep this bull talking as much as I could. I screamed as loud as I could at him, steam billowing from the end of my grunt tube in the cold mountain air. My fingers were froze solid. But, I was having the time of my life. The bull screamed back, and we continued this exchange for the next 10 minutes. I was just waiting for the bugling to stop and my dad to come walking back, his quiver one arrow short. But, as seems to happen all too often, each bugle from the bull started getting farther and farther away. Pretty soon I could hear him working his way up the other side of the valley and eventually out of hearing range. My dad came trudging up the mountain out of breath. He had done exactly what I thought, and tried to race in for a shot, but the wind did not allow it to happen easily. He ended up chasing the bull for quite a ways as we were screaming back and forth at each other, but just couldn't quite make it happen. It was an exciting 1/2 hour for sure, and one we won't soon forget!

We went back to the waterhole and sat just long enough to watch another muley come in for a drink of water. Knowing that the elk didn't exactly need water with all the rain, and that this obviously wasn't being used as a wallow, we soon got impatient and decided to go find ourselves a bull.

We crawled our way up the mountain and hit the trail that ran along the top. Heading east we took time to bugle down both sides of the ridge as we went.

We just couldn't seem to buy a response, though. The sun soon came out from behind the clouds and it felt glorious! We took advantage of the chance and found a nice clearing facing south and spread all of our wet clothes out, and took off our socks and boots to dry. The view was great and the feeling of sitting out on the top of a mountain and soaking in the sun was hard to beat. We relaxed and I fed a friendly chipmunk some of my trail mix. Before too long our clothes were finally DRY! Everything except the insides of our boots, anyways. This marked the end of the rain for our trip, finally!

Our view to the south

Drying out clothes

After packing up our dry clothes we decided to head back west, and hunt to the far end of the mountain, where we hadn't ventured yet. Any farther east and we'd be getting into an area where the horse camp could have possibly been hunting. We hiked and called and hiked and called. The bulls had lockjaw, though. We just couldn't make any bugle. They would bugle on their own at times during the trip, but just didn't want to answer our cow calls or locator bugles.

Mid afternoon found us crossing a saddle in the mountain. It looked like a cattle pasture it was so full of elk tracks, and while we were marveling at the number of them, a bugle sounded off just south of us. We took off in its direction, trying to cut the distance. Heading down the mountain we found ourselves in a tangle of blowdowns. It was tough going, but we were determined. The bull let out another bugle and we were much closer this time. I snuck ahead about 60 yards and gave Dad the "thumbs up". He started cow calling. I know this bull was well within 100 yards, but I just couldn't see him. My dad kept up with the cow calling, but soon it was evident that the swirling winds had gotten the best of us. The elk was gone. We had all of about 5 minutes to try to figure out what happened when a second bull ripped off a bugle from about 300 yards west of us. Our plan was the same......get close and call him in. I snuck in close and my dad stayed back, and cow called. The bull bugled and he screamed right over it, like we practiced. The bull bugled back, but just like that the powder from my scent-checker was headed right at the bull and it was the last we heard from him. It seemed like we were getting so close, and it was incredibly frustrating having winds that just couldn't stay consistent for even 5 minutes. Getting within archery range of a bull was starting to seem like an impossible task........

We snuck around this new area for a while and it was obvious that there were multiple elk using it. It was the most sign we had seen since we left the spot where the horse hunters blew the elk out of. We liked the looks of it a lot, but it was all of a 3-4 mile hike from camp, much of it uphill. We made our way back to the tent as it got dark, calling along the way, with no response.

Eating our last dehydrated meal back at camp we talked about our options. We needed to resupply ourselves with food tomorrow. We could probably make it one more day off of the little bit of trail mix we had left, but it did not seem like a very appealing idea. The horse camp pretty much cut us off from all of the best areas close to camp. We had found an awesome area, but it was a very long hike to get there. While looking at a map I noticed that a small forest road dead ended on the mountain to the south of where we encountered the two bulls in the afternoon. IF we could get to the end of this road, we'd only be about 1 1/2 miles away from where we wanted to hunt, plus we would have a bunch of new land to check out. The decision was unanimous. We would pack up camp tomorrow and head to the truck. With a little luck we could drive right to the end of the dead end on the map, and we'd be in good shape to hunt our new area.

That night it got cold. Real cold. My sleeping bag had been fine up until that point, but I absolutely froze. By the end of the night I had on every last bit of clothing I brought with and I still could only just lay there in my sleeping bag, shivering. It was miserable but gave me plenty of time to listen for elk but they were completely silent. Either that or the chattering of my teeth drown out the bugles.

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Sleeping systems

My sleeping system for this trip consisted of two main pieces of gear. My sleeping bag and my sleeping pad. These are very important pieces of gear, and your life could literally depend on them.

My sleeping bag was a 15 degree Eureka Casper:

This is a synthetic bag with a very generous rating as far as temperature. I'd say it's probably more like a 30 degree bag - when it is brand new. Mine was pushing 7 years old and had lost most of its loft so probably functioned more like a 40 degree bag. The advantages of a synthetic bag is they can still keep you somewhat warm when damp, and they are cheaper. They typically don't last as long as a good down bag, and are heavier and more bulky. After that cold night in the tent I decided a new bag was going to be purchase #1 before another trip like this. I recently purchased a Marmot Helium bag, which is also a 15 degree bag but should have a more conservative rating as far as temperature go. It's nice and light, too. The downside is that you need to be extremely careful to keep a down bag dry.

Helium

There are many other good options from Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends, Montbell, and others.

My sleeping pad is one I really love. It's a Exped Downmat 9.

This thing is warm, and comfy! I actually sleep better on this pad than my own bed. I love everything about it except its weight. I will put up with the extra ounces considering the good night's sleep I usually get on it. You can have the best sleeping bag in the world, but without a good pad, all your heat will be lost into the ground below you.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

What would you say the range of temps were, day & night, roughly?

[NoWiser]

What would you say the range of temps were, day & night, roughly?

Lip Ripper,

I would say the coldest it got at night was around 15 degrees. The temps in the afternoons probably got into the 60's most days. It varied a lot depending on whether you were on the north or south side of the mountains. The average low was probably 35-40 degrees and average high was probably 65 degrees.

[nbadger23]

It sounds like you had some pretty cool encounters in days 6 and 7!! I can't imagine what it's like to have a bull bugling that close to you.

I had a question about the wind. You've mentioned it's unpredictability a lot and I was wondering if you will blow elk out of an area simply by scent? I ask because you mentioned the horse camp blowing the elk out of that one area and I assume that was because they literally pushed them out by walking through the area?

Would you consider an area "blown" if you got winded a few times??

I give you a lot of credit for keeping your spirits up through all that rain. I don't think you're the only one who would have needed a change of underwear after that lightning storm :-)

I'm really hoping one of these bulls isn't so stubborn and follows the plan you've laid out!

[eyedr]

A well written story like this is better than watching it on tv. I'm new to bow hunting and this makes me want to find pennies in the couch and do whatever I have to in order to get out west elk hunting. Seems like so much work but just the adventure of it makes it so appealing. Thanks for the story, it's a great read.

[NoWiser]

It sounds like you had some pretty cool encounters in days 6 and 7!! I can't imagine what it's like to have a bull bugling that close to you.

I had a question about the wind. You've mentioned it's unpredictability a lot and I was wondering if you will blow elk out of an area simply by scent? I ask because you mentioned the horse camp blowing the elk out of that one area and I assume that was because they literally pushed them out by walking through the area?

Would you consider an area "blown" if you got winded a few times??

I give you a lot of credit for keeping your spirits up through all that rain. I don't think you're the only one who would have needed a change of underwear after that lightning storm :-)

I'm really hoping one of these bulls isn't so stubborn and follows the plan you've laid out!

Others with more experience can chime in here if they want. I'm still a very rookie elk hunter. That said, an elk's nose is like that of a whitetail. If they wind you, they are gone! Elk are herd animals, so normal sounds don't bother them too much. They can see movement and not get too worried, but if they smell you the gig is up. Now, although I know they disappear if they smell you, I'm not sure if it will actually blow them out of the area or not. I just know that your calling setup is over.

I do not know if that big herd of elk the horse camp spooked saw, heard, or smelled the hunters. I imagine it was probably a combination of the above. I do know it's nothing for a herd to relocate a few miles away if they are spooked bad enough. In fact, when I talked to the game warden from the area, who was extremely friendly and helpful, he said not to be too concerned if the elk disappeared from your area because it was only a matter of time before some other group of hunters a few mountains over scared their herd to you. I'm not sure I could be patient enough for that. If there were no elk where I was, I'd be finding some.

[NoWiser]

A well written story like this is better than watching it on tv. I'm new to bow hunting and this makes me want to find pennies in the couch and do whatever I have to in order to get out west elk hunting. Seems like so much work but just the adventure of it makes it so appealing. Thanks for the story, it's a great read.

Thanks eyedr,

Find a way to make it happen!! You won't regret it!

There are a few states that offer easy to draw elk tags, or over the counter elk tags. If you are considering Wyoming, be sure to buy a preference point this year, and each year until you are ready to pull the trigger on the trip. That way, when you decide to go, you can actually draw a tag, and depending on your points, possibly a very good tag.

[Scoot]

Find a way to make it happen!! You won't regret it!

LOL- NoWiser, you sound an awful lot like I did when I first spoke to you about elk hunting a few years ago!

[Scoot]

I had a question about the wind. You've mentioned it's unpredictability a lot and I was wondering if you will blow elk out of an area simply by scent? I ask because you mentioned the horse camp blowing the elk out of that one area and I assume that was because they literally pushed them out by walking through the area?

NoWiser's reply was spot on. You can often fool an elk's eyes and ears, but you won't fool an elk's nose. If an elk catches just a whiff of you it'll be outta there, but may not move three draws over (it may go that far too). If it gets a good nose full of your scent you can bet he'll be a long ways away before he stops.

The winds in the mountains are unbelievably goofy- they juke and jive much of the time and it's frustrating! Often, the winds will be steady for the first hour or two after sun up, they shift all over all day long, then stabilize for the last hour or two of the day. That makes for some frustration if you try get inside of bow range from 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM. Sometimes you'll get steady wind all day long or at least after the thermals stabilize in the mid AM. Those are good days! Also, even if you get good winds on a given day it doesn't mean they'll stick around. As storms or just rain clouds move into the area it often disrupts the wind and makes what was a stable wind direction become really chaotic and unpredictable. Nothing has saved more elk from getting shot than the wind!

[NoWiser]

LOL- NoWiser, you sound an awful lot like I did when I first spoke to you about elk hunting a few years ago!

You are a very wise man, Scoot. Very wise.....

[NoWiser]

Day 8

After freezing the entire night I couldn't hardly get up fast enough to start moving and warm up. We packed up all of our sleeping gear, drained the water out of the tent, shook the frost off of the rain fly, loaded our packs, and headed down the trail. The ground was froze solid and hard as a rock. All of the puddles were frozen through. It was cold! The 4 mile hike back to the truck took us about 3 hours and we were pretty sore when we finally made it. The truck was a very welcome sight. My left knee was getting more sore with every mile, and I was starting get shooting pains in my right hip with every uphill step. We weren't ready to give up yet, though. After throwing our packs into the back of the truck we were off, bound for the dead end road that would bring us to the elk we got so close to the day before.

Here is an empty outfitter camp near where we parked. I think it is mostly used for rifle elk and mule deer hunts.

Little did we know that we were about to have our closest encounter with an elk yet. Driving around the side of the mountain we saw a flash to our left, straight uphill. A spike elk was running straight down the mountain at what seemed like about 50 mph. I slammed on the brakes and the elk almost grazed the front bumper of the truck. Had I not hit the brakes there is no way the elk could have stopped. It would have slammed right into the driver's side door. Instead it jumped about 7 feet in the air and continued its all-out sprint straight down the mountain. I am still in awe at how that thing could retain enough control at those speeds to not run straight into a tree, killing itself. We joked that hitting the brakes was a big mistake. My insurance deductible was less than the cost of a packer, and we would have had a dead elk right in the middle of the road. So close once again!

About an hour drive got us to the dead end road, and we slowly drove down to the end of it. My nerves were completely frazzled by the time we reached the end. The road was rocky and very steep. At one point I felt the truck slide sideway towards the edge. I jumped out to make sure we could make it, and then continued. When we finally arrived at the end of the road, I don't know if I was more relieved that we actually made it down the road without sliding off of it or that there was nobody else camping there. We parked the truck and spread out our remaining wet gear to dry in the sun. We set up the tent on a level patch of ground, organized camp, and headed north to try to find a bull.

After dropping 400 feet we crossed a small stream full of bright, chunky brook trout, and then needed to climb about 500 feet up the other side. This put us right in the area we hunted the afternoon before. Almost immediately a bugled sounded out east of us. We were going to set up and try to make a play on this bull. Some cloud cover above us seemed to cool the air and the winds were blowing fairly steady down the mountain. I hustled up towards the elk, and set up slightly downhill. The idea was that the elk would come to the call, but circle slightly downwind to try to scent the "cow". My dad let out a few cow calls and the bull bugled closer. He called again and the bull was coming in on a string! There was only one problem.........the clouds had cleared and the sun was beating down on the mountain, and the wind switched 180 degrees on us. It was too late, there was nothing I could do. I saw the elk on the upwind side of the clearing, heading towards my dad. My plan had worked out perfectly, but the wind had completely switched on me. I watched helplessly as the bull caught my scent and vanished up the mountain.

Discouraged by the encounter, we sat down and talked about what just happened. We had no control over the wind and it was frustrating, but we were noticing a pattern. This particular slope was dotted with football field sized and smaller clearings. The elk seemed very reluctant to enter these and skirted them just inside of the trees instead. We would use this to our advantage. From this point on when we heard an elk we would set up the caller on the complete opposite side of one of these clearings. The shooter would hide about 20 yards into the trees on the downwind side. When the elk came looking for the caller, we would have a perfect ambush. It had to work! That is, if the wind would stay constant for more than about 20 minutes at a time.

Many of the trees in this new area were engraved by people (we assumed sheep herders) anywhere between 2 and 50 years ago:

We also made another discovery. A real elk wallow. A spring came down the side of the mountain growing lush green grass that animals were very obviously eating. About 200 yards down the mountain it ran into one big mud hole with elk tracks surrounding it. After our hike in the morning, sitting didn't seem like such a bad idea. I made a little blind overlooking the wallow while my dad headed up the mountain a short ways, setting up where the elk were munching on the green grass, and tearing up the mud a bit.

As evening fell we decided to hunt our way back to camp. There was a nice north facing slope that we wanted to be on when the sun was setting and, sure enough, as soon as we got there an ear piercing bugle rang out. It was time to put our plan into play! I sprinted to the opposite side of the clearing while my dad set up downhill. The thermals were very steady downhill now that the sun had set. I cow called again and the bull responded with a nasty bugle followed by some grunts. He bugled again, sounding even more ticked off. I realized he wasn't calling to me, he obviously had some cows and wasn't the only bull that wanted a piece of them. I sprinted over to grab my dad, but he was nowhere to be found. We didn't have much shooting light left, so I needed to keep this bull talking, assuming Dad was trying to sneak in on him. The next bugle I heard I screamed right over the top of him, imitating the grunts he was belting out. And, it went on like this for the next 15 minutes. Every 30 seconds to a minute we would exchange the nastiest bugles and grunts we could muster up. I did my best to imitate his every sound, and he was NOT happy about it. I've never in my life heard an animal get so worked up before. But, he had cows and was not about to leave them. As the last light was fading, I was still bugling like crazy and saw my dad hiking up. He had tried sneaking in on the herd but said they were down in a draw and he just couldn't get the wind right. I was pretty disappointed. It was the most intense encounter we had had yet, and I thought for sure he'd be able to sneak in for a shot.

Sleep did not come easy that night. The bull from the hike back bugled all night, and there were others bugling around him, too. It was obvious that there were multiple animals trying to get his cows. All I could do was lay there and listen. At one point a herd of elk came stampeding right past our tent. The ground shook with each hoof hitting the ground around us. I was a little nervous we were going to get trampled, but they managed to avoid the tent. Still the bull kept bugling, all night long. We were going to get him in the morning......

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I think I have covered most of the major gear items that I used. A few of the other things that I brought along and found handy were:

GPS - I used this mostly to check my elevation. Like I said, I'll have a watch next time.

SPOT Locator Beacon - I carried this with everywhere in case of an emergency. There is no cell phone service in this area whatsoever.

Compass - I had two

Trekking Poles - I get made fun of when I say I brought these, but I can't imagine hiking up and down those mountains with a heavy pack and NOT having them. They seriously helped a lot, and took the pressure off of my bad knees. I don't think I could have made it as many days as I did without them.

First Aid Kit

Moleskin and duct tape - for both gear repairs and foot repairs

Binoculars - I used Nikon Monarch 8X42 Binoculars

Satellite phone - to call packer if necessary. The SPOT beacon was redundant being I had the phone, but I also relayed our location to family a couple of times a day with the SPOT. It gave them piece of mind and they also enjoyed seeing what we were up to.

3 Liter water bladder to hang in pack for straight water

1 Liter Nalgene bottle for my drink mixes.

I will try to think of anything I missed before my next post. Please post any questions you might have and I'd be happy to answer them.

[sticknstring]

I'm extremely jealous! Both the hunt you got to experience and your story telling! Can't wait to hear how this one finishes up!

[pumper317]

I am routing for a bow ranged brute. You can only have bad luck so long. Great read, thanks for posting.

[nbadger23]

This has been a great story so far. You guys have hunted your you know whats off and I hope it all comes together. Even if it doesn't, the experiences have sounded like a blast! There aren't many people who have had an elk bugle that close to them.

I hope one crosses paths with your arrow!

[Scoot]

I don't know about the rest of you, but boy am I annoyed that he makes us wait so long for his updates! LOL

[Coach1310]

I don't know about the rest of you, but boy am I annoyed that he makes us wait so long for his updates! LOL

Yeah.... he's kind of a pain like that other guy who is always posting his adventures and giving me arthritis because I keep clicking back to see no updates.... I can't remember the guy off the top of my head, but man its annoying!!!

[jerkbait]

I can't wait for the end, but, but, but I don't want it to end. Loving the story Nowiser!

[NoWiser]

Day 9

After a long night of listening to the chaos going on west of camp, morning was getting close. We were up extra early to try to get on the herd of elk. But, as we headed towards them, the bugling suddenly ended. We knew where they were the night before and tried to find them, but they were nowhere to be seen. We moved along calling, trying to get a response. And a response we got! Unfortunately, it was not what we were looking for. It sounded like one of those recorders you play in music class in 3rd grade. It was obviously some other hunters. I'm not sure what call they were using, and I'm not doubting it worked for them, but man did it sound fake!

Knowing we had competition and couldn't locate the elk, we decided to hike across the creek back to the area we had hunted the previous couple of days. Our plan was to go back to our respective spots from the day before, me on the wallow and my dad in the grassy/muddy area. If we heard an elk, we'd meet up and chase it since we were only a few hundred yards apart.

We split up when I thought I reached my wallow, but I soon realized that we weren't there yet. We were actually almost 1/2 mile away from it at that point. I continued across the mountain until I got to my blind. I was hoping that Dad would be able to find his way.

Random picture

I had sat for about an hour when I heard a bugle coming from behind me. Once again, my fingers were tingling with adrenaline! He bugled again, 50 yards closer, and then again, closer yet! The wind was a bit finicky, but this elk was definitely coming to my wallow, and with any luck I was going to get a shot at him! The bull let out another bugle and he was only about 75 yards behind me, still heading in my direction. My arrow was knocked, and I was positioned for the shot. At this point I could tell exactly what trail he was on and where he was going to come by me. I couldn't believe it was actually happening, after 9 hard days of hunting! But, as we all know, in bowhunting 75 yards is where the game just begins. As I was getting ready I heard branches breaking from the opposite direction of the bull and heard the words "Jim, is that you calling?" I had a cow call in my mouth, and made some chirps to try to let him know where I was. I didn't want to spook the bull! But, it was too late. The bull heard something strange and had turned around and headed back to where he came from. I grabbed my dad and we tried to run up and cut the elk off. It almost paid off as the cow following the bull walked by Dad at 35 yards, but he had no shot. I followed the elk tracks and they had been heading down the exact trail I had figured. You could see the point the stopped, turned around, and went back. It was about 70 yards from me, but I never got to see them.

As it turns out, when we split up in the morning, Dad had not been as lucky as me to find his spot. He had been busting brush up and down the mountain but could not figure out where he needed to go. He assumed it was close to where I split off from him. To make matters worse somewhere along the way his quiver had snagged some brush and it came detached from his bow. Without any arrows he was out of luck. The two of us spent the next hour combing the mountain looking for the quiver, but it was hopeless. By the time we gave up we were both out of water and getting headaches from thirst. We followed the seep of water up from the wallow and about 3/4 of the way up to the ridge we found where it ran out of the mountain. We dug some sand out of the first little pool until it was deep enough to fill our water bottles. We didn't have a filter with but felt very safe drinking. After we quenched our thirst and filled up our bottles we went back and sat in our respective spots. I borrowed an arrow to him just in case.

Here is an old log cabin we found near the spring. This will be our campsite next time we return to Wyoming. A short distance from water and a wallow, and centrally located to access multiple areas, a few of which we never had time to check out on our trip.

A few hours later I heard a bugle up the mountain. And soon another. I could tell it was walking straight towards where my dad was sitting. The plan was to meet up if we heard a bugle, but I was going to let this one play out. From my blind I heard about 5 or 6 more bugles, each getting closer to where I figured Dad was sitting. Then the woods went silent.......

I sat the rest of the day with no action. As darkness crept closer I heard a twig snap and jumped to attention. I saw the figure of my dad walking down the hill, and he told me the story. Just as I thought, the bull was heading straight for him. With each bugle it got closer, until he could hear it walking in the woods behind him. It was heading for the little mud hole where he was sitting. The thermals were blowing up and everything was looking good. He repositioned a bit and the bull was still coming, and had at least two cows with him. Suddenly he heard voices from above him. He looked up and three hunters were walking down towards him, talking. The elk busted out of there in a split second. Another close call!!

My dad walked over to the three. It was a Grandpa, his son, and his grandson. Somehow they had not heard the elk bugling. They were residents of Wyoming and just hunted on the weekends. We were the first people they'd ever seen in this area and seemed disappointed. They were friendly enough, and wished Dad good luck as they continued down the ridge.

The rest of the day was a bust. Between Dad being lost, us looking for his quiver, and the three other hunters, there was just too much activity. We headed back to the truck at dark to the sounds of bugling elk across another valley to the west. Shooting light was over, so all we could do was listen.

Another random picture

We had two days left to hunt. Crunch time was here. We'd found the elk, now we just needed to make something happen.....

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Elk calls

There are many, many different styles and brands of elk calls. In my mind the most versatile and effective are the diaphragm calls. The ones I used were made by Bugling Bulls Game Calls:

My favorite ones were the "Mellow Yellow" "Challenge" and "Raging Bull" calls. With a lot of practice I could effectively make any elk sound that I needed while hunting. While making cow calls I could just cup my hand to direct the sound where I wanted to, but for bugling you need a grunt tube to get the most realistic sound. The one I chose was Elknuts Chuckler grunt tube shown in the center of this picture. It was cheap, light, and worked well.

[Scoot]

We didn't have a filter with but felt very safe drinking.

Red flag! Red flag! Warning- lecture alert! I know a few people who drink straight from the stream and don't worry about getting sick. In some locations, particularly where beavers are very rare, it's probably usually pretty safe. However, I also know a guy who drank straight from a mountain stream and a week later, just before he was about to hop in the shower, bent over to puke in the toilet and quite literally splatted the wall eight feet behind him! Personally, I'm a big believer in filtering or treating any and all water I drink from the mountains. It might look nice and clean where you're drinking from, but 100 yards upstream it might have a small beaver dam (beavers are bad news when it comes to critters that get in the water from their scat) with a dead cow laying in the water. ...and that's what you're drinking 100 yards downstream!

Regarding the calls you mentioned, they are unbelievably person specific in my experience. I can't stand the dome style calls. However, I know a couple people who can only use them. I use the hyper plate style calls, with the hard, fixed, flat plate across the top. But, not all of them are created equal- I like some much better than others. The only way to tell which ones you like best is to try a bunch of them. For cow calling I love the Mellow Yellow. For aggressive bugling I like the Closer and the Challenger. I also like the Chuckler grunt tube, but there are a lot of good tubes out there these days...

Jim, another great post! You've got some cool photos! I bet you found it a whole lot easier to take pics whene it wasn't raining all day long!

C'mon Jim, we're cheering for you to take a bull in the 11th hour! Regardless, it's been a fun ride for sure!!!

[PFUNK]

Really enjoying this thread! You do a great job at showing what goes into a DIY elk hunt. Not only logistically, and physically, but also mentally and emotionally. The emotional highs and lows of elk hunting can reach pretty epic proportions. Hoping you guys can put one on the ground late in the game!

For calls, I am also a big fan of the the hyper plate. Actually the Primos hyper plate double reed is my go to call because I can get it to make every sound I need it to. From soft calf/cow mews, to locator bugles, to the nastiest, lip ballin' challenges I can make. For short range I also love the low volume sounds the mellow yellow can make. The thing that sucks is you gotta buy a bunch of diaphrams to find out which will work best, but then you can trim it down to 2 or 3 calls (at least for me). I try to bring 2 each of my favorites just in case. As they age and stretch the pitch changes and making the high notes gets harder. For grunt tubes I really like the bugling bulls bully bull.

Which decoy did you bring along for this trip Jim? Was it a Montana decoy or a heads up decoy by any chance?

[NoWiser]

Good points, Scoot. I should have made a note that I definitely don't recommend doing the same. The area we drank from was literally 24" from where the spring came out of the side of the mountain. We hiked up to make sure it didn't go underground for a ways and was just reappearing. With all the beaver and elk activity, I would definitely not drink from an actual stream out there. You would have the splats for sure. From this particular spring I'd feel safe doing the same next time we're out there. Then again, I've been drinking water straight out of the lakes in Canada I fish, summer and winter, for the last 12 years, and up there you can see the bugs swimming for their lives before you swallow them. I haven't gotten sick yet. Maybe my luck will run out one of these days....

It took me a long time to figure out which style of calls I liked. I must have ordered about a dozen different calls before I settled on the 3 that I would bring out there. Like you, I ended up going with the hyper plate style. This post has me thinking just maybe I'll grab a call tonight, throw my Elknut CD into the truck tomorrow morning, and practice some bugles!

[NoWiser]

Which decoy did you bring along for this trip Jim? Was it a Montana decoy or a heads up decoy by any chance?

I brought a heads-up decoy out there. Not only did I like the design of it, but Corey Jacobsen took the time to give me some good advice planning this trip, so I wanted to order what I could from his store.