Tracked a single bull in the slushy snow while sick for a couple days, then developed full-blown flu. Made it out of bed and hiked around the same hilltop he'd been feeding on for three nights but could not locate his bedding. I found him day 3, on my way to the comfort of camp for a final crash. My head was down and I was crawling back in defeat. If I had remained diligent for 5 more minutes I would have clearly seen him bedded below me at 75 yards in the old growth, wind in my face, him looking the other way.
Another time I tracked a bull into a thicket, circled it almost completely at 50 yards out, taking an hour, cow calling and pulling grass to pull him to the edge where I could see him. As I nearly completed the circle I figured my scent would be going in there any second, and no bull, so I must have missed his tracks emerging from the thicket. He exploded at 20 yards when I took the toilet paper from my pack. Why would he get out of bed right after daylight when those cows could obviously smell him since they went downwind right?
Carried 1/2 a 5 point 1 mile to the truck while my partners split the other half.
Missed a herd bull at 6 feet with a bow after a 7 hour wait.
Hunted a big mature bull at a spring but he never showed while I was there. Four years later I found his bed on a knob directly downwind of the spring. Countless hours spent educating that bull.
I quit elk hunting, I'm too stupid for the sport.
