There is always a better idea when it comes to elk hunting, but I found it best just to shoot a bull on the opening day.

Rarely do you hear consistent bugling on the opener, but this bull was talking like it was the third week. I called and sat just listening to see if anything would answer my first bugle. It was a few minutes, but he bugled back. Rather than step on him and call right back, I waited a couple minutes and bugled again. He responded the same way, but this time he had moved closer and to the East.

This sounded hopeful, so I rigged up all my gear and went slowly into the forest toward where I last heard him. He bugled and was close this time. I proceeded slowly without calling and I saw him first at about 45 yards, behind some trees that wouldn't allow a shot. I didn't think my son would believe I actually saw and heard a bull this early in the season, so I took my phone out and took a picture of him.

He gave a short chuckle and started raking the grass. I had a can of "Elk Bomb" in my pocket with about 1 small squirt in it, and pulled it out and sprayed it into the air, hoping he would smell it before he smelled me.

I managed a short chortle with my bugle and he came around the trees between us and walked straight at me. I was in the open, and couldn't move. He stared right at me. Thankfully, he put his head down and raked the grass, and when he was raking, I pulled my bow up and drew it back. I aimed right at him, but the peep on the string was turned 90 degrees and I couldn't see my pins. How I was able to put the sight into my teeth and try to turn it so I could shoot without him catching my movement, I will never know, but he stood there looking at me almost broadside.

I could barely make out the pins, but I put the 30 yard pin in the center of his chest and knew I would hit him well regardless of the distance, he wasn't that far. I pulled the trigger and could hear the sound of the arrow hitting something hard. There were no branches between us and I knew I wasn't over or under him. With cautious optimism, I walked over to where he was standing when I shot, but saw no sign of blood.

I went back to camp with the optimism of the sound of the arrow was deep inside him and he wouldn't last long.

I called my son and his friend and told them I had shot a bull and we should give him some time and then go look for blood. We had breakfast and got our packs, knives and cleaning gear together and headed back into the woods. I marked it on my ONX map, good thing too, as the light had changed so much since I shot, I could hardly recognize the area.

We started looking where he was and not a drop of blood anywhere. A few yards later Jesse found the back half of the arrow with blood most of the way up the shaft. I was more hopeful that we would find him sooner than later. The 2 boys kept looking for sign of blood and I started walking in a direction I figured he would have run to. Within about 60 yards, I found him piled up and already starting to bloat. He had obviously run to that spot and fallen over dead, as he was laying with is head under him.

Cutting the tag is always the scariest part of a hunt, so I had to check and double check I did it right.

We quartered and skinned it and put it into game bags and I then headed to Belgrade to get it into a cooler and had it skinned and hanging in a cooler by 3:30 in the afternoon...

Congratulations dude.

Nice one.

Wow, congrats… nice work.

Cool beans!

Hey that's awesome...I'm letting the first days of the season pass, hoping to find them bugling in a couple weeks. Congrats!

congrats. way to get it done. Sure has been a hot opener

Only trouble with that is now you gotta eat the stupid thing.

Very nice, Shrapnel!

Very well done sir!

Nice job....always nice when things work out just like they are supposed too.....

Always baffled by the number of game kill pics that show green grass, sunny weather, birds chirping, etc., while the hunter looks like he just stepped out of the dry-cleaners.

By contrast, my pics look like I just survived The Bataan Death March, in weather that would kill an Eskimo.

I am doing something really wrong.

Post some up.

Good stuff... Congratulations!

Good job. I always liked hunting them with a bow and arrow cause it always forced me to bring the right ammo.

Nice one!!

Great job on the deflate 😎

Congrats! My preferred plan A on deer is to kill by 10 and be home by 2.

👍

Congratulations ! Should have salted the arrow as hot as it is . Great thing about Montana’s general rifle is it’s usually cooler so you have a little time to get the elk broken down. Blazing hot archery season and the elk is starting to go bad as it’s falling to the ground !

Sure glad you came back to post pics of stuff you actually do.

We need more of that around here.

As Conrad said to someone, we want to see pics of this stuff one tells stories about.

Still winning! Congratulations Kirk!

Good going, shrap. Congrats!

Awesome! Congrats!!!

I’m trading it for beef from a rancher up on the high line…

Way to go. Gotta love it when a plan comes together. 😁

Excellent. Short and sweet. Good eats ahead. Good to have the boys along for the recovery on all accounts.
Congrats, Nick

Kirk, a bow? One of my old Winchesters would have been better :-)

Looks like you had a good plan, just shoot a bull soon. Congrats

Good hunting, good shooting and good, concise writing! Thank you for a great read.

Yes, this is by far the best elk hunting method, and one I try to emulate.


I think once I learn to chortle, I will have it down.

Congrats to you!
I’m headed to NM a week from today, chasing elk with my bow.

Awesome

A welcomed post over the daily bs congratulations

That's just fantastic. Congrats!

Nice job. Getting within 30 yards of an elk has to be a big adrenaline rush and great time.

Good job. I believe you have this figured out.

I don’t see any fancy wood on that bow 😁

You the man Shrap!

Excellent! Any elk with a bow is a trophy IMO. Great “write up” as well.

Awesome!!! COngrats!!

nice bull!

Outstanding. You are living my dream.

I usually don’t look like I’ve been scroggin’ my sister for 3 hours either after a hunt.

Well…there was this one time, I didn’t have the JetSled

Nice Elk and with a Bow, that's a big plus.

Kool 👍🏼


🦫

That is some good work on that young bull! Now get some blood on them clothes! I love it when elk walk into me when I am hunting!

Nice bull.

Shrap's a spandex clad disco freak?

Only on the second weekend of months with an R in them?

Did you go back later and take pics with the longbow and buckskin clothes? 🤣🤣🤣

Holeee $hit, that was really funny. I can’t hardly breath, that is so friggin’ funny…

Nice job Kirk. I went out and saw the same amount of elk this weekend as I saw in my basement last week, zero. Same for sounds. I did find a black bear wandering around by my camp. I'm going out for ten days starting the third week of the season.

I don't see schit!!!!!!!!

Just joshin ya…. I know you have thick skin 👍🏻

I didn’t even have to touch it. My son took care of the whole thing with the help of his friend. I didn’t even have to hold a leg. Chase even cut the ivories out for me…

That’s hard to believe with the eye you have for elk…

Congratulations, I need to get some of that camouflage.

Fantastic,,Us Easterners would be hard pressed to swap out an elk for a beefer.
Congrats for sure.

Congrats on sticking a bull. Like others said, any archery bull is a trophy.

If you were in our camp, though, that accomplishment is rewarded with becoming camp bitch and responsible for all chores.

Congrats! Especially with a bow. Well done.

thanks for sharing and congratulations

Just saying....but the Backcountry BuzzH types seem a little silly at this point.

Outstanding! Congrats, nice rag horn bull! Any elk with a bow is a great elk!

Nice job.

Hunt well done Shrap.

I will be hard to it in a couple weeks in a country you love between the Rosebud and the Tongue.

Osky

Too hot right now.

LOL!

Knows the lyrics to every BeeGees song.....

This is a raghorn bull...






This one is a near record book bull, he was well over 300 before he shrank...

Masar would love to have chimed in on this thread.
But Bin did another solid and put the typical Masar sockpuppet restrictions on it.

👍👍👍

Nice job Kirk.

That's freakin awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Way to go Shrap!

A similar tale unfolded the other night regarding elk, frontal shots and good friends showing up to help out.

I was in Utah, Mike (son #1) was in Alaska and Zack (son #2) was in Idaho, hunting alone. We were group texting:

Me at 7:20pm "OK, Zack. It's magic hour. Kill one before I get there tomorrow and have to help pack out."

Mike at 7:25 "Shoot the big one."

Zack at 7:45 "Just smacked a spike." (with only a few days to hunt before we headed to Alaska, he thought he'd better get it done)

Me at 7:46 "Throat shot?" (teasing him because the last one he shot was facing straight on and died within 30 yards)

Zack at 7:47 "Yes, actually."

8:15 this pic came, "Didn't go 20 yards":




I had familiar mixed emotions about being so happy for Zack but not being there to help out. He send a text to a cousin who was soon on the way with some friends. While he was removing quarters and waiting for help to arrive, he sent this text:

"I don't do this enough to get very good at it. I need someone to hold the legs and yell at me." We laughed, remembering critters past when that I'm sure I wasn't the most patient teacher as my boys grew into men.

Mike texted: "Just realized holding the legs up is similar to holding your wife's leg when she's giving birth. And I've been yelled at while doing both." Man I laughed out loud.

Soon help arrived and they had it out and on ice in good time. Lucky because the heat's been unreal so far.



We got up there the next day and got it cut, wrapped and frozen. Zack's two for two on throat shots, in case your wondering about Penetration

Looks like you should be able to get the tractor in there?

Congrats!

Did you adjust your peep with your teeth at full draw?

There was a discussion on “ axe the gun writers” that shooting at an animal that is looking at you unafraid is not “ sporting.”

I will wager you were a lil excited about this deal regardless.

Well done!

The "best" anything hunting method is to hunt where a bunch of whatever you are hunting are.

Great job. I'm in the "any big game animal with a bow is a trophy" camp.

Great job! Nice bull. I have never killed an elk with my bow. A dozen or so mule and blacktail deer, no elk. I'm just a tad envious, again great job!

Congratulations on a good bull.

Good deal, Kirk!

That should be some great eating. The first elk I killed with a bow was also taken on Montana's opening day, and was about the size of yours. We still consider it the best-eating elk either of us has ever taken....

Congrats on a nice bull and a nice story to go with it.