Idaho DIY Archery Bull
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:31 am
Hey everyone. I thought I would share my story of a successful DIY Idaho Archery Hunt. This is my 2nd year archery hunting. Last year I was hooked after getting close to many elk during the heat of the rut. After losing a 5 point last year I made the decision to work hard this spring and summer to make sure that would not happen.
This off season we did a lot of scouting for elk, it was kinda nice since we would bear hunt the same areas. I bought a new bow and learned to tune it as good as I could get it. I did my own broadhead tests and found the one I would be shooting this fall. The bow is a Hoyt Rampage XT 28"DL 70#. I am shooting a Simmons LandShark 125 2 blade head. My arrows are Carbon Express Maxima 350s with one stringer wraps and 3" Gateway feathers with a right helical.
After a few days of hiking and trying to find where the elk where hiding. We had some success in getting on them. They would just not cooperate and provide us with a shot. We had a total of 5 people hunting in our group and we would break up 3 and 2. Me and my dad were in a group. One day we decided to hunt low while everyone else went high. They got into bull up high and we got into bulls down low. That morning I called in a nice 5 point to 40 yards. There was a creek between the bull and us and he would not cross it, so we had to get to the edge of the creek bed. When he came to the creek I tried to range him but was having a hard time getting through the willows. Then finally he stuck his head out and ranged him at 47 yards. I slide my sight up to 45 yards I drew back and he walked out broadside. I released and he jumped the string and my shot was high. ( I think I ranged the tree that was behind him.) I hurried and cow called and he stopped at 40 yards. I nocked another arrow and drew and released. Shwack! and he started to walk away. I got my binos on him, there was no blood what so ever. He slowly walked into the trees. We crossed the creek and found the arrow. It was a pass through, it had some fat on the arrow, but no bubbles. There was no blood trail. We waited an hour and looked for him the rest of the day. I shot him at 7:30am. We ended up busting him in the thick trees and he ran off. That night we heard him bugle. The next morning when we went back, we saw him and he was bugling, he was fine, which made me feel good. I think I shot a little low and went through his brisket.
So the next morning I am still kinda bummed about the day before. I know that opportunities are hard to come by. We heard some bugles and decided to move in on them. I got us set up about 100 yards from him and started to cow call. We could hear him, but could not see him since it was so thick. He was going nuts bugling and chuckling. His cows started to mew as well. After about 30 minutes I decided to move in a little closer. We got about 50 yards from him. He was in these thick Pines and we were set up in some quakies 20 yards from the pines. We were there for 40 minutes and he would not come out. We could hear him running around and scraping trees he just did not want to come out. At this time he started to quiet down a little bit and had actually moved to the west about 60 yards. So I told my dad that we are going into those thick trees after him. We made our way in after him very slow and quiet. He would bugle and we would locate his position. We came to a little clearing where I was standing on the edge of the pines. I would cow call and he would bugle right back. Then about 60 yards out I saw movement. It was him, he had came out of the trees. I got done on my knees in front of a pine tree and motioned to my dad to get down. I ranged a tree at 22 yards. That was going to be my shot. The bull started to come in then caught a glimpse of my dad and spooked. I immediately cow called and he stopped turned and swung wide to my right. He started back in. He ended up walking straight at me to about 15 yards. He then starred into the trees for about 3 minutes. He then turned and went around my tree at 22 yards. He was walking back to where he had come from. It was perfect quartering shot. I drew and had to lean back onto my heels to shoot around a shrub. I settled the pin and released. SHWACK!!!! I drilled him. He lunged, I cow called and he looked back. He was instantly spitting up blood. He stood for about 15 seconds then started to fall over, he tried to run and ended up crashing down. It took about 40 seconds and he went 50 yards from where he was when the arrow hit him. It was a 30 yards shot.
I entered at about the diaphragm, clipped on lung, hit the top of the heart, then center punched the other lung, exiting right next to the opposite shoulder!!
All the hard work and preparation had finally paid off. I harvested my first bull, and it was my first archery kill!
http://photobucket.com/elk2012
This off season we did a lot of scouting for elk, it was kinda nice since we would bear hunt the same areas. I bought a new bow and learned to tune it as good as I could get it. I did my own broadhead tests and found the one I would be shooting this fall. The bow is a Hoyt Rampage XT 28"DL 70#. I am shooting a Simmons LandShark 125 2 blade head. My arrows are Carbon Express Maxima 350s with one stringer wraps and 3" Gateway feathers with a right helical.
After a few days of hiking and trying to find where the elk where hiding. We had some success in getting on them. They would just not cooperate and provide us with a shot. We had a total of 5 people hunting in our group and we would break up 3 and 2. Me and my dad were in a group. One day we decided to hunt low while everyone else went high. They got into bull up high and we got into bulls down low. That morning I called in a nice 5 point to 40 yards. There was a creek between the bull and us and he would not cross it, so we had to get to the edge of the creek bed. When he came to the creek I tried to range him but was having a hard time getting through the willows. Then finally he stuck his head out and ranged him at 47 yards. I slide my sight up to 45 yards I drew back and he walked out broadside. I released and he jumped the string and my shot was high. ( I think I ranged the tree that was behind him.) I hurried and cow called and he stopped at 40 yards. I nocked another arrow and drew and released. Shwack! and he started to walk away. I got my binos on him, there was no blood what so ever. He slowly walked into the trees. We crossed the creek and found the arrow. It was a pass through, it had some fat on the arrow, but no bubbles. There was no blood trail. We waited an hour and looked for him the rest of the day. I shot him at 7:30am. We ended up busting him in the thick trees and he ran off. That night we heard him bugle. The next morning when we went back, we saw him and he was bugling, he was fine, which made me feel good. I think I shot a little low and went through his brisket.
So the next morning I am still kinda bummed about the day before. I know that opportunities are hard to come by. We heard some bugles and decided to move in on them. I got us set up about 100 yards from him and started to cow call. We could hear him, but could not see him since it was so thick. He was going nuts bugling and chuckling. His cows started to mew as well. After about 30 minutes I decided to move in a little closer. We got about 50 yards from him. He was in these thick Pines and we were set up in some quakies 20 yards from the pines. We were there for 40 minutes and he would not come out. We could hear him running around and scraping trees he just did not want to come out. At this time he started to quiet down a little bit and had actually moved to the west about 60 yards. So I told my dad that we are going into those thick trees after him. We made our way in after him very slow and quiet. He would bugle and we would locate his position. We came to a little clearing where I was standing on the edge of the pines. I would cow call and he would bugle right back. Then about 60 yards out I saw movement. It was him, he had came out of the trees. I got done on my knees in front of a pine tree and motioned to my dad to get down. I ranged a tree at 22 yards. That was going to be my shot. The bull started to come in then caught a glimpse of my dad and spooked. I immediately cow called and he stopped turned and swung wide to my right. He started back in. He ended up walking straight at me to about 15 yards. He then starred into the trees for about 3 minutes. He then turned and went around my tree at 22 yards. He was walking back to where he had come from. It was perfect quartering shot. I drew and had to lean back onto my heels to shoot around a shrub. I settled the pin and released. SHWACK!!!! I drilled him. He lunged, I cow called and he looked back. He was instantly spitting up blood. He stood for about 15 seconds then started to fall over, he tried to run and ended up crashing down. It took about 40 seconds and he went 50 yards from where he was when the arrow hit him. It was a 30 yards shot.
I entered at about the diaphragm, clipped on lung, hit the top of the heart, then center punched the other lung, exiting right next to the opposite shoulder!!
All the hard work and preparation had finally paid off. I harvested my first bull, and it was my first archery kill!
http://photobucket.com/elk2012