yesterday was day 1 for me. I usually hunt solo but decided to hunt with my buddy to try and get him one. Riding in on bikes we got busted by a bull and 3 cows. We gave them some time and went in and called, no results. Later in the day we got in on 3 cows, no bulls around.

On a last ditch effort before dark, I decided to go check a small clear cut. We got there and it appeared to be no elk but, I glassed a cows face. Glassed right and found a bulls head facing away, a 5x5. My buddy had left his bow on his bike expecting that maybe I get a chance since I had called for him all day but, I said "you shot my bow at the range, go kill him".

We were 105yds when he started his stalk. I watched from my stump. He got about 60yds in my eyes from the bull and the bull stood up looking for him. I cow called and got his attention. My buddy was in a hole and the bull couldn't see down below. As my buddy approached a little more, I deployed my elk decoy and cow called. The bull was torn on where to look. In the end, the bull and cows left scene unharmed. My friend was 51yds and had a small branch in the way of his quartering away shot, so he passed.

At 8:40pm I received a msg with another guys stating he killed a bull where I showed him to hunt 2yrs ago and needed help. I drove over, hiked in with another guy to see he killed a descent 5x5, his first elk. They had already began quartering the bull when we got there so, knowing I was getting up again at 5am, I loaded a qtr and hiked out solo. Got home and in bed at 12:30... Fun 1st day I guess, other than my legs are sore.

Up this morning with my buddy for an a.m. hunt. No elk! I did see 3 blacktail forkys so, I made a move on them. Terrain was steep and ground cover was too loud so I bailed only about 20yds from where I wanted to be. Plus, I didn't feel like packing a deer out. Nap time now and off with my boy tonight, unless he bails, then I'll go solo.

Awesome! I always get excited when your elk season starts. Keep em coming and good luck!

Good luck! Take some pics to share.

I know its hard work and takes skill, but man that sounds amazing. Something I hope to do one day!

A lil rub we found
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My buddy making his play on the bull

I always enjoy your annual archery hunt thread.

Good luck. We want to see elk blud!

Good luck!

Good luck and keep us posted. Have always enjoyed reading your posts. Living vicariously thru you until we can hunt something as well!

Tonight was a bust. Went to a spot just to check things out and wont be in there again. Next hunt, Saturday. Talked to the son so, we just gonna hunt and make it home in time for the Bama game. Friday's out, picking up my wife and daughter from the airport in Portland after their ONE MONTH vacation to Mobile with a 2 week stint in an Orange Beach condo. She needs to get home and cook.

Couple little reviews from some new items I picked up this year

*Swarovski 10x42 SLC, sweet. Clear, gather light well and well worth the money.

*KUIU Teton pants. Very comfortable hiking and biking. I got both patterns and really like both. I really like the size of the pockets and the zippers on them as well. They came with a 34 inseam, I had them cut to 31. The Verde camo blends really well with the green vegetation. The Vias looked good in timber as well as the clearcuts with the brown grass.

Core4Element light weight shirts from Camofire. Very comfy and breath well. I like the arm sleeve pocket for keeping a couple reeds in.

After picking the girls up at the airport last night, I went on a morning hunt today. Hikes up a huge timbered hill so I could save 3 miles of biking. Worked great. Once on top, I enjoyed the great views and began glassing. I spotted a "blonde" body on a logging road and knew it was "male". I then spotted 6 or 7 cows. After getting some good views, he looked like a small 5x5. I decided the time and effort required to hike over was not worth it today since I needed to spend a little time at home tonight (BAMA GAME too). About 45 minutes after first spotting the elk, I saw 2 hunters trying to make a play. They didn't realize the elk had already started over the hill and they struck out. My way out vwas a hill from hell, heavily timbered, with wet 6ft ferns most of the way down, prolly an 8-900ft decent.

Under armour bozman boot, waterproof my butt. Soaked going through wet grass.

The teton pants are doing well. Hit a few briars today with no snags yet. Very comfortable hiking, even during my 800 to 1000ft ascent. While wearing the VIAS CAMO pants, my buddy said he couldn't see my legs

Thanks, nice reading.

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The rd in the middle Y's, the bull is the bright spot following the y to the left. The cows are over the top of the Y
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Tuesday, RAIN. I made my rounds running and gunning in the rain for a couple hours in the morning, notta!
Dried out and went back out in the afternoon, notta!

Wednesday... I met up with my buddy after making our plan. We drove to the gate we needed to get behind and while unloading, a timber co truck pulls up to us right at daylight to let us know the helo would be spraying the fresh clearcuts with pre-emergent. We were parked in one of the clearcuts so, we had to load up our gear and bail. Pretty much ruined the day. Came home, grabbed a burger and met another guy that's hunting Oregon for the last year before he transfers. We hit some good places and called with no replies. Glassed a hill off in the distance (close to where we entered the land) and saw 6 elk. Oh well.

I've spent most of my days calling for others in hopes of them getting their 1st bull. Saturday, more of the same, just with my son, maybe he gets one. Somebody better get one since I typically hunt solo and I've been pretty successful. I have a few days set aside to hunt for myself so, we'll see how it goes.

Oh, I failed to mention that my legs are SORE. I entered the season probably in the worst shape I've ever started an elk season. At 51, I'm still going at it hard, it just hurts

I also received a new frame pack this week. Slumberjack rail hauler, really want to test this thing out. Along with that I got a new Nikon rangefinder, pretty good so far. Was able to range a stump in the misty rain yesterday at 40.

My hunting rig, lol. 27.5 Felt with some heavy duty tubes. I have a Trek 29er as well, but ride this.

Thanks for the updates, nice hunting rig you got there

Beautiful ground your getting to hunt. Good luck out there

Everyone's going to think you're a girl with those pink arras.

That or man enough to tote them... My wife chooses my colors every year so, I just roll with it. Last year she picked pink/white fletching. I shot at my bull with pink/yellow. Clipped a limb and missed. Grabbed a pink/white and drilled him, lol

My wife's color selection rocks!
0817, that's 8:17am for some of ya

Waiting on rest of story...

Hmmm... sounds like it's story time! Kodiak, we're waiting......

Love it...thanks for posting.

Too tired for typing, lol. My legs are shot. Finally resting at 9:30pm. Sipping my 2nd Mikes watermelon drink after boning out 2 shoulders and 1 hind qtr...

My arrow lost its lumenock but, got dirty

Ok, I feel like a friggin truck ran over me today!!! Story coming soon

The plan was to call for my son and let him kill his first elk. Long story short, he broke down in his friends POS truck on the logging roads about an hour from town on some lands with open access the night before and didn't make it.

I arrived at the gate I wanted to hunt and started down the road on my bike solo at daylight. As I was approaching a "T" in the road, I got off the bike to sneak up to the corner and glass a clearcut we saw a bull in earlier in the season. I'm walking probably 75yds from the "T" when a bull lights off, I'm like "hell yea, it's on". As I got closer to the "T" the bugles were getting farther away in the timber on the other side of the road. I held up and looked down the road to the right and realized I was busted... 2 cows took off across the cut, stopped and "barked" at me. I couldn't go after the bull. had a problem. The problem, I was at a property line that's illegal to cross.

After that. I bombed down the road to the left and went to where my buddy stalked the 4pt. Dropped the bike and walked the edges glassing and saw nothing.. I sat up in a good spot with a couple draws and called, no replies, nothing coming in. I hiked back to the bike and off I went. DOWN HILL the whole time, knowing coming out would suck and I'd have to push the bike up the hills.

Came to a spot with lots of clear cuts and reprod so, I parked the bike and hiked off the left side of the road a little bit and started glassing. This place was beautiful as far as elk country and I was confident. While glassing, I heard a bugle. It was just a little farther up the road, on the opposite side, and over a descent sized hill. Back to the bike and pedal up the road and go for it! So that's what I did.

I park the bike and hear another bugle and told myself, "time to get it on"... I then hear another bugle and it's farther away, and I think "damn things moving away from me". As soon as I thought that, another bugle. Opposite side of the hill I'm on. I start heading up through the reprod and have big timber up hill and on the right. As I top the hill, I realize the timber has been select cut and get a big smile. I knew it would be that much easier to find the elk. As I'm heading up, I hear more bugles and I'm digging it.

I jump into the timber edge and keep trucking. I'm persistent and aggressive when getting on the elk so, I'm focused and all eyes and ears as I head toward the bugles. I finally get to where I think I'm close and pause to scan. Movement ahead, moving left to right.

Pulled my binos out real quick to see "chocolate horns with ivory tips", the bull I've been looking for every year. I cow called the soft times. he stopped, looked dead my way and then continued from left to right out of sight.

I haul butt up another 30-40yds and can't see any elk so, I see a little road below about 20yds away. I jumped on the road, dropped my pack and beat feet up another 40yds. I found a small tree uprooted on the left side up a small bank. I hunkered down on my butt behind it. Another bugle, "hell yea"... Ranged a tree down hill a bit, 30yds.

I look and see an elk headed straight up the little road, straight to me. Grab the binos to see dark horns, excited for sure. I look through the root system and instantly think "damn", it's a friggin 4pt. Looked again and saw he was a 5x5, not the 6x6 I had first seen.

I decided that if given the shot, I would take it. I nocked my PINK Black Eagle arrow my wife chose with total confidence in her good luck she has given me. The angle I had with the roots was gonna give me about an 8yd shot. As the bull approached the 20ish yard mark I drew. Not sure if he saw the top of my bow move OR if the wind swirled but, he stopped and then ran to his left looping to some clear lanes in front of me. I cow called, he instantly stopped about 5yds behind, and right of the 30yd tree I had ranged. I keep my black gold single pin on 30 and that's where it stayed.

I put the pin center lung, squeezed the release, and watched my Green Lumenock track through the air, burying itself into the bulls body. I was like "that was badass" watching that arrow. On impact, the bull wheeled right and ran about 30yds while I cow called to stop him. He came to a slow walk, stopped and coughed a few times and bedded down roughly 40yds from impact. As I was watching him do that, 2 cows had popped out with the 6x6, they also watched his bed down. As the big bull followed the 2 cows away, he ripped off another bugle.

I watched through my binos. He put his head down after a minute and the I saw it come to rest a couple minutes later. A great animal, a clean shot, and I have been honored to hunt and watch these majestic animals.

I went to where the bull was standing when I shot, Ranged it at 34.6yds. Excited and knowing the daunting task of getting the bull out of the woods, I headed toward the bike making calls for help. As I talked to my main hunting buddy, I tripped over a dang snag and fell on my bow. Haven't looked hard but, I think all the parts are still there.

Arrow was my first "pass through". Found the arrow, lumenock still lost,

A wallow next to where I hunkered down. The bull I killed was muddy from being it it. Made cleaning him suck.

Getting the horns, to far in to pack the head

well. thats an awesome hunt.

Glad my son on right, and 2 Coastie buddies helped. Took 4hrs to get him packed up and to truck

Hills suck, lol

Me and my 2016 5x5 bull

The cool parts is I got my bull, another cool thing, I'm not done. I will continue to hunt, glassing and calling for my buddies

Congrats! Thanks for sharing the story.

Congrats, great pics and story!

Congrats, did you look for the nock inside him ?

Excellent

Dang, you got my blood pumping! Congrats on an awesome hunt!

Way to go Kodiak!! I don't care if you do shoot pink arrows. You're no daisy. You're no daisy at all. That's bad azz how you hunt em off Mtn bikes. Hell of a story teller. Felt like I was there.

Awesome. Congrats!!!

Congrats man!

Nah, don't cut them open. Clean the gutless method. Plus the task of getting out before the meats spoils is a priority since it was so warm. Thought about it though.

Arrow entry

Exit

This stump was 6 to 8ft wide

Truck when I got home. Cool stickers on the center window
Took 175 pounds of meat to get turned into burger.

You've probably said but what broad head you shooting, what bow, poundage, etc

Shooting Thunderhead 125's on Black Eagle 350's. Bow is a Bowtech Carbon Icon, 70# on the comfort setting. Draw is smooth with zero hump yo get over. It's light too so, that helps packing.

A kid that graduated with my son and shoots with me at the range killed a 6x6 just after lunch today. Glad I didn't have to help, lol. He had the gang coming to pack. He's a Matthews guy but, that's okay.
So far outs 5 of us that communicate, a 6x6, two 5x5s down. Two other guys missed, 1 on a small 5pt at 36yds (hit a limb) the other, a 4x4 at 40yds. 2 weeks left for them.

just did my path from yesterday... Right at 9.7 miles on my legs and bike. Too bad half of it was uphill.

Forgot to add. I woke up this morning and snuck out to a place to glass from the truck. Found a 5x5 with 8 cows. Quick hitter for one of the guys maybe???

You guys are smoking on everyone getting into elk, getting opportunities. Awesome.

Congrats on the bull. Awesome story too!

Outstanding hunt and bull!!

Don't let my wife see your arras.

Awesome.

Someone was talking about "how do you practice" in another thread. I shot this bull off my rear end sitting on an embankment. If ya hunting off the ground get creative at times when shooting, ya never know how you will be positioned. I've shot 2 bulls standing, 1 off a knee, and now one off my butt.

I just saw this, but awesome thread. Congrats on the bull kodiak!

Love seeing that Bama decal in Oregon!

ROLL TIDE

Well, 180 plus pounds of burger require a lot of wrapping. Had to run but a 6.? Chest freezer. Other freezer didn't stand a chance, especially after adding half a hog last week.

Off to buy replacement blades for my razor lite. Then I'm hiking in to try to put one to bed for a hunt with my son tomorrow.

Got to the gate and one bugles right off the bat. Cows were talking it up. He bugled about 8 more times before I left. Glasses 2 cows and a calf on a distant hill.

Congratulations

This is the coolest thread I've read in a while. Congrats on the kill. That was an awesome story.

Well, today sucked. Went in, settled in next to some timber and a timber company truck rolled by. Shortly after, I hear a cow. In less than a minute, the truck came back out passing the area I heard the cow. Never heard another peep. Went to several spots calling and nothing. Bailed at 1500, sons shoulder still jacked up and his pack took its toll.

Great story and congrats on your success.

Congrats. Great job abd great story.

Woke up this morning and decided to go glass for my buddy and a guy he had with him from Alaska. I went in and instantly found a cow. As the minutes go by, I see multiple cows and claves and after counting 8, I knew the herd should have a 5x5 with them 'cause I saw them last week. I called the guys and said hustle over at the same time spotting the 5pt.
The elk all bedded in a clearcut. Me and Russ made the play while the other guy worked through the timber. Long story short, we got busted, tried to head them off, got busted again and they hit the timber.
After that, the 2 of us txt the other guy to meet on top of the hill. We head up to overlook a clearcut and my buddy jumps on a wide open stump after looking down the hill. I looked over and see a blonde body. Get him to get off the stump and glass, it's a small 4x4. He appeared to have a big patch of hair missing on back, prolly a whooping from a bigger bull.
Can't work the reprod to him, bad wind, didn't wanna side hill over, probably a 60yd shot if we didn't get busted on the bald hill so, we circled right, set up, and I cow called. The bull stood up and took a couple steps forward and then cut down hill. I flashed the decoy but, he wanted no part of anything and bailed into the timber. I really think he had a rescent ass whooping since he acted that way and we had saw him licking that bald area. Ill post a pic of the little guy in a few. Fun time, just no blood on the ground

Not the greatest pic, he was 120yds away

I always love your hunting stories and pics. Congrats on your bull!

Headed out today to try to get my buddy an elk. Last day for us before he's back to work. Not sure if it's an all dayer or not but, it would be cool to have him bag his 1st archery elk.

Saw one elk... We went away from our normal spot and stalk for something a little different. We had a large, steep area we knew had a couple BIG bulls so, we stayed in timber all day running and gunning, just calling good set ups with zero action. We did find some flagging similar to someone marking a blood trail. It was on our path so, we ended up finding an Axis carbon arrow with what I would call a "puney" broadhead. A cut on contact 100gr head. We ended up hearing some ravens and knew what they were doing. Hiked over the hill and found the dead 5x5. Not big but, would have made someone's year I guess. Done with elk as far as hunting but, I may go hunting with a camera Monday and see if I can get a few picks for yall of a descent bull.