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- Oct 2, 2020
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- 1,577
Well it happened. I finally hit a full on rut fest this past week. It started the evening before with bulls starting to scream right at dark. I was helping a few guys from out of state and we got in early the next day. With about 15 minutes to shooting light, a bull cracked off about 800 yards across the valley. The winds were blowing pretty good and we worked down incase there was a bull on our side of the valley. As we worked several more bulls started to scream. I got the guys set up on the edge knowing it was a long shot but a bull popped up 600 yards across the sage flat valley.
I bugled and the bull stopped, turned and screamed right back. I hit him with a cow call and the bull came unglued! He pointed his head down the hill and ran towards me. With 6 or 7 other bulls now in the area running and scream, this bull took no time to cover the 600 yards bugling, chuckling and screaming the entire way. I was set up about 50 yards up the hill and lost sight as a bugle rattled my chest. I turned and ran up the hill cow calling. I then hear it… the thunder of hoofs running away. Not sure what happed but I cow called again and a new bull was now closing distance. Two bull in close and about 6 more on the other side.
I finally got the waive from the shooters and head down. Shots fired!! A 42 yard shot but things got weird. The arrow showed bubbles but the bull was standing on the ridge across from us. A 5 hour wait until searching and 4 hours of searching gave us nothing. We never found the bull but was definitely in the rut fest. So cool to experience but crappy and the same time. We think it was a one lung and maybe only clipped. Elk are tough survivors.
I love September!!
I bugled and the bull stopped, turned and screamed right back. I hit him with a cow call and the bull came unglued! He pointed his head down the hill and ran towards me. With 6 or 7 other bulls now in the area running and scream, this bull took no time to cover the 600 yards bugling, chuckling and screaming the entire way. I was set up about 50 yards up the hill and lost sight as a bugle rattled my chest. I turned and ran up the hill cow calling. I then hear it… the thunder of hoofs running away. Not sure what happed but I cow called again and a new bull was now closing distance. Two bull in close and about 6 more on the other side.
I finally got the waive from the shooters and head down. Shots fired!! A 42 yard shot but things got weird. The arrow showed bubbles but the bull was standing on the ridge across from us. A 5 hour wait until searching and 4 hours of searching gave us nothing. We never found the bull but was definitely in the rut fest. So cool to experience but crappy and the same time. We think it was a one lung and maybe only clipped. Elk are tough survivors.
I love September!!