Oh so close – yet so far!

[Clay Hayes]

#5480

I had a very close call with a magnificent herd bull this Saturday. I glassed him and some cows topping a ridge and heading into a timbered drainage Sunday night. About daybreak Saturday morning, with the wind moving down the draw, I got down below them and still hunted my way up toward the ridge. I was into fresh sign from the get go and could smell their scent coming down slope on the breeze. I eased my way up and up. I followed fresh tracks, my nose and wet mud on vegetation until about 11 am. I sat down for a rest and a snack when I heard him bugle just over a small knoll. I strapped on my pack, eased over the break and could hear the cows mewing and snapping branches, knocking hooves. I eased in a little closer and crossed my fingers that one would feed to me before I got busted. By this time, the bull was really firing off. It’s stunning to be so close to such a magnificent animal, to get to hear all the deep guttural noises they make. I could almost feel him.

I kneeled as a spectator, watching the cows feed; watching the bull tend his harem, rounding up a stray cow then running to the other end of the herd, grunting and posturing the whole way. After a few minutes a cow walks directly at me, spotting me when she gets to about 5 yards. I would have taken the shot had she presented me one, but she stared then backed up, wheeled around and went back into the midst of the herd. Apparently she wasn’t too alarmed because she didn’t blow the whistle. Some of the other cows and calves have, by now, meandered down below me and were threatening to reach my scent stream. I crossed my fingers and hoped. Just then the bull starts up the hill, just to my right. Could it happen, could I be this lucky? The bull heads to where the first cow had come from, then turns toward me, stopping a mere 8 yards away. His head and shoulders are covered by a big gnarly fir as he looks down on his harem. Eight yards and 2 steps is all that separates me from putting an arrow into a truly magnificent bull. But it wasn’t to be. My stars weren’t aligned or maybe that cow walked just a little too far, but in a moment all hell broke loose. The cows from below took off, crashing away. The bull threw his head up, watched for a half second then wheeled and was gone, leaving me in a surreal haze. I opened my pack and had lunch.

I feel blessed to have had that opportunity; to have been so close yet, in our world, so far away.

[Jesse Minish]

#42616

Sounds like a great day! Good luck and keep at them.

[Chris Shelton]

#42623

I have heard this saying before, and I basically live by it! “If something during the hunt makes it memorable for a lifetime, than it was a successful hunt” and sounds to me like your hunt was a success!!!!!!:D

[justin ammons]

#42732

great story, clay! felt like i was right there with ya on the side of that mountain. thanks.

[MontanaFord]

#43769

I can’t top that, but I did get the bejeezes scared out of me by multiple grouse on Monday afternoon. No arrows left the string, but I did figure out how to get into a new hunting area.

Michael

[Mark Turton]

#50761

Hi Clay
Just read your post it made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
Next time buddy, Mark.

[PagosaBow]

#56080

Nice Clay! I found 8 cows bedded down Thursday morning. Took me an hour to get with in 20 yards. They never saw me. She stood up and walked away never gave me a shoot. A few minutes later a muzzle loader took a shoot at her and missed. She had a lucky day!

[SteveMcD]

#57111

Great experience and story Clay! Thank you for sharing. I could almost hear the bull bugling as I was reading about your experience! The memory is yours forever!

[T. J. Conrads]

#57234

Great experience, Clay. I just got back from an elk hunt in Montana…came home with this deer. Now getting ready for that moose.

T.J.

[SteveMcD]

#57686

What a nice looking buck! Congrats, TJ!

[David Petersen]

#57746

Shot placement on that buck looks just about perfect, Tim. Congratulations!

Clay, man can I empathize, having enjoyed that experience, very similar, a couple of times in the past 3 weeks. Was within 8′ of a decent 5×5, crouching and I thot if he came another step closer I’d get flooded with his drool. No shot op due to dense oakbrush and a cow he was herding. A few days later I took a shot at another 5×5 from an evening waterhole stand. But I was forced to sit flat on my butt on the ground and he’d moved a bit to the left of my window before presenting a perfect broadside looking the other way — my lower bow limb hit an aspen sapling on release and the arrow went way low. Passed a couple or sure shots on cows, holding out for a nice bull. Can’t count the miles walked and stalked, evevation climbed, and hours sitting on stand. Down to the last week now and hoping with this cold snap and black powder season finally over they’ll start bugling good again so I can go after another experience similar to yours. Question is, do I continue holding out for a nice bull, or go for the meat at this point. For now I”ll use the pack-out principle. If a cow or small bull offers a good shot with an easy pack out, I’ll probly take it. The farther up the mountain I go, the better the reward has to be for the pack out. Last day, next Sunday, anything goes. Now let’s all get back out there! I will be within the half hour. dave

[Hiram]

#57896

The pack principle has become my “Mantra” after arriving at 50 plus in age. Used to pack out a hind quarter, a shoulder, and some neck meat in one trip. No more of this! Last time I did this, I arrived home to the proctoligist to find I had a fischer, ouch! Surgery followed to fix the strain tear.

[PagosaBow]

#63733

Nice buck TJ!

[Tim Roberts]

#11800

Clay,
Dang man I, that is a great story! Got to do some huntin in Montana with Walt Frances, for a few days and another freind for about a week, a good time was had and we came close a few times but no connection…………..

[Clay Hayes]

#11829

Well, the last day is done. Another archery season come and gone. Mixed emotions as always – a feeling of sadness, but also of relief.:? I’ve lost 10 lbs since day one. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you start out at a buck 55, it ain’t no drop in the bucket. Twenty two days until the cow hunt opens. I’ll have to dust off the flintlock and heat up some lead. Until then it’s ducks, grouse and spot’n’stalk for bears. Ahh how I love the fall:wink:

ch

[texasota]

#18704

Clay, i can not find the words to tell you how jealous i am!!!
sounds like a heck of an elk season, with more fun to come.
Good luck, keep those great posts coming. It felt like I was right there too:!:

[Chris Shelton]

#19252

how is that for close? He just needed 10 more yards and we would be munching on backstraps!
THIS VIDEO COMING SOON!!!!

[David Petersen]

#19559

Hey Tree — whatcha doing out there in the grass, with the woods so close behind the deer? Ah, you wanted to be visible in the video! 😆 dave

[Chris Shelton]

#20466

actually that is me behind the camera in another tree line, that is my buddy, they snuck by us in the woods without giving a shot, so I told him to move on them but only when there heads were down, it was a long shot, the wind was perfect though, and he was so close, it was a very impressive stalk! The woods behind her are thick right now, and not as close as it looks on film:D. It is probably 50 yards from that back woodline!? I cant wait for you all to see this whole movie come together, its gona be a good one!!!:wink:

[Carbomask]

#20567

Great Posts! stalking whitetails, its not just for mulie hunters!! ha ha. I shot my last buck at inside of 8′ on the ground, came in on my drag rag with his eyes rolled back in his head sniffing the estrus trial i laid. if I dint shoot he’da stepped on me, I just know it. Super bright rising sun was at my back, and he came right up to me like a pet dog. I was drawn on him from 20 yrds, when he turned the corner, but he just kept on coming right to my rag, still tied to my fanny pack. coulda been gored to death. ((it was him or me, as they say..))

[Carbomask]

#20570

DISCLAIMER:: THE ABOVE POST IS IN REFERENCE TO A NON-TRADITIONAL WHITETAIL HARVEST.. HOWEVER.. IT WAS WHAT LEAD ME TO SWITCH TO TRADITIONAL GEAR. TOO MANY CLOSE DEER TAKEN WITH TOO MUCH BOW..

[MontanaFord]

#21413

T.J. I want to congratulate you on a nice Montana mulie buck. He’s a dandy. Where’bouts do you hunt when you come over to Montana? Take care, good luck moose hunting.

We have a week left in our archery season for deer and elk. It ends on the 18th. Rifle season opens the following Sunday and runs until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. And I haven’t been out with my bow but once. It’s been a sad season for me, this year. Work and school have me tied at both ends. Then add in family time, prepping for winter and keeping vehicles in good running condition, well, it doesn’t leave much time for hunting. Hopefully rifle season treats me better…yes, I said it…rifle. Archery season is my hunting season, rifle season is my fill the freezer season.

Michael.

[Clay Hayes]

#28060

Well, I know this isn’t archery related, but I thought some of y’all would like to see anyways. On Oct. 10(deer opener) I headed north to the timber while all the other yahoos were heading south to find a mulie. I headed to a place where, last year, I’d seen a real bruiser black bear but couldn’t get a shot. He was only about 60 yards and I had my flintlock, but there was some brush in the way and I didn’t want to risk an iffy shot.

Things turned out differently this year. Just as soon as I parked the truck and headed up the creek bottom, I was seeing scat piles that were a week or more old. I headed up the ridge, slipping through waist high snowberries when I came to the base of a grand old dug fir. Just at the base, there was a semi fresh bed and scat the diameter of coke cans. I went into stealth mode, slipping and looking, stopping and looking, and just plain looking. About 20 yards ahead was another huge fir and when I slipped to within 15 yards this bruin stands up on his hind legs to get a look over the brush. Instinct took over and the second it took to cock the hammer, set the hair trigger and squeeze it off, seemed like an eternity. The 50 cal. flintlock belched fire and lead, then all was smoke – the smell of burnt powder in the air. I knew he was big when he stood up so close, but I didn’t realize how big until the smoke cleared and I walked up to see his massive form spread on the ground. I don’t know what he weighed but I’ve caught wild hogs that were pushing 250 that didn’t hold a candle to this brute. His head measures nearly 15 inches long with the hide on.

I’m grateful to finally have some meet in the freezer and to have had such an experience with such a magnificent animal. Just as with that massive herd bull from a month ago, if it had ended with only an encounter, I’d still be grateful. Now, just one more week till the cow hunt opens and hopefully a year’s worth of meet for the family will fall.

[MontanaFord]

#28096

Clay,

Congratulations on a marvelous bear. You’ve done better so far this year than I have, just by getting out. The little bit I’ve been out probably doesn’t count for much. Hopefully rifle season will turn out better for me.

Michael.

[Mark Turton]

#28122

Hi Clay

That is one beautiful looking bruin, congratulations.

Mark.

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