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in reply to: CO last day elk hunt: a story of success #27532
Patrick — The West is full of such names that imply a story — Froze to Death Creek near Livingston, MT, lots of Dead Man creeks and canyons, and my favorite, a geological formation whose name describes it perfectly: Molly’s Nipple in SE Utah. It’s on the maps! And Hell-Roaring Judy mine here in CO, and on and on.
Yeah, when Thomas gets to “automatic writing” he sure tells a fast-paced, spell-binding story. He talks the same way.
For all who have responded, it’s great to see we have so many brothers not only of the bow, but of the spirit and soul as well. But I never doubted that, else I wouldn’t be here. Nor, I suspect, would you. Now it’s our turn to envy you lucky dudes who are still anticipating opening morning! I grew up whitetail hunting and miss it terribly, and the dense hardwood woods that make the whitetail what it is: a forest ghost. Go get ’em and tell us about it! dave
in reply to: Predators and A Hunter's Conscience #27119Steve — the first one probly made ’em sick! 😈
in reply to: Shrew Haven West #27118Steve — you can bowhunt in rifle season, but to be legal must wear orange. Trouble is, unless you enter a drawing for a second cow tag, available only in some units and mostly private land, you’re allowed only one bull and one cow tag and archery is combo, so I’m out of options. Otherwise of course I would! d
in reply to: Shrew Haven West #25909Thanks for the encouragement and good wishes, friends. 😀 But alas, it’s over as of yesterday and the elk won hands down. Bravo for the elk! Although I haven’t heard from T Downing (my third regular hunting buddy, not shown in photo as he shoots Black Widows :P) and have reason to believe he and his father got into them yesterday morning. But otherwise I don’t know a single trad bowhunter who connected around here this year, and only one training-wheeler. Strange year with an on/off abundance of bugling and visible elk, then days of silence. As the forest recovers from a major wildfire 8 years ago, they stick loyally to the almost impenetrable aspen sapling jungles in daylight hours, making stalking nearly impossible (compounded by dry loud woods), and how do you call a bull to an invisible “cow” when he already has a bunch with him? But these are merely conditions, not excuses. Truth is the elk won, fair and square. Alex had a shot op at a broadside 5×5 very close but didn’t take it for fear the bull would see him and jump the string like a whitetail. I think it could be done with a very slow draw (prey key on fast movement) but admire him for having the character to err on the ethical side. He had only 5 days to hunt. Doc Dave had about the same, scattered through the month and could have killed a 5×5 bull his first morning out if he’d had a bull tag. As a confirmed meat hunter and a family who have convinced themselves that cows taste better … well there you go. 😕 I had a great monthlong hunt, missing only two days and never drew on an animal though I had a couple of iffy chances. But my gosh did I have fun, cover some ground and get in top shape for an old fart. Today I am deeply sad and isoriented, suffering “elk season withdrawals.” It has nothing to do with having “failed,” as I did not fail myself or the elk: no mistakes, no regrets. It has to do with — it’s over, damn. No more early wake-ups, climbing a steep mountain by moonlight fast as I can to reach two screaming bulls on top. No more sitting for long quiet hours in a wild place watching and listening to nature play out another day. No more bedding down for hours close enough to a bedded bull to hear him belch. No more evening “tells” of the days events with fellow hunters over gin-tonics, no more … until next year. I can’t wait! If it were as easy as going out and killing an elk every year, what would be the point? That’s why we’re traditional. Long live the elk! An immeasurable blessing in my life. Now I can start dreaming of Arizon whitetails in December. 😀 dave
in reply to: A Question of Draw Weight #25886Hey Ed — you had that “final” (we hope) surgery yet? How you doing? Dave
in reply to: Went hunting again. #25883Thanks for the report, Frank. So much of what is most memorable about our best hunts has nothing directly to do with shooting at game, but rather with what we see, feel, experience and learn while camping and sneaking around the woods. Now go do it again! dave
in reply to: Who is your bowhunting hero and why? #25880Several, young and old. But at top my list is Greg Munther of MT. He is older than me (68 I believe) yet tougher than me, hunts ALL the time when not fishing, and is very successful. His ethics are impeccable and he doesn’t limit his dedicating to hunting just to “taking.” He also gives back, fighting hard to keep ATVs from finishing the job of ruining hunting adventure and democratic access on western public lands. Greg is chair of Montana BHA. dave p
in reply to: Predators and A Hunter's Conscience #23129Bravo, Steve! You speak for me, and eloquently. While I don’t argue with those who kill predators, often because they feel it’s their duty in order to max small game for their own taking, and while predators certainly can be a drain on prey populations in certain situations,I feel a brotherhood that you explained as well as Aldo. Now my story …
For a couple of years now we’ve had a local coyote we’ve come to call Lonely, since until this summer he was always alone. He’s very aggressive when my wife walks our dogs, apparently feeling they are competition. He barks at them and comes running. Over time the aggression turned to play and all was fine. One morning this spring he was even waiting at the top of our drive for Caroline and dogs to join him on their morning walk. Then he or she picked up a mate and they had at least 2 pups (all we’ve seen). This changed everything and the aggression returned with our bigger dog, A Golden, getting into it with the two adults a few times though never receiving a puncture wound. At this point I said “They have to go. If you or the dogs get bitten, you’re in for rabies shots, expensive and painful. So I took out the .22 with them on a morning walk and sure enough, a coyote appears on a ridge above us and barks. I popped one at him and he jumped and ran off. I thought I’d hit him, maybe 75 yards but a good scope and the “hottest” .22 loads available. Then the second one posed on a higher ridge another 50 yards farther out and I shot again, clearly missing but sending the dog running. After that they left the family alone, raised the pups and now Lonely is alone again and neither aggressive nor alouf, though he comes out and barks occasionally. I’m glad it turned out that way. So there are times when it is justified and even necessary. But killing predators for no more than the thrill of killing, say what you will, will always seem wrong (and I’m using a gentle word here) to me. My 2 sents. I have two days left to kill an elk. Everything on my mountain that isn’t good to eat and causes us no problem is safe here and welcome. What should I prefer: a dead coyote of no us to me whatsoever, or their wild defiant howls in the night? Different places, different circumstances. Dave
Ireland — what are you hunting? Unless European boars or elk and up, you are in Fat City with 25% foc and I would not worry more about that. If you’re going for big-big game, you should have 650 grains total arrow weight as a minimum — that is the starting point according to Dr. Ashby’s lifetime research, even before EFoC. Give me 650 grains + and 25% FoC, a bow that will send it out there at around 150 fps or better, a solidly built single-bevel two blade and perfect arrow flight and I’ll go after anything in N. America with absolute confidence. I believe the Major Misunderstanding among those who criticize “all this extra work” as unnecessary bother, is lack of extensive experience beyond the arena of deer and feral pigs. My 2 scents, dp
in reply to: Snake skins on my recurve limbs #18170Duncan — you can definitely do it yourself. But be sure they’re good and dead first, esp. if you use rattlers!:P dave p
in reply to: Kustom King Fiberglass #17145OK Steve. Nate, pm me your mailing addy. dave
in reply to: Kustom King Fiberglass #15779Steve — I have a few lams of ‘regular’ bow glass I won’t be using. You can have ’em for postage. If you don’t want them, first person who says they do can have. dp
in reply to: Oklahoma Pronghorns #15777Red — where in OK are there pronghorns? When did they reintroduce them? How hard to get a tag. I recall out in western OK, between Cheyenne and the Panhandle, is an area called the Antelope Hills. I hope they’ve returned the namesake animals. Good luck. dave
Thanks, Shane, and great news to know of your success. Well I’m sure “doing it the hard way” this year so far. Elk are beating me to pieces; I had to take a morning off. They’ve been very finicky about bugling, and the mountains are so very dry now that it’s like walking on firecrackers, so stalking is out. Tons of cows, complicating calling. Watering only at night and mostly somplace I haven’t found yet. Still, overall the bugling has been great and seeing lots of animals most every day, and the same summer-like weather that complicates hunting, is also a pure joy to be in the woods with. My good friend Alex Bugnon (www.alexbugnon.com) and the only guest my wife allows any more during elk season (and even then, his “room” is a tent) is here this week and had a big 5×5 broadside at 10 yards last night but was afraid to slow-draw on it, fearing it would react like a whitetail. He probably could have gotten away with it but erred on the side of caution, which I respect as a spooked bull will be much hard to get that close to another time. He’s walking up the mountain in the dark right now, while catch up on home chores if not sleep. Cheers to all, dave
in reply to: Caught him crossing this morning… #15767Croatoan — I’m envious of your backyard! dave
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