We waited only moments before the second bull screamed a challenge from less than 100 yards away. I answered quickly with two muted, seductive cow calls, and in less than 15 seconds, a solid 5-point bull ghosted through the woods a scant 20 yards away. I came to full draw and settled the yellow dot of my sight pin on the bull's rib cage as he moved through the brush and stopped six yards from me. I use the term "settled" loosely, because even though that bull's rib cage was the size of a bushel basket, my sight pin was dancing all over it in concert to my trembling arms and hammering heart.
As I triggered my release, the bull collapsed in his tracks. The broadhead had sliced cleanly through the elk's shoulder blade and penetrated the spine, bringing him down less than 20 feet from where I was kneeling.
I sat quietly beside the bull for only a minute or two before moving off a short distance to a spot where Matt could see me. Although he didn't see what had happened, he certainly heard the ruckus coming from my direction, and I could tell from his inquiring posture that he was aching to know what had just transpired.
A simple wave of my hand brought him over on the run, and he was incredulous when I pointed at the bull lying so close by. We laughed, we danced, we hugged, and then we laughed some more. We were so breathless and excited about what had just happened we could barely talk. I had actually done it. All the difficulties and frustrations of the past 31⁄2 months had suddenly evaporated into the clear mountain air, and at that moment, I wanted for nothing. I had hunted elk, and I was blessed.
The author is an avid bowhunter from Rapid City, South Dakota, who works for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation as a land program manager.
Author's Notes: For this hunt, I used a PSE Laser bow set at 63 lbs. with a Cobra Sidewinder sight and 55/70 Cabela's Stalker Extreme arrows tipped with three-blade, 100-grain Muzzy broadheads. I carried Pentax 10x50 binoculars and used a Primos Terminator bugle and a single reed Mini Sonic Dome diaphragm call.
North American Whitetall
North American Whitetail is designed for the serious trophy hunter. It provides authoritative coverage of world-class whitetails, the latest approaches to deer management and advanced hunting techniques.
