2013 Ontario Moose Hunt

The Silver Fox (Dad) had to show us how it was done in Ontario this year. Good thing he spent a lot of time practicing his 50+ yard shots at the range this year. It really paid off...more later.

Running this archery store with my Dad and brother is really fantastic. The people that I get to interact with everyday, the conversations I get to have, the non-stop hunting stories. I don't have a complaint in life. I really have it too good. The only bummer is that the three of us do not get to hunt together very often. In the past ten years we have taken only a small handful of trips, all together. Somebody usually needs to man the fort. 

This year was different. We have some excellent people helping us in the store right now, so we grabbed our wives, girlfriends, kids, bows and arrows and fishing poles and headed to Ontario. Some families take cruise vacations, we go on hunting/fishing trips.

We headed back to Wine Lake to hunt with Herb Pugmire. His operation is set up perfect for families. It is a first class camp that is completely affordable for average folks with some planning. Two years ago my brother killed a great moose here at Wine Lake, I wrote a story about it here. Following are some pictures of our trip, some of the fish we caught, the wildlife we saw, and a moose hunting story.

My son, John, telling me about moose hunting.

Bald eagles are plentiful in Ontario. This guy sat with his catch as we cruised by.

I caught this little frog as Danny and I were working our way into a calling position. We sat for twenty minutes, calling intermittently. As I was taking pictures of this little frog a bull moose starting tearing up the forest right behind us. I forgot about that frog real quick, and though that bull was within 50 yards I never did see him through the thick woods. I'm not sure how a bull moose vanishes in the forest without being seen or heard. Apparently he wanted to let us know he was there, but that was it.

My Mom loves the outdoors, she had a great time and hammered the fish.

John isn't quite old enough to reel in the fish by himself, but he sure loves being there.

Dad with a 25" walleye.

The past two times I have been to Wine Lake I have had a goal of catching a 40" pike. I got close in the past, but this year I finally got one. He was 40" on the nose, not 1/8" over. Mission accomplished!

The sunrises and sunsets on the lake were truly something to behold.

Alright, let's get to the good stuff! The moose hunting this year was a bit slower than past years. I would assume that it had something to do with the fact that the lows were in the upper 50's and the moon was full right in the middle of our hunt. We also experienced super high winds, which made hearing anything all the tougher. We changed our tactics to accommodate the conditions. Instead of sitting in once place and doing a lot of calling we moved a lot more and tried to spot something.

The forest is all but impenetrable. Walking around is really not an option. Our strategy was to locate a moose from the boat, either with our eyes or our ears, and then get on the shore and try to call the moose to us. 

This cow was out feeding at 2pm. 

This bull and cow fed in place for a long time. We positioned ourselves on shore a couple hundred yards away and worked towards them as quietly as we could. We made it to within shooting range but a shot never presented itself. Calling to this bull proved ineffective.

Herb built a small platform near a moose crossing shown in the picture above. Bulls pass through this crossing every couple of days as they are on the prowl. You can see why, it's a perfect funnel for traveling bulls. Herb insisted that we split up our time and keep a guy on this stand. It's really not much of a stand, the platform only sits about 10 feet off the ground, barely above eye level with these long legged moose.

On Dad's second sit a young bull moose showed some interest in his calling. Dad called only loud enough so that the bull could hear him. And only often enough to keep the bull's interest. Bull moose can take their time coming to a cow call. At one point the little bull lost interest and starting walking away. Dad turned around and called facing away from the moose, to try and sound further away. The small bull turned on a dime, and finally committed to checking out this cow he was hearing.

The moose was coming strong, grunting with every step. When he was twenty yards away the moose had two options, walk around a willow bush and offer my Dad a 20 yard shot, or come straight to him. As luck had it, the bull walked straight to him. 

When the bull was a measly five steps away, and practically eye level, my Dad slowly drew back his bow. As the moose walked by his tree, not even three yards away, Dad let go of the string. He could have jumped on the moose's back just as easily. Dad thought that the shot placement was perfect, and was 100% confident that the moose would be no further than 100 yards away. What he didn't know at the time was that his arrow glanced off of the moose's rib, angled down and back, and only caught one lung and part of the liver. 

Danny and I were hunting in another location, and Dad was a couple mile boat ride from camp with no boat. So when Danny and I came to pick him up, several hours later, we were surprised to see him sitting on the shore reading a book. We figured that he was just enjoying his vacation and glanced at each other with that look that said, "Come on Dad, stay on the freakin' stand!". 

As we pulled the boat up I saw that grin that people make when they are trying to hide a smile (crudely referred to as a $#!& eater). I got pretty excited, knowing what that face meant.

What was supposed to be a real short blood trail got a little longer than we were comfortable with. We backed out and went fishing for a few hours before continuing the search, just to play it safe. We grabbed Herb to help retrieve the bull. 

Herb has been there, done that. He had a strong hunch on where the bull may have gone, and sure enough, he drove the boat right to it. The bull went to water to lay down, and died there right next to the shore. We drove right past him at least three times and never even thought of looking for him there. The four of us dragged him on shore, snapped a few pictures, and then got to work.

Dad killed this moose with a Hummingbird recurve - 53@28, 62" He used a Carbon Express Heritage arrow and 200gr VPA Terminator broadhead.

This Randall knife was a conditional gift to my Dad from a good customer. The condition: it had to be used.

Since the moose died right in the water and we could drive the boat to him I went back to camp to get the girls and the kids. I knew my son, John, would really love to see the moose. Plus, the girls wanted to see how we cut up this giant animal.

I love this picture, my wife and Danny's girlfriend grimaced a few times. Personally, I would gut fifteen moose over changing one dirty diaper. My wife on the other hand, she'll take the diaper.

My Dad, my boy, and me (below). When it comes to important things in life hunting is pretty far down on the list. There are a lot of areas in life that are more important than trying to kill animals. However, there are not many things that bond fathers and sons like spending time in the woods together. What other activities make young men excited to spend time with their dads, from the time they are a kid, through being a teenager, and then as adults? Long car rides to hunting destinations provide many hours of one-on-one conversations. Sitting on a mountain, or in a boat, or even on a cabin porch, while witnessing The Creation first hand, implants memories and discussions quite deep. And if nothing else, hunting provides an excellent excuse to be with one another. My Dad used hunting with my brother and me to create strong bonds, good memories, and provide the opportunity for meaningful and important conversations. I plan on doing the same thing with my sons. This is hunting memory #1 with my son. Many, many more to follow.

Chad's 2013 Bull

Traditional archery has been a big part of my family, long before my Dad started this business. I have fond memories of my cousins Chad and Tyler coming to our house for an entire day of arrow making. Chad was 5 years older than me and he often drove to our house to pick up my brother and I in order to go fishing, hunting, or pretty much anything. Even though he moved to Nebraska, Chad has done a pretty danged good job of killing the elk over the past few years (for 8 years in a row he shot at or killed an elk on opening day, this year it took him five days), so I asked him to write me a story about his season. Here is Chad's story, in his own words...followed up by good friend Devlin's account of his first experience chasing elk.

2013 Elk Hunt - Chad Graham

This year's preparation for elk season started in February when my hunting partner, Blake, and I began planning a hunt in an entirely new area. A big part about elk hunting that I love is exploring new Wilderness Areas. In fact, in the past ten years, I have not hunted the same place twice. This year's focus was in southern Colorado. We had a good selection between the San Juans, Weminuche and the Sangre De Cristos.  Sometime in early spring we decided to invite a friend, Devlin, after his wife revealed to me that going elk hunting has been his lifelong dream.   

Group of bulls through spotting scope 4 miles away

After hours of looking at maps, studying harvest statistics, and conversations with the local forest departments, we settled on a destination. It was toss up in the end as all three areas appear to be phenomenal.  We took a scouting trip two weeks before elk season and were surprised to find 20 bulls during the course of a 2 day trip. It was exciting to see a good number of elk in the area we planned to hunt. The only thing we didn't know was if the elk would be there during the last week of the season, which is when we planned our hunt. We also discovered that these mountains are steep, very steep. In fact this area turned out to be the steepest and most brutal mountain range I have ever hunted. It is no wonder why the number of hunters is lower than most areas.

Once we were back to Nebraska, and fully aware that the terrain was more than we anticipated, we began to train hard.  I am sure the unit is a place where many people only hunt once due to the difficulty (might be that way for me!). If there is a flat spot we did not find it. On the last Friday of muzzleloader season we drove out to Colorado Springs and met up with another friend Matt. That night we packed into the area we scouted weeks earlier.

The group getting ready to pack in

While the guys were setting up camp I hiked up the hill south of camp and set up the spotting scope. I was watching a herd of 15 bighorn sheep to the north but no elk. I decided to climb up onto a shoulder high rock outcropping behind me and glass to the south. As I got to the top I saw movement 15 yards ahead and immediately thought it was a coyote. I was wrong! A mountain lion was crouched down and staring directly at me. With my bow on the ground below the rock outcropping I thought he had me. Once we made eye contact the lion turned and slinked off. I told myself that he was not stalking me, that our encounter was random. That story makes me feel better anyway.

Bear claw marks on tree. The area was full of bear and lion sign.

The next day we covered some serious miles and did not find fresh elk sign of any kind. It was a brutal hike, totally demoralizing, and after just one day we were all physically wiped out. The combination of shale rock, oak brush and extremely steep hills make this place very difficult to hunt. We made the decision to pack out Sunday morning and try plan B, a new area further north.

When we got to the new location Sunday afternoon we set up camp and set out, again. The rain began immediately. I absolutely love hunting elk in the rain so Matt and I continued on while Devlin and Blake elected to wait out the rain in the truck. Not far up the hill we heard a bull bugling and the chase was on. It was very hard to keep up as the elk were on a nearly vertical hillside - full of loose rock and deadfall. I decided to switchback well south of the elk and then, hopefully at the elevation of the elk, switchback again to the north. Matt stayed behind to call. As I started north I saw antlers just 25 yards ahead. A nice 5X5 stepped onto the trail but presented no shot. I slid out from under some branches to get a shot just as another, and much larger 5X5, stepped onto the trail. He was quartered away at too steep of an angle. They fed up the hill and never offered a shot. I followed behind but could not keep up. The wind turned uphill, towards the elk, so we backed off for the night.

Tree burned in recent fire.

Monday morning all four of us headed back to the same spot. We spent the morning trailing the herd and stopped a couple of times to call. Blake and Matt called in a small bull to 50 yards before the wind switched and the bull blew out.

Area we called at, Devlin and Matt are ahead in the tree line

With the full moon the elk were bedding very early in the morning and coming out very late in the evening leaving a bunch of time till kill mid day.

Blake and I killing time mid day. He nearly smiled for this picture, it would be the first time in years.

That afternoon we split up, Matt and I headed east while Blake and Devlin went west. Immediately Matt and I found the herd bedded down. There were 2 bulls and 10 cows. One bull was a respectable 6X6 and the other was the smaller 5X5 I nearly shot the day before. Matt backed off to call and I set up for a shot. Matt did some soft cow calls with no response from the elk. We trailed the elk to a small park where we put them to bed.

Matt stopping for a rest.

The bulls just before dark. The cows came out shortly later.

Tuesday morning we woke up at 4am. Matt and I hustled up the hill to get between the park where we last saw the elk, and their bedding area. It was a cold, windy morning and we never saw an elk. At 11:00am I thought I heard a bull raking a tree just 100 yards above us, but the wind made it difficult to know for certain.

That night we set up ground blinds on the downwind side of the small park the elk were feeding in the night before. At 4:30pm a bull bugled within 100 yards of me. "Game on" I thought, and I began to get nervous. It was a long, cold and windy wait until dark...the elk never appeared.

We went back to camp dejected, again. Blake and Devlin came back shortly after and said the bulls were bugling in the park we just left. 

View from my blind

On Wednesday morning we decided it was time to quit playing it safe and make a move on the elk. The wind was blowing hard with 30 to 40 mile gusts, and from prior experience in the never ending Nebraska wind, we knew that it would be a perfect day to stalk the elk in their beds. Our movement, scent  and sound would be covered by the wind. Matt stayed in the tent with sore feet while Blake, Devlin and I headed up the hill. We still-hunted up through the park, and into the area we thought the elk were bedding in. We were within 100 yards of where I set up the morning before when I saw the same 5X5 working his way down the hill, right to us. He would bed down, then stand up and move a little, and then bed again. He was searching for the perfect spot to spend the day.

We were going to make a stalk when Blake stopped me. The bull was up again and moved out of sight. From our experience the last couple of days we figured that the bull could not be called with cow calls so we decided to bugle at him. Blake went 20 yards right, Devlin went 20 yards left and I crawled over a deadfall that was blocking any chance I had at a shot, so I thought.

Once we were set, I bugled. The bull immediately popped up and came crashing down the hill. He stopped behind a tree 10 yards away. If he went to my right I would have no shot, but Blake would get him. If he walked to my left either Devlin or I would have him.

He decided to go left and stopped just 8 yards away from me, too short for Devlin to get a crack, so I did what I had to do. Everything felt like slow motion as I drew back and released the arrow. It was a good shot, a clean pass through. The bull ran 15 steps, spun in a circle then reared up and fell over backwards, not 20 yards from Devlin.

When my lips quit tingling and the dizziness stopped I thanked God for a successful hunt and the chance to share it with good friends. The guys ran up and we hugged and high fived. It was awesome to see that my friends were just as happy for me as they would have been if they had shot the elk. I was shooting a Basset Bad Medicine Recurve, 61# @ 28, Carbon express arrows, with 200 grain STOS broadheads. The arrow continues to be my lucky one, I have killed 6 deer, a turkey and now an elk with this same arrow.

Perfect view to end the trip

And now here is Devlin's account of his first elk hunt.

First Archery Elk Hunt from a Nebraska Flatlander 2013 - Devlin Reece

Before I get into detail, I would like extend a huge thank you to the boys at Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear, Chad Graham, Blake Bethel and Matt Lutgen for making my first, and definitely not my last, archery elk hunt, one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

It all started when I was blessed to be invited by Chad and Blake to go hunting with them.  I can’t remember when it was, just that I was floored to get invited, and the excitement for the upcoming hunt grew tremendously.  I had heard that Chad and Blake were building recurve bows and really didn’t give it much thought until I saw the riser that they had made for Tommy.  From that point on, I knew that I wanted to be shooting a recurve.  It had been years since I last shot a recurve bow, but with time, I hoped that I could get in enough practice to be proficient enough to harvest an animal.  Chad and Blake built my beautiful bow and the boys at RMSGear hooked me up with everything I needed to start flinging arrows.  Also, the boys at RMSGear were able to equip me with my Horne Hunter full curl pack, custom arrows and endless other “goodies” I needed for the 2013 elk hunt.  The fellas at RMSGear treated me more like family than they did like a customer.

Beings that I had never done anything like this in my life, I relied on the experience and know-how of the boys at RMSGear, Chad and Blake.  They all supplied me with a list of items that I needed and the whole time relating some of their past experiences in elk country and what I should expect.

 

After hours of practice, lessons from Chad and Blake, and continuing to hear great experiences of elk hunting, I was ready, so I thought, to go on our scouting trip.  WOW, I really wasn't as ready as I thought.  The two days that we spent in the mountains proved to me that I had a lot work ahead of me and a short amount of time to do it.  With that first experience behind me and a drive to get into better shape, I started.  I threw on my loaded pack, called Chad and we started walking and running hills in a local park.  Countless hours at the gym in the weight room and on cardio equipment, I was slowly preparing myself for whatever I was to get into.

Finally, the day came.  With great anticipation and knots in my stomach, we turned the truck west and headed for the mountains.  I feel extremely blessed to able to experience what God has given me and the fact that I was heading to the mountains with great friends and with echoes of elk looming in my dreams, was such a feeling of exhilaration.  Breathing in the mountain air, losing yourself in the pines and aspen groves, relaxing from the hustle and bustle of everyday life is what hunting is to me.  Harvesting an animal is icing on the cake, it’s a bonus. 

The hunt was better than I had imagined.  We were five days into the hunt before I saw my first elk and as luck would have it, that was the elk that Chad killed.  It’s impossible to put into words what that experience was like.  It was surreal, almost as if it were an out-of-body experience.  I couldn't believe I was there and what I was able to be a part of.  Even though it was tough, sore muscles, sore feet, cold, hot, windy, I would do it all over again, and hopefully will. 

Again, thanks to Chad, Blake, Matt, Tom, Tommy, Danny and the RMSG fellas for all that they have done to make my first elk hunt a reality.  It was such an experience that I can hardly wait to see how the next, of many, will unfold.

Thanks so much and God Bless,

Devlin Reece

2013 Elk Update

Danny and I spent the first 9 days of the elk season in the woods. We are headed to Ontario for a moose hunt in the morning. With only a limited amount of elk hunting time we were not going to be picky about what we shot. 

The year 2013 will go down as one of the best opening weeks I have ever experienced in terms of elk rutting behavior. The bulls were going absolutely hog wild. My brother, Dan, was within twenty yards of over 20 elk on many separate occasions, including several big bulls, and two jaw droppers. The fact that he never got a shot off on a big bull was pure bad luck. The dense hill sides made getting close easy, but getting a shot was a whole other challenge of it's own.

We packed in on horses for the first four days of the season. 

Danny's horse, Snappy. This was our first hunt with Snappy and she was fantastic.

We got to our camp on Friday afternoon. The day before opening morning. We had all day to set up camp in a drizzling rain. With all the anticipation of the next day it was hard falling asleep that night.

In years past my brother has had great luck blind calling at the meadow in the picture below. In fact, he has called elk to within shooting distance every time he has ever set up on this meadow. This year would be no different.

Five of us shared camp. On the opener, the five of us made our way to Bonetree, the name our hunting partner, Dale, gave this meadow. We planned on calling at Bonetree, and then splitting up to hunt different parts of the mountain. Danny and I dropped behind the pack to do some calling while the three others sneaked their way into shooting positions.

Danny and I are dangerous together. I usually let him take the lead on our calling sequences while I play the support role. He dictates the pace and the tone, and I follow suit with soft elk sounds, not always including vocalizations, but often times snapping small branches or making other noise consistent with a group of elk. As it turns out, we didn't have to pull out any of our tricks on this set-up.

Our calls were the first sounds of an otherwise still and silent morning. Within a minute of the first cow call I heard the unmistakable sound of a bull elk, though I don't know how to describe the sound I heard. It was half way between a grunt and a glunk. "Game on!" I thought.

I heard Danny changing his position to get the bull in-line with our "shooters" and himself. I swung around to make sure the bull didn't try to slip up on the downwind side of the shooters. I positioned myself 75 yards directly downwind from the others, if the bull decided to check our wind I would be waiting. No sooner did I sit down than a cow popped out of the meadow, just 20 yards away. I lifted my bow with the intention of shooting her. Just before I got to full draw I saw the bull sprinting across the meadow, half glunking, half wheezing, half grunting, and kinda almost bugling the entire time. The big bull was headed directly towards the others, so I decided to let this cow live. From what I could tell it was a great bull, and I didn't want to spoil their chances at him on a measly cow.

The bull charged right in. In order to protect the innocent I won't name names. The only thing I will say about this encounter is that somebody is short an arrow, and the bull is a little more educated. What a way to start the season! We figured the whole week was going to be great.

The guys laughing and talking about the cool experience.

Dad getting some much needed R&R.
 

  

 

Unfortunately that opening morning encounter was the best action we had during that first four days of the season. The amount of hunters on the mountain was a bit discouraging. We saw far more people than elk...with the hunting pressure too high, and the elk too few, we left.

Danny and I didn't leave the mountain for long though. As soon as we got the horses taken care of we headed straight to another trailhead. We planned on another four days of hunting. This time we left the horses in the corral and went in off our backs.

Here is my four days worth of gear. 

I am in a constant state of experimenting. I'll list my gear for any of those interested. I am not an ounce cutter, but I am conscious of weight. I'll start spending more money on lighter gear when my legs get older. For now...this was very easy for four days.

It has taken me my whole hunting life to build my gear to where it is now. I usually add one or two things a year. I am pretty happy with where I am now. I added the entire Big Agnes sleep system and tent this year, I was thoroughly impressed and very happy with it.

1. Wapiti Spike III longbow.

2. Carbon Express Maxima Red arrows, tipped with Tuffhead broadheads (a gift from a great friend).

3. Camelback hydration system, I feel that this is an absolute necessity 

4. Horne Hunter Mainbeam pack. 

5. Food - Mountain House, instant potatoes, various snacks, peanut butter and honey tortillas, etc.

6. KOM Omnilite pants. The pants I wear are discontinued, the newer model is very nice. Wool pants are the only thing I will ever wear in the elk woods. We were in rain every day, walking through tall wet grass every day, and putting on wet pants every morning. I used my KUIU pants last year and absolutely froze, I felt wet and I was very cold. This year the temps were colder, and the brush was wetter, but I was warm, and I felt perfectly comfortable. Sure, I got a little hot a few times, but that is a trade off I will always take.

7. Swarovski 10X30 CL binos, Lockdown bino straps.

8. Brunton Raptor Stove (discontinued model)

9. Katadyn Hiker water filter

10. Garmin Rino 530 GPS (discontinuted)

11. Big Agnes Scout UL2 Tent

12. Big Agnes Farwell sleeping bag, with Q-Core SL pad

13. Upper layers, 2 Predator shirts as base layer, 1 Fleece mid layer. Lower layer- Filson wool longjohns.

14. KUIU Guide Jacket - Personally I don't have too much of a problem keeping my upper body dry. I do carry a poncho if it starts to downpour, but for most rains I just hunker under a tree until it passes. Later in the season I would trade this jacket out for my wool.

Back to the hunting...

Danny and I started the 1.5 hr hike to camp just before dark. We wanted to make it to the base of Horsejaw, the name we gave a little drainage that leads up and over into The Lair. I wrote a story about The Lair last year, and I'll have another one this year from Del. We didn't quite make it to Horsejaw because the rain started to really come down on us. We threw up a quick camp site and got ready for the morning.

We planned on hunting up Horsejaw and then dropping over into The Lair. Much to our delight, a bugling bull interrupted our plans. Danny snuck his way to within 30 yards of that bull but never got a shot. The elk never spooked and we left them undisturbed as the day got warmer. We then positioned ourselves on top of The Lair for the evening hunt.

Around 5pm we threw out a few cow calls to see if we could drum up a bugle. Instead we drummed up another cow call. Just like last year in The Lair, a calf came in to our calls. The little cow seemed to just appear out of the forest. She stopped behind a tiny opening about 20 yards from me, I was already waiting at full draw when she got there. 

The view of my shot, she was standing in the dead center of the frame.
 

Thirty yards from the shot.
 

I used my Chastain Wapiti Spike III longbow, 58@28, 60". Carbon Express Maxima Red arrows, 300gr Tuffhead broadheads. Total arrow weight was around 570gr. My arrow shot completely through her and buried in a log 25 yards behind where she was standing. She fell in sight.

 

We met up with my brother-in-law, Kelly, that night. We had no idea where he was but we made contact with our Garmin GPS/radios. He had been into a few good bulls and had a few near shot encounters on his own. Danny's girlfriend, Ashley, also met Danny at the trailhead and joined us at camp. 

Danny and Kelly working towards some bugling bulls.
 

Kelly loves his baths in the woods. I'm not tough enough to jump in this freezing cold water.
 

 

The top of Horsejaw. The Lair is on the other side of those cliffs.
 

 

My BigAgnes Scout UL2 Tent. Condensation was a non-issue. Weighing in under 2lbs, I had plenty of room for all of my gear and slept like a baby inside this tent. I was very, very pleased.

Kelly was rockin' the Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 Platnium tent. He loved it.

I will ALWAYS make time to pick a few raspberries when I come across them in the woods.

On Sunday, the last day of our hunt, we made our way back up Horsejaw. We had no problem finding bugling bulls every morning and evening. This morning would be no different. 

After killing my cow I assumed the position of a caller for Danny the rest of the hunt. I really wanted him to kill an elk before we left for Ontario. As we worked our way up Horsejaw we heard a bugle far up the drainage. We closed the distance in no time.

Danny and I have been in about every situation possible, and we both know our roles in any circumstance. When the big bull bugled close by Danny automatically started making his way towards the elk, having full confidence that I would stay back and keep them talking. 

Generally we would prefer that the elk not know we are there. Danny is a sneaky hunter, if he knows where the elk are he can get right on them. So I stayed back and threw a bugle at the bull every few minutes while Danny crept towards him in silence. 

The bull was bugling at me as soon as I got done calling, every time. About 15 minutes after we split up the bull stopped calling. I just held my position, not knowing where Danny was or what was going on. 

I heard Danny whistling for me so I snuck up to his position. He started telling a detailed story about how close he was to the herd bull, but no shots presented themselves. Knowing that this was his last chance to kill an elk this year, Danny decided to shoot the first elk that gave him a shot. That just so turned out to be a little calf. Danny lost the sight of his arrow in flight, and heard it bouncing off rocks. He was certain he missed until he heard a crash and a small groan. 

Danny reenacting the events of the shot.

Danny's arrow, as we found it.

After being within 20 yards of two massive bulls, within an arms reach of half a dozen, and shooting range of a lot more, this was the first time Danny got an arrow off of his bow. Them's the breaks when you're elk hunting.

Danny shot this elk with a compound bow, still unable to shoot his recurve because of an injured shoulder. He is hoping that sometime in the next year he'll be able to get back to his wood bows. The shot was about 17 yards, Carbon Express Maxima Red arrow, VPA Terminator broadhead. The elk did not run 20 yards before expiring.

I've got half a calf on my Horne Hunter Mainbeam, though I could hardly feel the weight (not that there was much weight to feel). I really like this pack.

I have a few other good elk stories, but we are leaving for Canada in the morning. I sure hope to have a good story or two about moose when we return. We have two bull tags and a calf tag in Ontario. Check back in a few weeks. Good luck to everybody still hunting this year!