# dead cow story



## idiot with a bow (Sep 10, 2007)

So there we were... Was a semi-impromptu Wednesday night outing with a couple of great forum buddies (horsesma, and treehugnhuiosdfiuoasfasdfoisfhntr). After a nice little late afternoon hike we found ourselves sitting in some high reaches looking over an expansive canyon. There was a little extra heat on Wednesday keeping animals in their beds. We played the range finder game for about an hour and a half to wait for the wind to flop and the air to cool.
For those of you keeping score, the results of the first annual range finder invitational is as follows:
first place with 15 points: Horsesma
second place with 14.5 points: Idiot with a pretty accurate sense of yardage out to 200 yards
third place with 14 points: treehugnhntr
As you can see by the scores it was a pretty dramatic affair. After h-ma finished celebrating, deer started showing themselves. Even though our target quarry was elk, I wasn't going to miss out on the 3 point that was working its way up an opposite ridge. I had a good shot at cutting this buck off at the top of the trail, so off I went while the gold and bronze medalist kept tabs from our post.

Before long I was within 150 yards of the buck. He was making good time up the hill, so I knew I was going to have to either hurry or just pull back right there and aim a little high... Even though I know that shot would have been well within my effective killing range and quite honestly a slam dunk for me, I decided to continue to close the gap, just for fun.

After watching the buck disappear over the ridge never to be seen again that night, I was kicking myself for not letting one go at 130 (the last spot I ranged the buck) but oh well. I figured I could get that close again at a later time in the season.

With little light left, I met up with my life partners er I mean hunting buddies near the top of the canyon. Since we all had elk calls we decided to put them in our mouths and blow on them. Between the 3 of us and our 5 calls we sounded like the Rocky Mtn elk Refuge... For the first couple of minutes our calls were not yielding much other than a passerby in a suit who dropped some loose change into one of our hats. We just kept calling, I think because it is fun to do. We decided to take a break which allowed us to hear something running from quite a ways off. We looked in the direction of the noise to see a lone cow (elk just to clarify) on a bee line for us. (After reading this will someone please explain to me the origin of the term bee line or is it b-line? In the mean time just know that the context in which I am using it is to have you understand that this particular elk was responding to our calls in such a manner that she was coming right for us, and from quite a ways off.)

Encouraged by the fact that we had tricked nature we split up and continued to call... Tree looked like an over aggressive offensive coordinator pointing us in the directions where we should set up. He and H Ma ran a 32 belly option to the west and sent me on an east bound fly pattern. Finding a nice little pocket of scrub I set up and knocked an arrow. Not even a minute passed before I heard the sound of big old elephant ear leaves getting crunched in a four hoof type of rhythm. The trademark image of dark brown floppy ears came over the roll in the hill seconds after. Perfect! Had an elk about 60 yards to my east heading west at a curious pace and my elk calling buddies making fake elk sounds the same distance to my 6 o'clock. Even though I was wearing matching camouflage and had my face painted she seemed to be able to see me sitting in the scrub, wtf? That didn't deter her however. When she closed the gap to 25 yards I took the chance to draw my bow (pulled it back did not illustrate it on paper). This caused her to flinch a little and take a step back but she was still very curious about the entire situation so she continued to do her best broadside 3d foam target impersonation for me. I found my spot and lowered my pin to where I wanted to hit. Feeling all in all pretty good about the scenario I moved my thumb in such a manner as to actuate my trigger and release an arrow.

I will take the liberty here to mention that on the tip of my arrow was an epek xc-3 broadhead. I should also mention that even though my brother owns the epek multi-conglomerate enterprise, I am still armed with the original model (last year's). These specific heads are in my quiver for at least 2 reasons 1. I have a lot of them, and didn't feel like raiding my brothers inventory of the slightly newer slightly different design. He needs to make a living, plus I refuse to pay money for them, he's my effing brother and 2. they are a great broadhead that I happen to know perform really well.

Without a doubt we had a hit elk. You could tell because a split second after my release it sounded like someone took an aluminum bat to a mailbox while driving by in a car (I know what that sounds like). t-horse and h-ma heard it as well. We probably did too many high fives after that.

So just to wrap it up, we put on our headlamps, found great gouts of blood as it were, located a broken arrow with a bloody shaft, vanes and knock, and then found a very dead elk about 100 yards down the hill... The autopsy initially revealed the cause of death being a severe pneumothorax due to a punctured lung... The epek did VERY well... We had the elk in the truck a in a little over 3 hours, did a few more high fives, then went to bed.

Thanks to everyone, especially Tye and Jerry, you complete me.


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## ut1031 (Sep 13, 2007)

Good story........I need to find that canyon.........!


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

good job! It's the sitka gear...gets 'em every time...


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## fivexfive (Aug 21, 2010)

That is a great story, with a good outcome. congratulations IWB.


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## idiot with a bow (Sep 10, 2007)

Not only was it the sitka gear, but you will notice that it is all the same pattern of camo. The only thing that might have screwed it up was the Max 1 bino holder. I will never make that mistake again. Almost blew the entire thing...


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

yeah...I wasn't gonna say anything...but...yeah...


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## Anaconda Pintler (Oct 29, 2007)

Ummmm 1 question.......................Did you make that bow? :mrgreen: Dude congrads!


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

I don't get it.... _O-


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

so....you guys are lovers?


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## DeadI (Sep 12, 2007)

Thanks for the good read. Congrats on the very dead elk.


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

Nice job on a big fat cow! Yum, Elk steaks. Loved the story! Congrats on your elk, and good luck on your deer now!


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Good job Brian. For some odd reason, when I was reading the story, "Going the Distance" by Cake was playing in my head...


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Stable, I propose that you might have been right with your assumptions about the folks on the ridge east. 

Brian, very nice cow... great job and entertaining story.


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

I propose he was correct.... Funny that you guys hunted the same spot on the Manti that we did, on a Wednesday.........


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Treehugnhuntr said:


> I propose he was correct.... Funny that you guys hunted the same spot on the Manti that we did, on a Wednesday.........


Hmmmm so it was you. I'll make sure and wave next time.


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

Finally.


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## stablebuck (Nov 22, 2007)

I recognized the 2 bright tan hats on the ridge and the super-duper power spotting scope that is way out of my price range. Only so many people in Utah can afford a spotting scope like that! And only so many of those people would be on the Manti on a Wednesday. Elementary Watson...elementary...


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## Briar Patch (Feb 1, 2010)

Great write up!

Very enjoyable read. Thanks, and Gratz!!


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Dude, you need to start making money writing this stuff... had me in stitches!


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## tuffluckdriller (May 27, 2009)

Great Story! I loved reading that! Congrats on your cow! They're fun, too.


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## utjer (Jun 30, 2010)

Good job on the cow elk. But were you seriously considering shooting at that buck at 130 yards? Or did the distance get closed in between?


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

o-|| -|\O-


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

NHS said:


> I don't get it.... _O-


I have been waiting for someone to help me out here. What version of the rules were you using for your Range Finder Invitational? American or International?


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

utjer said:


> Good job on the cow elk. But were you seriously considering shooting at that buck at 130 yards? Or did the distance get closed in between?


Well, look at his name and...I heard that he once hit a car from 90 yards; all you do is hold another 2" higher and bingo!

Back to the real topic, Bee Line:


> The phrase derives from the behaviour of bees. When a forager bee finds a source of nectar it returns to the hive and communicates its location to the other bees, using a display called the Waggle Dance. The other bees are then able to fly directly to the source of the nectar, i.e. 'make a beeline' for it. This dance is a surprisingly sophisticated means of communication for a creature with such a small brain. The forager bee performs a short wiggling run - hence the name, with the angle denoting the direction of the nectar-laden flowers and the length of time denoting the distance.
> 
> The phrase is American and all the early citations of it come from the USA. The earliest that I can find is from The Davenport Daily Leader, January 1808:
> 
> ...


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

NHS, Southern Bolivian of course. I let them win, they could use the esteem.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Treehugnhuntr said:


> NHS, *Southern Bolivian* of course. I let them win, they could use the esteem.


One of my favorites.


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

I was inclined to think so. 

You Wash's boy?


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Yessa. You fellers from the bank?


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

Spec you boys want them chains knocked off.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Son... you're gonna go far.


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## idiot with a bow (Sep 10, 2007)

Huge29 said:


> utjer said:
> 
> 
> > Good job on the cow elk. But were you seriously considering shooting at that buck at 130 yards? Or did the distance get closed in between?
> ...


You've done a great thing...


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## idiot with a bow (Sep 10, 2007)

utjer said:


> Good job on the cow elk. But were you seriously considering shooting at that buck at 130 yards? Or did the distance get closed in between?


That was a joke...


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

It was? :shock:


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## utjer (Jun 30, 2010)

idiot with a bow said:


> utjer said:
> 
> 
> > Good job on the cow elk. But were you seriously considering shooting at that buck at 130 yards? Or did the distance get closed in between?
> ...


  guess I missed it.


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## truemule (Sep 12, 2007)

Thats awesome, but from the description the cause of death was likely a penetrating thoracocentesis and collapse of the alveolar sacs due to loss of surfactant. Cell membrane permeability likely increased due the acidotic state her lack of resparation was causing. This likely lead to a system overload of potassium that lead to dysrrythmias and finally asystole. :mrgreen: Great story though.


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## Briar Patch (Feb 1, 2010)

truemule said:


> Thats awesome, but from the description the cause of death was likely a penetrating thoracocentesis and collapse of the alveolar sacs due to loss of surfactant. Cell membrane permeability likely increased due the acidotic state her lack of resparation was causing. This likely lead to a system overload of potassium that lead to dysrrythmias and finally asystole. :mrgreen: Great story though.


What a B.S. artist! Truemule, I'll bet you had no problem meeting minimum number of word requirements on reports and essays in school!
'All roads lead to Rome' - Truemule just takes the most scenic route! :mrgreen:


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## truemule (Sep 12, 2007)

Briar Patch said:


> What a B.S. artist! Truemule, I'll bet you had no problem meeting minimum number of word requirements on reports and essays in school!
> [\quote]
> 
> I take pride in my B.S. skills.


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