# First Cow Elk!



## klbzdad (Apr 3, 2012)

SUCCESS!!!! And the tenderloins put everyone who tried them five steps from Heaven!!!!! Now back up to clean and prep MMP for the Deer Muzzie "season".










So, here's the short version of my week long pursuit. I did "hunt" opening weekend but, as usual, there were throngs of hunting duffus pounding out the roads trying to find something to fling an arrow at other than marmots or chipmunks. I half arsed it like I always do but managed to spend quality time in the honey hole treestand and saw plenty of elk but wanted to shoot either my big buck or a spike elk....went 0 for 2 on the opener :|

Went back up for my week off after dealing with the worst bunch of b.s. I've EVER had to deal with, BUT I digress because I was able to arrive on time on a Friday for the evening hunt and would stay until Labor Day evening.

So, I passed on several cows and even a very small spike through out the week but realized that I would have to contend with our friends from Nevada and California ripping hell through the woods on their fancy racing quads this weekend. So, I went to my tried and true honey hole and crawled into the treestand. I was there steaming over the morons racing up and down the roads a mile away with their two cycle sounding P.O.S. toys when I decided it wouldn't hurt to practice my elk calls. I chirped and mewed only a few times when they entire herd lit up behind me and started talking back and moving in my direction. This was at 17:45 last Friday. I watched two elk move into the saplings on the far corner of the honey hole and I believed they were spikes but decided that the first legal and ethically sized elk that came into range was going to go down. Suddenly, there were elk under my treestand and several behind them and they were moving quickly when a cow came into the edge of the clearing right at the 40 yard tree with 67 knotts and I probably could have counted its leaves after all the time I spent in there staring at it......anyway, she was just in front of the tree and the rest was textbook. Pins settled, controlled my breathing, opened both eyes to reassure my mind that the yardage was right, and double checked the 40 pin just a tad bit high and......let the arrow fly! She went 70 yards, ran back 50 and was about 30 yards from where I hit her. I about puked and wet myself but realized my safety was first so I sat down and waited until my nerves would let me decend the 22 feet to the ground. Once on Terrafirma, I found the top half of my arrow had been broken off and the blood trail was thin but consistent. I followed the trail for about 35 yards where it had spread over an aspen tree, marked it with a blinker light, and went straight out into the meadow and back to camp to get help. I didn't realize she had already expired having been hit in the heart and I had walked within a couple of feet of her.

We didn't go back in until 20:30 and found her right by the marker after following her blood trail loop out and back. She was a pain to clean out but we finished and then opened her up and left for the night because of driving rain, sleet and hail. In the morning, we went in and got her! Hardest 18 hours of work I've done in a long time but sooooo worth it! Tenderloins for dinner Saturday night and they were perfect!

Thanks to my buddies in camp for helping me and teaching me so much! Now if I could get my wife to turn off that Godforsaken stupid game on her Iphone where you guess the song before anyone else, I'll be really happy!!!!!! Who comes up with that Iphone crap anyway LOL!

Side note: My fat face doesn't smile too often! :O•-:


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## Yahtahay (Jul 3, 2008)

Congrats klbz....Now you've got some good meat for the next year. Did you hear any bugles yesterday?


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

Very cool....Congrats!!!


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## kailey29us (May 26, 2011)

Awesome congrats!!!


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Great cow! Love the camo!


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

Nice!


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## JERRY (Sep 30, 2007)

A good reason to smile more often?  Congrats!


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## klbzdad (Apr 3, 2012)

Yahtahay said:


> Congrats klbz....Now you've got some good meat for the next year. Did you hear any bugles yesterday?


Its getting cooler and days are shrinking so yes, we heard a few but they aren't angry or pushing just yet. The bulls are more of a nuisance to the herds at the moment but I feel this is going to change soon with nice but even COOLER weather on the way! It should be really good for those with premium tags and the upcoming muzzie seasons!


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## Yahtahay (Jul 3, 2008)

I can feel myself starting to rut with a passion for killing! Bring on the RUT! Bring on the RUT! Go away MOON! Last week is going to be the shiznit! Headed up Thursday night for the remainder of the hunt and when I left last weekend the wallows were already being used heavily. 

Sleep? Are you kidding me?! My mind is rutting!


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Congrats! I just read your other post about your camera system including 48 cameras. I am just a little surprised that you would take a cow over a spike and blank on the deer; were you not able to locate any on the cameras this year? Just curious??


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Way2go klbzdad!


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## klbzdad (Apr 3, 2012)

Huge29 said:


> Congrats! I just read your other post about your camera system including 48 cameras. I am just a little surprised that you would take a cow over a spike and blank on the deer; were you not able to locate any on the cameras this year? Just curious??


I actually have been selling off my cameras....I think I used a grand total of 8 this year and 10 last year. Its a very fun and rewarding type of "scouting" but ultimately, I'd be lying if I didn't say that having to mind a mass of cameras turns into some mass disappointment when those animals get sick of the pressure/harassment and head to higher and quieter ground. What cameras I end up with after this big sell off on ebay will be the number I keep.

On the deer, yup....Mutley came through the honey hole 45 minutes before I crawled up the ladder into my stand and then shot that cow. I'm happy to have harvested her, but would have really liked to have taken Mutley to the taxi!

The spikes would NOT come in like I thought they would. Even when I would see them with small travelling groups of cows and calves, they would almost always hang up just out of range or would move past the group that stopped in the honey hole. There are lots of spike bulls this year only non would come close enough for me to connect, that pretty much sums up the others in camp that didn't fill their tags, YET!


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## USMARINEhuntinfool (Sep 15, 2007)

Great story man!!


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

congrats


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

Even though I already congratulated you in person, I'll make it official! Wahoo!


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