Biggest Mistake of 2012

I watched a big ole bull with about 10 cows come over a hill and into a group of trees. I had already filled my bull tag and had a cow tag to fill still. Instead of letting them settle down in there and watching where they were going. I started my hike from my side of the canyon over to their side. When I got to the other side I started into the canyon they were in and got busted about 20 yards into the trees they had moved about 600 yards since the last time I saw them. Had I waited another 30 min I would have been able to shoot one on the road in an ambush where they wouldn't have known I was there cause I had the wind in my favor and everything.
 
My friend drew an archery elk tag here in Nevada this year.  Neither of us had archery hunted at all so we set out to learn all we could.  Watch TV, videos, read articles, elk101.com, etc...  Since I wasn't the shooter I practiced bugles, cow calls, etc... 

We scouted probably too early but learned that we were in the area for some big bulls. 

We pulled into camp a little late for a morning hunt so we set up camp and sat a watering hole that evening.  Not a sound or a sight of an elk.  We had several deer come in and that made the evening worth while.  Something that we were not prepared for were the flies.  I know now that in archery season be prepared for insects!!!  and a lot of them.  Not to our mistake yet.

That night in camp the bugles started.  We had bulls bugling within 500 yards of camp.  All night long.  The next morning we woke before daylight and decided to stalk the 1st bugle we heard.  It didn't take long and we were out after a bull that was probalby within a half mile of camp.  We would walk a ways then I would let out a bugle and immediately he would answer letting us know where he was.  It seemed too easy. 

To make a long story short we made it to the edge of the opening the bull was grazing in.  We set the shooter in place hidden by a bushy tree.  I fell back 60 yards with the call.  I let out a faint call and the bull responded.  Only it wasn't the bull my partner was watching.  He saw one around 55 yards away and the one that responed was just on the other side of the bush out of his view.  The bull started quartering away and my friend let an arrow fly.  By the time he ranged the bull and let the arrow fly he was at 46 yards.  I saw the arrow fly and heard it hit but didn't see the location of the strike.  The bulls both ran off.

My turned to me and said he thought he missed.  I said I didn't think so because I saw the arrow fly and heard the impact.  I asked for the range and decided to walk out to the impact sight.  We immediately found blood and 1/4 of an arrow broke off. 

Now the mistake:
We had researched enough to know we had to wait for the bull to expire.  We decided by the amount of blood at the impact sight that an hour was probably enough.  We tracked a really good blood trail for 30 minutes and found a nice sized pool of deep red blood.  We decided that we might have pushed this bull out of this bed and decided to wait another hour.  Again after the wait and track we found another nice pool of blood but no bull.  Decided to wait another hour.  Tracked on and now blood trail is getting weak.  We got our shot about 730 AM.  We were now tracking a faint blood trail at 3 pm.  We nearly lost the trail when the bull jumped up and ran down the mountain.  We checked his bed and there was only a small spot of blood.  We knew we weren't getting him tonight and headed for camp some now 5 miles from where we were. 

I believe if we would have backed out after the 1st pool of blood and came back the next morning we would have found this bull dead but because we pushed and pushed we never were able to find this bull.

Lessons were learned and we had a great time.  Made me a fanatic.  I can not think of any other hunt that was so exciting.  I'm going to estimate that we saw 30 bulls during this hunt.  We were within 100 yards of 10 and within 50 yards of 3.  Nevertheless we went home empty handed.  Two rookies almost got it done.
 
I didnt dive off the mountain after the only 6x6 i saw all season. I was 6 miles in at almost 12000ft glassing the valley 2000ft below me, solo, exhausted from my pack weight due to heavy/old gear. I questioned whether or not it was feasible to get down there kill the bull then get him out alone. It may have been a smart move but I cant help but dwell on that elk and how i didnt push hard enough. Because if i did get a shot at him even if it was really really hard and exhausting getting him out those antlers would have healed any physical or mental scars from the pack out
 
I didn't have a plan B and while we found elk daily, it was only 1 or 2 and they were not very engaging this year.  Next year, I will scout a 2nd or 3rd option in case the activity in my traditional spot is "light" like it was this year.
 
Not being completely ready after my first bugle. The very fist morning of my CO archery elk hunt I bugled at first light to locate a bull in the drainage below. In under 10 seconds there was a bull staring at me at 60 yards.
First mistake: not having bow in hand.
Second mistake not having a sixty yard pin

 
I got too aggressive with a bull on the last day of the season by bugling. I should have been using cow calls more that late in the season, or so I think. I'm sure every bull is different, but I had the bull within 150 yards, but once I started bugling as I got closer he picked up his cows and took off. I never did see him. I probably should have cow called more as I got closer.... Hunt and learn!
 
Not taking enough time and hunting with everyone that wanted to go.  I love to hunt, but I love to take others more.  Especially if it is their first archery elk. 
 
Just at shootable light we fired off a couple of quick calls to see ifwe could get a bull to sound off in some thick flat terrain.  We were standing in the middle of a dirt road at the time.  We know better but I guess its just laziness and the assumption that the elk were still a couple of hundred yards away.  You guessed it a bull immediately jumps out onto the dirt road and starts running toward us while we were standing in the open with no place to hide.  Busted!  If you don't know the location of the elk then DONT CALL UNLESS YOU ARE SET UP AND READY TO SHOOT.
 
I had a nice bull super fired and raking. I didn't have a shot and chose to wait him out instead of moving in while he was demolishing any tree he could get his antlers on. Which he continued to do until dark. Lesson learned; next time close the gap while a bull is raking up a storm.
 
Ron Niziolek said:
I'd have to say lack of adequate physical conditioning for the vertical terrain and elevation.
Click to expand...


Ron, I think that is just old age  ;)


My biggest mistake was a range estimate.  I shot for 10 yards over due to the steep terrain making the shot appear farther than it really was.
 
Made a hunt this year with a friend and had a spot where I was going to sit that the deer always take when being pushed. So he starts in and i'm about 80 yards from where I set up and I spot a spike about 70 yards down the hill. While looking at him dinkin' around getting side tracked out walks one of the bucks I had spent 3 months scouting, nice 4-point blacktail. Taking the trail I always sit on. Long story short. Both bucks still live. Lesson learned, don't spend time looking at something your not going to shoot, Be at your spot before you make a push.
 
Moving too quickly to try and turn around when the elk decided to come in from upwind instead of down. Scared away a big bull opening day because I was so surprised by it.
 
For me it was making mistakes with the wind several times when I knew better... Got a little excited / anxious and tried to make it happen faster than just being paitient and got winded and the gig was up. 
 
I had a second key mistake last year and that was to sit at the base of a tree during a set-up and when the bull snuck in silently uphill and behind me, I couldn't easily change position to get into shooting position.  By the time I did, he had heard me and then winded my partner who was farther up hill.  He was 30 yards away and I was at full draw and he blew out of there needing to only take 2 more steps to clear that tree.


Do others always stand/kneel at ready in a cold calling set-up?
 
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