Jons Elk 2008
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Jons Elk 2008 Originally uploaded by royal.outfittersAt the start of 2008, our “regular” elk hunting group had managed to get a full camp worth of guys together. By regular I mean that I, my dad Jack, Doug, and Paul have been coming to hunt with Royal Outfitters over a period of 8 years. I have been fortunate enough to have made all of the trips that our hunting group from Pennsylvania has made out to Montana over these past years. Each year we seem to have at least one or two new guys come along with us. But as events and situations change, we always seem to have a good group of guys to share our hunting adventures with while we are in Montana.In preparation for this years elk hunt, I spent as much time as possible getting physically prepared for the mountains. I have paid the price for lack of preparation before. I didn’t want to do it again. I know from experience that if I can keep up with the guide that I will have a good chance of getting in front of a bull elk by the end of the week. So that is what I did. I worked hard at the physical conditioning and I also paid close attention to the mental conditioning as well. I knew before I left that I was going to have some level of success.
This year is officially the fifth trip that I have made to Montana elk hunting with my bow. Each year I have been within 25 yards of a bull elk. The first 3 trips I had shots at bulls. That to me made those trips successful. Then in 2006, I managed to shoot a small 5 x 5 with my bow from a tree stand. That was the first and only time that I hunted from a tree stand in Montana. I was fortunate that I killed my first elk but it wasn’t what I had dreamed about.
My dream came to fruition this year while I was hunting with my dad and Sonny, our guide that evening. The week had started very slow for everyone in camp. No one was hearing anything or seeing very much for the first day and a half. Sonny decided to take us on a little hike back to a hidden meadow that no one had been to, up to that point in the hunting season. We were going to walk straight to that meadow and Sonny turned to us and said, “Let’s make a call, just for the heck of it.” As soon as Sonny bugled, a bull, no more than 200 yards away, bugled back at us. We immediately took cover as Sonny started to bugle and scrape trees. He was running back and forth to imitate a bull trying to gather his heard of cows. After about 15 minutes of this racket going on a bull from below us on the hill made his way to within 60 yards of both my dad and I. With this bull still in view, there was anther bull bugling down below us. At that point, the bull that was close wondered back down the hill since he wasn’t able to see any of the elk above him on the hill.
That is when Sonny decided that we had to make a move. He gathered my dad and me and moved us about 200 yards across the hill. He was able to get us in an area that had some small openings in it so that we could get a chance to shoot the bull once it was in range. The wind continued to be perfect as we set up and Sonny began to call once again. The second bull had all that he could take. Between us being in a new location and Sonny calling more aggressively with added cow calls mixed in, the bull began to pick his way up the hill towards us. The bull was about 100 yards below us when I first saw him. As he walked, he bugled and chuckled several times, making my nerves shakier each time. With his long strides he was quickly inside 50 yards and closing. After turning and walking directly up hill, he stopped directly behind a group of small fir trees. He appeared like he was going to walk out from behind the firs directly below me and about 15 yards away. So I drew my bow and waited for him to make those last two steps. His sixth sense must have kept him from continuing because he waited for a second and then turned around and walked to the other side of the group of fir trees. At that point he stopped again. I was to the point of needing to make a very critical decision. I had to decide whether or not to let my bow down or struggle to keep it at full draw while the bull made up his mind to continue up hill. I decided to try and hold on. The bull seemed to lean forward and take 2 more steps. He had exposed his entire chest area to me. At 23 yards broadside, I was able to make a very good double lung shot that made for easy tracking.
Once the shot occurred, Sonny, my dad, and I gathered to celebrate the fact that I had gotten a shot. I explained to them the shot placement and that I felt very good about my shot. As we stood there trying to decide whether or not to pursue the second bull who was still bugling below us for my dad, we heard my bull crash to the ground. All three of us couldn’t contain our excitement and we quickly forgot about the second bull. We immediately began to track my bull which didn’t take very long. We went about 60 yards before we saw the bull lying in the middle of the game trail. What a relief it was to see the heavy 5 x 5 lying motionless on the ground.
I could not be more appreciative to be able to harvest such a majestic animal. To make the hunt even more memorable, I was able to harvest this elk while I was hunting with my dad. My dad and I have been able to do a lot of hunting together over the years, but to have him right there with me to celebrate my trophy will be something that I will remember forever.
I was able to have a great elk hunting trip in 2008. It was due to the care and skills that Royal Outfitters owners and guides showed me this year. Darren and Deb, thank you so much for taking the time to care for your hunters, not as business associates, but as friends. Good luck in 2009.
Yours truly,
Jon Dykes