A women’s elk hunt..
The four of us ladies all had met under different circumstances and months hater had found ourselves hiking mountains together in search of elk. The experience in the group overall was minimal (except for Draya) and this hunt became an opportunity to learn and grown among likeminded women.
We planned to hunt the backcountry for the last 6 days of season but arriving to the trail head we quickly realized we would need to move onto plan B. There too we found many hunters and horses so onto plan C we went. Hunting with a group that is flexible and open makes for a smooth hunt as so many variables can surprise you, forcing you to move on and adapt. And so we did.
Acquiring a waypoint from an older brother we now had a focus, and the elk were screaming. For the next three days the focus was to get me on a bull since I had the most experience, and that way the women would have the opportunity to learn how to field dress an elk. I was flattered an honored that these women set aside their tags for me. Something you don’t see very often in the field.
Not having stepped foot on this mountain before we were learning the country as we went and quickly realized navigating it was not easy and not quiet. After stumbling upon a nice 5 point elk shed on our first evening a bull screamed from the mountain above us sending us into primal mode. The ground cover was thick and old dead aspens littered the ground making it nearly impossible to push on any further without spooking this bull. Sarah and Soira, (who have never called in elk) dropped down into the ravine below us to cow call, and act like a bull raking a tree. It worked as the bull started to come in closer but due to the thick ground cover and deadfall it was nearly impossible for him to get to us. It didn’t take long and soon his bugles told us he was heading up the mountain, so Lacee and I decided to push on further to try and get closer but due to the ground cover and deadfall there was no way we would quiet or quickly enough catch up with him.
We backed out and had a focus for the morning.
I knew theses elk were feeding up top of the thick timber during the night and so we made the trek up the steep hillside to get on their level and to try and call one in. With every step upward these women were reminded that they were capable of doing hard things. Taking a quick break up top to hydrate and eat a quick snack we make our way towards the feeding grounds. With a stick breaking under one of our boots the bull bugles at us just ahead and so we set up and call hoping to pull him in. A few cows mew at us and the bull bugles a few times but soon all is quiet.
We spend the afternoon napping, giggling and enjoying mother nature as we listen for a bugle or cows mewing. The thermos were going uphill so our scent was moving up and past the elk. Around 10am I decided to sneak towards the timber we last heard him bugle and I am able locate a group of cows below me enjoying the cool hillside. I head back to the girls with a game plan for the evening.
The day was quiet and long but as soon as that sun dropped behind the far mountain a bugle blast off from the timber below us. Soira and I grab our bows and head in his direction, the thermos still moving up the mountain. As soon as we hit the bench above the bull the thermos had switched and now our scent is going downhill. Luckily this bull wasn’t directly below us and we had some time to hopefully pull him into shooting range. For the next hour the bull and I had a screaming match and I simply couldn’t pull him in, and so I decide to drop a bench to get closer to him. My hope was to get into this bubble and piss him off, causing him to run in and offer me a shot. But with the downhill thermos I was limited to how close I could get into him, and with the thick undergrowth in the timber it would be impossible to loop around lower to get in closer. Once again we backed out and had a focus for the morning hunt.
That day I had reached 200 miles of hiking during September and my body was telling me I needed some rest. The girls were not opposed to sleeping in and hunting this bull that evening for he was more active, and responsive it the evenings vs the mornings. Looking back I wish we would have gotten up early but what is done is done.
Feeling refreshed and recharged we made our way up the steep trail once again, feeling confident this was the night. I was quickly reminded that as soon as you think you have the elk patterned, and figured out they will throw a curveball your way.
I wanted to get to the base of the timber and we attempted to take a game trail there but quickly the trail disappeared and we were neck deep in deadfall and thick undergrowth so we decided to back out and hunt in the direction we had taken that previous morning. I had become complacent and with four people walking through the woods we definitely were not quiet. As we crossed an opening we hear the worst sound you can hear while hunting elk. Sounds of hooves crashing and running froze us in our tracks as these elk were bedded down low instead of in the timber like we anticipated. The bull screamed at us as he and his cows ran up and over the mountain.
We had been working so hard and just like that our chances at this bull had vanished. I was heartbroken and disappointed in myself. If only we did this, or that I kept playing over and over in my mind…
As archery hunters this is all part of the game and once must learn to bounce back, humbled by the animals we pursue.
Regardless of not filling a tag in these few days there was other magic that was happening while trying to do so. The sisterhood bond was being built as we crossed rivers, hiked mountains, learned about the wild game and their habitat, during the warm lazy afternoon on the mountain and while navigating in the dark with hangry bellies. The bond that happens while in the wild is something I will always strive to experience. I am so grateful for that time in the mountains as we all grew as individuals and connected deeply with mother earth.
As we move towards 2023 and plan our hunts please reach out if you’d like to hunt together.
Much love.
