The view from Eagle Spirit Outfitters Lodge
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The weather gods have been good to us thus far and some of the guys have had some action although no bulls have been harvested. Travis had another 10 yd. encounter with a bull. Lonny just couldn't get an angle at an amorous bull who was more interested in a receptive cow than giving LT his antlers!
I've been down with what most feel is altitude sickness. I think they're being polite in not making reference to my being the old man of the bunch. I took the morning off and will be going out to stand hunt this afternoon. Jager got some bugling action in the morning but never close enough for a shot.
Curt and Jack had the same experience. Just not close enough for a shot opportunity!
The weather for tomorrow is forecast to be clouding up and a chance
of a storm in the afternoon!
My afternoon hunt was exciting to say the least! My guide, Scott, and I set out to hunt a treestand on the lower Dead Woman Property. While driving the access road in Scott spotted two Elk feeding. He glassed them and determined that one was at least a 5x5 and the other a spike. We exited the vehicle and I set up on a hillside about 100 yds from the bulls as they fed on the grass and went out of sight to my left. Scott started cow calling and after some agressive sounds the bulls returned, the spike in the lead with the big boy approaching more attentive to the calls. He came into a clearing at about 30 yds and I made what I thought was a good shot broadside. The bull jumped sideways as my arrow flew true. However after a careful search I found the arrow in the dirt blood free. We continued on the access road another quarter mile and parked the truck to make the hike to the treestand. About 200 yds up the hill Scott made some calls and a Bull answered the call. About 100 yds out and just before I saw him he let out a blood curling bugle that was loud enough to shake the earth! The bull came running full tilt and held up 75 yards away where he decided to travel the same hillside I was positioned on coming to a complete stop right behind a clump of aspen trees not 10 yards away. At this point I was at full draw and held for what must have been 5 minutes with a clump of trees between us. The bull turned and I was able to lower my bow successfully, but when I let it down he must have caught some movement and took off out of there for parts unknown!
Scott continued making aggressive calls and continued to get answers
from below and we moved downhill into position on another hillside just
above a dry pond. For what seemed an eternity the bugling and the calling
went back and forth when just before sunset a bull roared at us from the
treeline below. This bull as those on the previous occasions came in trotting
until he was very close and then seemed to be forever hiding behind some
trees to my left. Scott made some noises on the brush and another cow call
and the bull stepped into view and caught the full force of my 2219 in
the upper lung area broadside. He fled down hill and accross the meadow
from where he came and out of sight! What a rush!! The waiting time began
as darkness became our enemy. Scott found a good blood trail but we had
to call off the search as we already waited an hour before the trailing
began. Much blood was found and confidence is high that we'll find him
when daylight returns tomorrow!
