roll solo since he was tagged-out, but he insisted that we do the
hunt together as originally planned. Ron loves to hunt elk, and
he was excited to call for me while also further exploring the
unit. Hunting buddies like Ron are rare, and I was thankful
for his company.
Ron and I had limited action early in the hunt. A signifi-
cant portion of the area was closed due to a recent wildfire,
but we could still hear elk bugling regularly from the burn. We
hunted close to the arbitrary line, hoping elk would eventually
cross and be legal to pursue. Instead, they went deeper into the
burned area, so we decided it was time to try a new spot. Our
confidence soared when a bull bugled within close proximity
as we entered the new area. We spooked the bull before we saw
him, but our optimism was high!
We trekked on, closing in on a distant bugling bull as the
sun emerged. When we felt we were close, Ron stayed back to
call, and I set up 80 yards below him. Ron raked trees like a
wild man and bugled sporadically, yet the bull remained silent.
After several minutes, I spotted legs coming across the oppo-
site hillside. When the elk appeared, it was a beautiful 6x6. The
bull cautiously approached, stopping just out of range. The
terrain was fairly open, and the bull searched for the intruder.
Watching him stand broadside, I was kicking myself for not
moving forward another 40 yards. We also made a huge error
BAD, UGLY
By Matt Palmquist, Contributor
BOWHUNTER.COM 85
