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Six Day Archery
Elk Hunt
Our fall big game
season starts with archery elk in early September and runs through
mid-October. The hunts that we offer take place in some of the best
trophy elk country in the hunting world today. It is not uncommon
to hear six to eight bulls answer a guide's bugle from a high ridge
at daybreak. The bulls are more vocal in this area than in other places.
I believe this is due to minimal hunting pressure and a high bull
to cow ratio, estimated by government studies to be about one bull
to four cows. This area has one of the highest percentages of mature
bulls (7+ years) in the general herd population in the nation.
Most
of our hunts start with the guide taking the client to either an
area with active wallows or an area the elk are utilizing for feeding.
A combination of cow calls and bugling is used to coerce the bulls
nearby into letting us know their location. If the bulls don't have
cows with them they will normally answer and come to investigate
the intruder. The bulls that currently are in the company of cows
will usually respond to the bugling but they will not leave their
cows and sometimes they even herd the cows the other way. In that
case, it is necessary for the guide to figure out the best way to
approach the bull and his cows. Often by getting within a hundred
yards and cow calling, a bull may be lured close enough for a shot.
Sometimes a bugle at this close range will enrage the bull and cause
him to charge within moderate bow range of 15 to 30 yards. Most
immature bulls (four years old or less) will come quietly and cautiously
to the calling and arrive on the scene without any warning. Occasionally,
a large bull will sneak in unannounced.
In
the opinion of many outdoorsmen, bugling a bull elk within bow range
is the most exciting outdoor experience available. I know I feel
that way and I'm certain that you will too once you have a close
range encounter with these majestic animals. The excitement one
feels seeing an 800 pound bull (with antlers as thick as your arm
and towering five feet over his head) walking towards you, his rib
cage heaving violently as he grunts and bugles in anger, seeking
his competition for the right to procreate is an experience that
must be witnessed to be truly appreciated.
Wilderness
back country hunts as well as our standard lodge hunts are available
for the dedicated archer.
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