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Back-out Situations

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Back-out Situations

Postby Swede » 01 12, 2018 •  [Post 1]

We have another thread where we are told there are situations where we should back-out. There are times I have backed away from an elk encounter situation and did not mess things up. There are times I wish I had. Here is one of those:

One day I decided to not go to my tree stand. Instead I went right by one and started calling. From about 7:00Am until after 10:00 Am I got to working this odd antlered bull. He was a huge spike with fairly long eye guards. Everything started not far below where my stand was hung. I would set up call and hear him answer. Nothing I did seemed to get him to move my way. The timber was very open, so I could not get close, and he stood at a distance and just watched. He was always moving slowly away. I tried everything I could, but he seemed to know he should see some elk. They never materialized. Eventually he surely got wise and left the whole area. I never saw him again.

Please share a story, either about your success after backing away, or when you wish you had backed off and waited for another chance.
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Re: Back-out Situations

Postby BrowTines » 02 16, 2018 •  [Post 2]

In a scenario like that, it is difficult if you are solo. I have often had bulls like this move off and then move toward me when I moved back away and called and then the elk will move further away if I close the distance. If you were with someone else, I would suggest leaving one person in your current location who stays silent. The caller goes back in the driection you came from calling once in a while - and may go a quite a ways. It is a strategy we have used with some success. If you are alone, you could try emulating this strategy by going quite a ways back calling then running up and setting up quite a ways in front and remain slilent.
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Re: Back-out Situations

Postby Lefty » 02 17, 2018 •  [Post 3]

This year we were following a very vocal bull with cows and he kept dropping lower and lower, it was getting late enough the wind was changing, I dint think we could get in front and it was a long hike up to camp in the dark.
another time this year we had a herd working our way but the wind kept swirling, we backed ut completely expecting to go after them later, never found them
Twice I had Sunday obligations. I watched as two mature bulls waited for the ladies to walk past, then bedded. another Sunday I watched a herd with small bulls bed, would have been an easy stalk.
Another time while following a a blood trail I had a rag horn, 5x5 and a 5x6 under 25 yards in 10 minutes just strolling by mid morning.
Twice this year we backed out when we brought in other hunters :shock:
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Re: Back-out Situations

Postby Roosiebull » 02 19, 2018 •  [Post 4]

I back out fairly often. roosies some times tend to be home bodies, which gives me the opportunity to learn their routines, and they can become quite predictable.

I can think of quite a few situations I have backed out, and made it pay.

2015, i was hunting the afternoon, and driving a main line road in the national forest, and stopping and walking out ridges and bermed roads looking for sign, pretty common afternoon program for me looking for elk.

i get to one spot, there is a bermed road, and about a half mile, steep down hill, there is a chunk of commercially thinned old growth, i don't quite make it there and start seeing what i'm looking for, sharp edges tracks in the dry summer dirt, and can smell there is a bull in the bunch, now i just chill out and start listening....

about 6pm, i start hearing some brush rustling in this steep drainage at the far side, and as the evening progressed, i start hearing branches breaking, and everything is getting closer. due to the steep hillside and super tall underbrush, i cannot see them, and i think they are coming up the ridge i'm by, so i half heartedly set up, but just because, and am ready to improvise. awhile later i start feeling like they are on the opposite side, so i sneak up, sure enough, they are across canyon.

i decide to make a play, and get over there undetected, and finally see the bull, he is just a little guy (3x4) but i'm not feeling very picky, it's a beautiful place to kill an elk, and if i get the chance, i'm taking it. there are only 4 cows and him, and the cows got between us, so the closest i got the bull was just over 50 yds, which is a little outside of where i like to shoot live animals. i see a path to him, and think i could close 20 more yds, but after watching a bit, i decide to just leave while i'm ahead, and come back in the morning with time to work on them.

i get in there before light the next day, there was a lion .6 miles away the night before, so if that lion didn't come through, the elk would still be there, that was the only risk i took of backing out. apparently the lion didn't show up, because right as daylight broke, i heard them feeding across the drainage, right where i left them :P

i sit there and glass, and after a bit, i find all of the elk, i wasn't going to move without knowing where they all were. now i had 2 cows together, then one lone cow, the bull, and the last cow just down from him, that gives me some reference and i start my stalk.

i have to walk all the way around the drainage to keep the wind, and stay out of sight, it takes some time, but i made it to the head of the draw undetected. i stopped there and did another talley to see where they all were, got them all glassed up again, and continued my stalk. i got right above where i thought they were, crawled out on my hands and knees and peeked over to see the 2 cows together about 20 yds below me, i knew i needed to crawl back over and go another 30yds.... i was able to get that done, snuck back over and peeked through a fern to see a blond elk body, then saw his antler tips. i crawled around the fern and ranged him at 31 yds, moved over on my knees to get a clear shot and waited for him to take a couple more steps, i had a shot, but there was some brush around him, and he was pointing at an opening, so i decided to just enjoy the last bit of my elk season..... it was day 6.

he finally came into the little opening, now i had the 2 cows to my left that fed closer to me, so i waited until all of their heads were down, slowly pulled my bow to full draw, anchored, and went through the shot process in my head. as i watched the little red 30 yd pin behind the bull's shoulder, i asked myself one more time "am i ready to quit hunting?" i wasn't.... i never am, but this hunt has went so well, i felt i should take this opportunity in front of me. i held my pin, focused on the follow through and the bow went off, i saw my fletchings disappear behind his shoulder and heard the arrow whizzing through the ferns behind him, he lifted his head and looked around, not startled, all of the cows were perked up looking around, but only for a second, one by one, their heads went back down to feeding, and the bull just stood there looking forward, seemingly unaware anything happend.

i quietly pulled another arrow out, nocked it and came to full draw again, and put a second arrow next to the first, there was now blood running down his side from the first shot, once again, he didn't even flinch, but now the cows were on alert and nervous, they started walking together and forming a group, then the bull looked like he was going to turn around towards the cows but his back legs started to go, he did a 180 with his back end down, and did a nose dive down the steep hillside, and a big root wad kept him from sliding any further (thank goodness!) now one cow started barking and they ran off, then the woods were silent other than an occasional distant stick breaking, and the bulls body was shutting down, and steam was coming from his side in small weak puffs.

i don't know what it was about that hunt, but it was one of my favorites, he was my smallest branch bull, but man i was happy with him! it was my second year hunting national forest exclusively, and it was the year i started figuring it out, and gaining confidence. such a cool hunt in such an amazing landscape, he was dead a half hour after legal shooting light, and i packed him out solo by 1pm, really cool hunt all around, one i think back on often, a highlight of my elk hunting.

they didn't make a peep, i didn't either, and he was a little guy, but i wouldn't change a thing about that hunt ;)
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