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What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

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What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 05 08, 2018 •  [Post 1]

Oh hell, now you’re in the soup. What started off as an innocent cut across through a pretty thick patch of young fir has turned into this.

Date: Mid SEPT
Time: Mid-Morning
State: An elk state
Season: Archery
Tag: Bull only; 3 PT or better
Solo Hunt.

After a morning of sticking and moving (locate bugling) and receiving some distant answers, you’ve decided to shut up and move across a draw to the other side to where you heard a decent sounding bull. It’s a good half a mile across the draw. On the way, you encounter a pretty thick, but patchy, section of those enjoyable 10-15’ tall fir (aka, Xmas trees). Half way through the 150 yard-ish wide section of this mess, as you’re wondering why in the heck didn’t I go around this crap, you sit down to catch your breath and listen. Behind you is a 40x40 yard opening and down to your left in the direction the wind is pushing is another small but narrower opening, maybe 20X40 yards. You sit, take a slurp off your water bladder tube, and hear something big moving in the fir stand to your front. Arrow knocked, you decide to make a few quiet cow calls to see if the “something big” may be an elk, and, may be interested in you. Meeew, meeee….. Before you get the second mew out, HE clears the pecker poles and is 20 yards dead ahead, moving right at you……

I’m not gonna give a bunch of multiple choice answers but instead simply ask……. What should/do you do now as this situation has been offered? Sure, you can quarterback what you may have done wrong up to this point but again, as the situation has been laid out, what do you do now to possibly have a chance at taking this bull home for dinner?

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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Swede » 05 08, 2018 •  [Post 2]

Pray. Pray that he turns before he is spooked out of his wits or gives up and never affords you a shot.
I had a bull come in and look for me like this. He was huge. He kept on looking and would never take his eyes off me. There was never an opportunity to draw and shoot before he busted out of there. The moral of the story is that I forgot to pray in that fantastic/awful moment, and paid the cost.
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Fozziebear2000 » 05 08, 2018 •  [Post 3]

A tyro here wondering what others will say. I hope I would have the time and presence of mind to 1) freeze and stay frozen, with no eye contact with the bull 2) start combat breathing to get my heart rate under control 3) get ready to make a nervous grunt while coming to full draw if there is a chance the bull will present a shot I can make 4) wait it out - the first one to move has the biggest odds of making a mistake.


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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Lefty » 05 08, 2018 •  [Post 4]

Swede wrote:Pray. Pray that RJ was the one who spilled the cow in estrus pee on his boots.

that bulls going to breed something, look at the determination :o

Im side stepping between the two Christmas trees beside me and drawing, there may not be a reason to "aim"

Whoa whoaa,.. I have an early season trophy bull tag. I putting the cross hairs right on the top center of the slick hair above the nose, squeezing the trigger, and hooting in celebration of a big dead bull!!
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Lefty » 05 08, 2018 •  [Post 5]

Fozziebear2000 wrote:2) start combat breathing to get my heart rate under control Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Now is that in thru your nose,,,,, count to 5,,,, and exhale thru your mouth, or in thru your mouth,,,, , hold,,,, and count till you pass out 8-)
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Fozziebear2000 » 05 08, 2018 •  [Post 6]

Mostly just try not to smile, crap, and pass out all at once.


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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Elkhunttoo » 05 08, 2018 •  [Post 7]

Waiting and hoping at this point, and kicking myself for not getting drawn earlier. (Tremendous bull by the way) he looks like he is on a mission, if I just cow called like it says then I think he would stop and look but he may not. Honestly if he has no clue where I am and keeps coming I might try drawing, he might bugger just a bit but it might be what I need to get a shot. I would only go with that thought if it looked like no other shot possibility. I would rather try then watch him walk off
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Swede » 05 08, 2018 •  [Post 8]

I would rather have him walk away than risk causing him to bust out of there. If he walks away, I may get another chance. He may return to that cow call if it is made from somewhere he believes the cow is now. So far he has not called and may be curious or just interested enough to return.
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Lsb » 05 09, 2018 •  [Post 9]

My bet is he's going to turn to his right to get down wind of that nice lady he heard. Inside of 20 with an arrow nocked on my recurve he turns to get the wind, I get to my anchor and send it right over his back because I got excited and didn't pick a spot.
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Swede » 05 09, 2018 •  [Post 10]

Lsb wrote:My bet is he's going to turn to his right to get down wind of that nice lady he heard.


I can say from considerable experience that often never happens. They keep on looking and don't go for the wind. Sometimes they get downwind and bust out. Sometimes they just can't find you and leave. If they get downwind and catch your scent, you will have no time to draw and shoot before they are on the run.
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby cohunter » 05 09, 2018 •  [Post 11]

You already messed up. :oops: Should have drawn earlier and you'd have had a good chance of a close frontal shot or of him turning broadside. As is - you're pinned. It's like being caught holding the hand of Cruella Deville by the woman of your dreams - it was over before it even began. In this case, I'm holding very still hoping he puts his head down behind the burning bush or some other such miraculous obstruction. Sure looks like he's already staring a hole through your position and its probably not going to work out. Best case scenario: he's only slightly spooked, runs off a short distance and then returns to some sweet cow calls given from a slightly different location. He DOES look like he's pretty well out of his mind. ;)
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby DBLGBL » 05 09, 2018 •  [Post 12]

I'm drawing. He may bugger, he may no. He definitely will when he gets my wind. I see nothing to loose if I don't get a decent shot.

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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Lsb » 05 09, 2018 •  [Post 13]

Swede wrote:
Lsb wrote:My bet is he's going to turn to his right to get down wind of that nice lady he heard.


I can say from considerable experience that often never happens. They keep on looking and don't go for the wind. Sometimes they get downwind and bust out. Sometimes they just can't find you and leave. If they get downwind and catch your scent, you will have no time to draw and shoot before they are on the run.

Thick trees, he doesn't have the best locate. Often never but in my world today he did
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby Roosiebull » 05 09, 2018 •  [Post 14]

I like to draw early, so the situation isn't likely, but this is a "what if"

I would quickly asses the situation, and make a decision on when to draw, but I'm trying. If he is that head on you will not get away undetected by drawing slow, so I'm drawing my bow like I do when killin' foam, quick and smooth while getting my anchor set right away and looking through my peep (I do practice that a lot in the off season, but rarely apply quick shooting in the woods)

I will want to be ready if there is an opportunity, if it works, what a cool and unlikely hunt to fill your tag on, and if it doesn't, you sit there with an adrenaline rush, and one more awesome elk encounter for the season!
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Re: What Should You Do 2018; Scenario #3

Postby longbowelk » 05 11, 2018 •  [Post 15]

Be patient and see what he does next, I have on that close before and when turned because he did not see the girl he blocked his vitals so no shot. Hopefully he will turn to he right on this one and would be easier to try and shoot at.
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