Been there, done that, got the T shirt......

[WapitiTalk1]

Allrighty, with our hunting seasons looming very close.... I figured it was timely to start this thread. Let's offer up a "mistake" that we've made once or more while elk hunting. It can be something as simple as forgetting a needed piece of gear to a mistake while stalking, calling, shooting, etc. These discussions/points of light are a good reminder for us old salts as well as good references for some of the newer wapiti hunters. Let's go! I'll start with a very basic one.

If a bull continues to answer your calls each and every time as you approach him, but, seems to continue to move away....... he's using your calls to locate you and move his pack o' elk away from an amorous bull who would try to steal what he has gathered up!

[Roosiebull]

I used to get busted by cows I didn't see often. I started using binos a lot, close quarters while stalking, and have probably doubled my stalking success... spot them hard to spot cows waiting to bust you, don't get tunnel vision on a stalk.

A person can get away with some noise, but scent and movement you will not get away with in bow range.

[Tigger]

If I got a shirt for every mistake I have made I could outfit a moderate sized army!

I will throw this one out....it is a mistake to hunt where there are no elk. Find elk. some how, some way, find elk.

[saddlesore]

I fell asleep while on a stand elk hunting with a ML. Something woke me up and bull elk was less than10 feet away sniffing me.
My rifle was leaning against a tree.I grabbed it,bull was still looking at me. I threw it up and pulled the trigger. I forgot to cock it. Got it down,cocked it,swung on the bull who was snow 15 feet away and walking . I dropped the hammer and hit a 4" pine tree 2 feet in front of the muzzle and it exploded.

By this time the bull was maybe 20 feet away and it stopped. I guess wondering what the heck was going on. It stood there staring at me as I dumped powder in, and started maxiball in. I pushed the maxiball about half way down the tube with my hickory ramrod and it seized. About three pushes and the ram rod broke. The bull then walked off. Worse even still, the bull went down over the hill where my brother was .He saw the bull coming , engaged the set trigger and as he was bringing it down to line up the shot, he touched the main trigger and blew a maxiball up at about a 45 degree angle.He later told me the bull just walked off.Didn't even spook.

Another time,I got caught out in a rain/snow blizzard with no rain gear. I got back to my mule wet, cold, and very miserable. Probably wasn't thinking too clear by then. Same side lock muzzle loader as above ( better ramrod though). I forgot to take the percussion cap off. I had the rifle scabbard mounted with the muzzle forward. I heard a click as the rifle cocked going in and then it blew a 50 caliber ball thru the front of the scabbard right past the mule's front shoulder.If you ever saw the movie Jeremiah Johnson where he shot the elk with the rifle across the saddle and the horse reared.This was a lot worse. I got the mule calmed down,but it would not let me mount and would not let me get the ML out of the scabbard. Camp was 5 miles away and it was still half snowing and half raining. I got a fire going and warmed up,and partially dried and had to walk half way back to camp before the mule relented and let me ride.

When you are young and stupid,it is a wonder that we survive.

[WapitiTalk1]

When you are young and stupid,it is a wonder that we survive.

No trout about that Vince..... When we look back on some of the things we did (or didn't do) in the early days, I figure we must be part cat with nine lives .

[Lefty]

Be aggressive
My first years archery hunting for elk,.. I was totally clueless about hunting elk. I had no idea that I needed to follow the herd.
I was patient. Too patient.
Unfortunately for my wife I saw so many big bulls I was ruined. I just thought thats the way archery elk hunting was.

[Swede]

I have NEVER told this story because it is too embarrassing. One afternoon I got in my stand and settled in. It was warm and sunny and a perfect day to wait at a water hole. I had taken off my pack and other gear and placed it on the hangers. In a little while a nice 5X5 came in to water. I looked at him, reached for my bow and panicked. My bow was still at the base of the tree hanging on my drop line. I tried up snake it up the tree, but the bull caught the movement. He just walked off, as I tried to get just one little break that was not to happen.
At least that was the last time I ever messed up like that. I was cured.

[Lefty]

,,,,,,
At least that was the last time I ever messed up like that. .

Last time!!

[Swede]

Whereas I have not left my bow on the drop line since that time, there are plenty of other ways to mess up. I think twice since then I have moved at the wrong moment and got caught.

This is starting to feel like an AA meeting. Also, some churches have you confess your sins so you can get right with God. It is said to be good for the soul, but it is also bad for a person's reputation.

[Lsb]

We were chasing a bull and he headed up a steep ridge. We gave chase until it was stupid steap and there were 2 other bulls bugling below us. We got to the bottom of the ridge and called only to have the bull come down after us, so back up we went. He went back up too. Steap and bulls below us back down we went. Guess who followed us down and then we chased him back up. 3 times we went up after him before it got dark. It wasn't until we had supper that night that my buddy says hey why didn't I leave you up on the ridge and go back down and let the bull come by you? Stupid stupid stupid.

[saddlesore]

One of my muzzle loader hunts, I had hunted 8 days without seeing a hair. As I walking back to camp along a ridge, I had my head down,gun over my shoulder 6-7 elk almost ran right in to me doing that trot they do.By the time I got the gun unslung, all I saw were tails heading back the way they came

[Beendare]

Oh man...where to start. I've made every mistake a guy can make......

Heres one of my screw ups that I think might help some guys;

I think its important to have eye contact when you are hunting as a team. So for example, one guy calling stays back...but not so far that he can't see hand signals from the other guy. Many reasons for this. Easy to get separated when chasing, you can't control the calling, etc.
So Kirk and I were hunting many years ago in a pretty good spot in Co- backcountry using his mules and were into elk BIG every day. We spotted one really big bull...probably 320,330 moving with a group of cows 1/2 mi away and we scrambled had to cut them off. We got there a little late as usual....so we snuck in a split up about 60 yds apart with the idea that whomever has the shot will take it. The elk were over a little rise about 80 yds away.

We did a couple of agitated bugles back and forth and then shut up. The bull curled in on my side and stopped in some super thick stuff about 35 yds away- almost perfect...now just a little further! I was pinned down. Kirk couldn't see him. He started bugling again. I tried to signal him to stop. He never looked at me but just kept on calling very aggressively. The big bull just stood there in cover looking to where Kirk was but didn't move a muscle. This must have went on for 10 min. Finally Kirk moved a little thinking the bull was still just over the rise and the bull spotted him and bolted. He looked at me like, "What happened?" well if we had better communciation that bull might have wandered in a few steps closer to look around and I would have had him.

Another similar case; We snuck in on a herd bedded in some thick timber....a big bull [which we never saw] and about 3 satellites. He hung back about 70 yds....and I was out in front. We called and called...not nonstop but sequences slowly escalating thing as the big bull and the satellites were getting heated up. We did a deal that sounds like a cow in heat getting chased around by another small bull. We could tell the big bull was up...and we heard him chase off a couple satellites not 60 yds from me in thick timber.

Finally Kirk does this whiny estrous thing and sure enough here comes a dink 6 point on a dead run. I didn't have much time to draw and swing with him just as I stopped him about 10 yds downhill of me. I shot and as I did kirk goes to bugling and calling like crazy. The bull just stood there bleeding. He had no idea I was there above him on my knees. On about the count of 8 the bull lunged and fell over dead.

I signalled to Kirk lets change places as the elk were still all fired up and had no idea what just happened. We did, I called and sure enough another bull comes in and stops right at the other downed bull for Kirk....maybe 8, 9 yds he said. He drilled that bull and just like that....being able to see each other made for a a great day.

I don't have the pic on this computer....but it was laying right there not 10' from where I shot it. The bad; we never found Kirks bull...or even one drop of blood. Its pretty typical for them not to leave a lot of blood when blitzing out of there...and even worse with a small mech head up high in the body. Kirk admitted the shot was really high as the bull was so close and downhill when he shot that he should have compensated for.

[Beendare]

Thinking about that last post....I can think of so many times when right at the moment of truth...something went wrong.

So Kirk shot really high on that ^ bull. The guy is an ASA pro shooter. I've seen him drill 3D target after target out to 50 yds in the 10,12 ring like it was nuthin.

I can tell you he does not practice from his knees....and swinging on a moving target.

Before I get the 'moving target comments' ...sure those are tough....BUT AT 8 YARDS? You should be able to drill something at 8 yds.

I think the point is we sometimes forget...... standing on the range...on flat ground ...in perfect conditions....with all the time in the world to shoot...is not really good hunting practice. A lot of the mistakes I've made and a bunch I've seen others make was due to them not practicing like its a hunting scenario. There is an urgency in a hunting situation....thats hard to replicate in practice....along with the other factors.

[Beendare]

I think my stupidest mistake...and one that still haunts me 20 years later....was mis-ranging a shot on a BIG 320ish bull.

We were in Co Buffalo Peaks unit...some good bulls in there which at the time took one point to draw [Ha, now its 6x that and climbing]

I had spotted the bull go into a small patch of timber and not leave- bedded for the day. By the topography, it seemed they would exit the same way. So I sat there on that hill readjusting a couple times for the varying winds...ALL STINKIN DAY.

Late afternoon a nice day turns black....temps drop 60 degrees...and it starts snowing like crazy. Just about the time I was too stiff to get up....the herd comes piling out of the timber..on dead run. There were about 50 cows and at one point they were 20' on both sides of me pinning me down as it was a pretty open slope with low sage and a couple stubby pines.

The bull was pacing back and forth up on the slope...easily 60 yds away. It took me 5 min but while flat on my belly I ranged the small stubby pine the bull walked past twice at 70 yds. I don't shoot that far now for multiple reasons...but back then I didn't hesitate.

The bull was pacing back and forth on what appeared to be a little flat..hard to tell from flat on the ground.

So here he comes so I time my not so slow rise to my knees and draw with the bull entering a little opening. I cow called while at FD and he stopped perfectly in that opening....pling...the arrow was on its way and I had the sense that every cow in that herd was now watching me.

The arrow looked perfect....as it sailed over the bulls back into the rocks behind and oh man it was Chinese fire drill time for those elk. They turned inside out trying to get out of there.

I was in shock. I don't think I had missed an animal in about 50 shots....I could not for the life of me figure what happened until I walked up to see the little pine I had ranged was actually the top of a bigger pine that was back about 10 yds from where the bull was walking past.

OMG, what a rookie mistake.....the biggest bull I've ever drawn on in Co...even to this day....and I flubbed it.

[Swede]

I normally have no problem with shooting at a slow moving target at 8 yards, but Beendare is correct, practice is important. I suspect his partner did not have enough time to get fully prepared for the shot. That is too common.
I know of hunters that never had a thought about practicing from a tree stand until they missed or worse. Someday I want to use one of my portable blinds. I have not used mine enough to just start shooting from one. I will need to practice until I am comfortable with multiple angles and distances.

[WapitiTalk1]

OK, Swede shared an embarrassing story, so shall I. Back in the day, when my pop had his fall elk camp, it was pretty common knowledge though out the camp for adults and kids alike, that we were all there to hunt elk and fill our freezers......shooting a deer was an understood, unspoken "no no". Well, one frosty October morning in NW MT, as the big boys and tag along kids in camp were gearing up to head to parts unknown in pursuit of wapiti, my pop could tell I was wearing down a bit from tromping the high country with probably him or my uncle in pursuit of elk. He looked at me as I was putting my layer of plastic bread sacks over my socks and stuffing my feet into my Sorrels and said "hey son, why don't you stay back here today and see if you can shoot a deer back behind camp" . Well hell and dang fire, that's a crackerjack of an idea dad! I think I was only 12 or 13 and the idea of getting a free ticket to go shoot a deer when deer were normally taboo at this camp was quite appealing to this young hunter. Off I went, armed with my grandpa's old dirty thirty Winchester, in pursuit of a record book whitetail (or low ranging monster of a mule deer). The woods were particularly quiet that day, the air crisp, and the snow crunchy. As I stealth'ed along CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH , I just knew that that big ol' record of a deer was just around the next yellow pine. THERE HE IS! I don't even remember how many points it was (pretty sure it was at least a spike though), but it was go time........ I slowly lifted the Winchester and quietly jacked a shell in it..... . . . "BAROOOOOOOMMMMMMM" went the rifle as I shot the ground in front of me. The huge buck bolted and headed to parts unknown. What the heck happened? Well, lesson learned on that day was to NOT have my trigger finger inside the lever when I jacked a shell into the dirty thirty. . Now, I had to slink back to camp and explain the shot heard to my grandma (head cook and bottle washer at our hunting camps). My pop and the other guys in camp made a great deal of sport of me upon hearing the story. My pop said he was glad I didn't shoot my foot off, but, said it was a good lesson learned the hard way.