When in doubt, back out.
Over the past couple years I took a break from guiding as I wanted to hunt for myself, with friends and family. I wanted to dedicate my time to learning more about the animals and their habitat before returning to guiding. I felt as though I had so much to learn…
Archery season ended, and the mountains were telling me it wasn’t time for me to leave yet. I headed to South Dakota and chased mule deer on the prairie and whitetails in the Black Hills. Hunting alone gave me time to process my journey in life thus far, and the sudden changes that had come my way. I’ve been feeling two things very strong since that time alone. One being, to write more, to share my story and experiences with the world, and two, to get back into guiding. I was missing it, I was craving it, so I made a phone call to an old boss and he was more than happy to have me back on the team up at Bear Creek Outfitters.
Bear Creek was were I first got my foot into the hunting industry so naturally it holds a special place in my heart. Returning to the property I could feel the energy flow through my body telling me that I am in the right place.
Third rifle season started on a Saturday and our clients started to trickle in throughout the day on Friday. Leaning on the porch, enjoying a beer I got to know one of the younger guys in camp named Justin. Consumed by questions about elk hunting there was no shortage of conversation as we enjoyed the view of rolling hills of scrub oak and aspens. I knew in that moment on the porch that Justin and I were going to make some special memories in the next five days as we pursued elk and mule deer.
It was the first day of season and my other client, Steve and I spent the morning on the ‘rock’ glassing, my favorite place on the property. Looking out at †he steep ridge lines it didn’t take long and I glassed up two bulls far off in the bottom. Steve and I watched as these two bulls pushed each other around, and ran around the meadow like two kids on the playground. Elk are definitely my favorite animal to watch and I can spend hours doing so. Returning to camp I told Justin about this big 6x6 bull and he told me '“let’s go get them.”
Coming from Wisconsin and having not trained for this type of hunting Justin knew this stalk on these elk would be nothing short of a challenge, but he was determined to try. At daylight we parked the jeep just far enough up the road from the drainage we would hike up, not wanting to spook the elk before having a chance to go after them. As we approached the ridge I had seen them on the day before, I could see their big tan bodies feeding just a few hundred yards away from us. Waiting for them to feed up and over so they wouldn’t see us, excitement flowed through us knowing we were literally in the elk. As they crested the ridge we quickly made our way up the drainage, and then up up up the steep dark timber. Tracks and scat filled the hillside as these elk have been thriving in here for a good while now. Just a few hundred yards up the hill the timber switched to open scrub oak and then to a series of small meadows. Once getting to the open scrub oak my heart rate elevated as the elk could have been feeding in there anywhere and the last thing we wanted to happen was the spook them. I felt the ninja mode switch on. It was game time. Every decision I made would effect our outcome…We slowly worked our way through, constantly glassing looking for movement or a tan body all meanwhile being consistent in our movement forward so we wouldn’t miss the elk as they crossed through to bed for the day. Reaching the meadow I had seen them run through the morning before I knew it was crunch time. Hearing something walking through the scrub oak I told Justin to get ready! I was so focused on the meadow in front of us, anticipating them to walk through just 100 yards or less in front of us but movement on the ridge line ahead caught my eye as the two bulls were looking down at us. Standing broadside the big 6x6 bull looks down at us but several yards of scrub oak covered his vitals forcing us to have to wait for a clearer shot. Sensing danger the bulls start making their way up the ridge, and for a moment disappear behind two big rocks. Luckily, I had my cow calls and let a couple rip, pulling the bull out from behind the rocks as he stoods frontal facing us at 180 yards. Looking down at us, his antlers and body are sky lined and I tell Justin if he feels comfortable to take the shot. You see, many people don’t factor in an elevated heart rate, and insane angles that typically occur in the field, unlike when they go to the gun range to practice… Justin pulls the trigger and I see the bulls body jolt back, telling me he was hit. “I felt shaky” Justin tells me right away, “I don’t feel good about it”. Mike (the other guide tagging along) and I reassure him it was definitely a hit as we both saw the bulls reaction to the shot. After a half hour we decide to make our way up the hill to where the bull was standing when shot, to get a look if there was blood.
Arriving to the spot this bull was standing when shot we see the blood right away reassuring us it was a hit. The blood trail is consistent and heavy as the bull climbs up the hill through rock mazes, making his way towards the thick timber. Seeing the amount of blood we are confident he is dead just ahead of us but as we hit the edge of the timber we hear him take off, crashing through deadfall. Instantly I knew this bull wasn’t dead yet, and now it was a question of how far he would run. When elk are wounded and you bump them their adrenaline and basic needs to survival will cause them to run miles and I instantly regretted not waiting longer before following the blood trail.
ALWAYS WAIT, ALWAYS GIVE MORE TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU DON’T SEE THEM DIE IN FRONT OF YOU. This was a humbling moment for all of us, but especially for me as the guide..
After spooking the wounded bull from his bed we knew we needed to give him more time so there on the mountain side, we talked about previous hunts and discussed why he wasn’t dead after seeing so much blood. We knew he was seriously hurt especially after seeing piles of green throw up, and bubbly blood, indicating a lung shot. After another 45 minutes we continued on following very consistent blood for a mile. We scratched our heads on how this bull was still alive and how he hadn’t bled out. We followed his blood and tracks as he side hilled and I knew he was headed for the cool timber to lay down. Just as we crested the ridge I immediately see him bedded down in the dark timber 250 yards in front us us. The wind was in our faces and we set up so Justin could take another shot. With the bull being bedded down, Justin turned his zoom on his scope up and when the bull stood up, Justin couldn’t find him in his scope and the bull once again ran off.
I felt as though I had been punched in the gut and I fell to the ground. We screwed up again, and now this wounded bull was once again on the run. Why is it so hard to just be patient, I asked myself? I started to cry. I felt like a horrible guide, and an even worse human for not allowing this bull the time and space in the beginning to die. I was so frustrated with myself and I felt horrible knowing this bull was in pain and we were only making him suffer more. I should know better I told myself. All three of us sat there on the mountain side in silence for a good while. I felt sick, and I knew this bull would die eventually but it was going to take some time.
We backed out and headed back to the lodge and after speaking with others we decided to give this bull the rest of the day and to go look for him in the morning.
We made our way to where we last saw the bull bedded before he took off. There was no shortage in blood still flowing out of this bulls wound which made for an easy tracking job. We followed his blood and tracks for another 1.3 miles and I had to keep reminding myself to just be patient and that we would find him. Through the thick scrub oak we followed the blood and when we got into the pines I thought for-sure we would stumble upon him dead under a shady pine. But his tracks kept going. We continued to scratch our heads as once again we were reminded how far a wounded elk will run when their adrenaline is coursing through them. We came upon an old road and his tracks and blood were going uphill now. Piles of blood splattered the ground telling us he was coughing it up every 30 yards or so. “This hill is going to kill him” Anthony one of the other guides says, and we are confident there was no way he was going to make it much further.
The relief that came over me next was the most delightful feeling I’ve felt in my guiding career yet. Seeing that bull laying there, dead in front of us gave way to an emotional release as we hugged and exchanged high fives. The excitement and pure joy on Justins face was something I will never forget. Walking up on the bull I couldn’t get over just how absolutely beautiful he was. His coat was dark like brown sugar and highlighted like a warm caramel syrup you put on your ice cream, and the tips of his brown antlers were white like purrals. It’s funny to think about how we messed up in the beginning, being too inpatient, going after him before he was dead, causing for a long and emotional blood trail and a sleepless night, and there he was dead on the road.
We savored the moment in pure bliss as we took photos and thanked him for his life. His body was still warm which told us he wasn’t dead for long, and we made the right decision backing out yesterday and most importantly the organic, wild meat on this elk was still good.
It was time to get to work as the sun wasted no time getting higher in the sky, and as Justin and I worked together as a team field dressing the meat we rode the high that comes with the challenges you overcome as a hunter and in that moment on the mountain we knew this was just the beginning of our elk hunting adventures together.
A few things to remember: IF you don’t see the animal drop in front of you after your shot, always allow a couple hours before following the blood trail. Stay positive. Have no expectations. Be smart about your decisions, which is obviously easier said than done. WHEN IN DOUBT, BACK OUT. Get feedback from others. When following the blood trail, be quiet and keep your eyes up. Keep your scope dialed to the right vegetation and distance. Don’t be too hard on yourself when you do make mistakes because we know they will always happen no matter how good of a hunter we are.
