Mentoring, is it worth it?
Here is a story about my last hunting season. Without the involvement of Lew and his Brother I would have been lost.
I'd recommend that those out there with the time and resources to mentor a struggling hunter, to do so. Those looking for help, ASK!
Here is an article I wrote for an upcoming article of Colorado Bow hunters Association.
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So there I was, the end of another fruitless season. In three years I hadn't’t even had a chance to nock an arrow. Obviously I was doing something wrong.
I’d done my research during the winter. Finding an area with good elk density, at least a mile between roads, north facing with open parks. My summer scouting resulted in seeing more elk on the first day then I’ve seen in my lifetime (combined). Talking to the biologist for the area confirmed my research. We can mark this box as complete.
I needed help. So I posted a ‘Mentor Wanted’ ad on bowsite. A few people answered, and during the evaluation process, Bill Claspell (Bullnuts) seemed to be the best fit. He agreed to help me out, with the understanding that he would help me out for one season, and that I would not hunt in the area’s he would take me to in the future. As one of my goals is to develop my own area, this seemed like a good deal.
We’ll the season had finally arrived. Bill and I took a quick drive around the hunting area, picking out a spot for the next morning. You could definitely tell they had spent over 10 years in this area, as he pointed several good spots we may try the next morning. He finally said we would start the next morning in Elk Park, only a few miles from camp.
The next morning we drove up to the hunting area, parking only a quarter mile from where we would enter the woods. We slowly worked out way down to the tree line as the skies started turning purple. We waited a few more minutes before moving closer. Bill stopped and told me he could hear the elk moving around. So here was my first lesson. I needed to listen as much I was looking. Even with that I didn’t hear them until they ran off as we moved closer. We saw an elk returning to Bill's cow call so I setup. Second lesson, make sure your setup has some shooting lanes. Realizing my mistake, I slowly started moving to the other side of the tree, when Bill pointed out a Spike about 30 yards away. Dang, not a legal shooter, but I had already learned a bunch.
Ok, so we work our way up to another spot he likes to hunt. About 9:00 am or so we setup in a small group of aspens where we found a fresh scrape (the sap hadn’t even started to dry yet). About 15 minutes later I see a gray figure moving in the opposite direction only 50 yards away. I’m not sure how big that guy was, but we found scraps that were high enough that we had to stretch to reach the high point. Bill also found an aspen this guy had pushed over, later that week.
The following evening, Bill and I returned to the same park, and setup along the tree line. He softly cow called as I watched the tree line on the other side of the park. The next thing I knew, there was an elk only 30 yards away. We think it was the same spike as the previous morning. Since he was not a shooter I took the opportunity to study his behavior and responses to my slow movement. This low-pressure encounter provided a good chance to figure out just how much I could move or adjust without being seen. I was in awe as the elk passed just 5 yards behind Bill as he moved up the hill.
One or two nights later, we were up in a high park at sunset. Bill had setup down wind from me. Just before sunset, I either see or hear the elk coming from my left. I believe this is a good setup as I’m right up against a big tree, which is breaking up my silhouette. As he starts stepping out, I draw my bow. The elk is only 15 yards away. I don’t take the shot because I cannot see the head. It stands there for a few seconds and runs off. Bill and I think he didn’t see me, but that he scented me. I was pretty happy with myself. I could have taken that shot, not knowing if it was even a legal animal or not. Another lesson learned. Lesson learned here, make sure you draw your bow when the animal is behind an obstruction.
Just a few days later, we parked the truck and could hear an elk bugling within a few hundred yards. Apparently he had some cows, as he hi-tailed it out of there when we bugled back. The chase was on.
Bill called in a 4x4, which you could hear running (sounded like a herd of horses) toward us. He came in so quick that I was caught in the open. He ran off about a 100 yards way, and started feeding. The lesson here is to move from cover to cover, but only move when your partner is moving.
We kept chasing the herd. After about 30 minutes or so, Bill stops and slowly drops to his knees. Something is coming. I stop and also drop slowly down. I don’t see the elk. Once again I watch and learn. That 6x6 was looking for that cow he heard. The elk’s head was behind some tree, and I probably could have drawn, but I figured Bill would make me walk home if I took that shot. I stayed completely motionless as the elk walked directly toward Bill. The elk could see Bill, but couldn’t quite figure out what he was. The elk saw the white diaphragm call moving as Bill pulled it back into his mouth. Bill made a quick shot as the elk turned. But wait, the elk stops about what I think is about 40 yards away with the vitals in a perfect shooting lane. So I pull back and promptly punch the shot. Anyone have a good recipe for baked aspen? Lesson learned: That elk knew exactly where that cow call came from, even from a couple hundred yards away. Incredible.
Having watched Bill for a few days, I was ready to go try it on my own. As I was putting my gear on, I could hear a bugle just up the hill. He was answering my lost cow call with the ‘get the heck over here’ bugle. He also responded to the sound of a purposely broken branch. (Previously learned lesson: Don’t hunt elk like whitetail deer. They expect to hear hoofs, breaking branches, and other sounds). Finally closing to about 100 yards, and running out of good cover, I setup and threw out an Estrus call followed by a spike squeal (Elknut threat level 1). Holy cow, did he come unglued. He was breaking branches, and screaming at me, as he closed within about 80 yards then stopped about where I had walked through about 10 minutes early. Apparently he walked through my scent pool (The wind was in my favor).
The time spent sharing our experiences after each outing, and hearing how to respond to each situation was really beneficial. For example, during one such session we talked about the different ways to bust an elk. One is to get scented. Not much to do there but go somewhere else. One the other hand, if the elk sees you move, but doesn't’t get a real good look, they may come back.
This lesson would be driven home the following morning. I’m slowly working my way down a closed forest service. I would move from cover to cover, call and wait about 5 minutes before moving on. I did this until about 8:30, when I noticed the wind was starting to change. The hoof striking a rock didn’t register as I leaned against the tree studying the wind. The brush exploded to my left as I stepped out of the shade. Dang!! Ok, so what did Lew say? Those danged critters may come back if they aren't really sure what you are. I moved across the road, setup and started calling. After about 15 minutes I figured the animals was long gone, so I slowly stood up to head down the road. Oops, he did come back. He took off again, this time not coming back. Lesson learned. Elk don’t have timetables.
I talked to Lew (Bill’s brother) who pointed me to an area much closer to Denver that has been known to have animals. After researching the area a bit, I pick a good spot to start hunting the next morning.
It is still a bit dark as I drive up the hill. I’m kind of looking around enjoying the clear beautiful sunrise that is about to break. I’m also kind of looking around in along the tree line. Wait, what is that? An elk. Yes, a bull, looking right at me about 30 yards in. He just stands there as I drive past. Parking a few hundred yards up the hill, I hear him bugling. At least he’ll be easy to find.
I’m almost running down the hill, quickly closing on this guy. When I get to about 100 yards I decide to slow down and evaluate my position. Still focusing on the bull, I don’t even think about stopping near any real cover. After all he is still 100 yards away, he can’t see me. But I stop anyway. Movement about 50 yards down the hill, and it’s coming toward me. Dang, not a good spot. Can’t move without being seen, so I nock an arrow. Just then about 5 or 6 cows start walking right through a small opening right in front of me. If they keep going, they should offer a nice 25 yard shot. So I pull the bow back. That caught their attention. The lead cow just stops and looks right at me. Busted! Off they go, crashing through the trees on their way to Colorado Springs. I can see the bull walking the other direction just down the hill. Just about then I hear people talking off to my left. I figure the elk will definitely leave the area now. So I decide to hike about ½ mile in the other direction and start over.
After traveling about 200 yards, I see some movement just down the hill. It’s that bull, and he is moving straight up the ridge right past me. Dropping down behind a small tree, I quickly nock an arrow, and get ready for the shot. But he is quickly out of range, and I’m not about to out run an elk moving up hill and away.
What did I learn here? Bulls follow the cows (I had read it, but never saw it), cows can bust you just as fast as a bull, and can get ‘used’ to people up to a point.
While I didn't’t get my first elk this year, I did come along way with the help of a few mentors. I went from not even having a chance to nock an arrow to having several very real chances to close the deal. Quite frankly it wouldn’t have happened if Bill hadn’t stepped up and offered to help me out. Being able to tag along, watch, ask questions, and participate in campfire discussions really accelerated my learning curve.
I would encourage all of you proclaimed successful elk hunters to take a new(er) person along. Yes I know most of you have developed your honey holes over the last few years, and you want to protect that, but you can find hunters out there that want to learn. Interview the person or persons, making sure they clearly understand that you will help them, but that they need to find their own hunting area. Then offer to help them map scout, or even better, tell them about area’s you’ve hunted in the past.