So I did a spike camp hunt with Broadmouth Canyon Ranch the 2nd week of September. This took place on private land, high fence. This hunt was for my 50th birthday gift so I wanted to be in elk every hunt and really experience the elk woods, no diy. It would be my 2nd time elk hunting as the 1st time was about 15 years ago. The weather turned out to be unseasonably hot and dry when I was there but I saw elk on every hunt. They were not bugling much but we made the best of it spot and stalking the mornings and sat at wallows in the evenings. My guide tried calling them in but they just weren't very vocal likely due to the hot weather as well as it being kinda early for the rut. It's probably starting there this week, I am sure. On day 1 in the afternoon we sat at a wallow and had some bulls come in but they knew something wasn't right and bolted. I tried to draw on a bull at last light but he was on full alert and was gone in a second. The afternoon of day 2 we sat in the same wallow. We arrived early and brushed ourselves in on the hillside above the wallow. For some reason the flies were really bad on the ranch and I could barely hear my guide talking to me as they buzzed around our heads. Jist after 7pm my guide signaled me he heard rocks rolling so I got ready and as soon as I saw antlers coming through the trees I drew my bow. This really nice 6 x 6 bull came straight in and started drinking at the wallow facing directly at us. I waited and after about a minute, he turned quartering towards me and I had to make a split decision whether to shoot or let down. I thought with the elevation I was at that I could get my arrow above his shoulder and down into his vitals. I touched off the release and my arrow hit where I was aiming and he fell right over. He was still kicking so I put another arrow him and it was over. My guide was so happy there was no tracking needed. Everything on this hunt was awesome.....sleeping in a wall tent on the mountain, waking up to bugling elk, the fantastic meals our cook prepared and the beautiful scenery! Only thing that would've made it better was some cooler weather and rutting elk!
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