Hunt Contiues

Day 3
3:00am-up and ready for round 3. It is colder today. Another layer is added. At least my system is back to normal and I don't have add another layer on top of being bloated. Give thanks for the small things I say.

3:40-we're off a little later than the previous days. The men are stoked-colder weather, moist area-these bulls are going to be going crazy. We should experience another bugle frenzy. I am going to get the big bull today. Remember the mud from last night? It is still there. We're in the dark again dodging mud chunks. But, it is okay. When I kill the bull today it will make for a good story.

4:40am-back to our regular place but there is a twist. We have to walk and walk in the mud. Add 5 pounds to each of my boots. In the dark the three of us go clump, clump, clump. Hmmm, something is wrong. We hear nothing out there in the trees. Where are the elk? Where is the bugle frenzy? I mean God hit a mute button on ALL animals. There are no coyotes like every other morning, there are no moo cows AND there are NO elk. What happened to my perfect conditions and the mud being worth it? We walk and walk. Nimrod bugles but nothing answers back. At first light we see moo cows but that is it. The elk are gone. They have left us high and dry-not literally. Nimrod and Wrongway are dumbfounded. They cannot believe that there are no elk. The elk defy hunting logic-how dare they!

Luckily, the morning was not totally wasted. I learn Wrongway has a secret. He is a walking snackshack. We stop and he pulls out Milky Ways, fruit pies, moon pies, you name it. At this point, he has become my best friend and has a new name-SnackShack (Have you seen Night At The Museum?). We chow down out in the mud and it isn't even 7:00 in the morning. We head back to quad and peel off the mud so that we can make it back to camp relatively unharmed. On the way back, we run into a hunter who killed an elk last night. I am happy and sad. I want to kill my elk. I miss my kids.

After we get to camp, Nimrod and I drive(I sleep) an hour into town to get cell phone service so I can call my kids. We talk to them and they are having a blast with Grammie and Grampie. They don't miss me. This is good, right? I mean I want them to be happy but they could pretend to be a little sad. Buckaroo does wish me good luck on killing an elk........ So, that was a bust. But my kids are safe and happy and I have a big elk to kill. I nap on the way back to camp.

4:30pm We head out to a new area. The other one is obviously a bust. New scenery changes and a new problem. The mud is gone but the area is infested with cactus. All kinds of cacti-little prickly pear, mini barrels, long spinally ones, ones I have never seen before. Nimrod and I pick our way around the land mines of cactus to get to the clearing we want to sit at. The elk are already out grazing so we have to be very sneaky through the trees-tough to do when there is cacti to avoid. We make it to the clearing and get settled in. Nimrod makes sure my hat(which I hate wearing) is on. Apparently blond hair is like a beacon that screams, "Run elk, run for your life!" On the other side of the clearing we can hear 2 bulls fighting and few bugles. Any minute a bull should be walking out into the clearing, and he does. Only it is a spike; too small to kill. This guy decides to meander through the clearing towards us and we have to play the statue game. No moving at all. Ten minutes later it is getting harder to stay still and he keeps moving toward us. He gets within 12 yards of us before he realizes we're there. The whole time he is staring at me, I am thinking, "Don't look him in the eye. He doesn't know blue eyes." Genetically speaking, I don't think I was made to be a hunter. He finally takes off but still never really recognized what we were. Our statuesque behavior tricked him. We continued to wait for a big one to come into the clearing. At sunset, a bull steps out into the clearing but he is only a little one and I am not shooting. We pick our way through the cactus land mines back to the quad at dusk and as we head there, we push a group of elk (it sounded like a 100 but was really 15-20) out in front of us. Never did see them, but heard a few bugles. It is beginning to feel like I am hunting a ghost. I can hear it but I can't see it.

I am really not looking forward to 3:00am tomorrow.

Elk: 3 Me:0

Day 4


3:00am: I am getting used to this but am not liking it. Nimrod makes me breakfast and we're off.
4:30am: We get to our area and decide we're going to start on a different route that we have taken. Very few elk bugles but enough to peak our interest. We start following the bugles and get closer. Nimrod starts to call on and he responds heartily. This excites us as we get set up for him to come to us. Snackshack starts using his Hoochie Mama (female elk noise) call to lure the bull in. Nimrod and I are set up so that when the bull steps out into the clearing he will be nailed. I am calm and excited. The bull is calling back to Snackshack and moving in. As Nimrod and I play statue again, we see leg movement in the trees. Nimrod tells me to get ready, he is coming. And he comes, only it is another spike. I want to scream but I can't because I'm a statue. He meanders in not even seeing us. We can still hear the big bull bugling close to us. That little bugger is close to us, less than 15 yards, and he better move so I can kill my big bull that is coming in. But, he sees us and decides to come check us out. He moves closer and again I have to avoid eye contact. I really wanted to spit at him but knew that wouldn't do me any good. Well, he just stands there staring at us. Nimrod tries to shoo him without startling him too much so the bigger one can "feel" safe coming to the call. It was a bust! He sniffs us out and starts barking at us. That is the kiss of death. The last time we heard the big one he was far away, probably back at our quads laughing at us. I have had two close encounters with elk. I never anticipated getting this close to the elk. My trusty guides are doing a great job; however, the elk are not doing their best to cooperate. My slam dunk hunt is not turning out the way I thought it would. Luckily, Snackshack makes the it all worthwhile with his never-ending supply of junk food. I forgot how much I love MilkyWays.

Back to camp (with my mini-nap on the quad) for some lunch. We have been taking 2 hour naps after lunch and they have been my lifesavers. According to Nimrod, they have increased my snoring level but at this point I don't care. If he and Snackshack don't like it they can sleep outside. I need my beauty sleep!

We decide to head out to the water tank Nimrod and I went on the night before the hunt started, hoping the big elk we saw will come back. The wind is blowing which should make the elk thirsty and want to drink. We hike to the tank and Snackshack stays on the ridge so that he can call us on the walkie talkie if the big bull starts to move in. Nimrod and I get settled in once again. This time I bring my book with me so while we wait I can get some good reading in. Nimrod said he's never had a hunting partner read while they were waiting for the animal to come in. He's never been hunting with an English teacher. I got quite a bit of reading in because NOTHING showed up. The moo cows didn't even humor us until sunset. We did see a few coyotes come drink at the tank, but they don't really count as an animal. They are more like a rodent. While I enjoyed the reading time, I am a little dejected by the lack of activity. On our way back to the quad we hear a few elk bugle far off in the distance. I just want to tell them all to "stop messing with my mind!" but they can't hear me because they are too far way.


Home again, eat shower and bed. I am tired and weary.

Elk: 4 Me:0