Slick Trick and dull knives

[Firebird]

The archery elk hunt had been open for ten days or so but I hadn’t been out yet. Overtime at work, kids ball games and well, I have just been to Africa and my money is pretty well gone and my wife has seen and heard enough of hunting for awhile.
September 1 our bird hunts start kicking off. The dogs are antsy so I determined to go after forest grouse one evening, just to run the kennel off the dogs feet. My pointing black lab actually grabbed my shirt with her mouth one afternoon while I was cleaning the concrete-a sure sign she wants to be in much more open country. Skipped my daughters high school soccer game and pointed east and upwards, following the busy canyon to the two lane turn off and then onto the gravel road and finally, 45 minutes from home, onto the two track. We kill two grouse from the family group and leave the rest for next year. We get skunked in the next spot, a new one for us. On a whim I head towards where I killed my bear last September. I have noticed there are no cattle grazing in there this year and I suspect the smart old grey tailed male will still be near the trail where I often rattled him last year. There is nothing quite like stepping on a land mine grouse while sneaking into or out of your bear spot!
The truck is still in sight when the grey tail goes off-reminds me of a Star Wars spacecraft as he twists and spins and dodges between trees. I don’t even get a shot at him but I cold smoke the next one that tries the same maneuver. The 16 gauge browning fairly handles itself, just a nudge from me here or there. The dog is holding up and I kill the bird she is pointing. Then we flush half dozen more while retrieving those birds. Limited out we let them go-the dog is not amused and finds one more dumb half grown to point at while we are in the black pines and rose hips. There are no bear tracks but I do notice some elk pugs in the dust. I lock the dog in her box and just using my fingers pull the guts from the birds-stupid I didn’t bring a cooler and it’s 90 degrees on top of the mtn.
Then I hike back up and follow the trail to the wallow where I killed the bear. No sign of bears at all but the elk smell, tracks and muddy wallows are so obvious my eight year old could point them out. Two days later I am back in there with a treestand and strap on ladder steps. I know from experience it takes four sections to get up there. I have left a peg in the tree so when I get high enough I set the treestand on that peg and it holds there while I tighten the straps, because I am a big guy, I put an extra strap on there. . .

 

[Inline6]

Nice, my first elk hunt I went on. We seen everything but elk. We seen a cow moose with her calf, not something I was expecting to see. Looks like you have a nice spot.

Good work on the birds too, have to love a good dog.

 

[Firebird]

I didn’t expect much that first night. I had just shotgunned the area a day or so ago and now all my sweat and noise putting up the tree stand. Maybe just go fishing this evening. . . But I climbed into the stand and pulled out my Ron Thompson book and started reading about hunting elephant. I don’t hear particularly well-in fact poorly but the sound of incoming elk is unmistakable and for about two minutes I was sure there was an elk coming. I had my phone out when the bull appeared and got some good footage of him coming down the trail and into the drink. My permit only allowed me to shoot a cow or a yearling (spike) bull so this 5x6 got a pass. He played for five minutes or so and then slinked off into the pines. Not long after that the big cow moose came in-no calf and she was in extremely good health. I sat till dark then tip toed out to the truck. Never heard a bugle but it was clear the rut was ON.
Next day I was back an hour earlier-bulls during the rut will wallow all day and I didn’t want to miss anything. I had talked the soccer kid into picking up her brother at his school so I could get out of town early. On the way to my treestand there was elk sign everywhere-tracks of all shapes and sizes and urine in puddles that was still musky and wet. I had missed a herd by less than an hour.
I got in my stand and hoped for a satellite bull or late watering cow. But then I had convinced myself to only shoot a spike-my daughter has a good rifle cow elk tag late in the season so I can count on her putting something into the larder later on. It was barely 4 pm when I heard the footsteps-heavy and rythmic, noisy and committed. I got my bow and waited. I saw the spike coming, not on a trail, just meandering. He stopped at 30 yards and stared at the empty wallow. Then he went turned and went straight away. I was sure he had smelled me-but then he stopped to rake a dead pine with his “antlers” and then he moved off. And then he showed up on the main trail where I had walked in. He came right in to drink like he owned the place. Then he came to full alert, staring up my direction-smelled me? Nope, a four point raghorn bull came from behind me, underneath me and to the muds edge. The spike went ahead and laid down to roll in the mud. He would get up and shake like a dog then slop clumsily into the wet mud again. After over five minutes, he turned his body angle and flopped down again. 25 yards and I drew-figured the angle and aimed to skewer the heart-anything else would be welcomed collateral damage. The arrow looked too far back with just the fletchings protrding-he launched out of the mud and went maybe ten yards, blowing a stream of blood the whole time. It occurred to me the broadhead had caught the heart and exited somewhere and then, 26 seconds of my phone recording him, and he was dead.
The arrow had passed well through his brisket between his front legs and he had snapped it off as he left the mud. I found the front half on my way to him and pulled the remainder out of the entrance hole. 490 grain arrow including the 125 gr slick trick 1 1/4 cut broadhead. The broadhead was unscathed, could easily be used again. . . My old Hoyt element bow strikes again!

 

[Inline6]

Great job!

 

[Firebird]

Most years I can get a cow in the archery hunt and I was glad to kill a spike this year. Tried to convince myself he was better than a cow but somehow I just couldn’t pose him to make those antlers look majestic like a big bulls always do. . . Do I show the muddy side or the arrow entrance side? I needed a good ph to make the pictures better-and where th hell are X and Bull and Sader to carry him to the truck and care for the meat?! Man I miss africa! Speaking of which there is no knife in my pack. I hadn’t really committed to elk hunting yet and apparently I hadn’t put a knife in my pack. I usually have 20 including my Jim Shockey “I did it all with my havslon” knife. It takes ten blades to do an elk just fyi, and I rarely use it. I’m a traditional knife guy I guess.
I took my pack and bow to the truck, thankful that there were some protein bars in my pack and some cold cans of diet mtn dew in my little cooler which I did have after forgetting it during the grouse day. In the glove box was an ancient two blade Old Timer. Under the backseat was an unopened pkg containing a Berber locking folding knife and a leather man combo I hadn’t opened nor do I remember why I bought it. Maybe a Christmas present I intended to regift. Whatever the case I was glad to have them! I realized I also had a leather man with a blade on my belt. This
Might be a long evening. I could drive back to the freeway and at that point my phone would hail the helpers. But I would lose lots of time and the daylight. Best option was to do as much as I could and at minimum hang it in a tree for later-bit it’s still hot and I don’t love that idea.
I decide to do the gutless method and start skinning with the Gerber. This goes surprisingly well and I get the top half done in short order. So I rolled him over and started with the little Old Timer. Second half went faster than the first and the little blade did an amazing amount of work. I even hacked my way into the body and took the tenderloins. Left the liver and heart for the bears tho. With the last life of the blades I finished cutting off the head so I could do a euro mount with him.
I needed four trips to get the quarters and then the head and other pieces and parts. Didn’t have a packing pack so just carried them on my shoulders. Felt strong and happy to do the task, mostly that I could still pull it off alone.
Later I took the knives to my knife guy to get them renewed. He said old timer sold to a Chinese company and makes soft poor blades and he doesn’t like them anymore-BUT mine is an old model and still had the good carbon steel blade. I was awful glad to have that little knife and the new gerber in my truck for whatever reason. And I got the bull home just after dark!

 

[Firebird]

Bird hunting was good, fishing was even better-I love this time of year!

 

[shotgungibbs]

Good for you! Glad you are filling the freezer!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Well done!

 

[rinehart0050]

Great write-up and congrats! I'm in a tree stand right this moment hoping for some luck!

 

[Woodcarver]

Good write up of a couple great hunts! Nice spike! I'm just a few weeks from wanting to find a nice cow moose like that. Thanks for bringing us along.

 

[PARA45]

Love it when a plan comes together. It doesn't get any better than that. Well done!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Most years I can get a cow in the archery hunt and I was glad to kill a spike this year. Tried to convince myself he was better than a cow but somehow I just couldn’t pose him to make those antlers look majestic like a big bulls always do. . . Do I show the muddy side or the arrow entrance side? I needed a good ph to make the pictures better-and where th hell are X and Bull and Sader to carry him to the truck and care for the meat?! Man I miss africa! Speaking of which there is no knife in my pack. I hadn’t really committed to elk hunting yet and apparently I hadn’t put a knife in my pack. I usually have 20 including my Jim Shockey “I did it all with my havslon” knife. It takes ten blades to do an elk just fyi, and I rarely use it. I’m a traditional knife guy I guess.
I took my pack and bow to the truck, thankful that there were some protein bars in my pack and some cold cans of diet mtn dew in my little cooler which I did have after forgetting it during the grouse day. In the glove box was an ancient two blade Old Timer. Under the backseat was an unopened pkg containing a Berber locking folding knife and a leather man combo I hadn’t opened nor do I remember why I bought it. Maybe a Christmas present I intended to regift. Whatever the case I was glad to have them! I realized I also had a leather man with a blade on my belt. This
Might be a long evening. I could drive back to the freeway and at that point my phone would hail the helpers. But I would lose lots of time and the daylight. Best option was to do as much as I could and at minimum hang it in a tree for later-bit it’s still hot and I don’t love that idea.
I decide to do the gutless method and start skinning with the Gerber. This goes surprisingly well and I get the top half done in short order. So I rolled him over and started with the little Old Timer. Second half went faster than the first and the little blade did an amazing amount of work. I even hacked my way into the body and took the tenderloins. Left the liver and heart for the bears tho. With the last life of the blades I finished cutting off the head so I could do a euro mount with him.
I needed four trips to get the quarters and then the head and other pieces and parts. Didn’t have a packing pack so just carried them on my shoulders. Felt strong and happy to do the task, mostly that I could still pull it off alone.
Later I took the knives to my knife guy to get them renewed. He said old timer sold to a Chinese company and makes soft poor blades and he doesn’t like them anymore-BUT mine is an old model and still had the good carbon steel blade. I was awful glad to have that little knife and the new gerber in my truck for whatever reason. And I got the bull home just after dark!

@Firebird
I used to have an original old timer sharp finger knife of good carbon steel made in the USA. Brilliant little knife that was easy to sharpen and get stupidly sharp. These new ones made in China are absolutely shit compared to the old ones.
Bob