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THE
REAL CANADIAN JOES


Steve Hollett
My First Elk
After a couple years of being unsuccessful in seeing an elk let alone getting my first elk, I was determined to make this year the year to finally break the drought.

On the first day of the season, I was up long before daylight and off to Tims for a wake up. After a short drive and a few games of Sudoku, it was finally time to start walking. 15 minutes later I walked into a nice clearing and found a nice place to wait and hide, to see what was awake. After about 45 mins of hearing or seeing nothing, I decided to try the new elk bugle I just bought the week before. After a few tries, I was finally able to get a noise that sounded nothing like an elk but it was a noise. I waited a little bit and then heard what sounded like nothing you hear on these videos of guys calling elk. 
Not ever hearing a elk bugle before, I thought it was just another hunter calling. So after another hour of nothing I packed up and headed home to get my misses off to work.
Second day: I headed back to the same spot armed with hours and hours of reading of what to do when you get an elk to answer you back. Getting to the spot, I waited for about 15 minutes and then started bugling. Within a minute I heard something bugle back. So I started the trek to where I thought the bugle had come from. 20 mins later I bugled again and within a couple secs he answered me back. So from what I have read once you get him to answer you just use a cow call. 

But I didnt hear a sound from him so I bugled again and this time I was very close and I could hear him bustin trees and a bunch of grunts and bugles from him. 

Slowly making my way though the heavy brush, I walked up on a cow about 15m away. She stared at me for about 2-3 minutes and then slowly walked off. The bull bugles again I answered him and then I hear nothing for a couple of minutes. Slowly I started to walk in the direction of where the cow walked and within 4 steps i looked up and seen 3 cows staring at me. Just for a sec then they all take off running. So figuring that was the end, I left and went home glad that I finally seen Elk but upset that they seen me first.
Third day: I had to work, so I never had a chance to get out.

Forth day: I headed back and started walking to the area that I saw the elk on day 2. I Bugled a few times as I walk towards where I had seen them and nothing. I checked the time and was about to head back to the truck to get to work, but thought I would try bugling one more time and within a couple seconds, he was answering me back and I was only about a 200m or so from him. Looking at the sea of alders and willows in front of me, I picked the best game trail I could find and worked my way closer to him. 

After about 10 minutes of trying to get past the alders, I make it to a good game trail with fresh tracks. I let out a couple low soft cow calls and get a little chirp back that sounded real close.I took a couple more steps and noticed a clearing ahead of me with a rock in the middle of it or at least i first thought it was a rock. I took another step and looked up and see a cow standing off to the side of the clearing. 


Looking towards the middle and I see this beauty staring at me head on. Not wanting to shoot him head on, I waited for him to turn broad side and hoped he'd stop so I could get a shot. Sure enough he turned broad side and started to walk off. I quickly scrambled to get my cow call and chirped a couple times. He stopped and looks back towards me, about 25 to 30m away and gives me enough time to pull the trigger of my Browning BLR 30-06. He manages to take about 10 to 15 steps and then drops. Talk about the joy, the sorrow, and then complete and utter disbelief that I finally got my first elk and its a Beast!  


Steve
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