Elk hunting success has been sporadic but some nice five points have been taken during the bow and rifle seasons around Sweet Home.
Ted Miner brought home a 5 X 5 elk October 19 from the Green Peter area.
Hunting with his brother, Bill, Miner said the duo had spent the day in the brush and were headed back to camp to eat.
“When we got to the truck, we played around with our elk calls. Bill blew a bugle and the bull called back,” Miner said. “We thought he was below us near a pond . Bill went down a trail and I circle on the road.”
Miner said he didn’t have to walk far when he saw the elk, bent down on one knee and fired off a round from his .270 Winchester rifle. The 145 grain bullet hit the bull in the heart from 40 yards.
“He ran about 40 yards downhill,” Miner said. “It was really exciting until we started packing him out.”
The bull’s horns had a 40 inch spread.
“It was hard pack out. I had back surgery in June and my brother has his hip fused. He cut it up and I packed it uphill. We got out before dark and I’m thankful for that.”
Miner shot the bull about 2:30 p.m. under an overcast sky.
“We usually hunt higher but we had heard three or four shots ealier in the day and there were several camps, so we moved down,” Miner said.
The Miners didn’t even set up a tent the night before, selecting instead to sleep in a Jeep.
For Jesse Garcia, 21, taking his first bull with a bow was an exhilirating experience.
Garcia was hunting with Larry and Tanner Lester during the Labor Day weekend in the Swamp Mountain area.
“We’d been hunting hard when Larry and Tanner bugled him in,” Garcia said. “We had been following a whole herd when Larry worked the bull for me.”
Garcia said he appreciated his hunting partner’s sportsmanship, working the bugle rather than trying to take a shot himself.
“A lot of guys would have tried to get in a shooting position themselves,” Garcia said. “Larry didn’t. He brought him in for me and I appreciate that.”
Garcia said he was nervous, having watched the 5 X 5 bull move behind a tree.
“Larry worked the bugle and the bull moved broadside at 20 yards. I pulled back on the bow and I was shaking. My first shot was way low. Just as I was taking my second shot, he turned but I still hit him solid.”
The bull ran about 100 yards and dropped.
A big-bodied animal, Garcia is enjoying several hundred pounds of meat this winter.
Garcia had the bull’s head mounted and added to the collection at Lester Sales.
Have you taken a nice elk or deer this hunting season? We would like to take a photo of you and the animal for our annual hunting section next fall. Call us at 367-2135 to set up an photo time.