Too Many Elk

Second Opportunity Bull

- Darron McDougal

There are times in life that seem too good to be true. It was the first morn-ing of my Colorado elk hunt, and the second my guide John-Michael Ferrier killed the engine on his Polaris General, we heard bugling in multiple directions. That was encouraging since it was late October. As we waited for shooting light to arrive, a dozen or more tan figures meandered through the inky predawn filter separating us.

Just a few minutes before legal shooting light my wife, Becca, Ferrier and I quietly slipped out of the UTV. I uncased my rifle as we quickly discussed a game plan. Once we’d grabbed all of our gear, I slid the magazine into the rifle and then we shadowed the herd, which had now disappeared into a mixture of aspen and oak brush.

We were following the bugles when a young bull popped out of the dense oak brush about 80 yards ahead. “Don’t move,” I coached, since I was in the lead. Evidently, it heard some brush rustling, spotted our movement and mistook us for elk. It bugled at us, then stood and stared. We knew the rest of the herd was steadily moving away, so we gently nudged the young bull as we continued pursuing the herd.

As an outdoor communicator, I’m occasionally invited by manufacturers to go on hunts and was invited to the White River Mountain Ranch near Craig, Colorado.

I was fortunate enough to bow-kill a 6x6 bull in Idaho late in September. After arriving home in Wisconsin and processing the meat, my Colorado hunt was already fast approaching. I made a couple of trips to the local firing range to sight in my .30-06. After a few clicks, I felt confident in the combination out to 400 yards, in ideal conditions, of course.