Post by mtwolfsbane on Mar 26, 2008 22:57:19 GMT -5
I don't know how many members have hunted the elusive wapiti, but I have spent many years sweating, cussing, and freezing in pursuit of these magnificently irritating animals.
A few years ago my brother and I were hunting elk. It was a cold day, but the sun was coming up bright and clear and the snow was only about 18 inches deep.
We topped out at the edge of the timber on a point. A herd of elk was below us on the hill about 50 yards away.
I had a cow tag and shot at a very nice dry cow on the edge of the herd. I heard my brother shoot off to my right. He took another nice cow. The animals fell about 100 yards apart on opposite sides of the vertical ridge line.
We went down the hill and while my cow had made it to the trees before dropping, his was out in the open. We are on a hill that is not quite steep enough for rappelling, but pretty close. You can stand straight up put your arm out straight from the shoulder and touch the hillside.
We separated to care for the animals. I used my pull rope to tie my cow to a tree to prevent her sliding while I field dressed her.
I had nearly completed the work when I heard my brother cussing a blue streak.
I was sure he had sliced his arm off or some similar thing as he usually is pretty reserved in his use of the german language, but today he was very fluent, 2 or 3 dialects I believe.
I grabbed my first aid kit and ran as fast as I could on the slope in the snow to get to him. As I came around the hill I thought my worst fears had come true as he was COVERED in blood!
His eyes were staring out of a total mask of blood, his clothes were soaked in it, even his hat was covered.
I ran up to him and asked where he was cut.
"I ain't cut" he growled at me.
It took a little time to drag the story out of him, but it seems that while he was working on his cow, he swung the hindquarters downhill to make it easier to remove the viscera. Then he cut the diaphragm and was reaching up inside the rib cage to remove the esophagus, when the cow flopped over closing with him inside and started rolling down the hill.
I took a while to recover both from the laughter and talking him out of beating me to death for doing it.
The ride home with him in the truck was aromatic to say the least.
Elk are a majestic, almost magical animal, and I found out they can even come back from the dead to get even with the unwary hunter.
Never underestimate an elk!
Good Hunting All
A few years ago my brother and I were hunting elk. It was a cold day, but the sun was coming up bright and clear and the snow was only about 18 inches deep.
We topped out at the edge of the timber on a point. A herd of elk was below us on the hill about 50 yards away.
I had a cow tag and shot at a very nice dry cow on the edge of the herd. I heard my brother shoot off to my right. He took another nice cow. The animals fell about 100 yards apart on opposite sides of the vertical ridge line.
We went down the hill and while my cow had made it to the trees before dropping, his was out in the open. We are on a hill that is not quite steep enough for rappelling, but pretty close. You can stand straight up put your arm out straight from the shoulder and touch the hillside.
We separated to care for the animals. I used my pull rope to tie my cow to a tree to prevent her sliding while I field dressed her.
I had nearly completed the work when I heard my brother cussing a blue streak.
I was sure he had sliced his arm off or some similar thing as he usually is pretty reserved in his use of the german language, but today he was very fluent, 2 or 3 dialects I believe.
I grabbed my first aid kit and ran as fast as I could on the slope in the snow to get to him. As I came around the hill I thought my worst fears had come true as he was COVERED in blood!
His eyes were staring out of a total mask of blood, his clothes were soaked in it, even his hat was covered.
I ran up to him and asked where he was cut.
"I ain't cut" he growled at me.
It took a little time to drag the story out of him, but it seems that while he was working on his cow, he swung the hindquarters downhill to make it easier to remove the viscera. Then he cut the diaphragm and was reaching up inside the rib cage to remove the esophagus, when the cow flopped over closing with him inside and started rolling down the hill.
I took a while to recover both from the laughter and talking him out of beating me to death for doing it.
The ride home with him in the truck was aromatic to say the least.
Elk are a majestic, almost magical animal, and I found out they can even come back from the dead to get even with the unwary hunter.
Never underestimate an elk!
Good Hunting All