Let me start off by saying that even though Brook didn't cut her tag on this hunt it is one I will always remember and cherish. I put her in on the Willow Creek CWMU on the north end of the Bookcliffs and she drew it with just a few points. We did not have very many days to hunt because she had volleyball. It's also a desert climate with only a few elk on the unit that is more known for its deer hunting.
We set up our Cabela's cots for a spike camp our first evening overlooking a vast canyon. The next morning I glassed elk underneath our camp. We ended up bumping them in their beds while trying to get a closer bead on them. It was just a handful of cows and calves. After driving around checking some water tanks sfor fresh sign, we headed back to camp for lunch.
After we finished our lunch and cat naps, I was bored and began to glass from camp tucked under a juniper tree to get out of the direct rays of the midday sun. Not expecting any elk to be on their feet, I glassed up this lone six point bull clear over on the other side of the valley. I kept my glass on him until he fed into a small cut where I presumed he re-bedded for the day. I marked his location on OnX and we got in the truck and headed over his way.
I picked a spot to park the truck and we hiked to the East of where I saw him last to get our wind right and gain a little elevation to spot him on his feet again at dusk. Well that plan instantly changed when the bull was spotted up on his feet heading our way. We immediately set up the sticks as he ducked down into a small ravine out in front of us 200 yards. It cut down to our left so I figured lets wait as he might be walking down the ravine to us. We sat and waited and waited in the hot baking sun. I didn't know if he re-bedded or was browsing but our wind wasn't good to move in on him. So we sat some more.
After over an hour and no elk in sight our legs fell asleep. So we both stood up for just a few seconds to jiggle back some feeling in our legs and that is when unfortunately the bull popped out the bottom of the ravine and looked directly up at us both standing there. Oh crap! I told Brook to get on him and I stopped him climbing up the hill with some cow calls. I didn't know Brook was not on her butt and wasn't very steady trying to shoot off sticks while crouched. She shot rushed and pulled off her mark hitting the bull low in its back hind leg.
We tracked it until dark and picked up the trail again first thing in the morning. We tracked it all day long in the heat the next day and ran out of drinking water getting dehydrated. He didn't bed one time all through the night and i was trying to catch up to him feeling I was still hours behind. I think he has trying to walk off the pain and get to water during the night before. He made it to a water tank.
We tracked and tracked him so more and still never bedded just dragging his back leg in the sand. He wasn't bleeding enough to die. We tracked him again the next morning until the trail and tracks just went cold. We lost Brook's bull. I felt terrible and wanted to have a do over for her. She was a trooper on this hunt. She roughed it pretty good. She even accidentally ate some ant infested donuts in the dark. You know Brook and bugs. I had a good laugh. Thanks for hunting with me Brook sorry I failed as a guide on this hunt.
