I made it out for a little elk hunting with the muzzleloader. Opening day, I
ran into a spike but didn't get a shot off. He was only 75 yds away but all
I could see was his head. Every effort I made to get closer only made him
move farther up the hill. Day two, I ran into another spike and four cows.
My buddy missed the spike from 75-100 yds. I was starting to think that elk
hunting with a muzzleloader isn't that easy. I was in an area where we are
allowed to shoot any elk. Well day three: We go out to hunt a clear cut and
see nothing. My buddy is ready to pack up camp and head back home. I tell
him I will be back in an hour or two because there are some trees that I
want to walk. I get into the trees and smell elk. I try to be as quiet as
possible but spook them. The trees were so thick that I didn't even see
them. I keep going down the trail and hear some more animals. They only move
a little farther into the trees. I still can't see them. The trail ends up
in another clear cut. I figured if anyone was hunting it, I had just chased
out a herd of elk. No shot though.
I come out of the woods and survey the clear cut. Nothing is there. Content
with my hunting experience, I say a little prayer thanking God for the
opportunity to go hunting, the beautiful country, and for actually seeing
animals. Well, someone upstairs is looking over me. As soon as I finish my
prayer, I hear some brush breaking below me. It is herd of elk. The lead cow
is only 25 yds away. I can see her eyes wide open and nostrils flaring. I
figure if she spots me, they will turn back into the trees. I also think
that I need to shoot this elk or there will be no elk. BOOM! Perfect shot,
right behind the front shoulder. She runs down the hill followed by a
raghorn and three more cows. Now, I have horn envy. I go down the hill and
see the cow heading back into the woods. (She is actually dead but leaning
on a tree that keeps her standing). The other elk are staying there running
around in circles. I chose to shoot the cow again because I don't want to spend the rest of the day fighting her out of the woods.
It was a successful hunt. This was the lead cow and she was HUGE.
She was also a war veteran with at least two purple hearts. When I was butchering it up, I found two different slugs in her.

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