Going Solo in the Backcountry - Archery Elk - Part 2
- XIP Training Systems
- Aug 29
- 8 min read
I was up and at ‘em hours before dark and making my climb back up the ridge. As I traversed across the top an hour before daylight I used the spine to my advantage and stayed just on the opposite side of the elk, keeping my thermals from getting pulled down into the drainage where I expected them to be. This particular spine was very abrupt, almost sharp, making it easy to hear and even peek down through the burn towards the drainage below while staying in a “safe zone” with the wind. The bugling started before the sun rose and the herd was in the bottom of the drainage right where they had been the evening before, maybe 300-400 yards below me. I took it slow, waiting for the sun to come up and the thermals to start rising before easing my way down into the action.
The sun hit my side of the drainage early, so I dropped a few hundred yards to the dark timber and waited another 30-45 minutes for the sun to warm things up and provide a consistent wind coming up out of the bottom where the herd was still hanging. You could tell the herd bull was doing his best to fend off satellites from stealing his cows. His bugles were agitated and generally pissed off as he ran in circles down below me doing his best to maintain possession.
I had to be really careful not to bust any elk while sneaking in there. These elk wanted to be here, they felt safe, and going in all guns blazing on day 1 wasn’t the right approach. If I pushed them all out of this drainage my hunt would get considerably harder, mostly due to the added miles I would need to cover to stay on elk. With a very short window to hunt I needed to take it slow and not f-ck this up.
I got to within 100yds and my cover started to get a bit thin. I backed off just a bit and started in with some raking, and some excited bull vocalizations and excited cow calls, trying to sound like there was something dirty happening up here that Mr. Herd bull might want to investigate. I didn’t rip out any bugles yet, just wanted to let the bull know I was there and also see if the cows might respond and work my way. He responded but he wasn’t moving. I then added in some challenge bugles and pleading cow calls to entice him. It didn’t work. Eventually he moved his herd up onto the adjacent ridge and things got quiet. I backed out. It was about 9 a.m. and I made a plan to circle the entire drainage and come in above them from the next ridge over. It was where I assumed they were bedded, close to where he had been the night before. Based on the topography and the cover my feeling was that they were going to bed down in some dark timber up there and wait out the heat of the day.
It took me about an hour to make the trek around to the other side and it was now about 10am. There was very little cover up there, making the stalking quite difficult. I had a good idea of where they would be, a stand of dark timber on a steep section of the ridge approximately 300-400yds above that same drainage/shithole they were in at daylight. Well, I was wrong. They were all bedded just above that dark timber, and I busted them all out of there, getting a good look at the herd bull, a nice 6x6, as he took off down the ridge. Fack me!
I figured it was a cow who saw me, as the wind was perfect, and I could tell he hadn’t seen me. So I decided to dog them, and off I went down into the bottom of that drainage, hot on their trail. After getting into the bottom and following their tracks through the thick softwood, deadfall, spring seeps, and other shenanigans I could hear him start bugling again, likely working to bring order back to the herd and wrangle up any loose ladies still riled up from me ruining their siesta. But I also heard other bulls already on the scene, and I knew that was going to distract him from my presence and give me the chance I needed to get back in close.
I continued to move fast, it was thick and nasty stuff, providing me with great cover for stalking and quite similar to the woods of the Northeast where I spent so many days chasing whitetails. I could hear him bugling consistently now, so I had a good idea of how fast to move without blowing into them again.
My strategy in this situation was simple. Move fast in the thick cover and use cow calls with a pleading type of “get over here” tone with some light bugles mixed in. I would call for 1-2 minutes projecting the sounds back behind me in the direction I came from. I would rake some trees, cause a racket, and then quickly move forward 20-30yds and stop for 5 minutes and listen. I’m trying to convince a bull that there’s a cow in heat asking for a bull to come and get her and that there’s another bull in the area that’s kinda sorta involved. I move forward after calling to change my location, hoping they will key on my last calls and move past me to get to my last calling location. If you had a second hunter who could call for you they would stay back a bit while this shooter moved up front. If the wind is right this is a great tactic to employ, and being solo it helped increase my odds of getting a bull into range in thick cover.
I use this same tactic when stalking whitetails in the mountains of the northeast and it works really well, you just have to stay committed to the task at hand. I don’t want to be standing where they expect me to be, I want to intercept them on their way into that location. I know that the herd already came barreling through here, so most elk within ear shot are on their feet and wondering what’s going on anyways. It’s a bit exhausting but also a ton of fun, keeping you engaged and dynamic in the process, something my very A.D.D. brain needs.
I had done this for maybe 3-4 set ups and had just made my move from my last listening spot when I caught movement in front of me. I could see a rack coming at me through the thick softwood about 50yds out and quickly nocked an arrow, without time to hit record on my go pro. It was not a great spot for shooting. Super thick with very little shooting lanes. It was also really steep, and he was moving across the ridge below me at about 20 yds. I picked out a lane in front of him about 3 feet wide and drew my bow. He was walking as he entered it and I didn’t even try to stop him because the window was just too small. I held behind the shoulder, moving slowly with him and let the arrow fly. The hit was a bit high, and I kicked myself as he wheeled around and crashed off the way he had come in, knowing the shot was less than ideal.
But then I heard a lot of crashing, followed by silence. Upon inspection of the site of impact I quickly found blood but no arrow so I waited for 20-30 minutes before following the blood trail. I didn’t have to go far as he was piled up 75 yds away! The hit was high but the steep angle got the arrow into a lung and he died quickly. I was so pumped! My first archery elk! A nice 5 point on one side and a single 3 foot sweeping spike on the other side. A very unique bull, and I was elated! I sent an in-reach pin to my buddy Kevin to let him know of my success. His response was something along the lines of, “Nice work! Looks like you’re in that shit hole lol!!”
And then the real work began. Shooting them is the easy part, getting them out is what we train for. Doing it solo is a whole different ball game, from butchering to loading your pack to making the trek out. He died on a side hill with his back on the downhill side against a big blowdown. Not ideal for a one man operation. Everything was leaning the wrong way, I couldn’t flip him over and it took me a lot longer to quarter him than it should have. I shot him at around 10:30 am, started butchering around 11:30 and started out with my first load a little before 8pm, getting to the jeep at about 11:30pm. I packed up and drove to the closest gas station to get some ice, turned around and headed back. It was just before daylight as I made my way back up the ridge to get load #2.
The original plan was to do it in 4 loads, but when I got back in their for load #2 I decided I could do it in 3. Woof! This is what we train for baby! LFG! The last load out included 2 boned out hind quarters and my pack was likely over 100#. LFG! I couldn’t take the pack off because it was so hard to get the damn thing on to begin with. So I just leaned up on fallen trees or high boulders and took mini breaks. I got the final load to the jeep just before dark the following day, somewhere around 24hrs total. I was beat up, but the stoke was high and I was going to be bringing several hundred pounds of meat home to my family.
My training prepared me physically and mentally for the challenge of packing that bull out of the backcountry alone. It won’t take the “hard” out of it but it will certainly provide you with the mindset and the physical tools needed to get the job done while staying safe doing it. Knowing I was physically prepared for a solo hunt like this gave me the confidence to purchase a tag halfway through the season, travel across the country and give it everything I had for a short hunt and be confident in my odds. Most people wouldn’t have that confidence, and thus, wouldn’t even attempt it. Yes, I had some really helpful intel from my buddy, and that was a key factor in making the decision to go. It's good to know people as they say. Thanks Kev!
Doing “hard things” is about so much more than just challenging your body. Consistently microdosing hard things into your training and your life will help provide you with the physical and mental fortitude needed to keep charging when things get tough, but most importantly, give you the confidence to tackle any challenge you might face. This includes emotional and psychological struggles such as work related stress, relationship stress, meeting deadlines, balancing work and family, improving anxiety and depression, etc. And of course the physiological benefits of staying strong and fit will help you live a healthier, more physically prepared life. Providing you the opportunity to thrive and do all the fun things you want to do while setting a positive example for those who you love and care for most. Here’s a video I recorded when I reached the top of the ridge on my final trip of packing this bull out of that drainage.
Come train with me and other athletes from around the world with safe and effective programs build specifically for backcountry athletes by professional coaches who are in the trenches with you every step of the way. Staying physically prepared is about so much more than just training to hunt. It will train your mind to handle tough situations and have the confidence to perservere when the going gets tough. As we say at Ridgeline, we aren't just preparing you to climb mountains we are preparing you for the sport of life. Keep charging!
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