This is where i really started missing Emily. I wasn't seeing any elk, having bad weather, all by myself.
so this morning i was going to try the spot the local had told me about. i got to the spot (after driving 1.5 hours) pretty early, after missing my turn twice. after i found the turn i got to a point where i thought i was driving the wrong way and turned around, realized there was no other way to go, turned back around, finally found the signs i was looking for, passed the spot i was supposed to park at, turned around, got parked, and got going. the good thing was, i allowed an extra hour to get to my spot. i was there in plenty of time.
when i got out of the truck i heard coyotes and then a bugle, i started getting closer to the bugle and ran into a fence. knowing there was a lot of private property i stopped and tried calling the bull to me. no luck. i tried to go around the fence by making a big circle, ran into another fence. the map i really needed, to tell where the private land was, was in my truck. i walked 1/2 a mile back to the truck and got the map and realized the fence was not separating private/public land, it was just an old fence on public land. by now the bull had quit bugling. i headed in the direction he had been bugling and found a couple of piles of fresh elk poop. i kept heading in the same direction very slowly. after walking about 1/2 a mile i was trying to decide which direction to go and heard a bugle back in the direction i came from. i headed back that way and he quit bugling. this was the point where i realized my 40 yard through 60 yard sight pins had been moved, must have happened while hiking with my bow strapped to my pack. i was headed back towards the truck so i decided to resight my bow in and get a nap then try to get on this bull in the afternoon. i went back out that evening in the area of the fresh poop and several elk rubs. i got there and set up fr about 2 hours. my boots were soaking wet and i was getting very cold. i decided to get back to the truck a little early, eat supper, build a fire and dry my socks and boots. i built a fire, ate an mre, and put my boots and socks by the fire to dry out. after finishing the meal i realized 2 of my wool socks had dark brown lines on them. i pulled on the socks and they tore in two. luckily i had an extra pair. i also noticed that both pairs of my polypropylene socks had melted. luckily i was still able to wear one pair comfortably. while sorting all this out, i heard a bull bugle near the private land 3-4 times. i was a little upset by now. at this point i had broken one of my hiking poles, one of the sight pins on my bow, and burned three pairs of socks. i was all alone, not seeing any elk, much less getting close to any, in a place i had never been before. i slept in the truck that night, wishing i was back home in tennessee. funny, when i am here all i can think about is hunting in montana. while i was there, all i could think about was Emily, funny how that works. when i would talk to her on the phone she had so much faith that i was going to kill an elk, i really wanted to do it just as much for her now, to make her proud of me. i was really debating coming home early. i know, this is all probably a big surprise to everyone, before the trip i was acting so tough, now so weak. the mountains were giving me a swift kick in the pants, a real wake-up call. humbling. i was doubting i would ever go elk hunting ever again (i know, it's true).
lesson today: do not put your socks too close to the fire, no matter how wet they are, and don't leave them there too long.
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