Almost perfect

     The cloud of dust following me up the gravel road had settled around the camper upon my arrival and just like that my elk hunt had begun.  Dad, Curt, and Ryan had all been here most of the week and each had hiked arguably more miles in this one week than they would for the rest of the year, all to no avail as they had yet to get a shot off at an elk.  They had successfully put themselves in the right situations nearly every day, but if you've ever hunted elk with a bow before you understand how the cards must all line up perfectly just to get a shot.
     The three of them had gotten into the elk earlier in an area not too far from camp so Curt, Ryan, and I decided to head back into the same are Friday night in hopes of finding the elk again.  Action was going to go check out a different area that he and Curt had tried early in the week.  We walked through some of the same area they had seen the elk before and found nothing, bugling our way through the trees in hopes of hearing a call back we got back to camp just after dark, Curt was so tired from the week of walking that he was already talking of throwing in the towel for this season.  That all changed though and Curt's legs received a boost of energy when Action returned to camp with some inspiring news, he had spotted 30-40 elk in the area he was at!  The four of us ate dinner as we devised a plan for the morning, all of us as giddy as teenagers on their first hunt!  The plan was simple, given the location of where Dad found the elk we would locate them again right at daylight, watch them go to bed, then sneak in on them.
     The following morning I awoke from excitement around 4:30 and lie there trying to force myself to get some much needed rest until Action got up to make coffee.  The four of us headed out in two different pick ups and just as the sun began lighting up the sky enough to see clearly we spotted them, they hadn't moved through the night!  The elk appeared as though they were in a location where they could feed and bed so we decided that Ryan and I, the two guys with the freshest legs, would hike in the 2 miles along the willow bottom and try to get on top of the elk.  Meanwhile Dad and Curt were going to go back up the bottom and find a good high spot to sit in anticipation that if Ryan and I spook the elk they would come towards them.  Much like every single elk hunt I've ever been a part of devising this one seemed fool proof in my head!
     So Ryan and I took off and very quickly our estimation of two miles felt a lot more like ten!  Once we got into the willow bottom we slowed down and began creeping from tree to tree, trying to stay hidden as well as keeping an eye on the elk to make sure they haven't spotted us.  What little bit of morning breeze there was blew directly in our face which helped is get as close as possible to the elk.  We finally approached the end of the willow bottom and now there was nothing standing between us and the elk but dry grass, if we were to get a shot now we would have to call one of the bulls down to us.  The elk were positioned in the perfect spot for their own safety, they were on top of a grassy hill with nothing but sagebrush flats behind them and the willow bottom in which we sat below them.  From their perch they could see for miles in every direction and they had an extremely accessible escape route behind them.  
     There was four or five bulls in this herd and Ryan had picked out the best one, a nice full racked six point.  He ranged them at around 300 yards and I could tell by the way they were acting that it was going to take some luck to get this guy to come down the hill to us.  I began calling and every time I would send out a note al of the elk would turn our direction, the six point began to come towards us but after he stepped away from the cows a short distance he decided against coming down into the willows to see what I wanted.  The longer we sat there calling the less interested he was, I could almost hear him telling me to come up the hill if I want to play that bad!  They slowly fed their way over the top and out the escape route previously mentioned and just like that our chance was over.  We stood up and looked back at Ryan's pick up, which was so far away we could barely make out it's shape, and our legs immediately got tired!  
     We regrouped at camp and Dad decided to head back home, Curt officially became camp cook, and Ryan and I decided to give it one more shot that evening.  We headed up into the national forest, an area that none of us had hunted before and Ryan and I made about a 4 mile loop through some of the best looking country we'd seen, only to find old elk sign and fresh wolf sign!  We came back to camp where our cook had prepared dinner for us and not long after dinner our bodies shut down for the night.  The following morning we broke down camp and headed home.
     Every time I leave elk camp, I am somewhat depressed form our lack of success.  But then as I'm driving down the road thinking about the time I spent with my family and the encounters we had with the mighty whapati, I am thankful for the opportunities I have.  SOme of my most memorable times in life have come from a long walk in the woods with a bow strapped to my back.  I realize every time I go elk hunting that I don't simply hunt to put meat in the freezer, I am equally as satisfied with the chance to spend some quality time with the ones that I love.  During a break in a spot so deep in the woods we were nearly on the Idaho border, Ryan and I questioned if there's any place one could feel closer to God than the serenity of the woods surrounded by a stillness so quiet the only audible sound being the beat of your own heart.  Sharing a passion of the outdoors with those that you love, that is the measure of a successful elk hunt in my book!

Remember, sometimes almost perfect is exactly what is needed!