Levi harvested this 5×5 elk in the Blue Mountain Range of Eastern Oregon. He was hunting with Battle Creek Outfitters and was joined by Johnny Heath, Charles Shook. Brandon Brown was again behind the camera. This was Levi’s 2nd Elk hunt ever and he was coming off a lucky hunt in Idaho where he killed a big 6×6 after being in the woods for only two hours. Needless to say he was due to have to work for this one, which is exactly what he and Brandon did. Brandon was able to get incredible footage of the hunt from start to finish.
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We had just left Idaho with a big 6×6 that I had somehow managed to kill on the last evening. That bull was actually the first elk that I had ever seen in the wild, much less taken a shot at. Needless to say I was extremely excited to be chasing bulls for just the second time here in Oregon. We had heard lots of good things about Battle Creek Outfitters and were scheduled to hunt with them for the next five days.
After a 7-hour drive into Oregon we were in for an awesome dirt trail experience for the next 9 miles where we arrived at camp. We packed all of our gear into tents, ate supper, and headed to the cots for some much needed rest that wouldn’t come easy for me or Brandon. Somehow we got stuck beside Johnny and Shook who both snore uncontrollably.
The next morning we were among bulls before daylight. They were bugling, raking trees, and I was really surprised at how loud they actually are when you get close to them. After a few close encounters I was done with day one and ready for the next morning. It was pretty much the same scenario for the next couple of days, a lot of bulls and a lot of walking or running after them. By the end of the third day the temperature had climbed to about 95 degrees and the bulls were bugling but they weren’t budging an inch. Our guide Mike said we would have to hunt close to water because of the heat. He felt that this was pretty much our only hope for a good bull with the weather not cooperating at all. That evening we were headed to what we called the meadow pond. Johnny had seen a nice 6×6 and 5×5 there the evening before and said that he felt like they were bedding very close.
Brandon and I decided that we were going to get there early so we could get all the camera equipment setup before any of the elk came by. Everything was going as planned. We were at the pond and I was checking the wind to see which side to set up on when a bull let out a bugle about 100 yards away and they were coming straight for us. The whole herd ran through my only lane and the bull was a 350 plus 6×6. He was a giant to say the least. He was in the pond at 25 yards and I had no shot. We were on the ground with no cover and I felt the wind hit me in the back. The herd was gone as quickly as they came in and we were left standing in disbelief at what just happened. We figured the evening was over but we set up anyway in hopes that another bull might get thirsty.
It was about three hours later and the only sign of any elk were some faint bugles about a half a mile to our west and they weren’t headed in our direction. The sun was already behind the pines and we were goofing off throwing sticks at some cattle trying to run them off and having absolutely no luck at that either. All of the sudden I thought I heard a chuckle in the thicket to our right. Then I knew I heard a stick break. I stood up and got ready just in case. Sure enough I saw a set of 5×5 antlers weaving through the thick brush. My heart was racing a hundred miles an hour and when he broke into the field he was already in bow range. He made his way all the way to the pond and right as I was fixing to draw he turned and was facing me for what seemed like an eternity. With no shot, all I could do was stand there and hope he would turn before the swirling wind would once again find us out. Out of nowhere a cow appeared and instead of going to the pond she walked right to us and at that point I didn’t think we had a chance. Just like I figured she bolted and so did he, I drew my bow and “cow called” with my mouth. I thought it sounded terrible and maybe the bull did too but for some reason he stopped and turned broadside at about 50 yards. I settled the pin and…
You’ll need to watch Mathew’s Life on the Road next fall to find out exactly what happened. Samantha and I are headed to Pennsylvania to hunt for a couple of days with her family. So, keep us in your prayers and we’ll keep you posted.
LEVI
Blue Mountains OR – Elk
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