Without Hesitation, I Let The Arrow Fly. Bull down. Biggest Bull Of My Life

A hunter friend told me to Google Ironmind for info on a call that works to bring in bulls (bull calling cows call).  I watched Joel’s video and it made sense.  Two days later I go to meet friends in the dark and wake up in the dark at a location I have never hunted.  I wake up and we all scatter.  I just start hiking and throwing out location bugles.  Around 1 pm I FINALLY get a response. Like I always do, my heart starts racing.  I get as close as I can and throw out cow calls.  Nothing.  I sit and wait for his next bugle. Nothing.

In frustration and confusion, I sit about where I first heard him respond and pulled out lunch. As I am eating and scratching my head,  the bull bugles again about 200 yards from me.  In fact, he is doing the bull calling cows sound!! Since I always rush things, I smiled and continued to eat lunch and just tried to relax about my next opportunity to work him.

I got up.  Slowly walked towards the bugle I heard during lunch. I started to hear elk sound in the thick woods. I looked lower beneath pine tree branches and could see legs.  Lots of legs. He had cows. So for the first time in my life I reflected on the sound I heard from Ironmind; “bull calling cows”.  I thought, I think I should try it.  I was not sure I could even do it but I thought if ever I was going to try it it should be now.  So I put my mouth on my bugling tube and thought this is crazy;  as soon as I blow in it, the bull elk will either blow out of here or it could work.

I remember initiating a few false starts on the end of my bugle tube. I mean I was stepping up to blow and I didn’t.  After a couple false starts I took a leap of faith and blew my best bull calling cows sound out of my tube.  It was the first time I ever tried it in the woods. Immediately the bull responded. I thought this is good. Then nothing was seemingly happening. I cracked a couple branches and made a second call.  He immediately responded again.  I kept peeking through pine branches when all of the sudden I saw this huge herd bull walking straight for me with his head down.  This feeling is unexplainable.  Thankfully it was happening so fast my nerves did not have a chance to react. I drew my bow knowing my shot would probably come when  the bull passes my cover and we are locking eyeballs.  As soon as I had a shot, he paused and looked right at me.  I was by myself.  Without hesitation, I let the arrow fly.  Bull down. Biggest bull of my life.