Reflecting on Past Archery Elk Seasons

by: suzee

I dug out  all the footage of our 2009 elk season from the dark corner of the closet and as I reviewed it I realized what a good season we had. Yes, we felt disappointment in not filling our tags… but time spent in the hills is always rewarding. I like the way Bill Winke  puts it in his article Rut Reflections in the April/May 2010  issue of Petersen’s Bowhunting magazine. Winke writes, “Sure the goal of every archery season is  filling tags, but that is not always going to happen. It would seem a depressing waste of time to hunt hard for several months and walk away with nothing. You have invested a lot of time and you need something to show for your effort. Maybe it is time to change your definition of success. If you enter each season with the goal of learning as much as you can about deer… what works and what doesn’t… you will never have an unsuccessful season regardless of whether you fill your tag.”

 He was referring to Whitetail hunting, but it can apply to any game animal or bird that you love to hunt.  He summed his article up with this .” The best part about Whitetail hunting is not the filled tags, but the quest. If you really love the quest, you will see that the journey is the true prize. One of the most satisfying parts of this journey is the never- ending opportunities to learn more about deer behavior and deer -hunting strategy. If you resolve to never stop learning, you will never again have an unsuccessful season .”

Sometimes it’s very tempting to complain about the weather, the lack of rutting activity, etc., etc… but every year is a little different, and the challenges each year presents is why we keep coming back!  The 2009 season was exciting for me because I heard more bugling bulls than I’ve ever heard before, and we saw elk… 2007 we never even saw a cow elk! In 2008 the only elk we saw were in a ranchers field right off of the main highway, in a unit that we weren’t allowed to hunt! It was a big 6 pt. with his cows… I did get a thrill just to sit and watch him parade in front of us! For me this was only my 3rd elk hunting season. Gary’s been hunting elk 30 plus years so he ‘s reminded me that it can get much more exciting!… and yes I am really looking forward to the day I do fill my tag… but regardless of a filled tag… I love Elk Hunting!

 Here’s a short video summary of  Gary’s 2009 season!

Tags: archery, bowhunting, Elk hunting