Despite wanting to gain 2,500 feet in elevation, I didn’t leave the tent until daylight. I knew that elk were bedding high in a timbered draw, but I wasn’t sure where they were feeding at night or exactly how they reached the secluded sleeping grounds. If I left in the dark, I might pass by the elk or spook them. If I waited too long, the herd might be bedded and hard to approach.
Halfway up the mountain I found a herd of elk grazing in an open meadow surrounded by aspens. A lone bull fed with the cows, and when I let out a cow call, the bull lifted its head and bugled. Cutting the distance to 300 yards, I called as I moved, and the bull kept answering.
The ground opened up, so I set up and called. Soon the bugling bull busted out of the timber and strutted to within bow
