Herd Bull Down

Herd Bull 1

After nineteen years of applying for Unit 418 in Washington State, I finally won the lotto! Only 8 Archery tags are drawn each year.

Archery season was Sept 1-22, 2025. I started in August doing a lot of door knocking for private land hunting access, but I also knew the public lands well.

I’ll be hunting with my Osage bamboo backed reflex deflex longbow, which I made for this hunt. I will be shooting my own custom-made Cedar arrow shafts with purple heart footings for extra weight and strength in the FOC (forward of center). I will be using Grizzly broadheads with single bevel 160 grains. Total arrow weight 650 grains.

Five days before opening, I set up a base camp using a shooting blind, chair and an ice chest. The weather is going to be perfect, dry and a slight wind. I set up in an area where I could hike five miles each direction hoping only to use this as base camp to refresh supplies.

For the first five days of the hunt, I wasn’t finding any animals; there was not any bugling or herd noise. On day six, at 11AM, I found two bulls bedded down in a clear cut; a 6x6 bull and a 4x4 bull all alone. The wind was in my favor, but with my limited range of 30 yds, there wasn’t a way to get close in a clear cut. I watched them leave the NE corner of the clear cut at 6PM. This was my first clue to pattern the herd.

For the next 10 days I followed the herd: 26 cows, 5 satellite bulls and one 7x6 herd bull. That was a lot of eyeballs to get past! I had my sleeping bag and backpack on my back with a plan to follow them until the herd bull made a mistake. The herd bull was keeping all the cows penned up and close while the other bulls were just being a part of the herd. All day I would stay close using the wind about 100 yds out. The herd bull would scream about every 10 minutes to keep the cows close. I could stay with the herd listening for his scream. At night I would sleep with the herd keeping in hearing distance.

On day 11, two cows got away from the herd and the nice 6x6 satellite came running up the bank of the clear cut where I was blinded off. The 6x6 stopped at 25 yds. with a 10" diameter tree covering its vitals, so no shot. Then he went downhill to collect the stray cows.

Day 12, the 7x6 herd bull came in after some cows at 25 yds. but only had a front shot which I cannot take with my equipment. On day 14, the 7x6 came in 25 yds. but cows were in front of him, no shot. I kept saying to myself, all I need is one mistake, stay with it.

On the 15th evening I got a little too aggressive just before dark. I got down into the herd; I had three separate cows bark at me blowing them out. I couldn’t find the herd for three days. I said to myself, “Well, you have to go find them, but with no bugling or herd talk what are your chances?”. So, I hiked eight miles a day. I was getting a little frustrated; it was day 18 with only four more days to go. I decided to go back to the basics.

They liked this clear cut for bedding at night. It is open, wind at their back and cows out front to protect the herd bull. I made a new natural blind at the edge of the clear cut just inside the timber line. I was blinded off when all of a sudden at 6:30 PM cows came crashing down the bank to my right at 80 yds., followed by the satellite bulls, all on a full run. The cows came first, then the bulls chasing them. Chaos! bulls and cows running 15 yds. in front of me, but they wouldn’t stop or stand still. I could have shot the 4x4 six times he was standing still, but I wanted the big 6x6 or, somehow, the 7x6 herd bull.

It wasn’t but five minutes later the cow with hoof rot came slowly down the same bank with the herd bull 7x6 hooking her to the herd. Halfway down the bank he let out a huge scream that scattered all the other bulls. Now it was the big guy and all the ladies. He was on a run chasing and sniffing every cow that would let him. Total chaos! elk running in front of me, I’m waiting for something to stand still. At 15 yds. the 7x6 is behind the cows, but no shot. He’s pushing them out to 25 yds,but he won’t stand still and he’s moving the cows away from me. At 35 yds he stops at a standing cow. I raised my longbow then said to myself, “I can hit that”. The arrow left my longbow and went right where I picked a spot. It was perfect! Right behind the front shoulder, missed the rib, and I had good penetration up to the fletching. All the bull did was flinch. He didn’t even care or know that I was there. After the hit he stood still for 10 seconds not paying any attention to the cow. He turned away from the cow and began walking away from the herd. “He is sick, why would he walk away from the herd?” After about 60 yds. he went behind some six-foot-tall bushes, then I could see the sway of the antlers and he tipped over.

All the cows came running over to him. The cows were just running crazy from him seconds ago, now they are wondering if he is still going to play? Since he is down in the bushes I can’t tell if he has expired or not. With all the cows around him, I needed to wait till dark. At dark I came out of my blind to the spot where I thought he went down. The cows were gone. I raised my binoculars to look for the cows. The cows which were chased are now 200 yds. north in the clearing being chased by a bull. My thought was, he didn’t stay down. Now, how do I get to him in the dark to see if the shot was good so I can come back in the morning? I put down my bino’s, turned around and there he was, done, only 10 yds. from me. I contacted friends who had told me ahead of time to call them when needed. After pictures and field dressing the 7x6 herd bull, I was adrenaline ready for the work ahead of me with three good friends to help.

As I reflected on my 18-day solo hunt, sleeping with the elk, waiting for a mistake. Constantly calling on God for patience and a peace in knowing it’s not if, but when. I began my hunt in July as I was making my equipment, dreaming of the result of how God was going to direct my path. Proverbs 3:5,6. With Gods direction you know, I was never really hunting alone.

The 7x6 herd bull made a mistake on the evening of the 18th of September. My 70th birthday was September 22.

My solo hunt at 70 years old became a hunt of a lifetime.

HERD BULL DOWN

Herd Bull 2

Equipment: