As the late summer sun radiates down upon your face with penetrating strength, as if the sun is not yet ready to yield its power to the inevitable autumn, a cool mountain breeze descends from the high country delivering with it a brief moment of reprieve as it rattles the now yellow leaves of the quakies, and through the subtle sounds drifts the almost indiscernible whistle of the end of a far-off bugle, and with it, your heart and your optimism are full again with the promise of your good fortune which must surely be near. To hunt elk in the mountains during the archery season of September is to be a part of the mountains at the height of their splendor. With the pleasant weather, the changing colors, and the onset of the rut, there may be no better time to be in the mountains, and for better or worse, this is no longer a secret. As more and more bowhunters answer the call of the mountain each year, there has been a noticeable increase in hunting pressure throughout the Rocky Mountains. But even as the number of hunters has increased, there remains nearly limitless hunting opportunities for those willing to put in the work.
Finding the Spot
With the increase in the number of hunters seems to have come a decrease in etiquette that had once been commonplace among sportsmen. There is more to being a successful hunter than simply killing animals and posting pictures on social media for the approval of strangers. First and foremost is respect: respect for other hunters, respect for the animals that have provided us with so much, respect for the environment, and respect for those who came before you. One of the most important unspoken rules of archery elk hunting is: you don't talk spots. There is a lot of work and time that goes into finding a spot that produces quality bulls year after year. One slip of the tongue in a crowded bar is all it takes for your hard-earned spot to become someone else's next hunt with three of their best friends. All of a sudden, the spot you found which was special to you, your own personal sanctuary and refuge and something you held dear, is now on some newcomer's brag sheet, and those perfect hunts where you got to observe undisturbed game in a pristine environment has turned into a game of outmaneuvering other hunters instead of focusing on the beauty of your surroundings, and with it, the real calling of the hunt is lost, and may not return for some time. So how do you find quality bulls if you're not supposed to talk about it? It's simple, you kill bulls with your boots and your binos. And, after many days of scouting and grinding and getting punished by the mountains, when you finally do find that bull with the ivory tips and the whale tales that's been running through your dreams all these nights, you keep your mouth shut.
