I do not let the thoughts of success consume me, nor do I let failure define me. Both are very important and both inspire me. 

Yesterday I scouted and hunted this big drainage. I bugled without reply. I side-hilled to find no sign. My legs ached and the bottoms of my feet burned. Very discouraged with my findings but more determined to push deeper to find “that one”. This morning at daybreak, I hit the trail. Hurriedly yet quietly, I was covering ground with the wind in my face. At the trailhead, a truck with Florida plates was parked. So I walked until I stopped seeing boot tracks. That’s when I slowed up a bit. I found a few cows and a spike in a meadow just above me. I called and glassed to make sure a bull wasn’t close by that would welcome my confrontation. I watched for about 20 minutes then decided I had much more ground to cover before the change in thermals. The further I walked, the less sign I was seeing. The mental battle was raging, but I had a plan and pressed on. As I reached the point where the northerly-facing slope started, I knew it was time to fuel up. Eating has a way of calming the mind. Sitting still has a way of producing sounds you wouldn’t typically hear. So I sat to eat then listened. I couldn’t believe what I heard, so I stood and held my face up to hear better. And again, I heard a bugle. I gathered my gear then I sent out a bugle of my own. He quickly bugled and chuckled. Game on! I checked my map to determine his location and planned my route to his front door. He was just up from a small creek that split off below me. I went up and over the point of where the two creeks intersect. I crossed the other creek and up straight towards him. Winds were perfect. As I closed the distance, he was also. I climbed up to a flat bench and stopped. He was well within 200 yards. I turned my bugle behind me to send the sound back. As I turned to look up the hill, I caught a glimpse of him. He looked to be circling to get my wind. (I will definitely not be hard to smell with the fact that I haven’t had more than a baby wipe bath and only one head and beard washing in over 4 days.) I lost him in the thick but I knew his plan. I checked the wind and eased over 20 yards. I somehow knocked an arrow. With nerves kicking intensely at this point, I was telling myself to breathe, as I was trying to attach my release to the loop. I knew he was quietly and quickly moving in but didn’t know exactly where he was. I looked up to see my setup for shots wasn’t what I wanted, but I was out of time to move. Then, I heard a crack, and all I saw were antlers at 20 yards coming almost straight at me. He went behind one tree as I pulled to full draw. He stopped at 10 yards or less, where I had no shot. We made eye contact, and he turned to run. I cow-called twice. He stopped at maybe 35 yards behind a wall of tree limbs. I chuckled as he started walking. He stopped again to bugle but then proceeded to ease out of sight. 

The moment I’ve been looking for, training for, preparing for. Come and gone just like that. Success? Failure?  An hour passed, and I heard him rip another bugle. I backed out to the point between creeks. I needed the winds to stabilize and to refuel. I listened to him bugle and moan as he rounded the hill to his original spot. I tried him again a few hours later, but he wasn’t interested, and I still didn’t like the wind. I backed out again. This is when the infamous Florida plastic bugler started his approach. I think he blew the plastic right out of that sucker, but the bull wasn’t interested. Neither was I. A thunderstorm was approaching, so I hit the trail. 

Success and failure have a finite line. Especially in bow hunting. Everything went right until it didn’t. It was one of those hunts that you dream about and want in your face. But oftentimes, in your face is too close. This is bow hunting elk in the rut, and it’s one of the most challenging sports to participate in. If it were like playing horseshoes, it would be no fun. 

Success? Maybe. Failure? Maybe. The key is happiness, and that was definitely it for me. I am inspired. Tomorrow is a new day. I am going to rest and fuel up to do it all over again.