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No Draw, No Problem!

Tim Herald

| April 25, 2017

Tim Herald
April 25, 2017

No Draw, No Problem!

You Can Still Go on the Hunt of a Lifetime.

By: Tim Herald

I have been very fortunate to hunt all over the world, but when asked what my favorite hunts are, the top of the list for me, in North America at least, is elk in rut. Hunting bugling elk is just plain fun. It can get intense at times, but the fun factor of pursuing vocal bulls is off the chart in my opinion. You generally hunt elk in beautiful country, and with the rut being in September and early October in most places, the weather is generally pleasant. After enduring warm summers, the onset of cooler temperatures and fall is a welcome change.

I like the fact that elk hunting is generally a physical hunt where you move with the animals trying to get yourself into the right position for a shot, and you aren’t just sitting and waiting (unless you take up a stand at a waterhole). Glassing can be an important tool while locating, judging and deciding how to move on elk, and sitting across a canyon watching a big bull corral up his harem of cows through my Nikon Monarch Fieldscope trying to figure out how to get in close is always a fun puzzle to try to solve.

My favorite part of elk hunting is the interaction with the animals through calling. I love being able to get a bull to bugle, moving to the right position, and trying to lure him into range by talking back and forth to him. With a bow you really need to get the bulls to commit and come all the way into close range for a quality shot. With a rifle or muzzleloader, as long as you can keep a bull talking and keep the wind in your favor, you can usually move on him to a point where you can get a shot depending on terrain.

I am building points in a lot of states for premium elk hunts, but I haven’t drawn one of my dream tags quite yet. I generally rely on our landowner tag specialists at WTA to help me find good hunts with guaranteed landowner tags, so I can hunt no matter the draw.

Last fall I was hunting in western New Mexico with one of WTA’s top elk outfitters on their private land utilizing a landowner tag. I had a rut rifle tag, and the bulls were bugling some, but the peak of rut had not hit yet. It was warm and we only had an hour or so in the morning and one to two hours in the afternoons when the bulls were vocal.

For a couple of days we chased a huge 370 class bull around, but he always seemed to be across the property line during legal shooting hours. One afternoon my guide Hunter Dane and I were on a high lookout glassing a huge brushy flat that elk were using regularly when I spotted some cows moving below us at about 500 yards. Most of the elk we had been seeing were between half a mile and a mile away, so the cows were a surprise. A few minutes later, I saw a nice 6×6 bull step through an opening following the ladies, and I got Hunter’s attention and showed him the bull.

He wasn’t the 370 we were after, but he was a beautiful mature bull, and on the third afternoon of a 5-day hunt, I told Hunter that we should make a play for him. We piled off our perch, and within minutes we were in the thick brush where we had last seen the elk. Hunter made a few cow calls, and the bull screamed back from about 100 yards. We decided to move to an opening and see if we could call him out for a clean shot, but as soon as we moved, we bumped a cow that tore off through the brush after alarm barking.

We rushed up to the opening to see if we could spot the elk running off, and sure enough, about 200 yards out, the cows dashed across. I got my rifle on shooting sticks, and when the bull trotted out following the cows, Hunter hit him with a long pleading cow call, and he locked up and looked straight at us. I quickly put the crosshairs on his shoulder, squeezed the trigger, and shot right over his back! I rushed the shot and blew my opportunity.

The next morning we were back in the same general area on some bugling bulls, but they beat us again. On the walk back to the truck we heard a bugle, cut the distance, and Hunter began an elk conversation with the bull. I eased ahead trying to stalk the vocal elk, but eventually I came to a large meadow and the bull sounded like he was just across it barely in the timber. I felt he was bedded, so I backed out.

I told Hunter I had him located pretty well, and we should come back in the afternoon and try to get him in the meadow.

So at 3:30 we were sitting under a cedar waiting and discussing our game plan when the bull bugled from the same spot. I told hunter I could get us closer and the wind was perfect, so we moved up a couple of hundred yards and setup.

Hunter gave a few cow calls and a high pitched bugle imitating a young bull, an dthat really got the big boy fired up. Within minute cows began filtering out into the meadow, and behind them we could see a bull coming through the trees. When he stepped out, Hunter said, “don’t shoot, he has one antler broken off at the base.” About then a deep bugle erupted from deeper in the timber, so Hunter called some more.

The one antlered bull moved into the meadow, and about 30 seconds later, a much better bull trotted out pushing a cow and calf. Hunter stopped him with a loud cow call, and I took my time, lined up the first BDC circle on my Nikon Monarch 7 scope, and squeezed the trigger. The bull jumped straight in the air and took off. I knew I had hit him, but at over 300 yards, I wasn’t sure where.

We gave it a few minutes, but then hustled over to track him before dark. It didn’t take long and we were standing over a beautiful New Mexico monarch, and it just so happened it was the same bull I had missed the evening before!

This fantastic hunt would have never been possible without a landowner tag, and our staff at WTA knows where to come up with the best tags and the best hunts, no matter what game you want to pursue.

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Wyoming’s Preference Point Deadline Is Approaching: October 31

Preference Point Deadline: October 31, 2025

The deadline to purchase Wyoming preference points is October 31. If WTA is already managing your TAGS applications, you’re all set. If not, don’t miss the chance to secure points this year. It’s the perfect time to talk with a TAGS consultant to start a new portfolio or grow your existing one.

Wyoming’s system is unique. Unlike other states, you don’t automatically receive a preference point if you’re unsuccessful in the draw. Instead, you must log in after July 1 and purchase your points separately. Building points is critical if you want a shot at drawing a Wyoming tag. Over-the-counter opportunities are a thing of the past. Today, only 25% of non-resident tags are issued randomly. The other 75% go to applicants with the highest point totals.

If you want to hunt big game in Wyoming, building preference points isn’t optional…it’s essential.

Watch Wyoming Video

While preference points are an investment in the future, don’t let that keep you from starting now. While Wyoming has units that require 18+ points, there are also good opportunities to hunt sooner. There are elk, deer, and antelope hunts that can be drawn with 0–3 points. Think about it this way—the more points you have, the more options you have.

View Wyoming TAGS Hunts

If you’re serious about trophy-class western hunting, Arizona should be a top priority. With coveted Desert and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep tags, the chance to draw world-class mule deer permits, and outstanding opportunities for Coues deer, the Grand Canyon State offers some of the most exceptional big game hunting in North America. However, drawing a tag is no easy feat—Arizona’s structured, bonus point-based draw system is designed to reward persistence.

That’s where WTA TAGS comes in.

We do more than help you apply—we help you draw. And once you do, we ensure you make the most of it by connecting you with the state’s top professional outfitters, giving you the best possible shot at success.

Deadline to Apply: June 3 for Deer and Sheep. Draw Post Date: Late July for Deer and…

Frozen Arrow: A South Dakota Bison Hunt

Bison are the West’s enduring icon, roaming the plains by the millions before nearly vanishing, only to return through ranch conservation efforts. Today, 90% of them live on ranches, where hunters help fund and manage herds. I’d seen bison in parks, but bowhunting one was the dream. South Dakota’s open country felt right, so I called Worldwide Trophy Adventures, and they set me up with a top-notch outfitter.

The hunt required unique gear. South Dakota’s winter can be brutal. We expected windchills to drop into the -30° F range during our trip, cold enough to frostbite fingers in minutes. I packed heavy wool layers, insulated boots, and fingerless gloves under mittens, knowing I’d need to pull them off to shoot my bow. WTA handled all the logistics. All I had to do was get there.

I drove from Michigan, loaded with empty coolers for meat and space for the hide and skull. The outfitter’s setup was a cluster of small houses around a central lodge, clean and warm with cozy beds. We ate home-cooked dishes in the lodge, hearty meals that fueled our long, frigid days. My guide, Shannon, was excellent. He loves his job and hunts hard, even during nasty weather.

We planned the hunt over beers in the lodge that first night. Bison are solitary, not in herds this time of year, making them tough to find. We’d glass from high points, then stalk on foot. Although the terrain seems flat, it’s full of dips and ridges that bison use to get out of the wind.

Day one, we glassed from a hill, scanning miles of icy grass. Nothing. After a few hours, we got intel on a bull near a watering tank an hour away. We drove out and huddled in a low, swampy area to make a plan. Just as Shannon said, “Bison can appear out of nowhere,” one crested the ridge behind us. We ducked into the reeds, barely hidden. He closed to 45 yards, his long horns gleaming in the blowing grass, but the strong wind made a bow shot a low-percentage opportunity. We chose to let the bull walk, opting to wait for better conditions and a more ethical shot.

We spotted him a mile out with three cows. Shannon set up a brand-new, custom screenprinted bison decoy along a tree line. We hid in a blowdown, hoping to draw him close enough for a shot. The bull came right to the decoy but stayed 60 yards out. Again, it was too windy to shoot. He moved off fast, trailing the cows. We attempted other stalks, but the cows’ sharp eyes kept us pinned out of range. Beat, we headed back to the lodge for a hot meal and playoff football, planning to pick them up in the morning.

Day two was -30° F with wind chill, but the wind had laid down substantially and calmer air meant I could reach further with my bow. We picked up the bull and his cows early. One cow locked onto us, staring for minutes, forcing a slow crawl through a frozen marsh. We closed the distance, but they fed away and out of the area. I couldn’t believe how slow they looked yet how fast they moved through the landscape.

We picked them up again, grazing in a huge open area with a single tree line cutting through it. Using the trees as cover, we crept up, tree by tree, to avoid the watchful eyes of those wary cows. When we snuck within range, I slipped off my mittens, the cold burning my fingers, and nocked an arrow. The first shot hit the bull’s heart. His massive body barely flinched. A second arrow struck true, moving him left and behind a cow. He was mortally wounded, but I wanted to end things quickly. I nocked another arrow and sent it through his lungs. He dropped in 30 seconds after my last shot. My nerves were shot, my whiskers frozen, my fingers numb, but I had dropped a great bull bison with my bow.

The dead bull was beautiful. His horns, wide and tall like goalposts and worn smooth, were unique, Shannon said. His thick coat puffed dust when I slapped it, his blood frozen on the icy ground. Bison are an American icon and taking this one with a bow was amazing.

I took my bull to a nearby butcher, and within 24 hours, it was ready. They showed me the broadhead slashes in his heart, clean and lethal. The meat filled my coolers, the skull went to a taxidermist in Michigan, and the hide’s being tanned for mittens and hats—wonderful reminders of the hunt.

The cold was the toughest part of this hunt, colder than anything I’d experienced, but it made it unforgettable. For a bison hunt, this one’s hard to beat.

Learn About this Bison Hunt Watch the Hunt