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I arrived in elk camp a week early to set up camp since I had a lot of vacation on the books. The very next morning I was up at 2:30 am to make the drive to Raymond Ranch for my good friend's buffalo hunt. It all went well and after the hunt I was back in camp by 9 pm and ready for a good night sleep. After rolling out of the sack around 10:30 am I was more than anxious to do some serious scouting. After checking a couple cameras I was happy to see I had some bulls. On Sunday one of my hunting partners dropped off a good load of oak from his cabin property and I went to work on getting it cut up and split. It took me two days to finish and I was about as whipped as a wit puppy. I had to run home for the night so I could pull my new trailer home from the dealers and I couldn't get back to camp any quicker the next day. Now it was two days before the season opener and I checked out an old honey hole that I wasn't planning on hunting due to the heavy hunting pressure it got the last several years. To my surprise it showed no sign of hunter activity and lots of elk traffic. I quickly made a blind 15yrds off the water and decided someone needed to be sitting here for sure. One day left before opening day and I check my cameras once again. I haven't an elk during the day since the full moon and all activity was during the night. This is when I start second guessing myself. Having to many spots can drive a hunter crazy. Long story short all 5 of us seen nothing the first 6 days. The bulls were coming in at night on our spots were being hit at night. Now it's Wednesday and a good storm is moving in. It starts to rain and continues for the next 3 days turning to snow and then again to rain. A week passes by and I'm the only one left in my camp with still another week of hunting left. All have gone home but my brother-in-law and nephew were scheduled to be back on Sunday for the rest of the season. It was a pleasure having Brian, aka My Rights As An American, visited the campfire a few nights and even spent one night in camp before his last day to hunt. During this time I met Andy, another cwt member aka jcarter, and his dad Ron. We exchange greetings and I told them I was just down the road if they needed anything. Andy's dad was to leave for Tucson and Andy and I got to share a few campfires. We shared storied and family life and it didn't take long before I knew Andy was someone I would share my campfire with any day. His wife and kids were to drive up from Tucson on Saturday and spend the rest of the hunt with him. It was cold mixed with rain&snow and they were sleeping in a tent but they had a stove and he assured me they would be fine. Sunday rolled around and Andy's wife Sarah along with their two kids Madison and Peyton brought me some home made potato soup, cookies, and muffins that were to die for. It's now 3 days left in the season and I haven't seen an elk. I decide I would share one of my spots with Andy and I drive to his camp to find him and the family are just about packed up and leaving for home. We exchange goodbyes and this is when my luck changes for the best. Andy and Sarah's two kids, Madison 6 and Peyton 4, bring me these rocks and tell me if I carry them I will shoot an elk. At this point in the hunt I was ready to try anything. I took their two rocks and thanked them with a hug and told them to have a safe trip home. I wanted to check another camera so I was late getting to my spot I intened to put Andy on. It was 2:30 when I finally started walking from my quad. As I approached my spot I have a decent size bull leaving my hole. I turn and rush out to where the trail crosses a 2 track and wait on him. He turns the wrong way and I cuss myself for being late getting to my spot. I turn to continue back in when I get busted by a spike walking the 2 track from the opposite direction. Now I figured he just came from my spot as well and it would probably be it for the evening. Well, I'm here so I might as well go sit it. I pull my camera before climbing in the blind and get situated and start to look at my pictures to see what I had when I see more elk coming down the hill towards me. I drop the camera on the ground and can't seem to control myself as I'm trying to get my bow in my hands and get in position. I have to tell myself to calm down or I was going to blow it for sure. Man was I shaking like a dog trying to sh!t a peach seed. Before I know it I have 6 cows in front of me with possibly a couple more beside my blind I can't see but hear. In walks a spike but the cows keep chasing him off the water. I'm at 13yrds and they haven't a clue I'm there and finally they let him come in. It was 20 minutes before the spike was clear to shoot. A couple days before I had to raise a branch up that had fallen from the snow and now saw that I didn't get it quite high enough. Sitting in the chair left me with no adjustment lowing myself so I bent over to try and clear the branch and shot from an uncomfortable position. I release the arrow and surprised it wasn't a pass thru. As it runs up the hill I see lots of blood on it's side. My up and down was good but I'm afraid I hit to far back. It's 3:55 and I'm still in shock what just happened. I try to calm myself down and decided to look at the pictures I started to do earlier but see the SD card had fallen out of the camera when I dropped it and can't find it anywhere in the blind so I open my pack and reach in to get a sandwich and said what's this. I started to laugh to myself. It was those two rocks I got off Madison and Peyton. They assured me they were lucky rocks and would certainly do the job. I can't wait to give those two a big hug the next time I see them. It's now 5 pm and I'm out of the blind looking up the hill where I last saw my bull. I give it another 5 minutes and decide to look for blood and my arrow. I started the slow process of tracking but had no problem finding blood. It was a steady stream for 150yrds and I hear something above me. My elk looking at me from 30yrds away. It turned and walked off only to lay down 50 yrds away and I did the same. I know now it was a liver shot but with him walking I was sure he was hurt bad. Just before last light I feel the wind change direction and blow towards him. I see him stand and walk away. By 6 I can't see anymore and carefully back out and head for camp. I will give him another 4 hrs so I had super and sat by the fire holding them lucky rocks in my hand telling my brother=in=law and nephew the story. By 10 pm we are back at the spot I last saw him and congratulations are had and the boneless method had begun. We arrive back in camp at 2 am and toast with a few cold beer. The next day my nephew decides he wants to change spots so I have him give his spot to another cwt member we met and he killed a 4x4 that night off the hole I mentioned at the beginning of all this and we had the pleasure of helping him and his dad get it back to camp for them. His name is Jared, aka JeredMD, and he posted his story on here already. Thanks for the long read if you hung in there. Here's a few pictures. My trophy My back yard walk-in My wife cutting fresh fajita elk meat for super. My lab has taken over Peg's spot since I've been home. Boy I missed my dog. Oh yeah, Peg too. TJ