Elk walks up on sleeping hunter

[Okanagan]

A cousin who is a superb hunter was laughing as he told me about a 6x6 Rocky Mountain bull elk he got a few days ago.  He was sitting in open forest in a good spot to see elk when it started raining.  From the looks of the sky he didn't expect it to last long so he moved under a thick clump of trees to wait it out, but from there he could only see 25 yards through a narrow slot.  It was midday, and he lay down and took a nap.  A sound woke him awhile later and he saw a bull elk feeding 7 yards from him.  Two other bulls were with it, and he shot the biggest one which was a few yards farther away.

[riverboss]

I wonder if he snored it in?

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[nastygunz]

 Never tried that technique before but it sounds like something I would like!

[Okanagan]

I wonder if he snored it in?

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About 25 years ago I was hunting elk in Idaho with the same hunter.  He holds out for big ones and he passed on a smallish 4x5 (?) but followed its tracks up a spur ridge in a couple inches of snow.  Meanwhile, up where the spur joined a level topped main ridge, I had lay down in the late morning sun to take a nap.  Early risings and lots of hiking had me tired and I couldn't' resist the patch of warm, snow free dry grass beside a sun warmed boulder.

After a bit I heard hooves walking so raised up and looked around.  Nothing, so lay down again.  Again I heard the animal walking, didn't see anything and that was the end of it till my cousin whistled at me.  He was standing in the bull's tracks where it had walked past 15 yards from me.   

[FinsnFur]

nastygunz lmao

[JohnP]

I think that may happen more often that most people are willing to admit , I have had it happen to be during early gun season when it is still fairly warm out here.  After a couple of early morning wakeups and late night bedtimes you have a tendency to doze off mid afternoon with our hot weather.  I killed a fairly nice buck that way, he was about twenty yards away when I woke up and shot him.  When I told Marge she said that he was probably suicidal.

[Okanagan]

I think that may happen more often that most people are willing to admit , I have had it happen to be during early gun season when it is still fairly warm out here.  After a couple of early morning wakeups and late night bedtimes you have a tendency to doze off mid afternoon with our hot weather.  I killed a fairly nice buck that way, he was about twenty yards away when I woke up and shot him.  When I told Marge she said that he was probably suicidal.

Suicidal!  Great comment!

Such naps are delicious, especially in light mountain air and if I can get my bod in the sun while shading my eyes.  One time in northern BC, above timberline, I pulled out a closed cell pad and lay on a wind protected and sun warmed ledge while my partner set up his tripod and glassed for sheep.  After awhile he woke me and asked if I wanted to see the biggest 5x5 elk he'd ever seen.  I did. It was huge-- and 26 miles from where the airplane would pick us up.   Then went back to sleep.