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Tag-Team Elk With Banjo Ben

By Bow StaffSeptember 28, 2016

Our good friend, Banjo Ben, shares his story of one crazy hunt as he and a friend tag-team elk hunt in Idaho…

My name is “Banjo Ben” Clark and I teach folks to play banjo, mandolin, and guitar at BanjoBenClark.com (built by the same kind folks that bring you Bowhunting.com). I have thousands of pickers from all around the world that peruse my site, including many avid sportsmen. As a result, the coolest “perk” of my job is receiving hunting or fishing invites from students.

This summer I got an offer I couldn’t turn down: a week in the Idaho mountains chasing wapiti with local mandolin student, “ElkSlayerBill.” Bill had hunted the mountains around Lake Cascade, ID, for over 30 years, harvesting dozens of elk, mule deer, whitetail, and black bear with his bow. He sent me a few pictures of his kills and told me I could bring a buddy. That sealed the deal for me. My bowhunting buddy, Wes Mobley, and I hopped a Southwest jet out of Nashville with a couple Mathews bows in tow.

elk slayer Bill with buck

“ElkSlayerBill” doing what he does best.

We hit the ground running as we touched down in Boise, driving a couple hours north through rising elevation to reach Bill’s hunting cabin in the tiny town of Cascade. Bill thought we might even get on an elk that evening, so after a couple shots at a camp target, we headed for one of his honey-holes a few miles away. It was good to finally be out in the mountains again.
The first full day of hunting yielded no bugles, but did produce quite a few foreign boot tracks. I was worried the pressure had pushed the elk off the mountain. If they were still around, they weren’t talking. Day two did give us our first look at elk–a few cows and a spike. But the wind was strong and wrong, so they never got closer than 100 yards before heading over the mountain.
By the end of the second day I could tell Bill was feeling the pressure to get us an opportunity. To be honest, I was perfectly fine with that. It had been four years since I’d been in the mountains and I had the itch. Plus, this was the first time my buddy, Wes, had seen big country and he needed his heart rate elevated.
tag-team elk hunt on the mountain

We were hunting in some beautiful country, about 6600 feet up.

After the second day, Bill phoned a friend, a ranch owner 75 miles north in Yellow Pine. This ranch provided access to more Unit 25 land. The land was almost impossible to reach otherwise. This sounded great to me, so we packed up in the wee hours of Wednesday morning with renewed hope.

The action got started when we reached a bench after climbing 500′. Bill bugled and got a distant answer, coming from somewhere higher, so we climbed another 500′ to a bench within a few hundred yards of the bull who was now screaming his head off.
Wes and I quickly set up 30 yards apart, with the screaming bull somewhere ahead and Bill cow calling from behind. It didn’t take long. About 15 minutes into the setup a silent, but beautiful, 5-point satellite bull came in on a string, headed right toward me as I drew back behind a huge Ponderosa pine. I had told Wes to take the first shot opportunity he had, so while the bull was 10 yards from me head on, he was 21 yards from Wes broadside. Wes stopped him with a, “eee-yaw,” and let one fly. The shot sent the bull into a run straight toward me. I tried tucking one in as he flew past me at 4 yards but I shot low. Let’s be honest, that’s not a scenario you typically prepare for.

The bull crested a small hill and stopped broadside to me at 18 yards, still looking for the hot cow. I could see that Wes’ shot was a little back. I tried remaining calm while nocking another Gold Tip, all the while praying for God to hold that bull still another few seconds. I got the arrow on the string, drew back behind the cover of the Ponderosa, and peeked around hoping for an opening. The bull was standing behind a small spruce offering only the front half of his shoulder. I had to get another arrow in him so I slipped a shot as far back as possible without getting into the sapling.
tag-team elk

Banjo Ben and Wes with a beautiful Idaho bull.

What followed is what every bowhunter wants to hear–a 60-yard sprint leading to a crash followed by three distinct guttural grunts. I spun around to see Bill pumping his fist. I was scared to death my shot was too far forward, but if ElkSlayerBill was confident, I was confident. I glanced over to Wes who gave me a thumbs up. He was beside himself, and I was sure elated for him. He had seen and shot his first bull elk. I was excited myself, because I had shot his first bull elk too!

We waited an hour and followed the blood bath to the bull who had piled up in a little drainage just over the edge. We took muchos photos then began to quarter up the bull as rain started to fall. Several hours later Wes, ElkSlayerBill, and I were sitting down for some hot supper with a side of Tylenol down on the ranch, courtesy of our new Idaho friends.

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