Well Drew, it sounds like you are putting in the valiant college effort that is required for archery hunting, but it just doesn't happen every time. Just like fishing, being a successful hunter is mostly about being in the right place at the right time. If you're an archery hunter, be prepared to eat tag soup every so often, that's just the way it is.

I too hunted last weekend for elk...finally made it up to the area I hunt for elk (Table Mountain), and, unsurprisingly, found that it was burnt to a crisp. I took some pics and will post them if I get some time. We hunted down lower, at the snowline, saw 4 big branched antlered bulls and no spikes or anterless elk, which are the only legal elk for that area. Still had fun though; saw alot of big mature mule deer (which we also couldn't shoot) running around willy nilly chasing does.

Ike