I have a story for you. 

I was elk hunting near Chambers Lake Colorado when I shot a nice bull elk.  It was in the evening, near dark and the rain had started.  After I shot the elk, I watched it run with the arrow still in it.  The elk bolted away from me about 100 yards then  went downhill from there.  We tracked blood and could tell it was a lung shot but we ran out of daylight and couldn't see anymore. 

We came back in the morning and looked all day for the elk and couldn't find it--what blood was left was washed away from the rain.  After giving up and being greatly disappointed--because I knew the elk was dead, but just couldn't locate it--I decided to go back to camp and grab my cell phone to go make some calls to let my hunting buddies back home know [what happened].  

On the way back to camp I realized we had new neighbors. I introduced myself and told them the story of my elk.  It just so happened to be Eric and Jane Cook with 2 horses and 3 dogs, one named Joe  These dogs were German Shorthairs. They usually stay a couple miles down the road but were unable to maneuver their trailer into the [camp] drive, so decided to come down to our drive.  Eric said old Joe could find that elk for me, and at first light in the morning that is what we would do.

[The next] morning we took the horses up the mountain with Joe leading the way.  We went as far as the horses could go, then went by foot to where I shot the elk. We followed the blood trail to the spot where the elk had headed down the mountain.  From there Joe did the rest. 

He had a GPS unit on his collar so Eric could keep track of him.  I was told just to stay at the last blood.  So I waited and before too long, I heard a faint yelling.  I wasn't sure so I just sat there. Then I heard it again, and sure enough my spirit began to rise as I knew old Joe had found my elk. 

I couldn't thank Eric and his dog Joe enough, for the elk I shot was a true trophy. Joe found that elk after 2 days of off and on rain.  He is an amazing dog. 

I will never forget the elk hunt of 2008. 

Thanks A Lot .
Bow hunter Dan Thomas from Ohio