Nick87
Well-known member
Congrats on a great bull.
2025 Montana Bull
- Thread starter starvingoutdoorsman
- Start date
sneakypete
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 19, 2014
- Messages
- 2,014
Congrats on a Great Bull! I love every bit of your picture except the closed action. I know your gun is probably safe, but does others ?Again congratulations!
Hammsolo
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 16, 2020
- Messages
- 2,875
Great bull! Sheesh, I get irritated if I don’t see critters. Your grit is impressive. Most of us have stories of grinding hard to no avail, and having dumb luck show up.
Last year my brother and I watched from about a mile away as a herd of pronghorn walked past my truck at trad bow range.
Honestly, I don’t think I have any truly lucky stories. My road hunter highschool principal admitted his luck when he shot a giant bull back in the day. It was the middle of the day in a heavily pressured area right off an arterial dirt road. I think it was warmer and early in rifle season too. “He was just standing there.” I think the bull scored about 370.
Most of my critters have come through stubbornness over years and years of failures and learning, and many through slowly developed relationships with landowners.
All hunts have some luck involved. My brother and I spent miles tracking a giant 5 by 5 mulie this year. He was jaw dropping, and the biggest deer either of us have seen while hunting. No pics sadly. I’m getting a Mag View now though!
We spotted him at first light at over 700 yards, and it was instant “BIG BUCK” with the naked eye. We spotted him multiple times during, a no shittin’ you, 5 mile meander, but never closer than 425. He turned broadside for a one count, and my bro couldn’t get on him.
He would zig and we would zag. We kept the wind in our favor, and I don’t think he and his doe ever knew we were there. 5 miles of fun and he evaporated. Maybe next year luck will be on our side. One of the funnest days I’ve had with my brother!
My poor brother was nauseous looking at bucks at Scheel’s with me days later. “Yep, he was bigger than that.” I relished giving him shit. I didn’t have a tag…
Last year my brother and I watched from about a mile away as a herd of pronghorn walked past my truck at trad bow range.
Honestly, I don’t think I have any truly lucky stories. My road hunter highschool principal admitted his luck when he shot a giant bull back in the day. It was the middle of the day in a heavily pressured area right off an arterial dirt road. I think it was warmer and early in rifle season too. “He was just standing there.” I think the bull scored about 370.
Most of my critters have come through stubbornness over years and years of failures and learning, and many through slowly developed relationships with landowners.
All hunts have some luck involved. My brother and I spent miles tracking a giant 5 by 5 mulie this year. He was jaw dropping, and the biggest deer either of us have seen while hunting. No pics sadly. I’m getting a Mag View now though!
We spotted him at first light at over 700 yards, and it was instant “BIG BUCK” with the naked eye. We spotted him multiple times during, a no shittin’ you, 5 mile meander, but never closer than 425. He turned broadside for a one count, and my bro couldn’t get on him.
He would zig and we would zag. We kept the wind in our favor, and I don’t think he and his doe ever knew we were there. 5 miles of fun and he evaporated. Maybe next year luck will be on our side. One of the funnest days I’ve had with my brother!
My poor brother was nauseous looking at bucks at Scheel’s with me days later. “Yep, he was bigger than that.” I relished giving him shit. I didn’t have a tag…
Forkyfinder
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2023
- Messages
- 6,048
Man thats so cool! Congrats.
Dont feel bad about an easy one
Dont feel bad about an easy one
Little Big Man MT Chris
Well-known member
Congratulations!!!!
EKYHunter
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- Joined
- Dec 13, 2020
- Messages
- 1,423
Congrats sir! That’s a beautiful bull elk.
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
Congratulations! There's a lot to be happy about with that outcome.
Sask hunter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2016
- Messages
- 3,887
Congrats luck is always a good thing!
starvingoutdoorsman
Active member
Thank you! Yeah that is a habit I got into so I don't accidently get stuff in there. But I get it. I can confirm it was empty short of the magazine. I have hunted with a lot of old timers that had holes in their bed, hood, and floorboard that shaped some of my safety habits, but I also lost a bolt on an old rifle once. That last thing I want is an accident due to my negligence.
starvingoutdoorsman
Active member
Thanks for the support everyone. Love this forum. I will go back and read them all and try to respond. Running a bit on fumes as had some family things go on and potentially in the middle of a job change now. Will try to get a photo of my dads (i just want his approval, first). It was a great season in the end. My brother filled his tag with a cow this past Friday before the general season ended. Not a bad way to end it as he is handicapped and has already got a breaks bull.
RowTheBoat
Member
Congratulations! Had to be extra special with Dad out there!
CPAjeff
Well-known member
Congrats - thanks for sharing!
MontanaBlades
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2023
- Messages
- 132
nice and easy to read write-up, with a great picture. Well done!
starvingoutdoorsman
Active member
Sorry everyone. I know I said I was going to write something and share more. Between changing jobs before the end of the year and then adding in some other things I just have not been able to do anything extra. It has been on my mind about weekly, and everything time I have tried to sit, I don't have enough time to actually do anything. So, I might just try to share photos. Sorry for the delay. If I can't write the words, I will just try to let the photos do the talking for me.
starvingoutdoorsman
Active member
Realized I am home today for various reasons. No better time than to finally start now. Thanks for the kick I needed @MontanaBlades!
My dad and his friends decided to put in for a tag, and given his age, I decided to put in with him. We all did it individually rather than party and with having the points, we figured at least one person would get a tag. And I just wanted to hunt. I know he was getting older. Slowing down, as we all do. And my family is increasingly needing my time as my wife is disabled due to her MS and I recognize that time is limited and likely only going to get harder to put the time in. Everyone who put in, drew the tag. I thought it was 6, but dad clarified we had 5 people put in and all 5 of us drew. We started scouting right away. We met some great people as well.
Photos are of a one of the trail camera bulls. Early morning sunrise checking out a place for the shoulder season. And a couple bulls along the road when I went out solo archery hunting. I am sure many can probably pick out the road where these bull are.
My dad and his friends decided to put in for a tag, and given his age, I decided to put in with him. We all did it individually rather than party and with having the points, we figured at least one person would get a tag. And I just wanted to hunt. I know he was getting older. Slowing down, as we all do. And my family is increasingly needing my time as my wife is disabled due to her MS and I recognize that time is limited and likely only going to get harder to put the time in. Everyone who put in, drew the tag. I thought it was 6, but dad clarified we had 5 people put in and all 5 of us drew. We started scouting right away. We met some great people as well.
Photos are of a one of the trail camera bulls. Early morning sunrise checking out a place for the shoulder season. And a couple bulls along the road when I went out solo archery hunting. I am sure many can probably pick out the road where these bull are.
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starvingoutdoorsman
Active member
Archery season did not bring much hope. As many elk as I had seen the previous few weeks around the area, I never heard a bugle where I was hunting. It was hot, as usual. And I just did most of it solo. Though I wish I had made plans better as my dad seemed like he actually wanted to go. We did make it out once together. But I spent more of it on my own watching coyotes chase each other, deer meander around me, and counting piles of bear scat (I ended up at 11).
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