A Poor Elk Hunter With A Good Elk Tag

Congratulations! I’ve enjoyed following along with your adventures. I missed my first shot at a herd bull with a bow last week. I guess I needed him to be close like yours was!!
 
This is the only thread that I’ve ever “watched” on Hunt Talk. Such a fun thread to follow from beginning to end. Congratulations on your bull and the amazing experience, but most of all, the exceptional pack out!
 
What an outstanding read and I followed along. Elk at that range, bull or cow is unbelievable. What a memory and I would have loved to watch you heave that big old boy in to your truck. Good for you to get your dad out there as well.
 
Spiritual is a cheesy word but it fits. I have 20 minutes of video like the one I posted earlier. I sat on the mountain side next to the bull I had just killed and watched another beautiful bull try to booger his cows, chase another bull off, tear up the ground, and holler at whoever would listen. The Gulch was filled with the bugles of half a dozen bulls. Spiritual.



The bull died only 80 yards above the road. I called my dad to see if he wanted to come with me while I loaded it. He can’t do anything physical due to bad knees, but I was confident I could heave this bull into the truck alone. He was coming out whole and did. Icing on the cake with my dad.View attachment 115928

I’m aware that there’s a lot of folks who would pass on this bull every year in a general unit, much less a trophy one, but I couldn’t be happier. I am after all, A Poor Elk Hunter. The Elkhorns during archery season are flat out incredible. They are the first and only wildlife management unit in the country and it shows. Between scouting and hunting I have over 170 miles of Elkhorns travel on the pair of boots I purchased in May. I admit that family, work, and other duties were often on my mind when thinking of this tag in the long term. The amount of hunting I did over the last month was not sustainable, and I feel like I put in the time in the Elkhorns, and what they say about a blind squirrel is true.
View attachment 115929

I am a lucky guy, and that’s about it.


Best Thread on this board. Thank you for sharing it all with us.

I'm not a good hunter, but I am a persistent hunter. Sometimes it works out. A big congrats to you on a fine elk and a great hunt. Even better that you got to share it with your dad.
 
THAT.....was pretty awesome. Congrats and really enjoyed your posts! You should make this an annual event with your general tag too. Very well put together thoughts.
 
Man, what an incredible story.

I just got back in service, and couldn't wait to catch up on this thread. It's so damned awesome to see someone appreciate an opportunity and piece of land like this.

We're unbelievably lucky to have spots like this, and this thread is the perfect example why.

Thanks for taking us along on the ride!

#makinghunttalkgreatagain
 
This has been a great thread to follow, many congrats on a great adventure.
How the hell did you get that Bull into the truck!?
Cheers
Richard


Inch by inch. Even dragging a bull downhill on dry ground alone is an inch by inch thing. I backed the truck up to the hill and dropped the tailgate and it was about even with the slope of the hill. Tough part was getting the tailgate closed. Kind of a one-armed hip sled/deadlift pull and pray.

Pretty glorious feeling.

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Great story @Nameless Range !! I'm grateful for your descriptions of how much ground you covered, how high you climbed, the pace at which you hunted, and especially the map with the description of your route and what you saw. Its nice to see that someone that's not devoting a continuous week in a backcountry tent at 11,000 feet in a wilderness area is having success in an area that's more typical of areas (at least from an access standpoint) that most of us hunt on a regular basis.

And congrats on the nice bull!! 2 yds.....not sure I have enough glue to hold myself together with one that close......nice work! Enjoy the times like these with your dad too (as I'm sure you are)!
 
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