Alright guys, sorry it’s been so long without an update. Here it is! We ended up getting there a couple days early to get boots on the ground and scout. I new of a fellow HTer that had the same tag, mtmuley, and we ended up both being in the same camp ground right across the lot from each other. It felt like every scouting trip out we did in those three days we ran into him, pretty sure he’s just following the eastern rookies
Anywho opening day comes and I get within 450yds of this guy, however with the 20-30mph crosswinds I wasn’t taking the shot. As I planned to get closer a guy came up out of the bottom and spooked the entire herd, what seemed like a mile long herd of elk as they took off up out of the drainage I was in.

Due to overexerting ourselves that first day we took a break the next morning (I know, so dumb) and I thought those elk would not be back in that valley. Well, turned out I was wrong and the same guy went back up there and killed the bull the next morning, lesson learned…. Turns out he was a 7x8 I believe, maybe mtmuley will chime in, he saw it in person back at camp.
Anywho we spotted a bull Sunday night that was a 6x6, we were both in agreement being our 1st and 2nd bulls we would be okay with anything 6x6 or bigger. And we had 3 bull tags to fill adding to the pressure. We hiked back out to make an early move on him the next morning b/c it seemed they’d come outta the drainage at night and down to water then work their way back up and that’s where we’d ambush em.
The next morning hiking in before dark we finally go to the drainage, late. We got to where we needed to be and the elk were already starting to slip into a decent size patch of timber. My buddy, who stalks slower than paint drying on growing grass, has zero sense of urgency and was all lackadaisical when trying to get into position. Finally, we’re setting up and have the whole herd within range but no 6pts…. The sun is starting to come up and my bud is painted by it but I’m in the shadows of a sage bush and I spot the 6pt. He’s about 20 paces from being in the timber and feeding towards it. I try to relay to my bud where he is but he can’t locate em. Now he’s 5 paces away and I go you gotta move up here, but due to having cows so close he couldn’t move and he says you shoot em. This was a perfect storm, the sun was coming up, it was cold and our breath was fogging everything up. I’ve learned my lessons passing early in the hunt so I said ok, however I left my pack behind b/c I only brought my rifle for a follow up shot thinking he’d shoot. I told him I’m too low and he takes off his bipod and throws it. After I get it attached I’m still too low. He grabs a small sandbag out of his pack and throws it, now I’m canted. I take my binos off my chest and put them under one leg and the binos on the other. I range the bull and squeeze the trigger and BOOM, he goes did you hit it? I didn’t know only thing I knew was the shot felt good and the entire herd was there except for him.
After the entire herd decided something was up they took off. We glassed over every bull leaving that valley and didn’t see the 6pt. We devised a plan to strategically hike up to the timber and look for him blocking escape routes. Finally I’m getting into my position and signal for him to move along when I see tines sticking up out of the junipers.
Man what a feeling that was! Instantly I whistle him down and we get pictures and congratulations then I take the satellite phone and run up to the ridge, which was way farther than expected, until I got service. We were about 3.5 miles in and my dad was about a mile in at a different trailhead a 90min drive from ours…. So I called my dad’s satellite phone, he answered, out of breath, and I said I shot a bull, he goes “me too”. To be continued…..
