elkkill2006
Member
I just thought I would share one of my hunting stories with you guys and how elkkill2006 came about.
This long time journey started as most of us when I was a kid and seeing many great bulls as I grew up enjoying the hills with my family (dad,mom,brother,and sister).
Also being by my father since I could walk along side him and learning to hunt. I have also raised my children the same way, they have been hunting with me since they were born.
In 2006 we were able to split up our points in Colorado and of course I put in for my favorite unit (which does not take a point) and used a point just to make sure. For many years my brother and I have watched the same bulls and picked up some great sheds and have tried to take some of the better bulls with no luck. But hey, "That's hunting". Then in 2004 my brother connected with one of the great bulls during archery season and that really lit my fire.
Back to 2006
My brother was hunting archery again and chasing a bull that we named, "City Bull", and as he was chasing this great bull he ran into a bull we had never seen. This bull was a great bull with giant 3rd's and a very unique shape. He worked this bull and was able to get within 19 yards and just could not get a good shot and let him walk. My brother told me about the bull and we tried to get the bull the rest of archery season with no luck.
Well then first rifle season came and it was my turn, I could hardly keep my compoture. I got up to camp around 10:00 friday morning and got everything and everyone together and settled in. Around 3:00 that afternoon I grabbed my backpack and headed down to check the area this bull was staying in. I got down in there around 5:30 and heard a bugle but did not go any farther due to the wind being wrong.
Opening morning came and my two boys and I headed out at first light and hunted till around 11:00 when a huge storm moved in on us and justed started pouring rain and sleat. We were about five miles in and decided we would head back. That afternon we hunted a different area due to the road down to were we hunt is a beast and we could not get down there.
Day two had us hunting an easier area due to my wife coming up (she has bad ankles). Again we stayed out till around 12 and not seeing anything we went back to camp. Around 2 my wife and oldest son headed home due to school, while my youngest son and I were getting ready to go hunting for the afternoon (he also had a tag). Due to the commotion my son and I were running late. We loaded up in the bronco and hauled butt down to the spot.
When we got down there it was around 3:30 and I had 6 miles to go to get down to where he was at. I asked my son if itn was ok if he haunted with my buddy and I took off after the bull, he said ok. I decided I would not take my pack and just take the gun, bino's, bullets, and one knife. I hauled butt as hard as I could go to get there in time.
I got down to where I felt I needed to be, I could hardly breathe, and got set up to start scanning with the bino's. I was only there maybe 10-12 minutes when I heard a bugle quite a ways off. I grabbed my gear and headed further down country. I walked maybe another quarter mile when I saw a bull. I threw up the bino's and it was a small but cool 5 point (his antler on the left side grew straight out of the side of his head), so I scanned a littel more and found five more 5 point bulls. I was stll a long ways from them so I started trying to get closer to them (easier said then done with all the open country). It took maybe another 15 minutes to get down where I was as close as I could get. I pulled the bipods down and got setup. I cranked the scope up to 14 power and got comfortable in a prone position and started looking over the bulls.
I had five 5 point bulls out in front of me and watched them for about 10 minutes when a bigger 5 point came out. Then mabe five minutes later some cows started coming out along with an even bigger 5 point. Needless to say I was getting a little excited, then I noticed another bull coming through the trees. It turned out to be the bull, and all of a sudden I could not breathe. I started shaking, which had never happened to me before, as I watched him in the scope walking towards me and looking at those giant 3rd's. He walked out in the middle of this huge clearing and all the smaller bulls moved off. He then turned broadside and I could not keep the crosshairs on him. I did not feel comfortable so I picked up my rifle and moved on the other side of a tree and set back up. I got back in the prone position and tried to get it together, again I could not breathe and started shaking. I got up three more times and walked away from my rifle trying to settle down. After I got back in the rifle, I got the crosshairs back on him and settled down. But now I did not have my range firnder with me and started second guessing myself on the distance. I ended up braking my own rule and putting my second line on my bullistic plex high on his shoulder and shooting over him on the first shot. Then it was on, he wheeled around and stopped, and I put the crosshair behind the shoulder and squoze it off. He did not flinch, but I could see the blood coming down his side. He went about 30 yards and I hit him again, I shot him 4 more times before he tipped over (all within about 45 seconds).
When I got down to him and realized how big he was and a flood af emotions came over me. I had been hunting elk since 1986 and finally took the bull of my dreams in 2006. Now I had taken several great bulls before (that were bulls of my dreams), but nothing of this caliber.
Thanks for letting me tell my story and I hope you enjoy.
Here he is.
This long time journey started as most of us when I was a kid and seeing many great bulls as I grew up enjoying the hills with my family (dad,mom,brother,and sister).
Also being by my father since I could walk along side him and learning to hunt. I have also raised my children the same way, they have been hunting with me since they were born.In 2006 we were able to split up our points in Colorado and of course I put in for my favorite unit (which does not take a point) and used a point just to make sure. For many years my brother and I have watched the same bulls and picked up some great sheds and have tried to take some of the better bulls with no luck. But hey, "That's hunting". Then in 2004 my brother connected with one of the great bulls during archery season and that really lit my fire.
Back to 2006
My brother was hunting archery again and chasing a bull that we named, "City Bull", and as he was chasing this great bull he ran into a bull we had never seen. This bull was a great bull with giant 3rd's and a very unique shape. He worked this bull and was able to get within 19 yards and just could not get a good shot and let him walk. My brother told me about the bull and we tried to get the bull the rest of archery season with no luck.
Well then first rifle season came and it was my turn, I could hardly keep my compoture. I got up to camp around 10:00 friday morning and got everything and everyone together and settled in. Around 3:00 that afternoon I grabbed my backpack and headed down to check the area this bull was staying in. I got down in there around 5:30 and heard a bugle but did not go any farther due to the wind being wrong.
Opening morning came and my two boys and I headed out at first light and hunted till around 11:00 when a huge storm moved in on us and justed started pouring rain and sleat. We were about five miles in and decided we would head back. That afternon we hunted a different area due to the road down to were we hunt is a beast and we could not get down there.
Day two had us hunting an easier area due to my wife coming up (she has bad ankles). Again we stayed out till around 12 and not seeing anything we went back to camp. Around 2 my wife and oldest son headed home due to school, while my youngest son and I were getting ready to go hunting for the afternoon (he also had a tag). Due to the commotion my son and I were running late. We loaded up in the bronco and hauled butt down to the spot.
When we got down there it was around 3:30 and I had 6 miles to go to get down to where he was at. I asked my son if itn was ok if he haunted with my buddy and I took off after the bull, he said ok. I decided I would not take my pack and just take the gun, bino's, bullets, and one knife. I hauled butt as hard as I could go to get there in time.
I got down to where I felt I needed to be, I could hardly breathe, and got set up to start scanning with the bino's. I was only there maybe 10-12 minutes when I heard a bugle quite a ways off. I grabbed my gear and headed further down country. I walked maybe another quarter mile when I saw a bull. I threw up the bino's and it was a small but cool 5 point (his antler on the left side grew straight out of the side of his head), so I scanned a littel more and found five more 5 point bulls. I was stll a long ways from them so I started trying to get closer to them (easier said then done with all the open country). It took maybe another 15 minutes to get down where I was as close as I could get. I pulled the bipods down and got setup. I cranked the scope up to 14 power and got comfortable in a prone position and started looking over the bulls.
I had five 5 point bulls out in front of me and watched them for about 10 minutes when a bigger 5 point came out. Then mabe five minutes later some cows started coming out along with an even bigger 5 point. Needless to say I was getting a little excited, then I noticed another bull coming through the trees. It turned out to be the bull, and all of a sudden I could not breathe. I started shaking, which had never happened to me before, as I watched him in the scope walking towards me and looking at those giant 3rd's. He walked out in the middle of this huge clearing and all the smaller bulls moved off. He then turned broadside and I could not keep the crosshairs on him. I did not feel comfortable so I picked up my rifle and moved on the other side of a tree and set back up. I got back in the prone position and tried to get it together, again I could not breathe and started shaking. I got up three more times and walked away from my rifle trying to settle down. After I got back in the rifle, I got the crosshairs back on him and settled down. But now I did not have my range firnder with me and started second guessing myself on the distance. I ended up braking my own rule and putting my second line on my bullistic plex high on his shoulder and shooting over him on the first shot. Then it was on, he wheeled around and stopped, and I put the crosshair behind the shoulder and squoze it off. He did not flinch, but I could see the blood coming down his side. He went about 30 yards and I hit him again, I shot him 4 more times before he tipped over (all within about 45 seconds).
When I got down to him and realized how big he was and a flood af emotions came over me. I had been hunting elk since 1986 and finally took the bull of my dreams in 2006. Now I had taken several great bulls before (that were bulls of my dreams), but nothing of this caliber.
Thanks for letting me tell my story and I hope you enjoy.
Here he is.
