BuzzH
Well-known member
Pat got a nice bull today, her second ever elk.
Like me, she would rather hunt pronghorns and deer.
I spent the last 3 mornings looking around for elk and saw over 50 bulls in those 3 mornings. The best one I found was a busted up bull that had a great frame and one side was complete. The problem was the other side was missing about 20 inches from 3 of the 6 points.
I found one particular bunch of 11 bulls that had 5 good 6 points in some country that nobody else was looking in. Not really classic elk country and the bulls were only staying out in a visible spot for about 30 minutes right after light.
I came up with a plan and we were in position at daylight. Right away we found the elk, but it was all the smaller bulls. Its funny how you watch animals do the same thing for 2 days, then the day you hunt them they change it up. That's hunting though. On a hunch I thought maybe we had walked past the better bulls. So, I edged around a lightly timbered ridge and looked across at about 120 yards and saw a nice 6 point standing there. I backed up quick, hoping I hadn't been busted. With the wind blowing 35-50 MPH all day, he had no clue and didn't see me. I pointed him out to Pat, but he was standing behind a pine tree and she couldn't see him that well. Finally he turned around and walked out from behind the tree, but just as quickly, he moved back behind it and bedded. Luckily he bedded broadside but from out position you could only see the back half of him or so. We slowly edged downhill until Pat could see the shoulder. She asked where she should shoot him and I said, "right on the point of the shoulder, through the heart".
Pat got settled in, took a few deep breaths and slowly squeezed the trigger. Perfect shot, but the bull stood up and slowly stumbled forward. I told her to shoot him again in the same spot, and she hit him again about 2 inches from the first shot. The bull staggered about 5 yards and flopped over dead.
The 7-08 and 140 accubonds continue to impress me.
We walked up to Pats second ever bull and this is how he was laying:
Another look, with Pat and her elk:
One more:
Recovered one of the 2 bullets just under the hide just in front of the off-side shoulder.
Like me, she would rather hunt pronghorns and deer.
I spent the last 3 mornings looking around for elk and saw over 50 bulls in those 3 mornings. The best one I found was a busted up bull that had a great frame and one side was complete. The problem was the other side was missing about 20 inches from 3 of the 6 points.
I found one particular bunch of 11 bulls that had 5 good 6 points in some country that nobody else was looking in. Not really classic elk country and the bulls were only staying out in a visible spot for about 30 minutes right after light.
I came up with a plan and we were in position at daylight. Right away we found the elk, but it was all the smaller bulls. Its funny how you watch animals do the same thing for 2 days, then the day you hunt them they change it up. That's hunting though. On a hunch I thought maybe we had walked past the better bulls. So, I edged around a lightly timbered ridge and looked across at about 120 yards and saw a nice 6 point standing there. I backed up quick, hoping I hadn't been busted. With the wind blowing 35-50 MPH all day, he had no clue and didn't see me. I pointed him out to Pat, but he was standing behind a pine tree and she couldn't see him that well. Finally he turned around and walked out from behind the tree, but just as quickly, he moved back behind it and bedded. Luckily he bedded broadside but from out position you could only see the back half of him or so. We slowly edged downhill until Pat could see the shoulder. She asked where she should shoot him and I said, "right on the point of the shoulder, through the heart".
Pat got settled in, took a few deep breaths and slowly squeezed the trigger. Perfect shot, but the bull stood up and slowly stumbled forward. I told her to shoot him again in the same spot, and she hit him again about 2 inches from the first shot. The bull staggered about 5 yards and flopped over dead.
The 7-08 and 140 accubonds continue to impress me.
We walked up to Pats second ever bull and this is how he was laying:
Another look, with Pat and her elk:
One more:
Recovered one of the 2 bullets just under the hide just in front of the off-side shoulder.
