The perfect season!
- Thread starter Carnage2011
- Start date
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Congrats to your wife for keeping her composure, that's a wow bull..... congrats too both of you on a well earned trophy, may I ask your wife's draw and weight she pulls and the weight of her arrows, my wife is wanting to up her game to an elk also, she has deer and antelope under her belt with her bow, she has a 23" draw and pulls 46 lbs with 400 gr. arrows,
Matt
Matt
teamhoyt
Well-known member
Just awesome, congratulations to both of you! Btw it's tomorrow.....on with the story!
MTHunter1321
Well-known member
Congrats! That is an amazing bull. There's nothing better than sharing a hunt with a loved one, especially a successful one!
Carnage2011
Well-known member
Yep, those are his sheds from last year. He grew about 50" in a year, including 9" on each beam.
Carnage2011
Well-known member
Duck Slayer, my wife is shooting a Hoyt Turbohawk at 52lbs. She has a 25 or 25.5" draw length...I can't remember for sure. I also can't remember her arrow setup off the top of my head. I know she is shooting Easton Axis arrows and 100gr. Slick Trick Viper Tricks, but can't recall the overall weight. I'll try and get that to you.
Carnage2011
Well-known member
Thanks for all the compliments guys! I'll try and get the rest of the story up shortly.
Carnage2011
Well-known member
With goal number one already achieved it was time for me to spend a little time bowhunting for myself. My father doesn’t bow hunt at all, so I had a few weeks before I would be able to get him out.
I took a week off work from Sept. 12-16th and packed into an area that usually has some awesome archery hunting. This year was different though and I struggled to have any great action. I had a good friend along and we put on many miles looking for a good bull, but only had one close encounter during the week and it didn’t pan out.
A week later I tried a different area by myself and called a mature 6 point into 29 yards, but didn’t feel comfortable with the head-on shot. I was hoping he would turn slightly and give me an opportunity, but he did a 180 and headed out. A great encounter and another nice more in the hills.
As rifle season got closer I was able to locate a good bull where I typically hunt opening day. He had a nice group of cows and very few people make it in there so I figured he would be there opening day. On opening morning my dad, a friend of mine, and I headed up the trail about 4:00AM hoping to be in the basin at gray light. We timed it perfect and were coming over the last knob just as we could see. I put my dad in a spot where I figured the elk would roll through and me my buddy headed for the top to see what we could locate.
Just as we hit the top we heard gun shots back where my dad was at. I hustled to get to where I could see him and sure enough, there stood a herd of cows 125 yards in front of him. I watched the elk move off and then slipped back down to see what the verdict was. He explained that there was a big 6 point with them, but he thought he’d gotten too excited and missed. We hiked over and checked for blood just to be safe, but he was correct, he had missed the bull. No big deal! I was confident that more elk would show as the day went on. I waived my buddy back down and decided that we would sit with my dad in hopes of seeing him shoot an elk sometime that day.
A couple hours had gone by and we were just heating up a few mountain house meals when we could hear shots fired just over the mountain. Shortly after we watched a herd of cows come over the top and run right to us. I told my dad that if he wanted to shoot one that was fine, but I really thought I could put him on a bull. He elected to pass and we enjoyed some spaghetti.
I finished eating and decided to sneak over to a small rim about 100 yards below us and see what might be hanging in there. Just as I peaked over I saw two bulls out grazing! I slipped back from the edge and waived my friend and dad over. I got a range of 376 for my dad and told him to get comfortable. He settled in behind the crosshairs and said “I’m on him, can I shoot?” I told him he was free to shoot and he touched one off. The bull took one step and tipped over. Bull down! We grabbed our gear and headed over to admire the bull. He was by no means the biggest bull around, but that didn’t matter at all. He was perfect for my dad and he couldn’t have been happier.
We got some pictures and started breaking the bull down. It took us a couple hours to bone everything out and get loaded up. My dad is 55 and is considered disabled by the military. He served 21 years in the Marines, and he has 60% range of motion in his ankles. We tried to take it easy on him, but he still ended up with the backstraps, tenderloins, and the head. My buddy and I each took a front and a hind and headed down the trail. We rolled out of there and reached the truck just before dark.
We didn’t see a single person in that area opening day, which made it that much better. It was a hunt that neither of us will ever forget. My dad didn’t start hunting until seven or eight years ago. Since then some of our greatest memories have come in the outdoors. Another goal down, and a Colorado deer hunt coming up rapidly!
I took a week off work from Sept. 12-16th and packed into an area that usually has some awesome archery hunting. This year was different though and I struggled to have any great action. I had a good friend along and we put on many miles looking for a good bull, but only had one close encounter during the week and it didn’t pan out.
A week later I tried a different area by myself and called a mature 6 point into 29 yards, but didn’t feel comfortable with the head-on shot. I was hoping he would turn slightly and give me an opportunity, but he did a 180 and headed out. A great encounter and another nice more in the hills.
As rifle season got closer I was able to locate a good bull where I typically hunt opening day. He had a nice group of cows and very few people make it in there so I figured he would be there opening day. On opening morning my dad, a friend of mine, and I headed up the trail about 4:00AM hoping to be in the basin at gray light. We timed it perfect and were coming over the last knob just as we could see. I put my dad in a spot where I figured the elk would roll through and me my buddy headed for the top to see what we could locate.
Just as we hit the top we heard gun shots back where my dad was at. I hustled to get to where I could see him and sure enough, there stood a herd of cows 125 yards in front of him. I watched the elk move off and then slipped back down to see what the verdict was. He explained that there was a big 6 point with them, but he thought he’d gotten too excited and missed. We hiked over and checked for blood just to be safe, but he was correct, he had missed the bull. No big deal! I was confident that more elk would show as the day went on. I waived my buddy back down and decided that we would sit with my dad in hopes of seeing him shoot an elk sometime that day.
A couple hours had gone by and we were just heating up a few mountain house meals when we could hear shots fired just over the mountain. Shortly after we watched a herd of cows come over the top and run right to us. I told my dad that if he wanted to shoot one that was fine, but I really thought I could put him on a bull. He elected to pass and we enjoyed some spaghetti.
I finished eating and decided to sneak over to a small rim about 100 yards below us and see what might be hanging in there. Just as I peaked over I saw two bulls out grazing! I slipped back from the edge and waived my friend and dad over. I got a range of 376 for my dad and told him to get comfortable. He settled in behind the crosshairs and said “I’m on him, can I shoot?” I told him he was free to shoot and he touched one off. The bull took one step and tipped over. Bull down! We grabbed our gear and headed over to admire the bull. He was by no means the biggest bull around, but that didn’t matter at all. He was perfect for my dad and he couldn’t have been happier.
We got some pictures and started breaking the bull down. It took us a couple hours to bone everything out and get loaded up. My dad is 55 and is considered disabled by the military. He served 21 years in the Marines, and he has 60% range of motion in his ankles. We tried to take it easy on him, but he still ended up with the backstraps, tenderloins, and the head. My buddy and I each took a front and a hind and headed down the trail. We rolled out of there and reached the truck just before dark.
We didn’t see a single person in that area opening day, which made it that much better. It was a hunt that neither of us will ever forget. My dad didn’t start hunting until seven or eight years ago. Since then some of our greatest memories have come in the outdoors. Another goal down, and a Colorado deer hunt coming up rapidly!
TripleJ
New member
Awesome!
sra61
Member
Nice Bull! Mass! Congratulations!
Idahoarcheryhunter
Well-known member
cool bull! congratulations, turning into a great thread to follow
Southern Elk
Well-known member
Congrats! Looking forward to the rest of the story.
Carnage2011
Well-known member
Loaded and pointed South! We left for Colorado on Thursday the 3rd and the season was set to open on the 5th. My Uncle (Scott), myself and a bestfriend (Joe) rolled into our camping spot at 2am and decided to get some sleep instead of unpack everything and setup camp. We got a few short hours of sleep as we wanted to be spotting the next morning at daylight. The morning produced few deer sightings, and the afternoon hit 70 degrees! We got camp put together and started to evaluate some maps. I had done all the research for this hunt, and had a few points of interest that I wanted to spot that night. We all split up and headed for the areas that we agreed to go to spot for the night. A few deer were spotted, but nothing that we were looking for.
Opening day proved to be fairly uneventful. Between all three guys we spotted around 50 deer, but only a few small bucks. Days 2 and 3 were about the same, and this was starting to look like a tougher hunt than I’d expected. All of us have hunted a lot, and were still very confident that we would find a few good bucks before it was over, but that little bit of doubt tends to creep in when you haven’t seen a 4 point yet!
On day 4 we decided to spot some lower ground together and see what it might hold. There’s a lot of private on the lower stuff, but it has small chunks of public that run up into it. Shortly after daylight Joe spotted a great buck beaded in some oak brush. It was an incredible spot, he literally picked the deer out by the white on his muzzle. We sized the deer up and felt that he would push 180”. I spent the next 20 minutes trying to determine if he was on private or public. It was close, but I thought he was on public, but only by 100 yards or so. We made a game plan and headed after him. There were two strings up public, one that was about a 3 mile hike and one that was about 7 miles. The two were separated by a strip of private that was ½ mile wide and 4-5 miles long. Scott decided he would head up the shorter piece and Joe and I would take the longer hike. Joe and I made fairly good time and popped out where we thought the buck might be about an hour before dark. Unfortunately the buck was on the other section of public about 1000 yards away. The private was in between us and him and there was nothing we could do about it. The only hope was that Scott would be able to get in range! Joe and I hunted our way off the mountain, but never seen another good buck that night. About 2 hours after dark we rolled into camp, and Scott wasn’t back yet. That gave us a little hope, but he arrived shortly later and explained that he never made it to the buck. A good day and a shooter buck spotted at least!
The next day Joe and Scott went together and I headed to a tiny chunk of public that I thought might be over looked. At daylight I spotted a big deer coming right at me, but he was still on the private. He made his way onto the hillside I was on and I lost sight of him. I decided to still hunt my way towards where he was headed in hopes of getting a shot. Long story short, I found him but the only shot opportunity was his head, or his back hips…..that wasn’t going to happen for this guy. He took off running and I never got a clear shooting lane. I decided to spot my way back towards camp and cook myself a good lunch.
When I arrived at camp all of Scotts gear was there except for his pack, game bags, and rifle! Perfect! I was sure that he had shot something and decided to spend my day around camp cleaning up and waiting for them to show. Shortly after dark they rolled in and there was no deer with them. They explained that they had seen a giant that morning and went after him, but he never showed that night. Scott was torn up. He didn’t say ten words all night. I think his only sentence was….”I’ve been waiting my whole life to see a deer like that, we’ve got to find him.” They asked me if I would come along in the morning and help them out. Damn right!
We were behind the spotters at daylight and I found the buck right away. He’d moved down the range about a mile and was with another great 4 point and 15-20 does. We drove to the end of the road and started up the trailhead. The bucks were on a big open face that had burned in the last few years. It was going to be virtually impossible to get within 400 yards, but that was our goal. I told Scott that he had first shot, and that Joe would back him up. They had found the deer, and I was just along to direct traffic and take ranges. We got to the last knob before it opened up and snuck to the top of it. The deer had moved up the ridge towards their bed, and were staring a hole in us. I told Scott and Joe to get setup. I ranged the big buck at 588 and dialed Scotts scope to 10 minutes. He was shooting my gun, as it is built for long range and we practice with it out to 1000 yards all the time (My farthest animal with it is 208 yards). ..I’m not looking to shoot long ranges, but this was our only option. Joe was to my left and said he was ready when Scott was. Scott shot and the buck didn’t move, but does were running everywhere. Joe was right behind him and the big buck dropped in his tracks! I told Scott “Sorry man, you missed, but Joe, hell of a shot.” We started the hike towards the deer and you could tell Scott’s heart was in his socks. Joe was the first one up and I was about 10 feet behind him….Scott meanwhile was about 50 yards down the hill. I seen Joe throw up his binos and turn around with a big grin on his face. “Hey Scott, I wouldn’t screw with you on this one…..there are two dead bucks right here!” Scott came running up the mountain to see that he had actually shot the wrong deer! He’d killed the big 4 point that was with the big buck. The two bucks were laying 15’ apart, and they had both dropped in their tracks. Apparently Joe and I were so focused on his buck that we didn’t even see the buck Scott was shooting. And Scott swears he never seen the buck Joe was shooting. I guess everything happens for a reason!
We took a ton of pictures and proceeded to break down the deer and pack them off the mountain. All of us were ecstatic from the days hunt, and hit the crown a little hard that night at camp. The next two days were spent up on those high peaks chasing a few other great bucks. I never sealed the deal, but it didn’t bother me at all. We’d had the hunt of a lifetime and Scott had killed the buck of his dreams. All 3 of my goals were now complete.
I didn’t fire a shot this year, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The memories of this year will live on for a long time.
Opening day proved to be fairly uneventful. Between all three guys we spotted around 50 deer, but only a few small bucks. Days 2 and 3 were about the same, and this was starting to look like a tougher hunt than I’d expected. All of us have hunted a lot, and were still very confident that we would find a few good bucks before it was over, but that little bit of doubt tends to creep in when you haven’t seen a 4 point yet!
On day 4 we decided to spot some lower ground together and see what it might hold. There’s a lot of private on the lower stuff, but it has small chunks of public that run up into it. Shortly after daylight Joe spotted a great buck beaded in some oak brush. It was an incredible spot, he literally picked the deer out by the white on his muzzle. We sized the deer up and felt that he would push 180”. I spent the next 20 minutes trying to determine if he was on private or public. It was close, but I thought he was on public, but only by 100 yards or so. We made a game plan and headed after him. There were two strings up public, one that was about a 3 mile hike and one that was about 7 miles. The two were separated by a strip of private that was ½ mile wide and 4-5 miles long. Scott decided he would head up the shorter piece and Joe and I would take the longer hike. Joe and I made fairly good time and popped out where we thought the buck might be about an hour before dark. Unfortunately the buck was on the other section of public about 1000 yards away. The private was in between us and him and there was nothing we could do about it. The only hope was that Scott would be able to get in range! Joe and I hunted our way off the mountain, but never seen another good buck that night. About 2 hours after dark we rolled into camp, and Scott wasn’t back yet. That gave us a little hope, but he arrived shortly later and explained that he never made it to the buck. A good day and a shooter buck spotted at least!
The next day Joe and Scott went together and I headed to a tiny chunk of public that I thought might be over looked. At daylight I spotted a big deer coming right at me, but he was still on the private. He made his way onto the hillside I was on and I lost sight of him. I decided to still hunt my way towards where he was headed in hopes of getting a shot. Long story short, I found him but the only shot opportunity was his head, or his back hips…..that wasn’t going to happen for this guy. He took off running and I never got a clear shooting lane. I decided to spot my way back towards camp and cook myself a good lunch.
When I arrived at camp all of Scotts gear was there except for his pack, game bags, and rifle! Perfect! I was sure that he had shot something and decided to spend my day around camp cleaning up and waiting for them to show. Shortly after dark they rolled in and there was no deer with them. They explained that they had seen a giant that morning and went after him, but he never showed that night. Scott was torn up. He didn’t say ten words all night. I think his only sentence was….”I’ve been waiting my whole life to see a deer like that, we’ve got to find him.” They asked me if I would come along in the morning and help them out. Damn right!
We were behind the spotters at daylight and I found the buck right away. He’d moved down the range about a mile and was with another great 4 point and 15-20 does. We drove to the end of the road and started up the trailhead. The bucks were on a big open face that had burned in the last few years. It was going to be virtually impossible to get within 400 yards, but that was our goal. I told Scott that he had first shot, and that Joe would back him up. They had found the deer, and I was just along to direct traffic and take ranges. We got to the last knob before it opened up and snuck to the top of it. The deer had moved up the ridge towards their bed, and were staring a hole in us. I told Scott and Joe to get setup. I ranged the big buck at 588 and dialed Scotts scope to 10 minutes. He was shooting my gun, as it is built for long range and we practice with it out to 1000 yards all the time (My farthest animal with it is 208 yards). ..I’m not looking to shoot long ranges, but this was our only option. Joe was to my left and said he was ready when Scott was. Scott shot and the buck didn’t move, but does were running everywhere. Joe was right behind him and the big buck dropped in his tracks! I told Scott “Sorry man, you missed, but Joe, hell of a shot.” We started the hike towards the deer and you could tell Scott’s heart was in his socks. Joe was the first one up and I was about 10 feet behind him….Scott meanwhile was about 50 yards down the hill. I seen Joe throw up his binos and turn around with a big grin on his face. “Hey Scott, I wouldn’t screw with you on this one…..there are two dead bucks right here!” Scott came running up the mountain to see that he had actually shot the wrong deer! He’d killed the big 4 point that was with the big buck. The two bucks were laying 15’ apart, and they had both dropped in their tracks. Apparently Joe and I were so focused on his buck that we didn’t even see the buck Scott was shooting. And Scott swears he never seen the buck Joe was shooting. I guess everything happens for a reason!
We took a ton of pictures and proceeded to break down the deer and pack them off the mountain. All of us were ecstatic from the days hunt, and hit the crown a little hard that night at camp. The next two days were spent up on those high peaks chasing a few other great bucks. I never sealed the deal, but it didn’t bother me at all. We’d had the hunt of a lifetime and Scott had killed the buck of his dreams. All 3 of my goals were now complete.
I didn’t fire a shot this year, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The memories of this year will live on for a long time.
Attachments
MTHunter1321
Well-known member
WOW! Those are 2 bucks of a lifetime! You sure had an epic season, congrats!
Montana4Life
Member
Fantastic write-up. Those are two beautiful bucks!!! Thanks for sharing.
This is a heck of a thread!
This is a heck of a thread!
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Don't blame ya one bit...appropriate summation.
Point Creep
Well-known member
That's some awesome buck and bull! Congrats.
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