So in 2015 I arrowed what I thought was the bull of my lifetime. You can find that story here, and he's the bull in my avatar, for now, and landed me on the cover of "Elk Hunter Magazine" last fall.
https://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?265305-The-Bull-of-my-Lifetime/page1
http://i.imgur.com/Csmxb8O.jpg
Cool, that's all fine and dandy. I'll try to keep this brief.
In 2014 I hunted a certain bull for a week. General Wyoming elk tag. Public land. I missed him once when he came in silent to about 3 yards and busted across the meadow. Stopping him, I misjudged the yardage and missed low. I then had him in my rifle scope twice in the timber during rifle season, but couldn't get a shot off. I estimated him at 330" or so and 5 or 6 years old. He glunked like crazy and was a 6x7.
I'd had another opportunity at a similar bull years earlier with my bow and actually wounded him. Still don't know why he didn't die. Or how.
In 2015 I drew a tag and killed the bull above.
In 2016 I went and backpacked in with a buddy. Was able to kill a 280" or so 6 point on Labor Day weekend.
2017 - did the same early backpacking trip and struck out. Had September 8th through 12th here in Wyoming before heading to Arizona (yes I drew an arizona elk tag too). My thoughts were "well I'm solo. I'm going to do day trips around basecamp where I know I can get elk out of even in the early September heat." Plan A was the hole I chased the big 6x7 around in 2014. Besides him, it always seemed to hold a big mature bull.
The evening of September 8th I hear a bugle resonate down the mountain I'm on from the very top. I'm not too far down it, as it's a feeding area with rolling meadows broken by pine benches. I look up there and see a calf, and to it's right a big, black neck 400 yards away from me. Focusing on that black neck I see him tilt his head and let out a bugle. All I see is a huge frame and I'm off! One big circle later I've got 8 cows and him all within 50 yards. Everything is feeding through one big shooting lane with him in tow. A 6x7 that is almost constantly glunking..... hmmmmmm. 5 cows have fed through already with an absolute perfect wind, when a bark startles me. I look over to see him up on my bench staring at me then quickly wheeling and taking the whole herd down the mountain. Stopping once to look back and give me one last look at him. A flat out giant bull.
I sat in the rocks for 15 minutes wondering if I'll ever have what it takes to kill one of these general season monarchs. The most bad ass animal in all the world in my opinion. I decided right then to stay after him. He didn't smell me, didn't hear me, and didn't even really see me. He just saw an upright figure at 40 yards that he must have known was human.
No sights or sounds of him on September 9th or the morning of September 10th. The evening of September 10th I had planned on not bugling or cow calling at all. I was trying to treat this like a special ops mission and I figured if I could make sure he was still in the area that night, I could have a good shot at him on my last day in Wyoming for 3 weeks. As the sun set I got desperate and let out a bugle. Then another. Nothing. Just as I'm about to head down the mountain to the truck a big, throaty bugle rips off BEHIND ME.
Before I know it I'm sprinting through the forest as I know it's him. The sun has set and I need to cover 400 yards in a hurry! As I get to the same crest of the same hill I had blown him off of two days before, a rag horn comes out at 120 yards. "No way that's the bugle I just heard" I thought. Right then the king lets out another followed by glunking. GAME ON!
I started to move forward, in site of the raghorn, praying he was an outcast. He was. He simply slowly trotted the opposite direction as my boy. Getting to right where that raghorn came out I spotted a cow. Being on the crest of that mountain nothing was behind me. I was skylined. I sat down next to a giant spruce tree upon seeing her at 20 yards and somehow she didn't see me. I clipped my release (arrow previously knocked) and shuffled on my knees so that I was ready for the bull who had to be following her. That's when she spotted me. Stopping dead in her tracks I knew I was moments away from the gig being up. Right then the king let out a pissed off bugle since his woman wasn't following orders. She was to my left and this bugle came from my right. hes sprinting right at me with his head a foot off the ground and that cow turned her attention to him. She sprinted in front of me at less then 10 yards going left to right and as the bull turned to cut her off I drew my bow and let out the best cow sounds I could muster. He made it through one shooting lane and stopped with his shoulder blocked by a pine tree in the second lane. I leaned back until I could see the crease, guessed him for 35, and let it fly.
The hit sounded soft and I saw my arrow sticking out what looked to be perfect as he wheeled. I cow called more and heard the crashing stop. Then one big crash followed by coughing. A 320-330" bull appears out of no where and walks right to the last place I saw my bull disappear. After threatening to shoot him too if he bumped my bull, he gave a long high pitched bugle as if to say "there's a new sheriff in town".
After all the elk disappear I hear groaning coming from the same spot. Then I hear growling like I've never heard before. It's resonating through the timber and giving the now dark mountain a very eerie feel! After the groaning I knew he had to be done. I followed the blood trail 40 short yards and let the one man celebration begin. Laughing, crying, praying, yelling....I had no control for a few minutes. But I had done it.
Sorry that wasn't brief. A magical night in the elk woods that I KNOW will never be topped. To experience all of that that night was truly remarkable and a hope everyone gets a chance like that one day.
http://imgur.com/MrUBIVi
http://imgur.com/5lfW8eW
https://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?265305-The-Bull-of-my-Lifetime/page1
http://i.imgur.com/Csmxb8O.jpg
Cool, that's all fine and dandy. I'll try to keep this brief.
In 2014 I hunted a certain bull for a week. General Wyoming elk tag. Public land. I missed him once when he came in silent to about 3 yards and busted across the meadow. Stopping him, I misjudged the yardage and missed low. I then had him in my rifle scope twice in the timber during rifle season, but couldn't get a shot off. I estimated him at 330" or so and 5 or 6 years old. He glunked like crazy and was a 6x7.
I'd had another opportunity at a similar bull years earlier with my bow and actually wounded him. Still don't know why he didn't die. Or how.
In 2015 I drew a tag and killed the bull above.
In 2016 I went and backpacked in with a buddy. Was able to kill a 280" or so 6 point on Labor Day weekend.
2017 - did the same early backpacking trip and struck out. Had September 8th through 12th here in Wyoming before heading to Arizona (yes I drew an arizona elk tag too). My thoughts were "well I'm solo. I'm going to do day trips around basecamp where I know I can get elk out of even in the early September heat." Plan A was the hole I chased the big 6x7 around in 2014. Besides him, it always seemed to hold a big mature bull.
The evening of September 8th I hear a bugle resonate down the mountain I'm on from the very top. I'm not too far down it, as it's a feeding area with rolling meadows broken by pine benches. I look up there and see a calf, and to it's right a big, black neck 400 yards away from me. Focusing on that black neck I see him tilt his head and let out a bugle. All I see is a huge frame and I'm off! One big circle later I've got 8 cows and him all within 50 yards. Everything is feeding through one big shooting lane with him in tow. A 6x7 that is almost constantly glunking..... hmmmmmm. 5 cows have fed through already with an absolute perfect wind, when a bark startles me. I look over to see him up on my bench staring at me then quickly wheeling and taking the whole herd down the mountain. Stopping once to look back and give me one last look at him. A flat out giant bull.
I sat in the rocks for 15 minutes wondering if I'll ever have what it takes to kill one of these general season monarchs. The most bad ass animal in all the world in my opinion. I decided right then to stay after him. He didn't smell me, didn't hear me, and didn't even really see me. He just saw an upright figure at 40 yards that he must have known was human.
No sights or sounds of him on September 9th or the morning of September 10th. The evening of September 10th I had planned on not bugling or cow calling at all. I was trying to treat this like a special ops mission and I figured if I could make sure he was still in the area that night, I could have a good shot at him on my last day in Wyoming for 3 weeks. As the sun set I got desperate and let out a bugle. Then another. Nothing. Just as I'm about to head down the mountain to the truck a big, throaty bugle rips off BEHIND ME.
Before I know it I'm sprinting through the forest as I know it's him. The sun has set and I need to cover 400 yards in a hurry! As I get to the same crest of the same hill I had blown him off of two days before, a rag horn comes out at 120 yards. "No way that's the bugle I just heard" I thought. Right then the king lets out another followed by glunking. GAME ON!
I started to move forward, in site of the raghorn, praying he was an outcast. He was. He simply slowly trotted the opposite direction as my boy. Getting to right where that raghorn came out I spotted a cow. Being on the crest of that mountain nothing was behind me. I was skylined. I sat down next to a giant spruce tree upon seeing her at 20 yards and somehow she didn't see me. I clipped my release (arrow previously knocked) and shuffled on my knees so that I was ready for the bull who had to be following her. That's when she spotted me. Stopping dead in her tracks I knew I was moments away from the gig being up. Right then the king let out a pissed off bugle since his woman wasn't following orders. She was to my left and this bugle came from my right. hes sprinting right at me with his head a foot off the ground and that cow turned her attention to him. She sprinted in front of me at less then 10 yards going left to right and as the bull turned to cut her off I drew my bow and let out the best cow sounds I could muster. He made it through one shooting lane and stopped with his shoulder blocked by a pine tree in the second lane. I leaned back until I could see the crease, guessed him for 35, and let it fly.
The hit sounded soft and I saw my arrow sticking out what looked to be perfect as he wheeled. I cow called more and heard the crashing stop. Then one big crash followed by coughing. A 320-330" bull appears out of no where and walks right to the last place I saw my bull disappear. After threatening to shoot him too if he bumped my bull, he gave a long high pitched bugle as if to say "there's a new sheriff in town".
After all the elk disappear I hear groaning coming from the same spot. Then I hear growling like I've never heard before. It's resonating through the timber and giving the now dark mountain a very eerie feel! After the groaning I knew he had to be done. I followed the blood trail 40 short yards and let the one man celebration begin. Laughing, crying, praying, yelling....I had no control for a few minutes. But I had done it.
Sorry that wasn't brief. A magical night in the elk woods that I KNOW will never be topped. To experience all of that that night was truly remarkable and a hope everyone gets a chance like that one day.
http://imgur.com/MrUBIVi
http://imgur.com/5lfW8eW
