D
Dewfus
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Nov-15-10 AT 07:45AM (MST)[p]Well, the stars aligned and I got my first bull! When I say that the stars aligned, I really mean it too. I drew a Utah LE tag for the North Cache Late hunt with zero points back in the Spring. I've never hunted big game until this year, so when I put in for this hunt, I figured it was simply no more than getting a point for a future hunt. When I drew out I was in shock, ecstatic and semi-bummed at the same time. We have 5 little ones at home and twin 18 month old girls. My wife needs all the help she can get at home, and I knew that me taking off for a week or so on a hunt (my new, very time consuming hobby) would not go over well. I called that one right. On top of that, work is crazy busy and being gone for a week or so would make for a brutal return filled with late nights at the office and on the weekends. So I decided that I'd shoot the first shooter I could and just be happy - I didn't need my first bull to be a monster (but I'd gladly take one!).
I still can't believe I drew the tag. And now I can't believe I got my bull!
I had a hernia repaired about 6 weeks ago, and that wiped out any chance of doing any scouting leading up to the hunt, so I went in pretty much blind, with the exception of a bunch of great advice from some folks her on MM and who I met up with after getting my tag. I can't say how grateful I am to those folks.
I went up to Swan Flats on Thursday night near the Idaho border because I had heard that there were a few bulls up there near the Idaho border. Well, we didn't see any bulls - in fact, didn't see anything at all. There were no tracks in the snow, no signs of life at all. Took my buddy up there on Friday to make sure he agreed with me. Nada. So we decided to hit a different canyon that's right by the parking lot for the Sinks on Saturday (the opener). Nada. Instead we found about 8 hunting groups in the lower portion of canyon, and about 15 moose (1 really close encounter with a cow and her two calves...). We hiked around for a good 7 or 8 miles on Saturday, spooked a couple of deer, in addition to seeing the moose, and that was it.
I had driven around a bit on Friday morning before my buddy got up there, and thought a couple other canyons looked promising, so we decided to go check one of them out Saturday afternoon. We saw nothing, but a few deer. No elk at all. We decided to scramble up a hill to walk the ridgeline and glass down on both sides. We walked that ridge for another few miles, and around 4pm we spotted a herd of about 20 elk another mile or two up the canyon. We didn't have my spotting scope with us, but we could see rack through our binos on 3 of the elk in that herd. So we decided to hoof it back there first thing on Sunday morning.
When we got back got back to the house we were staying at, we looked on maps on Saturday night trying to find a way to get onto some ATV routes that would get us pretty close to that ridge where we saw the herd, but didn't see any way to do so without trespassing on private property. So hoof it we would.
Sunday morning comes and we get up and head out. We drive to our parking spot, and I notice a new road off to the right that wasn't on the maps, so we check it out. I dead ends about 200 yards later, so I turn the truck around and my buddy yells, "There's a bull on that hill!!!!!" I look and all I saw was a silhouette of a rack against morning light. Knowing that everything east of that road was public land, I get out my rifle and put the glass on him. I could tell he wasn't a monster, but he was pretty wide, and he was standing there, broadside, only about 75 yards away. So I pull the trigger. He runs up over the top of the hill. We go park the truck and go hike up to the top of the hill he ran up, and there he is, not 30 yards from where I shot him. I had hit him in the neck and he bled out the second he started running.
Turns out he's a smaller 6x7, and I'm absolutely floored that I got my bull! I have no idea what he scores, and I couldn't care less. His 2nd branches out, and he could have been a 7x7, but a small tine at the back broke off. Big g3's (22 inches), relative to the rest of his rack.
We quartered him up, and carried the quarters, back straps and head down to the truck, which was only 100 yards away. It was too easy.
So, I was only away from the family for 4 days. Away from the office for 2 (but I worked a bunch on Thursday up there). I got a bull. He's no monster, but he's a keeper. I'm going to euro mount him and hang him in the garage (my wife is still not interested in the least in having a mount in the house, and that's a battle I simply could care less about right now).
I owe my buddy, Eric, big time - it was an awesome few days and I'm sad (but glad) it's over. I'm hooked and am definitely going after elk again. I can't wait!
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos/4962010_bull.jpeg
I still can't believe I drew the tag. And now I can't believe I got my bull!
I had a hernia repaired about 6 weeks ago, and that wiped out any chance of doing any scouting leading up to the hunt, so I went in pretty much blind, with the exception of a bunch of great advice from some folks her on MM and who I met up with after getting my tag. I can't say how grateful I am to those folks.
I went up to Swan Flats on Thursday night near the Idaho border because I had heard that there were a few bulls up there near the Idaho border. Well, we didn't see any bulls - in fact, didn't see anything at all. There were no tracks in the snow, no signs of life at all. Took my buddy up there on Friday to make sure he agreed with me. Nada. So we decided to hit a different canyon that's right by the parking lot for the Sinks on Saturday (the opener). Nada. Instead we found about 8 hunting groups in the lower portion of canyon, and about 15 moose (1 really close encounter with a cow and her two calves...). We hiked around for a good 7 or 8 miles on Saturday, spooked a couple of deer, in addition to seeing the moose, and that was it.
I had driven around a bit on Friday morning before my buddy got up there, and thought a couple other canyons looked promising, so we decided to go check one of them out Saturday afternoon. We saw nothing, but a few deer. No elk at all. We decided to scramble up a hill to walk the ridgeline and glass down on both sides. We walked that ridge for another few miles, and around 4pm we spotted a herd of about 20 elk another mile or two up the canyon. We didn't have my spotting scope with us, but we could see rack through our binos on 3 of the elk in that herd. So we decided to hoof it back there first thing on Sunday morning.
When we got back got back to the house we were staying at, we looked on maps on Saturday night trying to find a way to get onto some ATV routes that would get us pretty close to that ridge where we saw the herd, but didn't see any way to do so without trespassing on private property. So hoof it we would.
Sunday morning comes and we get up and head out. We drive to our parking spot, and I notice a new road off to the right that wasn't on the maps, so we check it out. I dead ends about 200 yards later, so I turn the truck around and my buddy yells, "There's a bull on that hill!!!!!" I look and all I saw was a silhouette of a rack against morning light. Knowing that everything east of that road was public land, I get out my rifle and put the glass on him. I could tell he wasn't a monster, but he was pretty wide, and he was standing there, broadside, only about 75 yards away. So I pull the trigger. He runs up over the top of the hill. We go park the truck and go hike up to the top of the hill he ran up, and there he is, not 30 yards from where I shot him. I had hit him in the neck and he bled out the second he started running.
Turns out he's a smaller 6x7, and I'm absolutely floored that I got my bull! I have no idea what he scores, and I couldn't care less. His 2nd branches out, and he could have been a 7x7, but a small tine at the back broke off. Big g3's (22 inches), relative to the rest of his rack.
We quartered him up, and carried the quarters, back straps and head down to the truck, which was only 100 yards away. It was too easy.
So, I was only away from the family for 4 days. Away from the office for 2 (but I worked a bunch on Thursday up there). I got a bull. He's no monster, but he's a keeper. I'm going to euro mount him and hang him in the garage (my wife is still not interested in the least in having a mount in the house, and that's a battle I simply could care less about right now).
I owe my buddy, Eric, big time - it was an awesome few days and I'm sad (but glad) it's over. I'm hooked and am definitely going after elk again. I can't wait!
http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos/4962010_bull.jpeg
