F
fishfearme
Guest
This is my "Trophy" from the early rifle season.
Here is my story>
In February 2010, when it was time to apply for big game hunts, I was unemployed and did not know if I would have a job by elk hunting season and if I did if I would have any vacation time to be able to hunt. Since I had maximum points for elk and I ?m not getting any younger, I decided to put in for something rather than buy a bonus point. For most of the last 17 years I have been putting in for Pahvant early rifle. As a max point holder I was almost certain to draw an early rifle tag, but because of all the uncertainty in my life, I decided to put in for the Pahvant Premium tag thinking I had the least chance of drawing the premium tag.
Much to my surprise I drew the tag and by May I had landed a good job with enough flexibility to allow me at least some time to hunt. My new job requires a lot of out of state travel and I found I was not able to put the time in to scout as much as I needed to. In fact I was only able to make one scouting trip in July. We saw some nice bulls, but I was not confident I knew the area enough to hunt it as well as a Pahvant tag deserves.
About that time Shane Scott of High top Outfitters made me an offer I couldn't refuse, and I booked them for a 5 day early rifle hunt (I'm not a bow hunter).
For the early hunt I was hunting with Royce Stevens. On the early rifle opener we were right in the middle of a bunch of bugling bulls in very thick country. We saw a couple of bulls but nothing to shoot at. On Monday morning we were right in the middle of them again and saw lots of bulls but no shooters. On Monday evening the bulls were really active and bugling all around us. AS I was working my way through the quakes I fell and hurt my ankle. I got right up and tried to walk it off, but it wasn?t feeling any better. As I was trying to walk the bulls were going wild all around us. We got word on the radio that there was a 370 and a 380 bull up ahead of us, but by that time I was moving pretty slowly. It wasn?t long before my priority changed from elk to how am I going to get myself out of there.
To make a long story short, after a two hour hike, covering about 1 ? miles, my buddy was able to get an ATV in to me and drove me out. A trip to the emergency room revealed I had broken my leg just above the ankle. That ended my early rifle hunt. I spent the next month in a cast and on crutches and the following month in a walking boot. I got the OK to lose the boot on Wednesday, 3 days before the start of the late rifle hunt. The leg felt OK for light duty but I was apprehensive about doing much heavy hunting on it, especially with the snow that had recently fallen.
For the late hunt I was hunting with Shane Scott. On the Thursday before the hunt Shane had seen a nice bull in an area not too far from the road. Upon seeing video of the bull we decided that if we could find him again, I would take him. Early Saturday morning we found him still in his bed, worked into position and took a 415 yard shot. I rocked him hard with the first shot and I thought for sure he was done for, but he got up and started walking I hit him again with my 3rd shot and he went down again and even laid his head down in the snow, but got up again. My 5th shot finally put him down for good.
I could not be happier with my bull. He had great mass, a beautiful front end, and huge 3?s. He?s going to look good on my wall.
