Ok so maybe now I can tell a little better story.
This like I said was a mostly solo hunt. That being said I did have help in oter ways. I got a lot of info From good people and a few state agencies.
My brother drew this tag last year and he chose to hunter water also. Long story short. He missed a huge 370 bull and sat 14 more days waiting for him to caome in again. he never did. He ended up killing a 330 bull befor the season ended.
So i spent many days scouting from early june til the hunt. I hiked a tone and set up a few trail cams. None of my cames produced anything worth while. so with a week left I decided to take a gamble and set up my blind on the water Dirk sat last year, even though it only had a rag horn 5 using it.
I was hunting the portion of the unit with the least amount of elk. but better genes and less people.
Days one and two all I han was a couple of deer and more cattle than I wanted to see! Very frustraiting! D
Day three I was half asleep at 8 a.m. when I hear a cow call. I am snapped back to reality. I look through the ceders and see elk. Then a flash of horns. 20 cows\calfs come in and a little 4pt bull. thought for sure there would be a bigger one.
Day four i have several caow come in and a rag horn 6pt. fun to see at 20 yrds. but not the bull for me.
Day 5 and six I have several cows on water and both days I had a 300" 6pt at 25 yrds!! It was all I could do to pass him twice. Having never killed a bull before. A 300" bull at 25 yrds looks pretty good.
Days 7-9 were the worst of all. very little action and extremely fickle winds and rain!
I was not planning on hunting labor day weekend. My wife was out of town and I was being dad. I get a call at noon on sat the 3rd. my brother had gon out and checked my trail cam he says I need to come hunt. he will watch my little girl. There was a big 7pt on water the two previous mornings.
Sweet! I am pumped! I am in my blind by 4:30. At 7:00 I head foot steps coming in but can't see what it is. I ready myself and out walks my bull. He is 30 yrds looking down the canyon at some cattle. I double check an make sure that he is not the smaller bull I passed earlier. NOPE! I was thinking he was a different bull I had been seeing that never came in. but he wasn't. So I lean back, go on auto pilot and smoke him at 30rds slightly down hill. Shot enters perfect (a touch high) and then my arrow blows out the back side!! he struggled to make it the 40yrds to where he went down.
So I call my brother and he rounds up the troops hence the other 5%. they were able to make it to me by 9:30 and we were all done taking care of him by 1:30 a.m.
The pics were fun I took them all off my backpack with the timer. I usally have my tripod, but you don't need that in a blind.
I can't wait for my pedistol. My brother Dirk owns Big Stuff Taxidermy in Erda Utah. NOw I have to start saving my pennies.
I wanna say thanks to Dirk,Gary Goff,My wife,John R,Jon H, Richard, Trevor (who left a party with girls to help me!) kenny, and Alisa (my bro's wife) for letting me crash on your couch!!
oh yeah i only hear one bugle last tuesday.
