Bulls Down

  • Thread starter NeverStopHuntin
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NeverStopHuntin

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I had the pleasure of tagging along on two elk hunts and thought I'd share some photos and story. We did a lot of running and gunning so I didn't take nearly as many support photos as usual but there are still a few.

To start things off, my little sister drew a great elk tag that we have been looking forward to all summer. It would be her first big game animal.

Due to prior commitments we didn't make it to the unit until the day before the opener. We have hunted the unit before however and had an idea of where we wanted to be. After setting up camp there was just enough time to go look for elk.

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The first place we stopped we were greeted with tons of bugling bulls. They were going nuts and we knew that would be a great place to be come morning. It was a very restless night

Opening morning found us in the same spot and the bulls were still bugling all around us. We headed after the most gnarly sounding bugle but the elk were moving the same direction as us and it wasn't easy to catch up. We chased the elk across a big plateau that the elk had obviously been frequenting.

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We hit the edge of the plateau just in time to see that the elk were bedding on the northeast facing side of it. Good info to have!

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We made a game plan to be in that area ahead of the elk the next morning and intercept them on their way to bed.

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While we were running and gunning i had to walk away from a few of these, anyone who knows me knows that was not an easy thing to do

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That evening we split up and sat at different water holes. We could hears bulls in the distance but nothing came in. The problem was that there was water everywhere.

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But it didn't take long for things to dry out.

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The next morning we had a great game plan and the elk were doing exactly what we hoped they would. They had spent the night up on the plateau and were coming our way at first light. We worked to get in their path and spotted a nice bull as he walked through an opening across from us. Jessica didn't have time to get the shot off so we slowly worked our way towards where we had last seen him. We closed the gap and slowed down to a crawl, taking two steps and stopping to glass the thick pinions ahead of us. My heart started pounding when i heard a couple twigs snap but unfortunately it wasn't the big bull. A group of cows and a raghorn 4pt fed down the ridge within 20 yards of us. It is always fun to see them so close and we teased jessica about passing an opportunity on such a big bull.

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We made a plan to try to catch the elk coming out of bed since water wasn't producing. We set up several hours early but the wind was blowing and the elk were quiet. Finally with only about an hour left of light the elk started getting out of bed. We heard a bugle a short distance behind and made a move to close the distance. The bull came into a small opening and i told jessica he was about a 310 class bull, she thought for a second and said, lets keep looking. Now thats what i like to hear!

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We took after another bugle and spotted a big bull. Jessica was ready to shoot but there were cows mingling around the bull and he moved away before a clean shot presented itslef. We could hear him raking trees and ran to circle back ahead of him. I spotted some cows ahead of us and with the binoculars i coud see horns through a juniper tree. It wasn't the bull we had seen before but he looked like a good one and when he cleared the opening she let him have it.

The bull didn't go right down and he hunched up. I was a little concerned about the shot so we met up with my dad to try and figure out what to do. We checked the spot where the bull had been standing and didn't find any blood. Our light was fading fast and we didn't want to risk jumping the bull and not having enough light to make the shot so we backed out of the area. It was hard to leave but I think it was the best choice. Not much sleep was had that night.

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We were back in there the next morning before light. As soon as we could see well enough to shoot we started down the bulls trail. My dads friend collin had came up to help track down the bull. They took the lead sniffing out the bulls tracks while i meticulously glassed glassed every branch and twig ahead of us, jessica was ready to take the shot at the drop of a hat.

We didn't make it far when jessica spotted something tan through the trees. She took the lead and cautiosly worked towards the bull watching for any kind of movement.

It turns out that Jessica had made a perfect shot and the bull didn't go more than 75 yards through the thick trees. In hindsight i still think we made the best choice given the situation and in the end everything worked out perfectly.

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It was the best hunt i have ever been on and i'm so proud of my sister. She kept her composure in the heat of the moment like a seasoned veteran. I am so grateful that my dad takes the time to teach us about the outdoors and has taken us hunting since we were little. I am also so grateful that my dad has the foresight to build points for his kids as soon as they are old enough.

Bull #2

As soon as we got home i was headed out on another elk hunt. Earlier this summer a friend of mine called me that knew a guy, that knew a guy, that knew a guy that had drawn an elk tag in a unit that i am very familiar with. I love to hunt any chance I can get so i offered to help since the guy with the tag lives about a thousand miles away.

I went out looking every weekend and spotted some Big bulls and got a few decent ones on trail cam.

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This post is getting a little long so i'll cut to the chase. We got into bugling bulls opening morning in a spot that me and my brother had been watching a GIANT bull but the elk decided to go the wrong direction that day. It started to get really hot and the elk weren't making much noise. I decided to switch tactics and start "deer" hunting for elk. I glassed up a decent bull at first light and put him to bed in a patch of trees that i have watched elk in before. I had a pretty good idea of what the elk would do when they got up for the evening and when tyson met me on the point I told him what caliber of bull i thought it was and he said that was good enough for him. We made a game plan and Tyson headed around the mountain to get in position. The elk came out of the pines and headed towards the ambush. It was exciting watching everything go down through the spotting scope. Tyson made a great shot and the rest is history.

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Congrats on your sister's beautiful bull. Way to go on her 1st big game animal.

Congrats also on Tyson's good looking bull. Helps to have good friends willing to help out.

Eldorado
 
Both of them are good bulls. She did hammer a great bull.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
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Looks like you're having a great year.

Way to play the first one safe!
 
NSH,

Congrats to both your sister and Tyson on taking 2 beautiful animals! The main reason I wanted to post however was to give you Kudos for your efforts in helping their dreams become reality! Especially in Tyson's case, where you did so much for him beforehand since he wasn't in a position to do so himself. You should be commended. Wish I had friends like that! :)

EG

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"A man can be hard to find in the mountains, but you're welcome at my fire anytime."
 
Cool pics, great bulls, well done all!
Thanks for sharing your hunts with us.
Zeke
 
Good job Ryan,....you're gonna make an elk guide yet my friend! Way to go Jessica,....what a bull for your first game animal.....I'll bet your Dad is about to explode with pride. Both are great bulls that anyone would be proud to kill. Thanks for sharing and I'll see you about the end of the month Bud.
 
Awesome Ryan! Your Sister did great! What a bull! Great pictures too! Congrats on helping Tyson too!

I know how hard it was for you to pass up those sheds, but the bright side is you still know where they are for next trip!!

Thanks for sharing your hunts with us!
 
Ryan i cant even begin to thank you enough for helping Tyson on this hunt!!! Next year your flying to KY with me to hunt some big whitey's!!!

A huge congrats to your sister for killing a great bull! Hopefully next year my days will line up right for a few hunts with you. And we'll plan a great shed hunt this spring its time to get out there together again!

And Congrats to Tyson on a great bull! Thanks again Ryan you have been a great friend over the years!!


I just call em as I see em!
 
Loved the story. As a Dad, I love that a brother writes about his sister like that too, so props to your parents!

I'm not all about scoring, but want to practice on my judging, would you guess her bull's score around 320? Maybe a little less? I've been watching a bull here in idaho I would say is similar in size, but as is the norm here, a little smaller fronts but also a little bigger 4th and 5th to compensate.
 
Thanks for the comments everyone. It was a great time!

Neal- I'm looking forward to your hunt. It is going to be awesome! I don't have anything going this weekend so im going to run down to your unit and do some looking around, maybe tie one to a tree ;) See ya in a couple weeks buddy

Brian- A KY whitetail hunt sounds good to me. Those little buggers seem to elude me everytime i try to hunt them. I'm convinced i'm going to draw the kaibab next year so mark your calendar now.

BPKhunter- I think you are right in there with the numbers. I need to stretch a tape over it again. I just pulled a few rough measurements in the field.
 
Ryan, thanks for taking us on such a great hunt. Your sis did great.

Now lets cut to the chase! Why is she so much better looking than you?

How's the son? He has to be over a year old isn't he?

Let's go shoot our cameras sometime. Bill
 

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