OPENING DAY ARCHERY BULL

B

BBWALLOW

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IT WAS OPENING DAY IN ARIZONAS WHITE MOUNTIANS. JAYCEN'S FIRST ELK TAG IN AZ. WE HAD SCOUTED, SET TREE STANDS, AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO. BUT IT DID NOT WORK OUT LIKE I WANTED IT TO. WE SAW ELK ON ARE WAY IN THE NIGHT BEFORE SO WE THOUGHT THAT WE HAD DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT. LEFT CAMP EARLY FRIDAY MOURNING WITH HOPES OF GETTING IN ON A NICE 6X6 WE SAW THE NIGHT BEFORE, THE ELK WAS STILL WHERE HE WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE BUT SO WAS ANOTHER HUNTER. WE CHANGED OUR STRATEGY AND WENT UP HIGH HOPING THE OTHER HUNTER WOULD PUSH HIM TO US. WELL THAT DID NOT WORK SO WE DECIDED TO GO CHECK OUR STANDS, THAT ALSO WAS A BUST NO ELK NO SIGN NO BUGLING. KIND OF DISCOURAGING WHEN YOU ARE WORKING TO GET YOUR SON HIS FIRST ELK. I TOLD HIM WE WOULD GO BACK TO CAMP EAT SOME BREAKFAST THEN TRY ANOTHER AREA. WE LEFT CAMP AT 11A.M. WE HIKED IN A COUPLE OF MILES TRYING TO FIND AND OLD WALLOW I HAD FOUND ABOUT 20 YEARS PRIOR. TOPPED OUT ON A RIDGE TO TAKE A SHORT BREAK AND WATER DOWN. HAD PROBABLY BEEN THERE ABOUT 5 MINUTES WHEN THE DAY CHANGED FOR THE BETTER. I SAID TO JAYCEN DID YOU HEAR THAT, HE ANSWERED SOUNDED LIKE A BUGLE, I LOOKED AT MY WATCH ITS STRAIGHT UP NOON. SO WE MOVED IN CLOSER THEN IT WAS 3 OR 4 BULLS BUGLING. WE SET UP TRYING TO CALL THEM UP TO US BUT THEY DID NOT BUDGE.SO WE WOULD MOVE CLOSER. AT ONE TIME WE HAD ELK BELOW US AND ABOVE US BUGLING. I THOUGHT ARE LUCK HAD CHANGED. WHEN I CAUGHT MOVEMENT TO MY RIGHT AND BEHIND ME BUT NOT JUST COWS AND CALVES. THEY CAME TO WITHIN ABOUT 50 YARDS AND BEDDED DOWN ON THE NORTH FACE. NO BULL WITH THEM BUT THE OTHERS WERE STILL BUGLING.DOWN THE HILL. I GOT JAYCENS ATTENTION WE DECIDED TO MOVE DOWN TOWARDS THE BULLS. HAD GONE ABOUT 150 YARDS WHEN I COULD HEAR ANTLERS RATTLING I MOVED TO WHERE I COULD SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON IT WAS 2 BULLS GOING AT EACH OTHER. MOTIONED TO JAYCE TO COME OVER. WE DECIDED TO MOVE IN THEY MIGHT BE SHOOTERS. WE WENT FROM PINE TO PINE UNTIL WE WERE 25 YARDS FROM THE GREATEST SEEN IN THE WORLD. 2 BULLS AT 25 YARDS AND HAD NO IDEA WE WERE EVEN CLOSE BY. THEY FOUGHT FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES WE DECIDED NOT TO SHOOT THEY WERE SMALL 5X5 AND A 6X5. MEAN WHILE THE OTHER BULL WAS STILL BUGLING. THE 2 BULLS MOVED OFF IN THE WRONG DIRECTION BUT IT DID NOT BOTHER THE BULLS THAT WERE BUGLING. WE SET UP WITH JAYCE BELOW ME 30 YARDS AND BEHIND A JACK PINE THICKET WITH SHOOTING LANES TO HIS RIGHT OR LEFT AT 25 TO 30 YARDS. IBEGAN CALLING I COULD SEE HIM COMING FROM ABOUT 400 YARDS OUT. HEAD HIGH EYES LOOKING FOR ANY MOVEMENT. THE BULL CLOSED IN QUICK AT ABOUT FIFTY YARDS OUT I COULD SEE HE WAS A NICE 6X6, JAYCE STILL COULD NOT SEE HIM BECAUSE OF THE TREES. AT 30 YARDS HE ANGLED TO MY RIGHT THATS WHEN JAYCE SAW HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME. HE THEN TURNED TOWARDS ME AND LIPPED OUT I AM GOING TO TAKE THIS ONE. THE BULL CONTINUED AROUND THE TREES JUST AS HE WAS COMING AROUND THE TREES JAYCE DREW AND THE BULLED STOPPED WITH JUST HIS HEAD AND FRONT SHOULDER IN THE CLEAR. I WAS COW CALLING AND FINALLY BUGLED AND HE MOVED IN THE OPEN. JAYCE PICKED HIS SPOT AND RELEASED THE ARROW WAS A LITTLE LOW BUT STILL A GOOD SHOT THE BULL NEVER RAN HE CAME UP THE HILL THEN TURNED AWAY FROM ME AND WENT DOWN FOR GOOD AT ABOUT 70 YARDS. I WILL TRY TO POST PICTURE LATER. BBWALLOW
 
congrats to you and especially your boy. The memories you made with him are priceless........hope he has the bull mounted and tons of pictures............. Allen Taylor......
 
there is a picture of jaycen's bull in the 2003 big bucks and big bulls photo contest "jaycen's first archery bull"
 

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