Montana HD417 Breaks Bull

ismith

Very Active Member
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1,307
Was some pretty hard hunting this year from what the locals were saying, so I feel pretty lucky to get this one. He was the only bull I saw and he was with 20 cows.

I need help posting this picture.......

thanks, Irl
 
here it is....nice one....story?


SHEDpics033.jpg
 
Heres the story.......


I have been applying for an elk permit for the Missouri Breaks for several years now, and I decided to apply for HD417 this year because of the better drawing odds (about 1 in 10) compared to the other breaks HD's. Still, I was very supprised when the draw results came out and I found out I drew the permit. Due to the demands of a new job I was unable to do any scouting and the best I could do was scour a BLM map for any potential elk hidy holes. I found one and decided this would be my starting point. I skipped out on opening day because ive heard it is very hectic and opted to take my fiancee' out close to home. We saw one loney raghorn in the bottom of a very ugly hole. After we got back home we found out that a herd of 150 elk were hanging out at her folks place. (Also found out later that the breaks were a gumbo mess opening weekend, glad I missed that.)
The next weekend I drove over to the breaks and at first light was glassing the deep coulees for large bulls the breaks are known for. I covered about 15 GPS type miles in some of the roughest country Ive ever seen, and saw 3 mulie does and one spike buck. Everyone I talked to had yet to see any elk. What little elk sign I found was at least a week old. I met an older gentleman that had a cow permit and we traded phone numbers so he could contact me if he found where all the elk were hanging out. I decided to go back home to Ennis and chase some whitetails around and get in touch with a friend of my dads that knows the breaks.
The next weekend was a drill weekend, so I had to wait until this weekend to go back over there. My dad offered to go with me and I really appriciate his company and help. I called the gent I met two weeks prior and he told me about an area where he saw two 6 points with about 30 cows. I decided to head to that area and see if they were still hanging out in the area he saw them. Friday morning found me and my dad glassing a deep, heavly timbered coulee and he soon had a bull spotted about a mile away on a spur. He had around 20 cows with him and the were slowly working there way down into the coulee. After watching them awhile and determining he had 6 on at least one side I decided to make a stalk and take him if the opportunity presented itself. After I made it into the bottom of the coulee I spotted the bull raking a pine tree about 800 yards away on the opposite side of the coulee. I headed up that side and tried to get above him and ended up jumping the whole herd. They headed back down the way they came and I took a good rest after I saw the first cow come out into a clearing at the bottom of the coulee. I could hear the bulls antlers breaking brush and hitting trees. I took a shot at him when he came into the opening. Clean miss, but he stopped in the clearing and I was able to take another shot. I heard the bullet hit him and he ran a little farther and then stopped again. I let him have another one and he ran into a patch of brush and stopped. I got ready to shoot him again but he walked behind some brush before I could. I then heard a loud crunch and I knew he was down. I called my dad on the radio and let him know I had the bull down and pretty soon we were both admiring him. Then the work started! Elk are big critters and the breaks are rugged! I loved every darn bit of the pack out and it was very special to share that experience with my dad, who took me on my first elk hunt 15 years ago.
 
Congratulations on your bull. I drew that same tag in 2001 after 10 years of applying. I was disappointed with the overall quality of the bulls I saw and the hunting was real tough on the public land. My brother drew the tag in 2002 and we saw several raghorns but only 2 decent (but not big)6 point. I walked away telling myself I'd never put in there again. Congrats again on your hard earned bull.
 
Thanks everyone!
Craig,
It was a tough hunt, the country is some of the most demanding ive ever hunted, and the elk were really hard to find. I think the quality of the bulls is less than the tougher draw units, although im sure there are some pigs hanging out in there. I talked to alot of other elk hunters while I was over there, and very few had even seen any elk. I was really surprised at all the attention my bull got when we pulled into Lewistown to get a bite to eat. One guy I talked to there also had a permit for the area and had yet to see anything bigger than a 3 point raghorn and a herd of cows. He also said that 600 of the HD's 800 head of elk are hanging out on a large horse ranch that doesnt allow hunting. I think If a guy could spend a couple weeks over there hunting with horses you could cover alot more country and perhaps find a real pig. 417 is definately a tough nut to crack if you only have a little time to hunt and bad weather.
Irl
 
Grasshopper,
I didnt hunt Boyce brothers BMA but I got my bull right by it. There were a couple groups of elk hanging out there from what I put together from my own observations and those of hunters I talked to. Boyce brothers BMA is pretty tough to get reservations for.
Irl
 

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