Ok here it goes bobcat,
Bacxk in 1984- wich was the year that I graduated High School. I drew The Panguitch Lake Unit. This was only the second year that it was made into a unit. I had not upo to that point killed an elk yet. My dad, brother in law, and my two cusines were all helping my. I knew that there were huge elk there. I had my one cusine and an uncle that had drawn in 83, and both had chased huge bulls. My uncle killed his bull; a 340 class, while my cusine was holding out for one of the big 7x7 bulls that he had seen earlier. Time ran out on his hunt. When he found out that I had drawn the tag, good hell you would have thought that I had drawn the lotery, well I guess that I did. My two cusines started making plans to help me get a big bull.
Well opening morning came and we were overlookin a large meadow that had a few cows and small bulls in it, and they were bugling. One of my so called guides told me that they had seen some great big bulls that did not have any cows, and that the one that did must be a big one.
At first light we startd calling and the bulls started answering, man it started to sound like chaos. While watching the smaller elk we heard him. He had the meanest, nastiest bugle and grunt that I have ever heard (even to this day) as he got closer he would accasionaly stop and demolish quacky tree's, man would he do a number on them. Not long after that all of his cows came funneling out of the timber and into our meadow.His harem must have been about 40 head of cows - well that answered my guides question about where mistewr big was. He then let out a blood curdeling bellow and charged out into tha meadow. Good hell he was so big that I almost soiled myself.Everyone in my group yelled thta was him, take im. And I commenced to shoot, and shoot, and shoot somemore. Then I reloaded, he was still inthe meadow, and I nshot somemore. I think that my gun barrel must have been strapped to a wagon wheel going in circles. Well mafter several more shots he finally made it back into the timber. we checked for blood but there wasnt any, I had missed. I could have cried. I have never seen such a magnificent animal as he was. I did end up killing a nice bull a few days later, but he was not even close in comparison. Our group found out later that one of ou friends who had also drawn a permit found this great bull later that first day. Unfortunately,the great bull ended up wounded from this encounter. They never found him. they told us later what we already knew, that this was the king of stinkies. Huge and massive, a tremendous 6x6 t5hat would have easily, I mean easily made the book and then some. Now he is still alive.However, he exists only in my memories.
I have had the opportunity to draw and hunt this unit two more times. 1992 rifle, and 1999 bow. esach time being able to harvest nice bulls but nothing compared to my 1984 encounter.
Thanks for allowing me to share with ya the one that got away. But that is why I hunt- it charges my batteries. Best of luck to all who still possess a permit. May you shoot better than I did.
Lambo
