Were back from the Dutton

OwnMoreBone

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We just got back from the Dutton and we had a fantastic Muzzy hunt.
OMB


There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
I have never seen an Elk rut like the one we are having this year. We went down on Monday the 22nd and got camp set up just in time to go out Monday night and see what kind of Bull action we could find.

We climbed to a high vantage point and started glassing. Within an hour I located a small herd of cow's and calf's and shortly after the bull came out and he was a nice 6X6 Bull which looked to be around the 340 mark. After about 30 minutes a smaller 6 point tried to sneek in on one of the cow's and the bigger Bull ran him off 2 or 3 times until we ran out enough light to see them anymore.

The next morning we went and checked on a few more areas that we had good luck in the past but to no avail. The Bulls were not vocal at all, it was like the rut was either over or it wasn't even started yet. After going back to camp and fixing breakfast we had one of our signiture power naps then back up on the same vantage point that we had been on the night before to see if we could patern the Bull we had watch monday night.

Sure enough like clock work around the same time that he had came out the night before here he came again. And again he had to chase of yet another Bull that was trying to slip in and take one of his cows.

After talking to my cousin Rich and our friend Clyde who also had an Elk tag for Dutton we decided that Clyde would go after the Bull the next morning. In the morning I set up across the canyon on another ridge to watch Clyde's hunt unfold.

Well we sat there for about 4 hours and nothing was moving and at that time we decided that it must be a afternoon thing with this Bull. So at 3:00 pm we all headed out again to see if we could ambush this Bull. I set up again across the canyon with my spotting scope and Rich and Clyde headed up the ridge across the canyon where the Bull would hopefully come out agian.

They made it into position just in time because the cow's came out a little earlier than they had the previous 2 nights and as I watched the Bull came out of the Cedar's just west of where the cow's did and hit a hidden wallow that I didn't know was there and tore it up for about 10 minutes until he noticed that his cow's were not it sight, they had dropped into a little canyon to get a drink from a little spring.

He came out of that wallow just screaming, by the way the first Bugle we heard so far. The Bull ran straight towards where Rich and Clyde were set up in ambush. He stood there on the edge of the small canyon bugling for his cow's and I could see both the Bull and both Rich and Clyde in my spotting scope when I could see that Clyde took the shot and the Bull was his......
OMB


There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
Here are a couple pictures of Clydes Bull, first one with Clyde and myself and second one with Clyde and my cousin Rich.....
He is really a nice Bull.


There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
Let's try this again, I resized the photo's but it didn't seem to work.
OMB
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There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
Very nice bull. I have to agree we have had a very strange rut this year but it looks like you pulled it off. Congrats
 
Great Bull!! What a way to spend a hunt with friends and family. Congrats to you all.Will be waiting for the second half of the story on your hunt.Thanks for the pic's
 
Well back to Clyde's Bull, after I seen that Clyde had downed his Bull I packed up my spotting scope then jumped on my 4 wheeler and made the trek around to the canyon where Clyde had shot his Bull. After making the 3/4 mile hike up the canyon I made it up to Clyde and Rich where they were taking pictures and enjoying Clydes harvest.

After a few more minutes for picture taking we capped and quartered the Bull and started our trek back down off of the plateu where it all happened. That night we packed out all but the hind quarters and we dicided that Rich and Clyde would pack them out in the morning while I went out hunting again.

The morning hunt was uneventful, I hadn't heard a single bugle or seen an elk at all so I headed back to camp and on the way I met up with Clyde as he was packed up and headed for home to take care of his Bull, it was already 75 and was expected to reach the mid 80's that day. After say our good by's if finished my trip back to camp where Rich and his Dad Everett we waiting to see how I had done.

After breakfast I decided that I would go up and place one of my trail camera's on the wallow that Clydes Bull had torn up to see if any other Bulls were using it. After checking the camera the next day we noticed that other critters were using the wallow but no other Bulls........

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There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-02-08 AT 08:07PM (MST)[p]Come on MoreBone where are the pics of your of your Bull?
Quit messing around! Not funny x(
 
Ok Curtis,

I'll get right to the bone, after Clyde left for home with his Bull we hunted our butt's off for the next few day with seeing only a few Bulls. Rich and myself set up again on the same ridge that we were on when we located the Bull that Clyde ended up taking and started glassing both sides of the ridge and that afternoon we located a Bull with 2 cow's and a calf, the Bull was limping on his right rear leg. We thought that some one had either shot and wounded him or that he had got injured in a fight with another Bull.

We watched him until he bedded with the cow's and thats when we went back to camp to make plans for the evening hunt. We decide that the Bull was going to head to the same wallow and water that Clydes Bull had used. After breakfast we took power nap then I headed up ridge to ambush the Bull while Rich went up the Ridge across the canyon to watch everything unfold. When the Bull and Cow's finally got up from there nap they did just what we didn't want them to do, they headed west instead of coming east where I was set up. At that point I dropped down into the canyon to the north then headed west to see if I could intersept the Bull on the top off the ridge a mile up the canyon.

By the time I got to the top of the canyon I ranged the Bull at 343 yards as he dropped into the next canyon ending the nights hunt. The next morning we headed to a canyon to the south of where were camping to see if we could locate a Bull that Rich had a run in with the night before. He was a 7X8 Bull in the 370 range and it really got my interest. Well we never found hide nor hair of the Bull so it was back to the drawing board to see what I had to do to get on the Bull that I had went after the night before.

Well we hunted hard again the next day to no avail and we ended the day watching the Bull follow the same path he had the 2 previous nights. Well to make a long story short Rich left on Monday night for home he wasn't feeling very good so I decided that the next morning I would get up at 4:30 and hike into the canyon that the Bull had been dropping into every night at dark and see if I could get in there undetected in the dark without spooking the elk.

Well at 5:15am I parked my 4 wheeler at the trail head and headed out up the trail with my flash light in hand. 45 minuted later I heard a Bull bugle and then all hell broke loose, I had Bulls bugling all over the south slope of the canyon I was in. It was still to dark to see much so I just set down and waited for more light. After it got light enough to see I counted 7 Bulls on the side hill and everyone of these Bulls were bugling by this time. Thats when I seen the herd Bull fighting with another Bull to keep him from stealing his cows and it only took a couple minutes until it was over and he retained his harem.

I was in the bottom of the canyon and the Bull was near the top of the ridge and when I ranged him he was at 179 yards and standing broad side. I found a solid rest pulled the hammer back took aim and BOOM and the Bull hit the dirt............

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There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
After I killed the Bull I hiked to the top on the highest peak I could find to see if I could get cell service so I could call my son to come and help pack him out, and like always he said he would love to come and help. A few minutes later he called back and told me that he was bringing to friends with him, Ryan and Arron. Arron was a god send, he brought 3 pack horses which were more that welcome.....

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There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
Nice bulls! Saw two lions in one day on my hunt a few ywars ago. Looks like Cow Canyon.
 
That doe is lucky she didnt come by a few hours later. Way too many lions on that mountain for the deer to ever come back. Looks like you are still on some good bulls though. Did you find many sheds this year?
 
OWNMOREBOWN,
Nice job on the elk. I was one of the kids that was camped up above you by the creek. We ended up with a nice bull also. Scored in the mid 360 area. We tried to come talk to you before we headed out to let you know that we had located a few bulls that no one was hunting but you all were out hunting. Glad that you connected.
We hunted our butts off and split up into three groups everyday to locate bulls. The unit just didn't have the magic that it has had in the past. I have talked with multiple hunters and everyone has sid the same thing.
 
Reed,
Thanks for the cool story and even nicer bull.
That is great bull and sounds like earned him.
How many bulls did you see on your hunt?
Call me sometime,
Curtis
 
Kody.
I'm glad you guy's found a nice Bull, this year was the strangest year I have seen as far as the rut goes. I don't believe that the rut really got going until this last Tuesday morning, I had 7 Bulls screaming in the same canyon and they were all chasing the same 9 cow's. After I shot my Bull the other Bulls just kept screaming and chasing the cow's. It was crazy but one hell of a good show.
OMB


There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
This has got to be Aaron, all I can say is you are the man. Without you and your horses I think I would still be there. Thanks again for all your help, I will call you when I get my meat back and send some your way.
OMB


There's room for all of God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters and gravy.
 
OMB,

Smoker Bull...Congrats on the successful hunt on a difficult unit.

My dad had that tag this year and we had an excellent hunt but ended up eating tag soup.

My thoughts on the rut this year differ from yours a bit though. After hunting this same hunt last year and killing a good bull I thought this years rut action was exceptional and better than last year. We saw and heard many bulls every day of the hunt. I just wish our luck on closing the deal was as good as our luck in finding bulls was.


?Here?s to the hero's that Git-R-Done!!?
 

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