NMPaul
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LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-08 AT 09:35PM (MST)[p]The pressure was on. On this hunt last year my wife shot a 362" 7x7 during the muzzle loader season.
I knew I could not fill those shoes, but, my personal goal was to try to shoot a bull that was as big or better than my archery bull from last year a nice 322" bull.
In my opinion, Valle Caldera is the most beautiful place on earth.
Just going there again is enough to get you day dreaming.
I drew the most south west unit right as you drive in. On our scouting day Zach and I put 2 bulls that I would be proud to shoot to bed.
The bull I ended up getting was the best one, the other was a heavy but shorter 6x6 with about 40 cows when we left that night.
Our game plan was to be one of the first to check in at 5am and hike in the dark to the mountain that they had been feeding into from the main meadow. This is the same meadow you can see when you drive by. I would estimate it is about 3 square miles.
We hiked in on a moonless night with no lights at all trying to avoid the bugles that we heard in the pitch black.
We finally got to the mountain and scouted the far side at first light since we could not see that area the evening before, and I wanted to make sure there were no larger bulls over there. There were 3 small bulls hanging out together so we boogied to the other side of the mountain.
Finally they started feeding in and they never come straight in. They started to trot and skirt the wooded mountain but always getting closer. I put it in my highest gear and tried to stay up with them without being seen.
Then a cow saw us. There were about 15 cows. We froze but, the damage was done. She saw movement or something and turned back into the meadow. The bull stayed. That I could not believe. Maybe he was just exhausted from being with the cows all night.
He stopped about 300 yards away and was still in the no hunting zone. He had to cover about 70 yards to the fence that put him in my unit. He slowly did it. He bugled and ate to the fence and jumped.
Watching a big bull effortlessly jump a fence always seems majestic to me.
I am 100% confident at 200 yards with my muzzle loader. Problem is he was walking bugling and feeding towards me not giving me a broadside shot. Zach and I waited 3-4 minutes and he finally turned. I shot, Zach hit the hoochie momma and he stood there hit hard. A sattelite bull saw that he was sick came towards him bugling. As I was in the process of reloading my muzzleloader he dropped.
This was one of those rare instances where the plan comes together to perfection.
This bull netted 337 1/8 but with the tips broken off of 3 tines he is a 340 class bull.
I hated to end the hunt so soon and before Zach could see more of that magnificent place. Never drove past the headquarters and planned to try another unit the next day if our plan did not work.
Our elk hunt was done at 7:30 am of our opening day. Now on to Wyoming on Thursday for antelope. My wife and I have tags.
By the way Zach is a great hunting partner. He can hear bugles I cannot hear and never complain.
This is the bull as we walked up to him. Notice the frost on his antlers.
Here I am with my bull.
Here is Zach with my bull.
Here is my wife's bull from last year on the same hunt.
I knew I could not fill those shoes, but, my personal goal was to try to shoot a bull that was as big or better than my archery bull from last year a nice 322" bull.
In my opinion, Valle Caldera is the most beautiful place on earth.
Just going there again is enough to get you day dreaming.
I drew the most south west unit right as you drive in. On our scouting day Zach and I put 2 bulls that I would be proud to shoot to bed.
The bull I ended up getting was the best one, the other was a heavy but shorter 6x6 with about 40 cows when we left that night.
Our game plan was to be one of the first to check in at 5am and hike in the dark to the mountain that they had been feeding into from the main meadow. This is the same meadow you can see when you drive by. I would estimate it is about 3 square miles.
We hiked in on a moonless night with no lights at all trying to avoid the bugles that we heard in the pitch black.
We finally got to the mountain and scouted the far side at first light since we could not see that area the evening before, and I wanted to make sure there were no larger bulls over there. There were 3 small bulls hanging out together so we boogied to the other side of the mountain.
Finally they started feeding in and they never come straight in. They started to trot and skirt the wooded mountain but always getting closer. I put it in my highest gear and tried to stay up with them without being seen.
Then a cow saw us. There were about 15 cows. We froze but, the damage was done. She saw movement or something and turned back into the meadow. The bull stayed. That I could not believe. Maybe he was just exhausted from being with the cows all night.
He stopped about 300 yards away and was still in the no hunting zone. He had to cover about 70 yards to the fence that put him in my unit. He slowly did it. He bugled and ate to the fence and jumped.
Watching a big bull effortlessly jump a fence always seems majestic to me.
I am 100% confident at 200 yards with my muzzle loader. Problem is he was walking bugling and feeding towards me not giving me a broadside shot. Zach and I waited 3-4 minutes and he finally turned. I shot, Zach hit the hoochie momma and he stood there hit hard. A sattelite bull saw that he was sick came towards him bugling. As I was in the process of reloading my muzzleloader he dropped.
This was one of those rare instances where the plan comes together to perfection.
This bull netted 337 1/8 but with the tips broken off of 3 tines he is a 340 class bull.
I hated to end the hunt so soon and before Zach could see more of that magnificent place. Never drove past the headquarters and planned to try another unit the next day if our plan did not work.
Our elk hunt was done at 7:30 am of our opening day. Now on to Wyoming on Thursday for antelope. My wife and I have tags.
By the way Zach is a great hunting partner. He can hear bugles I cannot hear and never complain.
This is the bull as we walked up to him. Notice the frost on his antlers.
Here I am with my bull.
Here is Zach with my bull.
Here is my wife's bull from last year on the same hunt.
