After drawing a Wasatch LE Muzzy tag in 2010, I didn't think I'd be hunting a LE unit again in Utah for a long time. But as luck would have it, I drew a LE Archery tag on the Manti unit in Utah with only one point (after a 5 year waiting period).
I was determined to make the most of my good fortune so summer scouting began in June when I decided to spend a week on the unit checking out some new areas I had never been to before. My good friend Brian was generous enough to share his honey hole with me. So I spent several evenings glassing this new area and located a good number of Elk. I saw a lot of cows but I knew once September arrived the bulls would be in this area.
I spent time looking at some other areas on the unit and did see some good elk numbers but I knew that Brian's honey hole was where I wanted to be in September.
I spent my first 5 days hunting on the north end of the unit but didn't see much. I headed home for a few days of work. My 18 year old son and I had arranged for the last 2 weeks of the hunt off of work and planned to hunt from the 1st to the 15th of September. We arrived in camp on the 1st and hunted hard for the next 9 days. We were into bugling bulls every day and had several opportunities but hadn't let any arrows fly. We were having too much fun to end the hunt to soon.
On the evening of the 9th we had been trying to get in on a good herd bull but the swirling winds had busted us again. We decided to start making our way down the draw we were in. There were still elk bugling all around us. I could hear a couple of bulls bugling up above us that were getting closer. I decided to move up and over the ridge to see if we could get a look at these bulls. As we crested the ridge, I could immediately see elk moving across the draw towards us. We moved up a little closer and set up for a shot. My bull was moving from our right to left, leading 10-15 cows away from another bull that was chasing them. They were bugling back and forth the whole time. As my bull came across the draw he suddenly turned and headed straight towards us. He stopped about 40 yards away but all I could see was his head and I had no shot.
It was getting dark so I decided I had to make a move if I was going to get a shot. I started to move a little to my left to see if I could get the shot. My bulls attention was on the other bull that was chasing him and he was looking back towards the other bull. As I moved my bull suddenly turned and looked at me and barked. The whole mountain came alive as elk started running everywhere. My bull turned and ran directly away from me. I let out a few cow calls and he stopped about 120 yards away at the other end of a clearing. I had a big pine tree between me and him so I quickly moved through the trees to edge of the clearing he was standing in. I let out a few more cow calls but he wasn't coming any closer. I let out a bugle and he turned and started walking back towards us. He stopped in the middle of the clearing and turned broadside. I knew he wasn't coming any closer and it was getting dark. I asked my son for a range. He gave me a range and I let my arrow fly. It was dark enough that I couldn't see my arrow impact but I could hear it hit him. My son was watching through his bino's and verified it was a good hit.
My bull turned and ran back into the trees. We listened and could hear him moving through the trees and what sounded like him going down. We then heard the unmistakable sound of him gasping as he struggled for air with, what I would later see, was a double lung shot. He only went about 75 yards.
We made our way up to him in the dark. We took some photo's and were lucky enough to have cell service where we were at. I sent a picture to Brian and thanked him for sharing his honey hole with me. To my surprise Brian said his son and his son's friend would be down in the morning with horses to help haul my elk off the mountain. We were in about 5 miles from the nearest road so I was very grateful for the help.
Spending time in September, with my son, chasing bugling bulls was truly a memory I will cherish forever. Shooting a bull was just icing on the cake.
Here are a few pictures of my bull:
I was determined to make the most of my good fortune so summer scouting began in June when I decided to spend a week on the unit checking out some new areas I had never been to before. My good friend Brian was generous enough to share his honey hole with me. So I spent several evenings glassing this new area and located a good number of Elk. I saw a lot of cows but I knew once September arrived the bulls would be in this area.
I spent time looking at some other areas on the unit and did see some good elk numbers but I knew that Brian's honey hole was where I wanted to be in September.
I spent my first 5 days hunting on the north end of the unit but didn't see much. I headed home for a few days of work. My 18 year old son and I had arranged for the last 2 weeks of the hunt off of work and planned to hunt from the 1st to the 15th of September. We arrived in camp on the 1st and hunted hard for the next 9 days. We were into bugling bulls every day and had several opportunities but hadn't let any arrows fly. We were having too much fun to end the hunt to soon.
On the evening of the 9th we had been trying to get in on a good herd bull but the swirling winds had busted us again. We decided to start making our way down the draw we were in. There were still elk bugling all around us. I could hear a couple of bulls bugling up above us that were getting closer. I decided to move up and over the ridge to see if we could get a look at these bulls. As we crested the ridge, I could immediately see elk moving across the draw towards us. We moved up a little closer and set up for a shot. My bull was moving from our right to left, leading 10-15 cows away from another bull that was chasing them. They were bugling back and forth the whole time. As my bull came across the draw he suddenly turned and headed straight towards us. He stopped about 40 yards away but all I could see was his head and I had no shot.
It was getting dark so I decided I had to make a move if I was going to get a shot. I started to move a little to my left to see if I could get the shot. My bulls attention was on the other bull that was chasing him and he was looking back towards the other bull. As I moved my bull suddenly turned and looked at me and barked. The whole mountain came alive as elk started running everywhere. My bull turned and ran directly away from me. I let out a few cow calls and he stopped about 120 yards away at the other end of a clearing. I had a big pine tree between me and him so I quickly moved through the trees to edge of the clearing he was standing in. I let out a few more cow calls but he wasn't coming any closer. I let out a bugle and he turned and started walking back towards us. He stopped in the middle of the clearing and turned broadside. I knew he wasn't coming any closer and it was getting dark. I asked my son for a range. He gave me a range and I let my arrow fly. It was dark enough that I couldn't see my arrow impact but I could hear it hit him. My son was watching through his bino's and verified it was a good hit.
My bull turned and ran back into the trees. We listened and could hear him moving through the trees and what sounded like him going down. We then heard the unmistakable sound of him gasping as he struggled for air with, what I would later see, was a double lung shot. He only went about 75 yards.
We made our way up to him in the dark. We took some photo's and were lucky enough to have cell service where we were at. I sent a picture to Brian and thanked him for sharing his honey hole with me. To my surprise Brian said his son and his son's friend would be down in the morning with horses to help haul my elk off the mountain. We were in about 5 miles from the nearest road so I was very grateful for the help.
Spending time in September, with my son, chasing bugling bulls was truly a memory I will cherish forever. Shooting a bull was just icing on the cake.
Here are a few pictures of my bull:
