ridgetops
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Here's the story of this years Utah general season hunt.
Oct. 10th
I decided to try my go to spot again and take a 16 year first time elk hunter (Justin) and his dad (Mark) up with me. The wind was blowing from the North but not nearly as hard as the day before. While we were driving in the truck to the spot we would start hiking from, Mark commented that ?he didn't want to put any pressure on me but they really needed to get a bigger bull than their cousin?s 320? bull?. I about swerved off the road at that point and made it very clear that was a top end bull for a general season tag and although I thought we had a good chance at getting a shot at a branch antlered bull if we're patient enough, it may not be quite that big but we can only hope for the best. There?s a pretty big competition between those cousins. We had only been sitting at my glassing/shooting spot for only about 5 minutes when Mark pointed down canyon. From my angle I couldn't see anything, so I got up on my knees and then I saw a very nice bull walking in our direction. I instantly recognized the bull from one of my more recent trail camera pics. He had a very unforgettable droptine on his left G-1. I knew Justin?s 300 win. Mag. was zero?d in at 200 yards and the bull was about to hit a clearing at around 310 yards. While the bull was passing through a small group pines, I hurried and took my shooting V off my mono-pod/ walking stick and put it on my tri-pod that was used for my spotting scope. I adjusted the height so he could shoot while kneeling. He had a bi-pod but the legs were not long enough to clear the brush in front of us. Just as the bull started to come out into the open, I ranged it again and got 312 yards. I whispered to Justin that I would cow call to stop the bull and to aim right at the top of its back and he should hit it perfect. I had three calls in my pocket (two reed calls and one hochie moma). I grabbed the hochie and gave it a squeeze and it only produced a little squeak. So I squeezed it again and again a little squeak but suddenly the bull looked right up at us and I said as comely as possibly to Justin, ?take the shot, RIGHT NOW!? Right then his rifle sent a 180 gr, bullet in the bull?s direction.
As the shot echoed across the canyon, the bull lunged forward and ran into a thick clump of oak about 10 yards away. It seemed like he stood the an hour but it was only about 2 or 3 minutes. I told Justin to shoot again when the bull came out in the open again. Just as the bull was coming out of the oak, it stumbled and fell over dead. He had made a perfect double lung shot. I was able to contact someone in our group and they went to get us more help getting the bull out. It turned into a long day but I was sure happy for these new hunters.
Now that I had fulfilled my promise to help out the youth in our group first before I hunted for myself. It was time for me to try and put some meat in my freezer.
Here's a video of us first walking up on Justin's bull.
And some trail camera pictures I had of his bull.
Get ready for change because it's going to happen!
Oct. 10th
I decided to try my go to spot again and take a 16 year first time elk hunter (Justin) and his dad (Mark) up with me. The wind was blowing from the North but not nearly as hard as the day before. While we were driving in the truck to the spot we would start hiking from, Mark commented that ?he didn't want to put any pressure on me but they really needed to get a bigger bull than their cousin?s 320? bull?. I about swerved off the road at that point and made it very clear that was a top end bull for a general season tag and although I thought we had a good chance at getting a shot at a branch antlered bull if we're patient enough, it may not be quite that big but we can only hope for the best. There?s a pretty big competition between those cousins. We had only been sitting at my glassing/shooting spot for only about 5 minutes when Mark pointed down canyon. From my angle I couldn't see anything, so I got up on my knees and then I saw a very nice bull walking in our direction. I instantly recognized the bull from one of my more recent trail camera pics. He had a very unforgettable droptine on his left G-1. I knew Justin?s 300 win. Mag. was zero?d in at 200 yards and the bull was about to hit a clearing at around 310 yards. While the bull was passing through a small group pines, I hurried and took my shooting V off my mono-pod/ walking stick and put it on my tri-pod that was used for my spotting scope. I adjusted the height so he could shoot while kneeling. He had a bi-pod but the legs were not long enough to clear the brush in front of us. Just as the bull started to come out into the open, I ranged it again and got 312 yards. I whispered to Justin that I would cow call to stop the bull and to aim right at the top of its back and he should hit it perfect. I had three calls in my pocket (two reed calls and one hochie moma). I grabbed the hochie and gave it a squeeze and it only produced a little squeak. So I squeezed it again and again a little squeak but suddenly the bull looked right up at us and I said as comely as possibly to Justin, ?take the shot, RIGHT NOW!? Right then his rifle sent a 180 gr, bullet in the bull?s direction.
As the shot echoed across the canyon, the bull lunged forward and ran into a thick clump of oak about 10 yards away. It seemed like he stood the an hour but it was only about 2 or 3 minutes. I told Justin to shoot again when the bull came out in the open again. Just as the bull was coming out of the oak, it stumbled and fell over dead. He had made a perfect double lung shot. I was able to contact someone in our group and they went to get us more help getting the bull out. It turned into a long day but I was sure happy for these new hunters.
Now that I had fulfilled my promise to help out the youth in our group first before I hunted for myself. It was time for me to try and put some meat in my freezer.
Here's a video of us first walking up on Justin's bull.
And some trail camera pictures I had of his bull.
Get ready for change because it's going to happen!