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Derrick621
Guest
For the last 7 years I have been hunting elk with my bow getting so many close encounters but unable to get the jon done with a good bull. . This year I decided to switch to a rifle and hopefully get the job done. I knew hunting public land in Utah's general open bull elk season wasn't going to be easy, even though I had the elk in the area figured out.
The night before the opener my brother and I decided to pack in and sleep with the elk. Once we arrived at camp and had our things set up we decided to head out and hopefully spot a bull right before dark ant put him to bed for the next morning. Finally about 30 min before dark we had spotted a nice 5 x 5 bull feeding down in the bottom of a canyon right behind our camp.
We watched him until dark and had noticed 3 guys who were setting up their camp just down the hill from where we were camped. After dark we were getting ready to go to bed and the guys camped below us started playing with their bugle...... To those of you who have heared someone trying to bugle that doesn't know how.... it's not pretty. The elk weren't bugleing as it was and I just knew these guys were going to push this bull out of the canyon.
Opening day found us where we had spotted the bull the night before. We sat there all morning and no bull. We had a few cows and a spike push into the canyon but thats all. The spike ended up getting shot soon after we saw it by the camp that was by us and I have to say it was the dumbest spike and some of the poorest shooting I have seen . The spike let these guys shoot over 20 rounds at it before they finally dropped it. It doesn't help they are 700 yards away!! It was sad watching these guys get so wound up over a spike. Yelling at each other for ammo and swearing. I do have to say it was comical.
I hunted 8 of the first 9 days of the hunt. I had already passed up 7 spikes and had a close encounter with a good 5x5 and a 4x4. I just don't see the reason to shoot a spike on an open bull unit. Thats why they have spike only units.
Well the last morning came and my legs were just hammered and I did not have much left in me. But I'm stubborn and I wasn't about to give up. I know the elk in the area and I had to give them one last chance so my brother and I headed up. Right before light my brother headed up to the top to look at a canyon that usually holds bulls and I was to hang back just a little ways to watch over some other areas.
It was barely light enough to see and my brother calls me on the radio and said " Get up here fast!" I threw my pack on and got up there as fast as I could. I found my brother and he said he has a nice bull spotted across the canyon but they were heading for the top fast! Once they hit the top and drop into the next canyon you will never find them. We headed down the hill as fast as we could. I stopped to glass real quick to see if they were still there and I noticed a second bull. This bull was muddy from top to bottom. I told my brother there was a second bull in the group. We continued down the hill to try to get within range.
Finally we got where we could shoot from and all we could see was one cow and the bigger bull. The rest had already gone over the top. My brother ranged.... 412 yards! I layed down and extended the bipod... and he siad you shoot first. Pretty awesome considering he spotted it. He laued down and said I'll back you up. The I had the bull in my sites and I could see was his rack and head. I told my brother to not look at the rack and just focus on the shot placement.
Finally the bull steps out only 10 yards to safety. The bull stops broadside and I shot! The bull hunched it's back up. I knew he was hit. My brother shot hoping to put it down. Nothing.... The bull then slowly walked over the ridge. After 2 hours of waiting we headed up to where we had shot at the bull. No blood anywhere! I was starting to get worried. I found some tracks where it looked like he went down.. No blood. My stomache started to hurt thiking I missed. I could start to smell elk really strong so I continued on the tracks. I looked up and saw the bull down caught on 2 quakies!! I was so excited I told my brother I found it and I don't think he believed me at first. The bull is a 5x6 . He is broken in 2 places on his 6 point side but thats ok. He's my first bull and I couldn't be happier. Thanks to my brother for letting me shoot first.
Before I end this LONG story I would like some of your opionions on the open bull untis here in Utah. I think the open bull areas should be any brach antlered bull.. no spikes. If people didn't shoot spikes on the open bull units there would be a lot more branch antlered bulls for these open bull untis for the next years. Leave the spikes for the spike only units.
The night before the opener my brother and I decided to pack in and sleep with the elk. Once we arrived at camp and had our things set up we decided to head out and hopefully spot a bull right before dark ant put him to bed for the next morning. Finally about 30 min before dark we had spotted a nice 5 x 5 bull feeding down in the bottom of a canyon right behind our camp.
We watched him until dark and had noticed 3 guys who were setting up their camp just down the hill from where we were camped. After dark we were getting ready to go to bed and the guys camped below us started playing with their bugle...... To those of you who have heared someone trying to bugle that doesn't know how.... it's not pretty. The elk weren't bugleing as it was and I just knew these guys were going to push this bull out of the canyon.
Opening day found us where we had spotted the bull the night before. We sat there all morning and no bull. We had a few cows and a spike push into the canyon but thats all. The spike ended up getting shot soon after we saw it by the camp that was by us and I have to say it was the dumbest spike and some of the poorest shooting I have seen . The spike let these guys shoot over 20 rounds at it before they finally dropped it. It doesn't help they are 700 yards away!! It was sad watching these guys get so wound up over a spike. Yelling at each other for ammo and swearing. I do have to say it was comical.
I hunted 8 of the first 9 days of the hunt. I had already passed up 7 spikes and had a close encounter with a good 5x5 and a 4x4. I just don't see the reason to shoot a spike on an open bull unit. Thats why they have spike only units.
Well the last morning came and my legs were just hammered and I did not have much left in me. But I'm stubborn and I wasn't about to give up. I know the elk in the area and I had to give them one last chance so my brother and I headed up. Right before light my brother headed up to the top to look at a canyon that usually holds bulls and I was to hang back just a little ways to watch over some other areas.
It was barely light enough to see and my brother calls me on the radio and said " Get up here fast!" I threw my pack on and got up there as fast as I could. I found my brother and he said he has a nice bull spotted across the canyon but they were heading for the top fast! Once they hit the top and drop into the next canyon you will never find them. We headed down the hill as fast as we could. I stopped to glass real quick to see if they were still there and I noticed a second bull. This bull was muddy from top to bottom. I told my brother there was a second bull in the group. We continued down the hill to try to get within range.
Finally we got where we could shoot from and all we could see was one cow and the bigger bull. The rest had already gone over the top. My brother ranged.... 412 yards! I layed down and extended the bipod... and he siad you shoot first. Pretty awesome considering he spotted it. He laued down and said I'll back you up. The I had the bull in my sites and I could see was his rack and head. I told my brother to not look at the rack and just focus on the shot placement.
Finally the bull steps out only 10 yards to safety. The bull stops broadside and I shot! The bull hunched it's back up. I knew he was hit. My brother shot hoping to put it down. Nothing.... The bull then slowly walked over the ridge. After 2 hours of waiting we headed up to where we had shot at the bull. No blood anywhere! I was starting to get worried. I found some tracks where it looked like he went down.. No blood. My stomache started to hurt thiking I missed. I could start to smell elk really strong so I continued on the tracks. I looked up and saw the bull down caught on 2 quakies!! I was so excited I told my brother I found it and I don't think he believed me at first. The bull is a 5x6 . He is broken in 2 places on his 6 point side but thats ok. He's my first bull and I couldn't be happier. Thanks to my brother for letting me shoot first.
Before I end this LONG story I would like some of your opionions on the open bull untis here in Utah. I think the open bull areas should be any brach antlered bull.. no spikes. If people didn't shoot spikes on the open bull units there would be a lot more branch antlered bulls for these open bull untis for the next years. Leave the spikes for the spike only units.
