LAST EDITED ON Oct-19-10 AT 05:55PM (MST)[p]
LAST EDITED ON Oct-19-10 AT 05:53?PM (MST)
aw man..... i was hoping no one would ask. I was sick for days for what happened. I was sleeping under a tree mid day (opening day) with my boots off to get shelter from the record temps heat. I hiked a couple miles and had good sounding bulls below me bedded so i figured i would nap up until evening hunt. Around 1:30 i was awoken by cow mews and lifted my head to see some cows dash across a ridge below me followed by a real nice bull (360+), my guess is coming from a little pond. I put my boots on ASAP and dropped down to intercept and the elk went into a deep rocky drainage lined with the thickest darn oak brush you ever seen. The drainage forked into a Y and i was in the top middle of it and the elk were in the area where the forks met. I was in kill mode, i knew that big bull was in there, and he had no way out without me seeing him. I got into a spot where i was 120-150 yards from all escape routes and knew there would not be much time to shoot when he came out or tried to sneak out the lower part of the Y because of the Oak brush. The Grim reaper was waiting with the Omega above on shooting sticks... I still could not see anything but a cow here and there and could hear a grunt once in a while. After about 15 minutes a 6 point shot out up of the drainage above the cows and i was on him fast and took the shot. He went 10 yards and started rolling back into the drainage and fell into the oak brush. after a short time he was dead . It was 2PM, 92 degrees, and I was alone and just killed a bull. before i even took a step i called for some life savers I met in a camp a couple days earlier that had deer tags and horses and told me they would pack out an elk. I made the call, they were there and said they would get there ASAP. I walked down into the drainage to cross over to my bull and the cows started busting out, and then a bull, a big bull... Yep, i shot a bull i had no idea or even thought would have been in this nasty little dry rocky drainage. I was crushed, i shot the wrong bull. Not a terrible bull, but a 300 class animal that had busted at least one tine for sure in his rolling. I just know i could have dome much better had that mistake not have happened. I was in top shape, had plenty of time, and game plans for the next few days and in fact passed on 3 bulls bigger that morning. the worst tag to have this happen on.
enough of that, back to the story. the bull of course was laying in the direct sun baking away as I was in the record heat. I knew I had to act fast and I did! I broke 7 blades on the havalon i was going so fast and in less than 45 minutes i had the quarters hanging with the hide off under a mahogany tree in the shade and the back straps and neck meat in a game bag as well. The good breeze and shade did it's job. flys were bad, but that is not a concern at that point. The guys with the horses called an hour after i called them and said they were at the spot i told them to park and I gave them my GPS fix. I told them i was less than a mile off what was an ATV/Jeep road. I told them to PLEASE bring as much water as possible as I used half my 2L camel back in the morning and the rest during the quartering job in the heat.
a half hour later they called me again, they cant get through the jungle of oak brush. I said to go higher. a half hour later they called again, no go, cant get through it. I said go into the drainage and come right up to me. a half hour later they called again and said they can't go further the rocks got too bad and we will have to pack the meat to the horses. they were about .2 miles from me. I met them half way and chugged 3 bottled waters and we went and got the meat. I put a hind in my Mystery ranch and hand carried a shoulder, one guy took a hind in his pack and carried the back straps and neck and one tough older guy hand carried a shoulder back to the horses. I left over $4k worth of gear (spotter, geovids, muzzel loader and gear) lay at the kill with the head and walked out to the truck. I got the meat to a cooler just as it got dark. I was worried still, but there is a happy ending, i lost NO MEAT except what I will trim off from dry air and flies intrusion.
The next morning after some needed rest, much H20 and some beer i went back and recovered my gear and the head on foot. That was not fun getting a elk head out of a place that horses could not get through! but a labor of love.
I am completely honest and in my haste to save the meat I took no field photos but one crappy pic with my cell phone of a bull hidden in the oak brush. all I have is this photo the next day after cutting out as much meat off the skull as possible so I could do a skull mount.
Not the bull i was hoping to shoot after waiting so many years but all in all an adventure to remember. truth told, with that heat it almost ruined me to want to ever hunt elk solo again. I spent 4 more days looking around the unit and seen a few darn good bulls and the spot I was planning on going into the next few days was full of bulls. Met a few real nice guys as usually happens on my hunts, and had lots of guys helping me with info on where to find some big boys... sorry I could not capitalize on that info guys! but still thanks a TON for the offers and info, your all great and hope I can return the favor some time in the future.
