D
doublehaul
Guest
LAST EDITED ON Oct-11-10 AT 01:18PM (MST)[p]Utah, opening morning 2010 Elk. Up around dark thirty on sat. and hiked in to where I had located a big bull right by the trail a few days before. The trailhead was so packed I figured he would be dead or long gone by the time I got there. As I approach the area while still on the trail I hear a close bugle followed by another and another and another. I assume this is some joker bugling his lungs out just off the trail and dismiss it. I mean, like 100 people and tons of horses had just blown up the trail...couldn't be that bull...no way. I proceed to go past the over zealous bugle jockey and enter the saddle that the bull had been using. I hadn't gone 50 yards before a bugle that vibrates my clothes comes from the direction of the other ones, but REAL close now. S#!t, that WAS him! No time to do anything, duck down and wait 10 seconds and a cow appears 30 yards away in the trees, followed seconds later by a huge bull. The cow stops as does the bull, they know something is wrong. I raise my rifle and center his chest with my crosshairs, BRUSH IN THE WAY!!! We sit there for what seems like forever and he turns and bolts. I give chase (good luck) and follow him for a 1/4 mile. He is still bugling! I keep locating him with a cow call that he keeps answering, but eventually lose him. I sit in the trees for a few minutes and fight off a nervous breakdown(seriously) cursing myself for not being there sooner etc. etc. I didn't have time to count tines, but he was 5x5 at least. That was the first hour of opening day. Wow.
A friend and I hunt for several more hours and see a few cows. We hike to a new area and as I'm casually looking through the trees thinking about going to camp and how tired I am, I see a bull bedded down 75 yards away in the trees staring at me. I shoot him with my .308, he dies. He is a small 4x4 and I am very, very happy. We pack meat 2 miles through deadfalls in the dark till the job is done. It ends up being a 24 hour day when its all said and done and I am still tired today. We had scouted hard for several days prior and I hadn't slept much at all. I woke up 6 hours later, cut the quarters up and put 'em in the freezer.
Going back up on wed. for the rest of the hunt to try to get a bull for my friend. He deserves it after packing out half my bull.
So far I am loving the start of my season! I even got a TTSX back! YES!
A friend and I hunt for several more hours and see a few cows. We hike to a new area and as I'm casually looking through the trees thinking about going to camp and how tired I am, I see a bull bedded down 75 yards away in the trees staring at me. I shoot him with my .308, he dies. He is a small 4x4 and I am very, very happy. We pack meat 2 miles through deadfalls in the dark till the job is done. It ends up being a 24 hour day when its all said and done and I am still tired today. We had scouted hard for several days prior and I hadn't slept much at all. I woke up 6 hours later, cut the quarters up and put 'em in the freezer.
Going back up on wed. for the rest of the hunt to try to get a bull for my friend. He deserves it after packing out half my bull.
So far I am loving the start of my season! I even got a TTSX back! YES!
