Last minute West Desert Bull

Cokeman

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80
The early rifle hunt was tough this year since the rut hadn't kicked in. We seen 9 bulls opening day with 1 being a 6x7 and couldn't make anything happen. The rest of the hunt was spotting with seeing a few elk each day including 1 big wide bull that stayed just inside of the Nevada border and wouldn't come into the Utah side.

On the Friday night of the second weekend, the mountain came alive. We had 8-10 bulls bugling all night long in the fields below camp. They were fighting for cows and the rut was on(just too late). We made a plan for the next morning and it didn't work. One hunter shot a 380 bull and the other a 330 bull out of the field right at daylight. I headed up the road towards the cedars and caught 70-80 head heading thru the sagebrush with 1 big bull in the heard. I was chasing him on foot as he kept bugling and moving his cows towards the hills. I finally caught up to the herd and had my scope on the 7x7. There was 1 cow below him and I was afraid to shoot in case I shot low. Then a hunter below me shot at him 4 times and he went over the hill taking his cows with him.

On Sunday morning I decided to make 1 last pass thru the cedars in hopes to find a bull. As I am near the end of the cedar trees, thinking that I am going home without a bull and eating tag soup, 2 bulls move in front of me. I waited for this bull to walk out in the clearing and took the shot. Missed on the first shot at 400 yards and hit him with the second. After about 15 minutes of waiting him out, he walked into another clearing and I hit him again. Finally caught up to him and finished him off and the hunt was over.

Not the big bull that I wanted, but very happy with the success of the hunt since it was really tough hunting this year.

Thanks to all that I talked to and helped out with the information on the unit and it was very helpful while I was there.

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LAST EDITED ON Sep-26-12 AT 08:46AM (MST)[p]congratulations on an awesome hunt and a fine bull. with those pictures, looks like a tough hunt to boot.
 
Thats what makes hunting fun, it ain't always easy. Especially when they are not in the rut. Congrats on getting a good bull.
 
Not a thing wrong with that bull, hard earned. Congratulations!


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Leftys are the only ones in their right minds--and I ain't talkin' politics!
 

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