elks96
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LAST EDITED ON Feb-25-14 AT 11:46PM (MST)[p]So with the slow winter months, I was looking through my photos and thought I would share the story my best non-typical bull.
Bull was an OTC Archery Bull here in Colorado.
The Story:
My wife and I left the truck at around 3:30pm to work some country and sit on a water hole for the afternoon. When we left the truck the temp was reading 88 degrees. Still riding the high from the mornings hunt, I was optimistic about our chances despite it being early in the season and really hot...
It was first light on what was one of the best days in the field. My wife with her shorter stride was still working her way up the steep the shale hillside in Western Colorado. As she came to a stop, working to catch her breath the early morning silence was disturbed by a faint bugle far off on the ridge opposite of where we just climbed. With lots of good country ahead of us, we fought the urge to bail back off the top and cross over to the bugle.
20 minutes later we had gained enough elevation to be considered "on top". The sun had just overtaken the stars and the headlamps were tucked into out packs. We sat on top watching and listening.
As we sat wild horses snorted and feed in the distance. As soon as it became light enough to shoot my wife unleashed a great bugle from her ELK power bugle. That was followed with just brief lag of silent anticipation. From the canyon below an aggressive bugle erupted. We quickly moved to get properly set up. While we adjusted the bugle filled the cool morning air 3 more times. Before I was totally set my wife could not help but challenge our quarry. This eventually turned into a 15 minute stalemate with each party screaming at each other but neither willing to make a move. Despite mixing in the sweet estrous chirps of a willing cow the bull would not come any closer than several hundred yards. Eventually the bull who was still willing to answer a bugle began to slip away into an adjacent canyon and into a large burn. The only advantage to this new direction was having the wind in our face. As the bull moved away we began to dog him hoping to at least see what we were dealing with, and not really believing that we had much chance to pull it off.
As we began into the large burn the the bull had moved to the top of the burnt drainage and was still vocal. We snuck through the scared black remains of junipers closing the distance to just 300 yards before running out of cover. From our new location we could finally see the bull. He was a great OTC bull. A large heavy 5x5. He easily would have been the largest bull I had ever killed(yet still smaller than my wifes best bull). Soon the bull was joined by over 20 cows. He was busy running, herding and directing traffic. The cows were feeding intently on the grass that was thick in the burn. With no other options we set up to try and call the bull from his herd. My wife sat up against a burnt stump about 80 yards behind me and I sat near a downed tree tree just 20 yards from a main trail. She skipped the bugles at this point and began using a lost cow call mixed with calf calls. The bull paid little attention but one of the closest cows began to act curious.
Before I really knew what was happening the cow with a calf in tow were trotting down the trial headed towards my wife. As the cow and calf passed on the trail in front of me I could see the other cows had also turned and were heading my way. I could not believe what was happening. Pretty soon the bull filled with panic began trying round up the cows and keep them in line. As the remaining herd headed my way, I looked back at my wife to see her balled up in fear calling. The first cow had made it to her and with a calf in tow she was only feet from my wife sniffing her and trying to figure out what she was(my wife later said it was the coolest and scariest thing she had ever done). My focus shifts back to the herd. I watch as 1/2 the herd passed just 20 yards from my location. With only a couple cows left to pass and the bull trying to catch up I knocked and came to full draw. Of course the last 2 cows decided to take a different trail which swung around the point I was on and took the animals just out of sight. The bull followed. I scrambled to reposition, but by that time it was to late.
The cow sniffing my wife had gotten nervous and barked, I was running trying to catch the bull, and the whole herd erupted. It was only 8:30 by the time everything settled down but the woods were silent the sun was hot and the temperatures were already unseasonably warm. My wife and I headed back to the truck both experiencing completely different emotions. I was high from the situation. It was an incredible hunt, especially for only the second day. We had barely missed a great chance and there were many elk in the area. My wife on the other hand (who up to this point had only hunted a couple years was 100% on calling a bugling bull), lashed out in frustration and was literally pissed we did not seal the deal. As we hiked back to the truck, and then the subsequent ride to the house for lunch and a nap time she continued on and on about the ordeal. Not willing to accept there was nothing else we could have done...
After our nap under the air conditioner, we left the house around 2:00. At 3:30 we had driven to our afternoon location and were slipping off the top and into a large canyon. Just a couple hundred yards from the truck, my wife notices that the band on her bugle had a small rip. She stops to have me look at it and we decided that it was best to replace it. After a couple minutes I give her the OK to test the band. She was only part way through a bugle where we herd a faint answer. I claimed it was an elk, she swore it was a moo cow. I told her to bugle again, and she was again answered, again the bugle was soft and not a full bugle, but it was definitely an elk.
We covered about 300 yards in the direction where the bugle had originated and let another bugle loose. This time the answer came from the same location but was much louder. Afterwards, we both agreed that the first 2 bugles were probably made from his bed. At this point we setup with my wife back 80 yards behind me just out of sight. She hung up the bugle and began using her sexiest chirps on the Woods Wise Hyper Hot Cow call. The bull came on a rope. He crested the ridge in front of me on a trot. I used my little $10 binos to take a quick look. When the bull was 300 yards out I looked again and saw that he had some funky points, but I would have never imagined how funky.
Soon the bull had dropped off the mountain side and into the sage covered bottom where I hid. He came perfectly in front of me and crossed paths with my arrow at just 18 yards. The arrow made quick work of the bull taking him down just 30 yards from where he was hit.
After he crashed I ran back to my wife to let her know what had happened. I remember telling her he has a cool extra point. As we neared the bulls final resting point I could not believe my eyes. In all my years I had never seen or even heard of a bull like what I had just taken.
He has 4 antlers, each of which would shed and grow separate of the rest. On his left hand side he is a pretty standard 300 class 6 point. On his right hand side he had one antler with 4 points, another antler with 3 and then a single spike. Ultimately, he is a 6x4X3X1. I had him scored, but the rules are such that he does no make the PY book. He scored 347 in total inches but after deductions he was in the 240 range.
At any rate here are a few pics of him on the wall.
From head on It looks like he has a double 4th point and when he was on the hill that is what I thought.
As you can see there are 3 bases on his one side. The front antler has all the bottom end genetics (2 brow tines, a third and then daggers up). The back antler daggers out then runs back to whale tail. The last antler is just a little 4 inch spike but still had its own base and would have shed separate.
Hope you enjoyed the story and the pics. Wish I was taking field pictures back then (actually the week after this bull I got my first camera).
Bull was an OTC Archery Bull here in Colorado.
The Story:
My wife and I left the truck at around 3:30pm to work some country and sit on a water hole for the afternoon. When we left the truck the temp was reading 88 degrees. Still riding the high from the mornings hunt, I was optimistic about our chances despite it being early in the season and really hot...
It was first light on what was one of the best days in the field. My wife with her shorter stride was still working her way up the steep the shale hillside in Western Colorado. As she came to a stop, working to catch her breath the early morning silence was disturbed by a faint bugle far off on the ridge opposite of where we just climbed. With lots of good country ahead of us, we fought the urge to bail back off the top and cross over to the bugle.
20 minutes later we had gained enough elevation to be considered "on top". The sun had just overtaken the stars and the headlamps were tucked into out packs. We sat on top watching and listening.
As we sat wild horses snorted and feed in the distance. As soon as it became light enough to shoot my wife unleashed a great bugle from her ELK power bugle. That was followed with just brief lag of silent anticipation. From the canyon below an aggressive bugle erupted. We quickly moved to get properly set up. While we adjusted the bugle filled the cool morning air 3 more times. Before I was totally set my wife could not help but challenge our quarry. This eventually turned into a 15 minute stalemate with each party screaming at each other but neither willing to make a move. Despite mixing in the sweet estrous chirps of a willing cow the bull would not come any closer than several hundred yards. Eventually the bull who was still willing to answer a bugle began to slip away into an adjacent canyon and into a large burn. The only advantage to this new direction was having the wind in our face. As the bull moved away we began to dog him hoping to at least see what we were dealing with, and not really believing that we had much chance to pull it off.
As we began into the large burn the the bull had moved to the top of the burnt drainage and was still vocal. We snuck through the scared black remains of junipers closing the distance to just 300 yards before running out of cover. From our new location we could finally see the bull. He was a great OTC bull. A large heavy 5x5. He easily would have been the largest bull I had ever killed(yet still smaller than my wifes best bull). Soon the bull was joined by over 20 cows. He was busy running, herding and directing traffic. The cows were feeding intently on the grass that was thick in the burn. With no other options we set up to try and call the bull from his herd. My wife sat up against a burnt stump about 80 yards behind me and I sat near a downed tree tree just 20 yards from a main trail. She skipped the bugles at this point and began using a lost cow call mixed with calf calls. The bull paid little attention but one of the closest cows began to act curious.
Before I really knew what was happening the cow with a calf in tow were trotting down the trial headed towards my wife. As the cow and calf passed on the trail in front of me I could see the other cows had also turned and were heading my way. I could not believe what was happening. Pretty soon the bull filled with panic began trying round up the cows and keep them in line. As the remaining herd headed my way, I looked back at my wife to see her balled up in fear calling. The first cow had made it to her and with a calf in tow she was only feet from my wife sniffing her and trying to figure out what she was(my wife later said it was the coolest and scariest thing she had ever done). My focus shifts back to the herd. I watch as 1/2 the herd passed just 20 yards from my location. With only a couple cows left to pass and the bull trying to catch up I knocked and came to full draw. Of course the last 2 cows decided to take a different trail which swung around the point I was on and took the animals just out of sight. The bull followed. I scrambled to reposition, but by that time it was to late.
The cow sniffing my wife had gotten nervous and barked, I was running trying to catch the bull, and the whole herd erupted. It was only 8:30 by the time everything settled down but the woods were silent the sun was hot and the temperatures were already unseasonably warm. My wife and I headed back to the truck both experiencing completely different emotions. I was high from the situation. It was an incredible hunt, especially for only the second day. We had barely missed a great chance and there were many elk in the area. My wife on the other hand (who up to this point had only hunted a couple years was 100% on calling a bugling bull), lashed out in frustration and was literally pissed we did not seal the deal. As we hiked back to the truck, and then the subsequent ride to the house for lunch and a nap time she continued on and on about the ordeal. Not willing to accept there was nothing else we could have done...
After our nap under the air conditioner, we left the house around 2:00. At 3:30 we had driven to our afternoon location and were slipping off the top and into a large canyon. Just a couple hundred yards from the truck, my wife notices that the band on her bugle had a small rip. She stops to have me look at it and we decided that it was best to replace it. After a couple minutes I give her the OK to test the band. She was only part way through a bugle where we herd a faint answer. I claimed it was an elk, she swore it was a moo cow. I told her to bugle again, and she was again answered, again the bugle was soft and not a full bugle, but it was definitely an elk.
We covered about 300 yards in the direction where the bugle had originated and let another bugle loose. This time the answer came from the same location but was much louder. Afterwards, we both agreed that the first 2 bugles were probably made from his bed. At this point we setup with my wife back 80 yards behind me just out of sight. She hung up the bugle and began using her sexiest chirps on the Woods Wise Hyper Hot Cow call. The bull came on a rope. He crested the ridge in front of me on a trot. I used my little $10 binos to take a quick look. When the bull was 300 yards out I looked again and saw that he had some funky points, but I would have never imagined how funky.
Soon the bull had dropped off the mountain side and into the sage covered bottom where I hid. He came perfectly in front of me and crossed paths with my arrow at just 18 yards. The arrow made quick work of the bull taking him down just 30 yards from where he was hit.
After he crashed I ran back to my wife to let her know what had happened. I remember telling her he has a cool extra point. As we neared the bulls final resting point I could not believe my eyes. In all my years I had never seen or even heard of a bull like what I had just taken.
He has 4 antlers, each of which would shed and grow separate of the rest. On his left hand side he is a pretty standard 300 class 6 point. On his right hand side he had one antler with 4 points, another antler with 3 and then a single spike. Ultimately, he is a 6x4X3X1. I had him scored, but the rules are such that he does no make the PY book. He scored 347 in total inches but after deductions he was in the 240 range.
At any rate here are a few pics of him on the wall.
From head on It looks like he has a double 4th point and when he was on the hill that is what I thought.
As you can see there are 3 bases on his one side. The front antler has all the bottom end genetics (2 brow tines, a third and then daggers up). The back antler daggers out then runs back to whale tail. The last antler is just a little 4 inch spike but still had its own base and would have shed separate.
Hope you enjoyed the story and the pics. Wish I was taking field pictures back then (actually the week after this bull I got my first camera).
