2014 was good to me!!!

pushin_30

Very Active Member
Messages
1,084
Well I thought 2013 was my year for the luck in the draws. I was able to pull my once in a lifetime rocky mountain goat tag. So when i put in for the 2014 draws i wasn't expecting my name to be pulled from the hat again. With only 6 points for elk. 2 for buffalo and being in my 2nd year of the dedicated hunter program i was looking forward to only having a deer tag in my pocket come the 2014 season. Well as luck would have it i was drawn for my limited entry elk tag with 6 points!!! YES Most people hate me?I'm used to it ;) As I usually put in for the archery season this year would have to be different, with my hunting partner hoping to pull his archery paunsagant deer tag with 12 points. I opted for the early rifle just in case so our hunts would not overlap. Lucky for me and unlucky for my hunting partner it looked as if we would be scouting and chasing big bulls and not big bucks this year like we expected.

I have not hunted elk (other than spike) seriously since i moved from idaho in 99'
I was amped to finally have a big bull tag in my pocket and anxious for the opportunity to chase these majestic animals during the rut once again!

After scouting many shooter bulls i would be more than happy with and learning as much about the area as i could to prepare myself for the hunt. I was excited for the opener and hit the unit 3 days before opening day and set up camp. After 3 days scouting I was only able to turn up 2 of the larger bulls i had scouting during the summer. With the archery hunt still in progress and many hunters still in the field trying to fill their tags. I was hopeful that I would still be able to turn up one of the bulls i had scouted previous. With numerous friends and family out to help and enjoy the experience along with me it was going to be a great time regardless if i ended up punching my tag. The night before the opener I was able to locate a huge bull right at last light. Now I just had to wait the long 10 agonizing hours for opening mooring to finally arrive.

However after finally located one of the huge bulls i was excited to get after it.
With the temperatures still well into the 90's during the day and the night temp not cooling off much either rut activity was very minimal. This hunt was going to be a challenge. The elk were only staying out feeding about 30 minutes before dark and 30 minutes after light and were hitting the thick stuff to bed up for the day. Hunting them spot and stalk was out of the question. Opening morning started off great! With the bulls fired up it seemed like rut had started over night. After locating the big bulls bugle we headed off on a beeline for him hoping to track him out and catch up to the herd in the thickets. After 3 hours and miles of chasing his bugle we finally caught up to him. He had peeled off from his cows to bed alone. At a mere 80 yards i finally got my first glance of his huge tines raking a juniper tree to shreds. However i did not have a shot due to the thick thick trees. After attempting to try and get an opening for a shot while he would rake the tree. I was finally able to close the distance down to about 50 yards when out of nowhere 2 other bulls came crashing in on him. After about 10 minutes of the 3 bulls going at each other i finally had an opening for a shot. Unclear if it was the big one i opted to pass and wait for a more clear view of the antlers. Then the wind circled?.GAME OVER!!! Thats hunting though!! But the experience of this encounter left me wanting more!! We backed out and hope that the evening hunt would be as exciting as that mornings!

With the evening hunt and the next three days having minimal rut activity and smaller bulls it was time for plan B.

I had seen a couple BIG 5's during my scouting that got my blood pumping so we decided to try our luck at one of them. Knowing the route that these bulls were taking from their bedding areas to the sage flats for feeding during the night we set up in hopes to cut them off. About an hour before dark and cow calling every so often trying to sound as if the cows were up milling around the bulls finally started sounding off. After positioning ourselves based on the bugles that cows finally started to appear in a small interior sage flat. Cow after Cow and the bulls still bulging and about 30 minutes left of shooting light the big 5 finally stepped into the small opening. At a mere 50 yards and the camera rolling he stood behind a tree and bugle for what seemed like an eternity. Finally he made his way through the opening after his last cow and well?. the rest is history!! At 40 yards and one shot from the ole 300 win mag down he went!! My dream of harvesting a huge bull had finally come true! And to catch the whole event and excitement on film with great friends and family along side i could have asked for a better hunt!!! One i will definitely relive over and over and over!!

With darkness setting in fast I was limited on time to get really good pictures in the light but a few turned out as well as a couple in the dark.
For all those who care to know score, With 54 & 52" beams my bull ended up scoring 345 6/8, 349 7/8, and 347 on the nose. scored by three different people. Score was never that big of a deal to me as much as i wanted a bull that was pretty and had it all!
Mass, Length, and looked BIG!!! As you can see this bull has just that.

Enjoy!!


35img_20140915_200117765.jpg

4428img_20140915_200205801.jpg

9431img_0395.jpg
 
Awesome looking bull, scores really well is just a bonus. Got to love those Big 5's,

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
Congrats great looking bull. Love the mass....glad you were able to close the deal on that bad boy. Thanks for sharing the story and pics. Nice read :)

))))------->
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom