RidgeRebel
Active Member
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LAST EDITED ON Sep-06-16 AT 11:58AM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Sep-06-16 AT 09:37?AM (MST)
I accomplished a goal that I have had for many years yesterday morning. I killed a bull elk with a bow on a Utah any bull unit. I hit the trail just before 7:00 am and just kept going until I cut a fresh track. About 1.5 miles from the road is were I finally started finding elk sign. The elk on the unit rarely bugle, but I began cow calling really soft about every 100 yards or so, then I would just listen for while. The third time I stopped to cow call, I could hear crashing above me. I knocked an arrow and within seconds the bull was about 30 yards from me running to the call. The bull stopped head on at less than 10 yards. I was frozen and could not draw my bow. The bull started to get nervous and began circling to get my wind. When he went behind a tangle of brush, I was able to draw. I hit the call as he stepped out and let the arrow go. He jumped at the shot and I could see a hole right behind the shoulder. The bull ran past me going down hill and he disappeared. I could hear him crashing below me for a few more seconds, then silence. I stood in disbelief of what had just happened. After calming down and trying to memorize where I watched the bull run, walked over to where I shot. I found my arrow sitting on top of a branch where the bull had stood covered in blood. I could see the bulls deep cut tracks in the dirt and slowly started to follow them. I did not find blood for about 20 yards, but once I did the trail was easy to follow. I found the bull approximately 50 yards from where I shot him in a steep drainage. The bull is a rag horn 4x5 but at that moment he was as good as a 400 inch bull to me. I had killed a bigger bull on an LE unit years prior but this bull is more of a trophy to me. The work then began. The bull ended up being 2.25 miles from the road and I had to make three trips in there coming out heavy each time. Getting out of bed this morning was quit the adventure as well.
I accomplished a goal that I have had for many years yesterday morning. I killed a bull elk with a bow on a Utah any bull unit. I hit the trail just before 7:00 am and just kept going until I cut a fresh track. About 1.5 miles from the road is were I finally started finding elk sign. The elk on the unit rarely bugle, but I began cow calling really soft about every 100 yards or so, then I would just listen for while. The third time I stopped to cow call, I could hear crashing above me. I knocked an arrow and within seconds the bull was about 30 yards from me running to the call. The bull stopped head on at less than 10 yards. I was frozen and could not draw my bow. The bull started to get nervous and began circling to get my wind. When he went behind a tangle of brush, I was able to draw. I hit the call as he stepped out and let the arrow go. He jumped at the shot and I could see a hole right behind the shoulder. The bull ran past me going down hill and he disappeared. I could hear him crashing below me for a few more seconds, then silence. I stood in disbelief of what had just happened. After calming down and trying to memorize where I watched the bull run, walked over to where I shot. I found my arrow sitting on top of a branch where the bull had stood covered in blood. I could see the bulls deep cut tracks in the dirt and slowly started to follow them. I did not find blood for about 20 yards, but once I did the trail was easy to follow. I found the bull approximately 50 yards from where I shot him in a steep drainage. The bull is a rag horn 4x5 but at that moment he was as good as a 400 inch bull to me. I had killed a bigger bull on an LE unit years prior but this bull is more of a trophy to me. The work then began. The bull ended up being 2.25 miles from the road and I had to make three trips in there coming out heavy each time. Getting out of bed this morning was quit the adventure as well.
