This started as a hunt on Friday (opening morning) with Grandma (my mom) and my two kids (6 and 7). We actually got up to early and my Mother (grandma) made the suggestion that we go to her friends house and listen to the elk bugle that were all over the river where she lives. My daughter (6) used her voice in the dark to call a bull into about 50 yards (couldn't tell cause it was still dark). We ended up finding a small buck, that I would have taken with kids. A long hike (my son pooped out and went back with Grandma) didn't turn that buck up. We had some friends come camp in the valley, and I mentioned to him I had an extra gun. He hadn't hunted in 20 years, and wasn't in the best shape. From their camp I spotted a big 4x4 with a couple other bucks, and a decent 3x3 on separate ravines. We started with about 1.5 hours of light left, he just couldn't get up there in time which was frustrating because I made it up there with plenty of light but promised him I wouldn't shoot. We had seen some trucks below us, and as it turned out, those guys got up well before light and shot the buck the next morning.
After another couple close calls with daughter on Saturday (my daughter is really into it), but no bucks on the ground.
Sunday rolled around and Mom (my wife) wanted the kids to stay in. So, I picked up my friend at his camp and we took off. I was looking for the smaller bucks I had seen Saturday, with the hope we could get him a meat buck, as that is what he was after. I had just said to him "keep your eyes on that open stuff next to the river", and not 30 seconds later he yelled "Big Buck!". We pulled off, grabbed guns and shells. He had seen the buck near the top of the hill. As we steadily moved up, I saw the buck crossing above us and said "there he is!". He shot, and the buck was down. I saw movement behind the tree, and a quick move to the right, the second buck was staring at us. I shot and the buck took off clearly hit. There was a lot of blood and blood trailing revealed the buck about 150 yards away.
The second buck is 29" wide. The first buck is a matching 5x5.
Both bucks are big bodied, but that second buck was huge, and really old.