Muzzy elk pics

DonV · Oct 7, 2005

Also posted on muzzy forum, full story and more details/pics to come. NM elk, muzzleloader, public land unguided, shot at 30 yards, ran 30 yards, unscored, 6x6. My first good elk. Awesome hunt, tons of bugling (bowhunters in NM get the shaft there was way more action during muzzy season then both the bowhunts I have been on there combined).

Any guess the score? I am told 280-310, I guess 270 but I am not good, I do not care, he is an awesome trophy for me and exactly what I dreamed of. I still cannot beleive I got him. Best part was it was 1/4 mile from a place I could drive too (last 2 bowkills were over 1-1/2 miles), that was nice!

Was into lots of elk and nearly got a slightly smaller herd bull opening day.

YukonDall · Oct 7, 2005

NICE BULL, YOU DID GOOD!!!! YD.

hunterjosh · Oct 7, 2005

Gongratulations

Nice bull!

Flatlandr · Oct 7, 2005

Congrats on a nice bull! I leave for Colorado tomorrow unguided as well and can only hope to take one as nice as that one.

Mark

vinihunt · Oct 7, 2005

finally!! waiting for ya to post over MM! Awesome bull like always! and yes i'm lucky to live here in NM! someday we ll meet and hang at camp!

how's ur twin babies? boy or girl? if so Congrats to ya and ur wife!

again! Awesome bull! for unit 52 and looks like ll be class 300 bull!

vinihunt

PleaseDear · Oct 7, 2005

Nice Bull for an Ohio fella!!
Screw score be happy with the harvest and getting your first 6x6......... life is great for you!

nmtaxi · Oct 7, 2005

Awesome!!! That is the best 52 bull I've seen.

Antler1 · Oct 7, 2005

Nice looking bull, Congratulations

rutnbuck · Oct 7, 2005

Great bull

muzzle · Oct 7, 2005

Great bull. Congrats on a great hunt.

kilowatt · Oct 7, 2005

That's a real nice Bull, what it scores is secondary. Congrats to you on a successful hunt and thanks too for posting the pictures.

Brian

c3 · Oct 7, 2005

Nice one Don! Great to see you connect on a perfect typical!.

Cheers,
Pete

Dub · Oct 9, 2005

Congrats Don! He's definitely better than 270, I'd say just over 300, and you like him so that's the most important thing!

Dub

okiebugle · Oct 9, 2005

Nice job, and really pretty bull.

ridgerunner · Oct 9, 2005

Sweet looking bull, looks right around 300-310 to me. Way to go.

257Tony · Oct 9, 2005

Nice looking bull, gotta love the dark horns with white tips! Closer to 300 than 280.......

albubba · Oct 10, 2005

Congrats on the bull. Looks great. I would say it scores 310 but the score doesn't really matter.Your happy with it and thats all that matters. Nice job.

crazyelk · Oct 10, 2005

Don, Glad you made it back safely to Ohio. I enjoyed the visit at your camp last week. Again, congratulations to the conclusion of very well planned hunt. Your well choreographed preparation and implemetation of your hunt paid off big time. No one could have drawn it up the way you did.

Great 300 class bull. I had the pleasure of holding the rack and smelling the pine pitch that we all love to smell this time of year. I love it. Not sure how the rifle hunters did this weekend?...From what I have seen thus far, Don's bull is the best bull to come out of 52 this year. This bull is definitely above average for unit 52.

Time to give credit where credit is due. Every year I talk to literally hundreds of hunters that are planning to hunt unit 52. Don V by far has demonstrated his passion for elk hunting like I have never seen before. His willingness to do his homework for unit 52 and hunt hard has rewarded him. He knows how to hunt elk on this unit better than most locals. In my opinion, Don V is a "Dream Teamer" in the elk woods. Again, congratulations on a great hunt.

DonV · Oct 10, 2005

Francisco is just being nice and talking me up some - thanks! Planning for next year has already begun, I look forward to these trips so much that I take all that nervous energy out and use it to plan/prepare for the hunt. I am already planning next years hunt and more then a little depressed I have to wait 11 months to return. My years in Ohio are numbered, moving out west in a few years.

Thanks Francisco, and many other guys, who have helped me out a lot, got me pointed in the right direction and I owe much of my success to them, with the info I recieved I hit the ground running and found elk my first hunt and first day in 52, after that it was just some fine tuning. Now that I know the unit I concentrate on finding a good bull rather then just finding elk.

The 2 new guys I brought on their first elk hunt had a blast, both got a shot, one thinks he hit the bull but I looked for it very hard and wonder, hopefully he missed. Other guy had a misfire at 10 yards. I told him it happened because you cannot get an elk on your first elk hunt! Backfired when I told him to go out the last evening and not give up. He said I though I cannot get an elk my first hunt???

See you soon and thanks Francisco

DonV OH

PS everyone who lives out west in/near the mountains is very lucky.

outtabreath · Oct 17, 2005

crazyelk-

I echo your sentiments. I have been to 52 around ten times this summer to scout. I have put in some major hiking time, not to mention the gas money and Don comes out here and smacks the biggest bull I have seen in 52. I have already talked to him, but I'll say it here... Congrats! Sweet bull. I hope to hunt with you someday , Don. I can tell you do your homework and you definitely put in the sweat equity. You deserved that bull. It is pretty tough to get away from all the illegal vehicle travel there. Especially this year. I'm glad he ended up being close to a road. Kinda ironic? Anyway, big congrats and thanks for that info, Don.