This is my fifteen year old son's first elk taken in Utah on the special youth hunt this past September.
We were working a larger bull that was bugling down in a thickly wooded creek bottom when we heard a limb crack a little ways behind us. We looked around, but couldn't see a thing. We worked in a little closer to the bugling bull when we heard the all to familiar alarm bark right behind us. As we turned around we saw two spike bulls prancing away from us. I give off a few conservative chuckles on my bugle in an attempt to settle things down. This stopped one of the spikes as we tried to look over the edge of the creek bank to see if the bigger bull was still around. I couldn't see anything through the thick trees so I gave a short chirp on my cow call. Instead of getting the bigger bull's attention it brought the spike bull running towards us on the dead run. As I turned to look at my son I had just enough time to plug my ears when he unleased the seven mag to put the little bull in serious distress. One more shot and it was over.
We never did get to see the bull that was bugling. However, my son had just shot is first elk and he was as happy as could be. And so was I. Fun stuff!
For those of you wondering, yes, he was wearing hunter orange. He left it on his day pack when he was digging out the camara.
We were working a larger bull that was bugling down in a thickly wooded creek bottom when we heard a limb crack a little ways behind us. We looked around, but couldn't see a thing. We worked in a little closer to the bugling bull when we heard the all to familiar alarm bark right behind us. As we turned around we saw two spike bulls prancing away from us. I give off a few conservative chuckles on my bugle in an attempt to settle things down. This stopped one of the spikes as we tried to look over the edge of the creek bank to see if the bigger bull was still around. I couldn't see anything through the thick trees so I gave a short chirp on my cow call. Instead of getting the bigger bull's attention it brought the spike bull running towards us on the dead run. As I turned to look at my son I had just enough time to plug my ears when he unleased the seven mag to put the little bull in serious distress. One more shot and it was over.
We never did get to see the bull that was bugling. However, my son had just shot is first elk and he was as happy as could be. And so was I. Fun stuff!
For those of you wondering, yes, he was wearing hunter orange. He left it on his day pack when he was digging out the camara.
