C
CastEmBlastEm
Guest
We hunted hard Wednesday and Thursday passing on several bulls. On Friday morning as we were heading up a canyon to our location we stopped in another area to listen. Right after we stopped we could hear the bulls going nuts. We changed plans and headed out into this area. We hiked into a flat before day light to find a decent bull with several cows. At this point we figured from all the different bugles around us that we had between 10 & 12 different bulls around us. Several were above us and on their way up the mountain. About 4 or so were still below us so we waited hoping they would filter through the flat. After 20 minutes or so we could tell all the bulls were skirting the flat and staying in the trees. We started sneaking around closing in on the bulls. The area was very thick and required us to be within 40 yards or so to get a look at them. We followed several of the bugles and upon seeing the bulls decided to pass. By now it was 9:00 and things were quieting down. As we started back down the mountain we heard a bugle up the hill from us. We decided to try and locate the bull. After about 45 minutes we found ourselves in thick trees walking over several large lava beds. We got close to the bull and got a quick look at him. A quick decision was made and no shot was taken. Thank goodness, we would still be packing that bull out. By now it was 10:00 so we started down the hill again. About half way down a friend of mine spots an elk crossing the large meadow below us. This meadow is about 1 mile wide and several miles long. It is where the main dirt road comes up the canyon. We couldn't believe that there would be an elk out there and that he had just crossed the road. He was a long ways off, but we could tell he was a bull. We started running down the mountain. It wasn?t easy going jumping over dead fall, and avoiding big rocks. We would slow down every couple hundred yards or so to relocate the bull and stay in line with him. It looked like we were going to hit the bottom at the same time he would hit the trees. We stopped to glass him before we lost sight of him and determined he was a shooter. He went behind a group of trees so we sprinted across the flat towards them. My brother cow called a couple time while we were moving. I thought he had beaten us into the trees and we'd never see him again. Just then he comes running around the trees right at us about 200 yards away. We hit the ground with nothing to hide behind. Luckily the bull wasn?t looking at us. He had his nose straight in the air coming right in. I was set up and ready to shoot. We waited and waited for him to turn broadside but he didn't. He just kept coming. At 75 yards or so by brother cow called to stop him before he got to close. He stopped and opened a window to his vitals. My shot hit him perfect and we could immediately see blood coming out. He made it around a little knoll and up into the trees. We followed a very good blood trail to find him just inside the trees. When you add in 20 bonus points for shooting him the day before a big snow storm, 30 bonus points for having family and good friends with me, and 40 bonus points for having him die within yards of a road, he ends up scoring just over 440 gross.
Big thanks to my brother Travis and good friend Clayton for hiking all those miles with me and putting me into position to kill a great bull. Thanks to my Dad, Grandpa, and good buddy Chad for all the time scouting and finding big bulls.
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Big thanks to my brother Travis and good friend Clayton for hiking all those miles with me and putting me into position to kill a great bull. Thanks to my Dad, Grandpa, and good buddy Chad for all the time scouting and finding big bulls.
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