Bull Down!
- Thread starter luckless
- Start date
nmelktrout
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 1,152
Congrats "luckless". I feel that after shooting a 6x7 you are being rather dishonest about your MM handle though! Congrats and can't wait to see the pictures.
nmelktrout
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 1,152
RE: Pics
Great bull man and great pics. Nothing like an elk that it too big to fit in the back of the old SUV!
Great bull man and great pics. Nothing like an elk that it too big to fit in the back of the old SUV!
P
PAblackbear
Guest
RE: Pics
Way to go Dan! I know you hunted hard to get it. Good thing you shot it close to the road, so you could just kick it in your expedition. Just kidding, I know better that that.
Way to go Dan! I know you hunted hard to get it. Good thing you shot it close to the road, so you could just kick it in your expedition. Just kidding, I know better that that.
Y
yb
Guest
RE: Pics
Very Nice. Congrats on the elk.
Very Nice. Congrats on the elk.
Story
Guys,
Thanks for all of the kind words. This really was an experience of a lifetime. I'll tell the story in short form here and then I'll be writing a real story for inclusion in my book.
So, here goes:
After months of planning, all of it nearly fell apart when my work buddies (Air Force Engineers) received word that they would be working weekends during October. Of course, they only found out the week before my hunt. To make matters worse, my Father-In-Law, Max, would not be able to make it down until day three of the season.
Day 1
Who came to the rescue? None other than PABlackbear and KHart from Monster Muleys. Mike and Kevin both came up after work on Friday and slept in the cabin. After not seeing anything on opening morning, Kevin had to bug out. Mike and I decided to head out about 3:00 to sit over a great waterhole. We had barely settled in when Mike looked in my direction and mouthed "B-I-G B-U-L-L". Up on top of the opposite burnt ridge was a massive 5 X 6 bull and some cows. After glassing until we thought they went over the back side, I assessed the situation -- steep, steep burnt ridge, no cover, wind at our backs -- perfect for an all out assault stalk for the ages. I asked Mike if he wanted to go have some fun and up we went. About 1/8 of the way up, I realized that I am an "old 31". We huffed and puffed all the way up and got within 80 yards of the top. We thought we would get to the top, take a break and glass over the top -- WRONG!. 60 yards in front of us 11 cows and the bull put on a flawless execution of a manuever I like to call synchronized levitation. Mike hollered shoot'eem Dan (about 20 times in two seoonds). I knelt, sighted, saw nothing but bull butt, waited some more, saw nothing but bull butt some more. He started to quarter away, I fired, I missed -- crap! He trotted away while I reloaded my smokepole, turning to give me the hoofas I fumbled with a 209 primer. Off they went, so we followed. We glassed them at 600 yards for about an hour, making sure I had clean missed and putting them to bad before backing out for an approach from the other side in the morning.
Day 2
In the morning, we drove towards our jump off point and ran into some roadhunters parked in the middle of the road. As they moved out of the way, I asked them where they were hunting. They said the weather would have to dramatically improve before they would decide. We told them where we were headed and that we would be hiking. I missed the turn we needed in the dark and ended up one small ridge over from where we wanted to be. This only set us back about 20 minutes, but it also likely cost me a shot or saved us from death. As we were walking over the ridge, we heard three shots coming from the road. We later learned that the same "hunters" we had talked to were blasting 600 yards shots at elk from the road across the canyon to a ridge, wait, OUR RIDGE. There were elk right on the other side where we were headed, but they were summarily pushed into a cayon and right to the waiting rifle of a nice older gentleman, who dropped a 4 x 4 at 15 yards rather than a much larger bull at 125. Mike and I spotted the elk as they crested the ridge above the hunters. All in all, Mike and I saw 3 bulls that day and couldn't put a stalk on a single one. Mike had to go home that evening, so we drove to another spot to check to see if elk had stayed in an area I'd scouted five weeks earlier. They had not, but a nice heavy mature muley was there. We headed for the house, but not before attempting to fire my rifle into the dirt and learning that they breech was wet. It took two primers to mike it go boom. Upon getting to the house, I called my Father-In_law, Max, to let him know I had not bagged out and would need his help. He let me know that he would be down around noon on Day 3.
Day 3
I got up at 3:30 and headed up to my glassing spot. Yes, the same one I'd been shot at on ealrier in the hun. I heard a bugle and let one fly back at it. With the wind to my face, I heard something behind me. As I turned to look, I spotted two cow elk before they spotted me. I knew there had to be a bull with them, but they were up hill, down wind and on alert. Just then, I spotted the bugler and his harem two ridges over. The wind was right, but required me to hike about a mile without being able to see them. By the time I got there, they were gone, with hunters in hot pursuit. I headed back to the cabin to wait for Max. He showed up at noon and we headed for a waterhole within the hour. That entire evening was spent working from "elky area" to "elky area" glassing with each stop. Nothing!
Day 4
Back to the same area and the same bulls Mike and I had gotten into on Day 2. We hiked, glassed and called all morning, but daw nothing. We did hear the worst man-made attempted bugle EVER!. It sounded like Eeyore constipated. We headed for the cabin. On the way down the hill, I got to thinking about the numerous Saturdays I'd spent in July and August glassing elk from the cabin, while working on it. I decided that we should spend the evening slinking through the back side of that ridge on elk trails Mike had told us about. He and his wife had hunted the area while sleeping in the cabin during archery elk season. Max agreed that we needed a change of pace. I explained that the elk always fed right to left across the ridge, and that we should work our way around the right end to the other side. We ate a quick sandwich and headed out. As we got into the area, we immediately recognized how perfect the setting was. We spooked five whitetail does and a nice buck soonafter. We worked elk trails as slowly and silently as possible, stopping every 20 minutes to glass and wait. We got to a spot that smelled of bbull elk and waited for a good bit. The wind turned in our favor and we decided to press forward. Within two minutes, I spotted a buckskin horse in the woods, wait, no, that's an elk. That's a bull elk, but is he legal?? Max glassed him and saw a small branch tine. he asked what made one legal on this hunt. I explained that it needed at least a 6 inch branch tine. All of the sudden, the bull raised his head, exposing a 20+ inch tine. Max told me he was legl and that I should take the first shot possible. I pulled the trigger and was horrified to hear a snap and no boom. That's right, I cleaned the breech, but obviously not good enough. The bull raised his head at the crack, but went right back to feeding. At this point, he was quartering away, so I tried to put a 350 bullet through his back near-side ribs and out his far-side shoulder. I squeezed the trigger and watched him drop when the bullet hit farther back than I wanted. I took out his left-rear hip and his liver. Not my best shot ever, but fatal none-the-less. I then proceeded to miss two mercy shots due to a severe case of the shakes and open sights (bad combination).
He expired shortly after. and the work began. I headed for the truck to get supplies and bring the truck closer to the bottom of the hill. I realized that I had no bone saw, just a hatchet. This led us to take off the hind quarters, but leave them together. We then drug the quarters and the rest whole downhill about 300 yards to the truck. Using a ditch and a come along, we got the bull loaded and back down to my garage.
That reminds me, I still have a quarter to process. Gotta run!
DC
Guys,
Thanks for all of the kind words. This really was an experience of a lifetime. I'll tell the story in short form here and then I'll be writing a real story for inclusion in my book.
So, here goes:
After months of planning, all of it nearly fell apart when my work buddies (Air Force Engineers) received word that they would be working weekends during October. Of course, they only found out the week before my hunt. To make matters worse, my Father-In-Law, Max, would not be able to make it down until day three of the season.
Day 1
Who came to the rescue? None other than PABlackbear and KHart from Monster Muleys. Mike and Kevin both came up after work on Friday and slept in the cabin. After not seeing anything on opening morning, Kevin had to bug out. Mike and I decided to head out about 3:00 to sit over a great waterhole. We had barely settled in when Mike looked in my direction and mouthed "B-I-G B-U-L-L". Up on top of the opposite burnt ridge was a massive 5 X 6 bull and some cows. After glassing until we thought they went over the back side, I assessed the situation -- steep, steep burnt ridge, no cover, wind at our backs -- perfect for an all out assault stalk for the ages. I asked Mike if he wanted to go have some fun and up we went. About 1/8 of the way up, I realized that I am an "old 31". We huffed and puffed all the way up and got within 80 yards of the top. We thought we would get to the top, take a break and glass over the top -- WRONG!. 60 yards in front of us 11 cows and the bull put on a flawless execution of a manuever I like to call synchronized levitation. Mike hollered shoot'eem Dan (about 20 times in two seoonds). I knelt, sighted, saw nothing but bull butt, waited some more, saw nothing but bull butt some more. He started to quarter away, I fired, I missed -- crap! He trotted away while I reloaded my smokepole, turning to give me the hoofas I fumbled with a 209 primer. Off they went, so we followed. We glassed them at 600 yards for about an hour, making sure I had clean missed and putting them to bad before backing out for an approach from the other side in the morning.
Day 2
In the morning, we drove towards our jump off point and ran into some roadhunters parked in the middle of the road. As they moved out of the way, I asked them where they were hunting. They said the weather would have to dramatically improve before they would decide. We told them where we were headed and that we would be hiking. I missed the turn we needed in the dark and ended up one small ridge over from where we wanted to be. This only set us back about 20 minutes, but it also likely cost me a shot or saved us from death. As we were walking over the ridge, we heard three shots coming from the road. We later learned that the same "hunters" we had talked to were blasting 600 yards shots at elk from the road across the canyon to a ridge, wait, OUR RIDGE. There were elk right on the other side where we were headed, but they were summarily pushed into a cayon and right to the waiting rifle of a nice older gentleman, who dropped a 4 x 4 at 15 yards rather than a much larger bull at 125. Mike and I spotted the elk as they crested the ridge above the hunters. All in all, Mike and I saw 3 bulls that day and couldn't put a stalk on a single one. Mike had to go home that evening, so we drove to another spot to check to see if elk had stayed in an area I'd scouted five weeks earlier. They had not, but a nice heavy mature muley was there. We headed for the house, but not before attempting to fire my rifle into the dirt and learning that they breech was wet. It took two primers to mike it go boom. Upon getting to the house, I called my Father-In_law, Max, to let him know I had not bagged out and would need his help. He let me know that he would be down around noon on Day 3.
Day 3
I got up at 3:30 and headed up to my glassing spot. Yes, the same one I'd been shot at on ealrier in the hun. I heard a bugle and let one fly back at it. With the wind to my face, I heard something behind me. As I turned to look, I spotted two cow elk before they spotted me. I knew there had to be a bull with them, but they were up hill, down wind and on alert. Just then, I spotted the bugler and his harem two ridges over. The wind was right, but required me to hike about a mile without being able to see them. By the time I got there, they were gone, with hunters in hot pursuit. I headed back to the cabin to wait for Max. He showed up at noon and we headed for a waterhole within the hour. That entire evening was spent working from "elky area" to "elky area" glassing with each stop. Nothing!
Day 4
Back to the same area and the same bulls Mike and I had gotten into on Day 2. We hiked, glassed and called all morning, but daw nothing. We did hear the worst man-made attempted bugle EVER!. It sounded like Eeyore constipated. We headed for the cabin. On the way down the hill, I got to thinking about the numerous Saturdays I'd spent in July and August glassing elk from the cabin, while working on it. I decided that we should spend the evening slinking through the back side of that ridge on elk trails Mike had told us about. He and his wife had hunted the area while sleeping in the cabin during archery elk season. Max agreed that we needed a change of pace. I explained that the elk always fed right to left across the ridge, and that we should work our way around the right end to the other side. We ate a quick sandwich and headed out. As we got into the area, we immediately recognized how perfect the setting was. We spooked five whitetail does and a nice buck soonafter. We worked elk trails as slowly and silently as possible, stopping every 20 minutes to glass and wait. We got to a spot that smelled of bbull elk and waited for a good bit. The wind turned in our favor and we decided to press forward. Within two minutes, I spotted a buckskin horse in the woods, wait, no, that's an elk. That's a bull elk, but is he legal?? Max glassed him and saw a small branch tine. he asked what made one legal on this hunt. I explained that it needed at least a 6 inch branch tine. All of the sudden, the bull raised his head, exposing a 20+ inch tine. Max told me he was legl and that I should take the first shot possible. I pulled the trigger and was horrified to hear a snap and no boom. That's right, I cleaned the breech, but obviously not good enough. The bull raised his head at the crack, but went right back to feeding. At this point, he was quartering away, so I tried to put a 350 bullet through his back near-side ribs and out his far-side shoulder. I squeezed the trigger and watched him drop when the bullet hit farther back than I wanted. I took out his left-rear hip and his liver. Not my best shot ever, but fatal none-the-less. I then proceeded to miss two mercy shots due to a severe case of the shakes and open sights (bad combination).
He expired shortly after. and the work began. I headed for the truck to get supplies and bring the truck closer to the bottom of the hill. I realized that I had no bone saw, just a hatchet. This led us to take off the hind quarters, but leave them together. We then drug the quarters and the rest whole downhill about 300 yards to the truck. Using a ditch and a come along, we got the bull loaded and back down to my garage.
That reminds me, I still have a quarter to process. Gotta run!
DC
P
PAblackbear
Guest
RE: Story
Dan, thats all wrong. I said said shoot twice in 20 seconds. Not 20 times in 2 seconds. Well, you might be right...
Dan, thats all wrong. I said said shoot twice in 20 seconds. Not 20 times in 2 seconds. Well, you might be right...
3
338WSM
Guest
RE: Story
Too much fun. Congrats!! I used to come and read everyone's stories. This year I got to post one too. It is always great to see someone get their bull or cow. Each is a trophy and each hunt is lifetime memory.
Too much fun. Congrats!! I used to come and read everyone's stories. This year I got to post one too. It is always great to see someone get their bull or cow. Each is a trophy and each hunt is lifetime memory.
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