BrowningRage
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 4,446
First of all, to all you regular elk hunters that get out there every year and kill and pack bulls- You're a bunch of sick individuals.! 
Packing an elk is my new favorite/least-favorite thing.
Video to come as well...
On Saturday the 23rd I threw my wife a big 40th B-Day party so Dad and I didn't head out to the Book Cliffs until Sunday the 24th, the day before Opening Day. Our plan was simple. We would stay off the top for the most part and find those canyons that are just out of the way from any dirt roads that the archery deer hunters had likely been pressuring. We would hike to canyon edges, or on ridgelines, sending out locator bugles and cow calls.
After setting up camp in early evening, we ate and then made a plan for where to go that evening. A short time later we set off along the divide road and turned off down the first finger road. About 2 miles down that road my dad said, let's just try a bugle from here. He pulled over and stuck his head and bugle out the widow and let out the first bugle of his hunt. I immediately heard a faint response.! My dad's hearing isn't what it used to be and he hadn't heard it. So, we let out a few more bugles every few minutes and I could hear a response each time. The bull sounded like a T-Rex sometimes, and a yearling spike others, so I thought initially there were two bulls. I told my dad I would hustle in the direction of the bugle and see if I couldn't locate the bull responsible. A quick quarter mile hike through the trees found me on the edge of a cliff, and I spotted the bugling bull across the small canyon. The bull appeared to be alone and he responded to every cow call I made. I got some video I'll share up as soon as I'm done editing it together.
I returned to the truck to find my dad chatting it up with an 82-year old guy on a RZR. Once they were done, I showed him the video and he said, that's good enough for me! We went to several other spots on ridges and near canyons without any luck getting responses the rest of the evening. Driving back to camp, my dad said, well let's go back to that bull in the morning and see if he's still there.
The next morning we were up at 5 and leaving camp at 5:30. I know that's about 2 hours before shooting light, but you all know how it is.! We drove back to the spot from the night before, rolled down the windows and just listened. We watched satellites overhead and saw shooting stars, but best of all, we just listened to this bull bugling his head off from the exact same spot as the evening before.
As light began to creep over the eastern horizon, we got out and made a plan to keep the wind in our face and move towards the bugling bull. Thinking he was alone, we were in high spirits we could set up and get his attention to bring him to us. At the edge of the little canyon, we waited until we could see, then we started picking out elk in the brush on the opposite side. He was not alone, but had a harem of 10 cows with him. We knew it would be hard to pull him away from them. But, my dad picked a spot where he was hidden in the trees at the edge and I backed off 100 yards or so and began cow calling, then bugling. Thought I'd make it sound like another herd of elk with a herd bull. Our bull got fired up in about 3 seconds, he was bugling and chuckling like crazy. I started bugling over the top of him, and he started raking trees... so I started raking trees. Pretty exciting to say the least!
After 10-15 minutes of this, I could hear that he had moved from high on the opposite side down onto the opposite slope, but I didn't think he was going to come across to meet us. I worked my way back to my dad and realized I was right, and the bull was about halfway down the slope. My dad had ranged the bull and rather than being 300 yards like we thought, it was only 214 yards! My dad decided to take his shot. My dad shoots an open-sight, .54 caliber Hawkin. He stepped to the side of his hiding tree, locked the hammer back and free-handed, took aim... *SNAP* His cap goes off, but not the gun! Though alerted, none of the elk run off. My dad quickly resets a new cap. He takes aim once again. *SNAP* - *BOOM* A hang-fire! The bull's cows are now running for the top of the opposite ridge. He follows briefly but turns towards us as I cow call. My dad has reloaded and is ready for another attempt. *BOOM* I see the bull hunch up a little, then turn to look at the ground behind him on the hillside. One of his cows runs over to look at the same spot behind him. Dad starts to reload when the bull turns downhill suddenly and runs a short distance and stops. As he's walking broadside, I can see a bullet hole and blood trickling out of it. Not a great shot placement, and not a lot of blood, but as his cows run away finally, he looks sick as a dog. A few moments later and he lays down. We watch him and make a plan to get close and finish him off, but before we can make that plan, he gets up and tries to move off, but falls over backwards and down the hillside. Never to move again. 18 year wait, and the bull was down after less than 30 minutes.
My dad's expectations for the hunt were likely lower than what many of you would have had. He wanted a solid 6x6 bull, but a mature bull would have fit the bill. And he had been sick for 2 weeks straight and had some low energy levels. As it turned out, this bull was a gift. We didn't even have to hike the canyon, but found a grown-over 2-track that we could drive down and get to 400 yards from the dead bull. Made the heavy pack out easier on me. NOTE: When training for an elk hunt, be sure to add "rucking" to the routine. Couldn't believe how quickly my hips got sore with a heavy pack.
He won't go in any trophy books, but I'm doing a Euro on him, and he's gonna look awesome over my dad's stairs. And the memory of this bull rutting hard, bugling, and my dad getting him with his Hawkin, free-handed, from 240 yards is amazing!!
Packing an elk is my new favorite/least-favorite thing.Video to come as well...
On Saturday the 23rd I threw my wife a big 40th B-Day party so Dad and I didn't head out to the Book Cliffs until Sunday the 24th, the day before Opening Day. Our plan was simple. We would stay off the top for the most part and find those canyons that are just out of the way from any dirt roads that the archery deer hunters had likely been pressuring. We would hike to canyon edges, or on ridgelines, sending out locator bugles and cow calls.
After setting up camp in early evening, we ate and then made a plan for where to go that evening. A short time later we set off along the divide road and turned off down the first finger road. About 2 miles down that road my dad said, let's just try a bugle from here. He pulled over and stuck his head and bugle out the widow and let out the first bugle of his hunt. I immediately heard a faint response.! My dad's hearing isn't what it used to be and he hadn't heard it. So, we let out a few more bugles every few minutes and I could hear a response each time. The bull sounded like a T-Rex sometimes, and a yearling spike others, so I thought initially there were two bulls. I told my dad I would hustle in the direction of the bugle and see if I couldn't locate the bull responsible. A quick quarter mile hike through the trees found me on the edge of a cliff, and I spotted the bugling bull across the small canyon. The bull appeared to be alone and he responded to every cow call I made. I got some video I'll share up as soon as I'm done editing it together.
I returned to the truck to find my dad chatting it up with an 82-year old guy on a RZR. Once they were done, I showed him the video and he said, that's good enough for me! We went to several other spots on ridges and near canyons without any luck getting responses the rest of the evening. Driving back to camp, my dad said, well let's go back to that bull in the morning and see if he's still there.
The next morning we were up at 5 and leaving camp at 5:30. I know that's about 2 hours before shooting light, but you all know how it is.! We drove back to the spot from the night before, rolled down the windows and just listened. We watched satellites overhead and saw shooting stars, but best of all, we just listened to this bull bugling his head off from the exact same spot as the evening before.
As light began to creep over the eastern horizon, we got out and made a plan to keep the wind in our face and move towards the bugling bull. Thinking he was alone, we were in high spirits we could set up and get his attention to bring him to us. At the edge of the little canyon, we waited until we could see, then we started picking out elk in the brush on the opposite side. He was not alone, but had a harem of 10 cows with him. We knew it would be hard to pull him away from them. But, my dad picked a spot where he was hidden in the trees at the edge and I backed off 100 yards or so and began cow calling, then bugling. Thought I'd make it sound like another herd of elk with a herd bull. Our bull got fired up in about 3 seconds, he was bugling and chuckling like crazy. I started bugling over the top of him, and he started raking trees... so I started raking trees. Pretty exciting to say the least!
After 10-15 minutes of this, I could hear that he had moved from high on the opposite side down onto the opposite slope, but I didn't think he was going to come across to meet us. I worked my way back to my dad and realized I was right, and the bull was about halfway down the slope. My dad had ranged the bull and rather than being 300 yards like we thought, it was only 214 yards! My dad decided to take his shot. My dad shoots an open-sight, .54 caliber Hawkin. He stepped to the side of his hiding tree, locked the hammer back and free-handed, took aim... *SNAP* His cap goes off, but not the gun! Though alerted, none of the elk run off. My dad quickly resets a new cap. He takes aim once again. *SNAP* - *BOOM* A hang-fire! The bull's cows are now running for the top of the opposite ridge. He follows briefly but turns towards us as I cow call. My dad has reloaded and is ready for another attempt. *BOOM* I see the bull hunch up a little, then turn to look at the ground behind him on the hillside. One of his cows runs over to look at the same spot behind him. Dad starts to reload when the bull turns downhill suddenly and runs a short distance and stops. As he's walking broadside, I can see a bullet hole and blood trickling out of it. Not a great shot placement, and not a lot of blood, but as his cows run away finally, he looks sick as a dog. A few moments later and he lays down. We watch him and make a plan to get close and finish him off, but before we can make that plan, he gets up and tries to move off, but falls over backwards and down the hillside. Never to move again. 18 year wait, and the bull was down after less than 30 minutes.
My dad's expectations for the hunt were likely lower than what many of you would have had. He wanted a solid 6x6 bull, but a mature bull would have fit the bill. And he had been sick for 2 weeks straight and had some low energy levels. As it turned out, this bull was a gift. We didn't even have to hike the canyon, but found a grown-over 2-track that we could drive down and get to 400 yards from the dead bull. Made the heavy pack out easier on me. NOTE: When training for an elk hunt, be sure to add "rucking" to the routine. Couldn't believe how quickly my hips got sore with a heavy pack.
He won't go in any trophy books, but I'm doing a Euro on him, and he's gonna look awesome over my dad's stairs. And the memory of this bull rutting hard, bugling, and my dad getting him with his Hawkin, free-handed, from 240 yards is amazing!!
![IMG_4703[1].jpg](/xf/data/xfmg/thumbnail/42/42735-d5caeb180e851735bb0efe2bea325502.jpg?1706048007)
