TULE ELK BULL FINALLY! San Luis Reservoir.

[popeyoung2]

LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-09 AT 04:44PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-09 AT 04:41?PM (MST)

LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-09 AT 04:40?PM (MST)

I just got back from San Luis Reservoir. Got a huge Tule elk on the public land. 8x7 super old bull. Had to use a shotgun with slugs. Remington premier copper sabot. 157 yard shot. double lung first shot and broke shoulder on the second. He went 5 feet and rolled over. Great hunt, awesome bull and well worth the 24 year wait. scored 277.

 

[Cahunter805]

Congrats on an awesome Tule. Looks like a great bull. PM sent!

 

[sageadvice]

Now THAT'S a tuff tag to draw!!! Absolutely Fantastic!!!

If you get the time, it would be nice if you could give us a little hunt re-cap, what the odds of drawing were, how many animals you saw, the hunt and shot,...things like that. I saw the pic in the Elk Forum but glad you posted here also!!

Way to go, great bull!!!

Joey

 

[popeyoung2]

the odds with max points was 1 in 25. hunted the 990 acre state land. the rest are private ranches that wanted up to $15,000 for a trespass fee. Passed 3 other bulls on the public ground. Easy to pattern as they head to the lake every night. Tuff bow hunt terrain. So on the state land u had to use a shotgun. found his herd of 40. belly crawled for 90 minutes, ran out of terrain and laid there for over 3 hours till they marched to the water. closest i could have gotten was 155 yards. If i had more time i could have set up in a spot for a bow shot. evening hunt only due to the 30 knot winds out of the west everyday. lots of memories. I know i saw over 150 different elk in 1 day around the reservoir.

 

[eelgrass]

Congratulations! The wind always blows on San Luis, it seems. Great bull!

Eel

Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.

 

[CA_badger]

Sound like a hunt of a lifetime. I better start trying to draw it now. hehe. Congrats.



If your gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough. -John Wayne

 

[Todd10]

Congrates!!!!!! looks like a dandy

 

[popeyoung2]

ca_badger. r u a cheesehead? if so, pm me....

 

[m1fan]

Outstanding! I have about 5 yrs. left as a resident to draw then I am outta here.

Excellent bull and sounds like you have the herd dialed in regarding their movements. Does anyone actually pay the trespass fee?

 

[Hardway]

Does
>anyone actually pay the trespass
>fee?

The guys who buy the auction tags do. The Tule elk is one of the most difficult animals to get to complete an "Elk Slam"
or any other type of "North American Slam". They really only exist in Ca, and with only a few going to non-residents (not many more for residents) the landowners have the rich trophy hunters by the you know what.

Popeyoung, I hope you know how lucky you are. Great Bull.


"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

 

[popeyoung2]

Trust me, I do know how fortunate i am. I am 51, Probably will never draw another tag. I do not have $15,000 to buy a landowner tag and the ranches around my hunt area still wanted 6k- 15k for a trespass fee even tho i drew a tag. That's why i spent so much time scouting the 990 acre state land. I am now inspired to get a rosevelt to complete my elk slam.

 

[BOHNTR]

What a beautiful Tule Elk.....congratulations!

BOHNTR )))---------->

 

[RACKMASTER]

nice bull ....heard it was a dunk hunt!!!.
bio dude at fish and game said s/b a apprentice hunt.

rackmaster

 

[popeyoung2]

>nice bull ....heard it was a
>dunk hunt!!!.
>bio dude at fish and game
>said s/b a apprentice hunt.
>
>

>
>rackmaster


That would be a great learning experience for an apprentice hunting 990 acres with a bow or shotgun realizing that if you bump the elk over the fence your hunt is over for at least that day.

 

[RACKMASTER]

thats hunting!!

rackmaster

 

[tuleelk]

There are only 3 fund raising elk tags in CA, one is on Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, another in the Owens Valley which is mostly open and public land. The last tag is good in 5 zones with La Panza being the only tule elk zone for that tag. I am not aware of any of the previous auction tag hunters for elk paying a tresspass fee. Now there are landowner elk tags for tule elk that sure go for a premium tresspass fee from what I hear. What did you hear about apprentice hunt? for the San Luis zone? There are no current plans to add additional apprentice hunts or convert existing tags to apprentice tags. Some new hunt boundaries and expansion of other zones (if I can get it through the system). Again, very nice bull!!!

Joe

 

[popeyoung2]

I have had to hunt 35 years in Wisconsin with a slug gun for whitetails. How many youths let alone California adults could hit a paper plate at 100 yards every shot with a copper slug shotgun. About 300,000 in Wisconsin can due it out of necessity.This is by no means a slam dunk hunt. 2200 miles of driving ( Three trips) for 3 hours of the best set up and make a 157 yard shot. The slug drops 6 inches at 150. Direct 30 knot crosswind to boot. P.S. The ammo bill You said Arnie would veto? He signed it last week.

 

[RACKMASTER]

deflate the eggo Pope...
I never said it was a going to be a apprentace hunt only that a Bio dude from DFG was telling me it should be ....its a slam dunk especally if you can use a saboted slug that groups out at 150yrds in a slight cross wind need to be somewhat of a (scoped shot gun?)challenge......Wisconsin whitey hunts????? Whitey is easy!! try pattern a 5 year old muley or Blacktail weeks before opening day!
I know the area well and see those bulls every time we hunt hogs there!
so arnie caved big deal you can alway go back to Wisconsin and make 2nd rate cheese! get real California Cheese!!!!
have fun I am going duck hunting for the next 3 months!!

rackmaster

 

[popeyoung2]

"deflate the eggo"? No EGO here. I do not beleive it would be a good experience for an apprentice. Tuff weapons to use and limited space. The head "bio dude" for the entire state elk management program is response #15 on this thread....