S
SoleSearcher34
Guest
Well my buddy JDuncan is gearing up for his first elk hunting trip ever in second season and I will be hosting/helping so my boy and I loaded up for a little scouting trip to unit 28 today to just check in on one of my honey-holes and see what was cookin. Overslept and didn't make it up to the spot until 9am. Noticed one other local rig parked and assumed they were first season hunters. Undeterred we grabbed our packs and walked down the ridge about a quarter mile to a bit of a vantage point over looking the back end of one of the numerous private ranches in the area. Just after stopping, I heard a sound from way down in the private that sounded suspiciously like a bugle. I responded with a couple cow calls and was immediately answered by a hunter with a hoochie-mama barely 100 yards below us. A couple more cow calls later and he was coming to us. I thought....."oh great, found the hunter now what am I gonna do". Well I figured that I didn't drive over 90 miles to not see if I couldn't call a bull in so what the heck, might as well invite this fella to the scouting party. As he walked up, I walked down to him and introduced myself and the boy. I asked if he had heard any bugles to which he answered that he indeed had heard several from way down into the private ground. I explained that we were scouting for my buddies first elk hunt the following weekend and that we would be doing some calling in the area. I then asked him straight up, "would you like me to call a bull in for you?" The guys name was Ben and he was from Florida and was on his first elk hunt. I'm sure in the back of his mind he was thinking that I was out of mine and full of crap but nevertheless I think he realized we were sorta stuck with eachother in that area for the morning so he said "okay". I told him we needed to go back up the hill about 80 yards and set up to call. Once we were set I broke out my magic cow call and began calling. Within 5 minutes we had 5 or 6 different bulls bugling from about 1000 to 1500 yards away down in the private ground. At about ten minutes into the calling, one of the bulls sounded like he was definitely coming. It took about ten more minutes for the bull to close the distance up the hill out of the ranch and his last bugle sounded just out of sight in the timber maybe 150 yards below us. Seconds later I spot the bull trying to flank us in the lodgepole about 75 yards to our right. I get the bull pointed out to Ben and he gets him in the scope, settles in on him and squeezes the trigger. The bull bucks, struggles forward behind the trees maybe 30 feet and crashes down kicking. BBD!!! Ben had just killed his first bull elk at less than 100 yards with a guy he had just met less than 25 minutes before! Crazy I tell ya! I had not gotten a good look at the rack through the timber but enough to tell he was plenty legal. As we worked our way over to the bull I finally got where I could see him laying there in the pines. I was shocked! This was a way better bull than I expected. This was the first look we had at the bull on the ground.
I handed Ben the binos and took this picture while he repeatedly said..."oh my god, oh my god"
We walked up closer and I snapped another photo
By the time we were standing next to the bull, Bens hands were shaking like a leaf. I bet this guy said thanks to me 50 times and shook my hand 20 times.
Here is Ben with his dandy public land bull
My son Taylor and I with the bull
A couple more shots of me with the bull
After Ben called his buddies down from over the ridge we shook hands and headed back for the truck. We did help show him how to cape the bull as he was definitely going to have it mounted. On the way down we spotted this cute little fella next to the road.
I hated to break it to Jason that a hunter killed a bull in my spot this morning but loved telling him that we left at least 4 or 5 more bugling down there so I think we might still have a good time next weekend.
I handed Ben the binos and took this picture while he repeatedly said..."oh my god, oh my god"
We walked up closer and I snapped another photo
By the time we were standing next to the bull, Bens hands were shaking like a leaf. I bet this guy said thanks to me 50 times and shook my hand 20 times.
Here is Ben with his dandy public land bull
My son Taylor and I with the bull
A couple more shots of me with the bull
After Ben called his buddies down from over the ridge we shook hands and headed back for the truck. We did help show him how to cape the bull as he was definitely going to have it mounted. On the way down we spotted this cute little fella next to the road.
I hated to break it to Jason that a hunter killed a bull in my spot this morning but loved telling him that we left at least 4 or 5 more bugling down there so I think we might still have a good time next weekend.
