DBLung
Active Member
- Messages
- 461
It all started back in February. Like most of you, I've never drawn an expo tag. I told myself this is the last year I go if I didn't draw. Well, that turned out not as expected, but I'm fortunate the way it did. Wasatch Muzzleloader. While attending college I lived in Spanish Fork, back in the day when the bow hunt was statewide, I spent a little time up above strawberry. I found an area that was loaded with elk every time I went. Never felt the need to reach out to anyone, even though I know how important it is to ask strangers on MM and social media where their honey holes are, and where the 400" bulls are. Heaven forbid I could possibly have any luck without doing that. I scouted for 2 days before the hunt and found a couple decent bulls and bunch of smaller ones. I saw 15-18 branch antlered bulls and zero spikes. The winter must've taken a toll on them. Hunting these elk was more like playing a game with other hunters more than Actual hunting. There were several other hunters in the area doing similar things.
The morning of the kill, I positioned on a ridge to the side of where I last saw the bigger bulls. There were a few outfits that beat me where I wanted to go. But luck was on my side again. The elk were bugling good, and it wasn't hard to position myself into the wind headed straight for what sounded like the bigger bull. As I Worked the undergrowth on an aspen side hill. He was getting closer and closer. I spotted a few cows straight ahead of me, I heard him bugle one last time just to my right. I was able to get within 40 yards of him. Seeing he had good 5ths and decent fronts it wasn't hard to make the choice. Thank goodness because at that range I had to make it fast. the 10 or so cows in front of me were starting to notice as I pulled up and shot. The cows busted, and he stayed put. I loaded again for a back up shot. As he started to stumble down the ridge I put another one in him. This knocked him down and he started to death kick. 2 rounds only 3" apart didn't help much but at least I didn't ruin any meet minus the heart. the second round blew his arteries clean off the top of it. The first was a couple inches higher.
The morning of the kill, I positioned on a ridge to the side of where I last saw the bigger bulls. There were a few outfits that beat me where I wanted to go. But luck was on my side again. The elk were bugling good, and it wasn't hard to position myself into the wind headed straight for what sounded like the bigger bull. As I Worked the undergrowth on an aspen side hill. He was getting closer and closer. I spotted a few cows straight ahead of me, I heard him bugle one last time just to my right. I was able to get within 40 yards of him. Seeing he had good 5ths and decent fronts it wasn't hard to make the choice. Thank goodness because at that range I had to make it fast. the 10 or so cows in front of me were starting to notice as I pulled up and shot. The cows busted, and he stayed put. I loaded again for a back up shot. As he started to stumble down the ridge I put another one in him. This knocked him down and he started to death kick. 2 rounds only 3" apart didn't help much but at least I didn't ruin any meet minus the heart. the second round blew his arteries clean off the top of it. The first was a couple inches higher.
