my turn at an elk thread...

[Butts2]

     NICE Bull

[Randy Morin]

Awesome bull.  Congratulations on a great hunt.  Having Dad there must have been so special.

[jamesh76]

great bull

[COOCH]

What an awsome bull congradulations!And that bighorn ain't to shabby either.        

[straitera]

Great bull! Care to conjure up a story? Had to be as good as it gets. Thanks

[stykbow67]

What a rush that had to of been! Awesome job gettin it done!  

[Guru]

Awesome bull Bradley!    

[WhiteOaks]

         

Very Nice.

[Bill Carlsen]

How about some more info on your setup,,,,bow wt., arrows, broadheads, etc.

[Huntingnut]

Awesome story,awesome bull! Elk hunting is definitely on my bucket list.

[steadman]

That is a great bull! Congrats!!  

[Pat B]

Congrats of a great bull. Thanks for taking us along with you.

[Bjorn]

Huntmuleys, I just have to post here again. That is an amazing bull and a great accomplishment; what were the compass coordinates again?

[swp]

       

[centaur]

That's a dandy for sure! All I can see this year are bulls; guess what, I have a cow tag. Glad somebody is getting some nice critters.

[huntnmuleys]

alright, a quick story on that day, and one more pic, my favorite one!  kinda like saving the best for last...

last monday morning was hot.  47 degrees before shooting light, 15 degrees warmer than what we'd been seeing. got into elk right away, spotting a small spike and 4 cows in a park. while sneaking in on the elk (there had been a nice 5 point in there a couple days before and i assumed he was with em) i heard bugling bulls up the canyon. my elk went that way in a hurry and i followed. couple hundred yards in i caught the first herd, as i could see several feeding cows and the bull was sounding off close by, but i couldnt see him. very dry conditions and calm wind meant slow progress, but i walked right along the small creek to help with the noise problem. getting to where the elk were, i found they had moved up the drainage a bit and were in the trees, on both sides, the herd master being on the west side.  so in i went.

something comical happened here, i had cows around and he was running others above me, time to start talking! but in my haste, putting my diagram call in my mouth i failed to notice that the side of it had bent over and stuck to the reed. my first call was, well, a low pitched sorta squeal that resembled no animal on this planet!!  fortunately nothing seemed to notice, so i rectified the call and got to it. the bull was reasonably close, behind a deadfall so i tried some somewhat whiny cow calls and then turned my head and let out an immature bugle.  the bull wasnt interested and was moving away, fast, chasing im guessing a cow that was maybe coming into heat.

cat and mouse time! i ran, walked, called, and stuck with the herd through 2 small drainages, and in the bottom of the 2nd one i about hit pay dirt. id caught the bull, he was just below me so i was going to charge in when i felt the first hint of breeze for the day hit the back of my neck. so, i had to run side hill a good ways and try to get around the herd again. getting to where the bull was before, he bugled from the top of the next ridge...

[huntnmuleys]

this one was a tad steeper,so i was a bit out of breath when i hit the top, cause i wasnt letting the grass grow. following through some smaller trees, i could hear my bull violently raking a tree.  my chance!!  so i ran kinda around him and found what i was looking for, the cows he was pushing.  they were 30 yards or so away. really was hoping for this, so i let out the meanest bugle i could manage, knowing i was much closer to the ladies then he was.  he came on a string.  stomping, glunking, and on to about 6 yards, but there was a tree between us. honestly i was pretty much convulsing anyway, probably woulda missed.  he finally figured something wasnt right and went away real slowly, with the cows. other bugles were going in all directions in the distance, so i figured best to leave him for a while, no need to push him.  

that evening, dad was with me and we came in from the top. sign everywhere.  we got down in and i told dad we were close to where it all went down this morning.  soon after, while we were still hunting and listening, he bugled within 150 yards.  distince bugle, i was sure it was the same bull.  he bugled one more time as we snuck in, the wind was good. got to where we could see a small park through the trees, and i could see some cows and the bull. calling is fun, but im a spot and stalk guy for the most part so i had dad stay put and snuck in, looking for a shooting lane. found one quickly right in front of the bull as he was feeding along, and when he got in to it i shot.  knew as soon as it hit him that he wasnt going anywhere, and dad came up and we got to watch him fall....

thats the short version!!!  and heres one more pic, all of my group. dads the older gentleman on my right that looks like me in 30 years, and the rest are friends who are family...

  [/IMG]

[buckeye_hunter]

SWEET. Awesome rack and plenty o meat for the freezer!

 

[FerretWYO]

That is my favorite picture so far. Few have ever accomplished something like this on thier own. Awesome group picture.

[KellyG]

boy he was a big one in antlers and body. Wow.