Agnew Article - Pocket Book Bull

[yelp]

Here is an article from the lewiston newspaper....


Dan Agnew invested time and gobs of money for the chance to bag what is sure to be a new Washington state record bull elk.

Last winter he saw a picture of the bull's sheds and a video of the animal. He'd talked to another hunter, a friend of his, who tried to bag the big 9-by-10 non-typical last fall. He learned the bull was secretive, elusive and lived in tough country characterized by tall ridges and deep, timbered draws - the kind hunters call holes, where an animal could literally disappear.

So when Agnew, of Vancouver, Wash., set out earlier this month to hunt the monster bull in game management unit 162 near Dayton, he was prepared to spend lots of time. But nothing prepared him for the way the hunt played out.

"I took enough gear to last a month and had the shortest, easiest hunt I've ever been on," he said. "Less than an hour after we left camp, we saw the bull on an open ridge top and, a short stalk later, the bull was down."

Agnew used a guide who had scouted the bull before he arrived. Its general location was known, but the bull hadn't been showing itself and it hadn't been hanging out in the open.

"They had seen him a couple of times and each time he was a long way off and a long way down in the hole."

But on that morning the bull was high on the ridge. After a short stalk, Agnew took a shot from about 250 yards with his .30-378 Weatherby. He saw the bull buckle and knew he hit it. But the animal didn't fall. The bull had about 20 cows with him and the cows became nervous and headed for the bottom of the draw. The bull followed, but lagged behind. Agnew took a second shot that killed the bull.

It has a gross green score of 449 and a net score of 436 on the Boone and Crockett scoring system. If that score doesn't drop significantly after the antlers dry, it will be a new state record. The current record for non-typical bulls was set in 2003 by Jeff Thorpe, who killed a bull in Kittitas County that scored 421 7/8.

Word and pictures of Agnew's bull is spreading via e-mail and hunting chat rooms across the Internet.

"A lot of people have really given me a hard time because it sounds like I kind of showed up and shot him and went home and that is kind of what happened," he said. "But that has never happened to me before. I've spent months looking for big elk and come home empty handed."

Agnew is a trophy elk hunter and proud of it.

"It's my hobby and my passion," he said. "I've killed one bull that is bigger than this one, in Arizona, and had my share of success over the years."

He decided to bid on the Washington governor's tag for the east side of the state, auctioned at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Banquet in Reno, just so he could hunt this bull. Agnew wasn't alone. Bidding was intense and he ended up paying $65,000 for the tag, which allows its holder to hunt elk with any weapon from Sept. 1 to Dec. 1 in any unit on the east side of the state where branch-antlered bulls can be hunted.

"We had some pictures of the sheds in the booth at the convention and it piqued some interest," said Pat Fowler, district wildlife biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at Dayton. "We had some video at the presentation and I think that is what really got their interest."

The east side governor's tag had been selling for about $20,000 in recent years. But last year it jumped to $47,000, largely because of this bull. Agnew said he was happy to pay such a high price, not only for the opportunity to hunt the bull, but also to help restore elk habitat. Agnew, 62, is co-owner of Mt. Hood Beverage Co., a beer and wine distributor.

"I've been a supporter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for many years. One-hundred percent of the money goes to restoration and enhancement of elk habitat. That is very important to me and gives me a fun way to support something I really believe in."

Fowler said it's not the only big one out there. He said there is video of a bull with an 8-by-8 rack that is as large as the one Agnew shot. That should keep Washington in the sights of trophy elk hunters.

"We have managed our elk herd to be very careful to maintain our age structure," he said. "When you maintain age structure for fully mature bulls, you are going to have some large bulls out there."

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Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273.

 

[hunterofelk]

Thanks for the post.  I can sort of relate to his side of the story.  Makes me feel a little better about the whole thing. 

[hunterofelk]

Oh, yeah!  Let's go after that 8x8!  I'll cash in my retirement savings, sell my car, max out the credit card and not eat again!  I will be there at the next auction!

[andrew_12gauge]

wow kinda gives ya a different view when he says he was prepared to be there for a month, guess the rut will make even the biggest bulls make mistakes.

[Todd_ID]

After reading that article it gives me a better perspective of his frame of mind.  I was trying to be careful to not bash the process too much until both sides of the story came out.  It sounds like he got what he paid for and is happy with that.  For that, I can tip my hat to him.  Did he earn this bull, this time, under these circumstances, I don't think so, but I was happy to hear that he was perpared to earn it.  I truly hope that he bids the tag up that much again next year.

[Machias]

That makes me feel quite a bit better.  Congrats to him and thanks for the money for the habitat.  

[MuleySniper]

After reading that article it gives me a better perspective of his frame of mind.  I was trying to be careful to not bash the process too much until both sides of the story came out.  It sounds like he got what he paid for and is happy with that.  For that, I can tip my hat to him.  Did he earn this bull, this time, under these circumstances, I don't think so, but I was happy to hear that he was perpared to earn it.  I truly hope that he bids the tag up that much again next year.

So, I still don't understand.. Does all that money for that tag go to elk rehabilitation?? That is great if all of it does. That article leaves me feeling much better about that hunt and the hunter. I still believe though, hunting as a sport is turning it's head more to "the rich man" in a lot of ways.
MS

[ThePascoKid]

He's just saying what everyone wants to hear so they will get off his back, my

[Ray]

It's just an elk. One elk. Not 10 elk. Not 5 elk. Poachers are a real problem. Not people who put large amounts of money back into the game management funds. He could have spent that money for PETA if he was someone else. Glad he's on my side. He was legal apparently and I have no reason to believe he deserves all the scorn a lot of people put his direction at this time. Unless of course some negative information is discovered (which sounds unlikely to happen). Some of the people calling for more regulation sound like a bunch of democrats. I guess the WDFW pimped out all the animals I killed too. If his was some 5x5 or a cow nobody would complain one bit.

[Curly]

It's just an elk. One elk. Not 10 elk. Not 5 elk. Poachers are a real problem. Not people who put large amounts of money back into the game management funds. He could have spent that money for PETA if he was someone else. Glad he's on my side. He was legal apparently and I have no reason to believe he deserves all the scorn a lot of people put his direction at this time.

 
+1

[X-Force]

  +2 I dont mind people with money being on my side.

[kirkl]

Ray, i agree 100 percent. i have bigger things to worry about than some rich guy coming and killing 1, yes that is ONE bull elk, be it pimped out or not. I didnt care in the first place and this story isnt going to make me "sleep" better tonight. Just my .02