Redemption

[Bigshooter]

Looks like he tried to grow some devil points?

[jackelope]

Got a side angle so we can see the length of the tines? Looks like bigshooter is probably a better judge than me. I'm changing my official over the internet with limited pictures guesstimated score to 340 also.

[3nails]

 God is good! Great bull. Looking forward to the story.

[quadrafire]

Very nice bull there Bean...... A bit of a stressful season? Way to finish it out

[deerhunter_98520]

Great bull....can't wait for the story!

[dreamingbig]

Praise be to God above. The giver of all good things.

And so continues the legacy of The Elk Factory.

Amen!  He blessed you greatly!  Congrats!


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[carpsniperg2]

Looks like he tried to grow some devil points?

Great bull and love the bulls that grow those devil points!

[Bean Counter]

Looks like he tried to grow some devil points?

LOL I called them those, too!

Got a side angle so we can see the length of the tines? Looks like bigshooter is probably a better judge than me. I'm changing my official over the internet with limited pictures guesstimated score to 340 also.

Here's a side angle shot for you. What say you now?

[h2ofowlr]

Definitely a nice bull.   

[Bigshooter]

I'm going to stick with 340.  But it is so hard to tell just by looking at pics.  Have you scored him?

[Bean Counter]

The first half of my hunt didn't end so well. It was full moon, a little early for peak rut, and some serious tropical storms made their way to Arizona. As ElkNut1 says, you need to get up super early and locate the big bulls an hour before daylight during full moon. This seemed to be true for my hunt whether the moon was full or not. I had some great stalks in the first few days, culminating on the 4th day when I chased a bull for a good 2.5 hours before sticking him. He ran off with my arrow, and despite a full day of searching, he was not found. It was a tough blow to my mojo. Read the full saga here: http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,160692.0.html

I decided to go home and sulk/lick my wounds for a few days. This also gave me time to wait out the storm, which seems to shut the elk activity down and wash out blood trails. This gave me time to process my emotions. I had waited  5 years for this tag, and I chose archery because I wanted the challenge. Shooting my 2011 bull with a rifle felt like popping livestock and I wanted to have to get close to them. I realized this was a very goal-focused hunt. add to that, the freezer was about empty and now the pressure was on to fill it for the childrenses for the year to come. So now another goal. Having matured a few years as a hunter I wanted to try to score a trophy bull by the inches. So now a third goal.  I began to have some self doubt after losing the first bull, and I was getting frustrated that calling a bull in wasn't as easy as some of the videos make it seem and frustrated that I would have had my choice of several dead bulls if I had a rifle tag. I seriously had to pray my way through the stress. I was reminded that I don't want to be in a place where I feel I have blessings in my life that don't originate from God. So I prayed. I was willing to hike, stalk, sweat, and endure, but ultimately asked the Lord to guide my steps. and guide he did.

On my second opening morning I hiked around the area that I lost my first bull in. I wound up hearing a bugle that reminded me of the dude I lost. Same guy? Or maybe I've been out of elk country a week. none the less, I moved in, but I think he saw me and busted. I decided to hunt all day even though mid day activity is light even around September 20th this year. So I tried some of my trail camera scouted areas--still hunting through slowly, and gently attempting some calling schemes here and there. After trying a few new spots it was getting late in the afternoon and I hoped back in my truck to try a new place out. So there I was minding my own business when off to the left I spot a spike and what looked like a 5x bull. Not top dog giants so they're not in to the strutting and bugling like a herd bull. So I park and get out to get a better look but can't inch to a clear shot as they were watching me the whole time. Eventually they bust over a hill. I decide what the hey this is hunting so let the cat and mouse begin. I follow them over the hill and after a half  mile or so realize that I'm approaching the Rez boundary  where I hunted first opening mornings. Lots of bulls like to feed and breed in the US and escape to the rez as the sun comes up. Well here it was with nightfall fast approaching and they were getting fired up again. I could hear some chuckling and grunting, and a lip ball bugle here and there. Forget that silly 5x5--I'm chasing these dudes!

On some of my mornings it seemed as though I couldn't get good wind. No matter what kind of circling or figure 8'ing I did I just couldn't get good wind on a bull. By the way those little wind puff checker things used to seem silly to me but after my buddy brought one I am now a believer. I was able to get good wind on one bull and I threw some location bugles to pin point him and close in, but mainly let him do the talking. Eventually I see an elk--its a cow. But I can hear the bull 100 yards away and don't think he sees me. The cow is frozen. I decide to move towards the bull.  Cow busts and both the real bull and I bugle like we're fighting over her. She doesn't like the looks of me so she busts. Eventually I made my way to the bull and got a 60 yard shot off, but he was looking right at me, skiddish as all get out, and decides to jump the string and is long gone by the time the arrow gets there. No worries--by this point there were bulls bugling all around me. This is when I realized the action was hot and about to get hotter. Even though daylight was waning and I'd much prefer to shoot a bull in the morning I press on to the center of the action. I could hear some shouting matches and then finally the music to my ears I've been waiting for all season: antlers crashing together! Its going down over there. I make my way to a road and a treelike just beyond it that leads to a meadow. My bull had just run a smaller bull off and another was in the area looking for a piece of the action. I wasn't sure which to go for but since I was in the shadows of the trees and this bull was in the clear I decided to knock an arrow and move in on him. Move in--he sees me but is clearly amped up for a fight and hadn't winded me. I range him: 88 yards. He trots left a dozen yards and I range again: 80 yards. Turns broadside and stops. "This is it" i say. Draw back and align sights... close eyes + slam trigger. Its nearly dark now. Elk crashes off. I can see him on the other side of the meadow in a small wooded hill. He's either laying down or hurt. I retrieve my arrow. Yay, no broad head and lots of blood. I saw another hunter on the side of the meadow where the elk ran to and he shoots at him    We eventually meet up and discuss "I think I hit him" he says. I say "You mean the elk that has my broad head in him from *this* arrow?" its clear that it was "my" bull. He helps me track out the blood and there's a dead elk. He turned out to be a cool dude and helped me pack him out. Five years of bow hunting and I finally killed something other than a rattle snake or a rabbit 

I've noticed that there's a 12 hour rule when it comes to elk. My buddies and I always seem to get them in the evening--never in the morning. Usually its about 12 hours after the shot that I finally get to a stopping point. That's time just for tracking it out, photos, quartering, deboning, caping, and then cleaning up. I got a 2 hour cat nap this morning from 0600 to 0800 and was on my way home for the real work to begin. I call the bull Samuel--because God heard my request. I couldn't have done it without God's blessing and wouldn't want it any other way.

Not the most entertaining story but its about how it all went down. Please enjoy a few landscape shots I took from the area while scouting.

[Bean Counter]

I'm going to stick with 340.  But it is so hard to tell just by looking at pics.  Have you scored him?

I'm not *that* lazy. I just don't know how. All the YouBoob videos I see are for scoring shed antlers 

[Bigshooter]

Cool story.  Did the other guy that shot at your bull actually hit him?

[Bean Counter]

Nope. Just mine. He was kind to help me. I actually wanted to come back next morning so not as to push it into the Rez but later he convinced me to look. Good thing so as to avoid any spoilage.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

Great bull bean!      way to see it through.  Sounds like the other hunter that helped you was a godsend as well.  Congrats!