My brothers Colorado 2014 Bull.
We received a lead many years ago to go hunt big deer in this remote, desert like area of Colorado. The lead was totally nuts. We found very few deer but spotted a lot of elk. The area does feel like it would be populated with deer. It is all kind of a mystery, we are still unsure of where the elk water. We have to haul the water for our horses.
Even still we try and draw this area as often as possible. Here we can shoot really nice bulls. The tags are getting harder to get though. This year we have a 4th season tag. We have never had a 4th season elk tag before.
Just before the hunt started we heard about the passing of my brother’s, brother in law. We were told the funeral was that coming Saturday, our hunt opened on that Wednesday. Our trip went from a four day hunt to a three day hunt. The season is only five days long total and we had already planned cutting it a day short. We don’t like to hunt on Sunday’s. We want the blessings of the Lord for keeping the Sabbath day holy. This limits the amount of ground we are able to cover, and spots we can scout, but we believe it is worth it.
Opening morning we spotted a solid 7x7 and put him to bed. We had to ride quite a few miles to get to him, there we waited for him to step out of the cedars. He finally showed himself 20 minutes before sundown. With him were two other bulls. Both pretty 6 points, but they just weren’t big enough. This 7x7 looked huge to me, with big backs. After the sixth point the antlers were so long that they curled back in like a half moon. The antlers came to about 18” from tip to tip on its back. My brother disliked it and was debating if he should shoot. We had a very short chance when he was in the clear and away from the other bulls. They move back into a view that is cut off from us by some cedar trees. We began moving closer but got busted by one of the smaller 6’s. We discussed if we would regret not shooting in that one very short window we had.
The next day we tried real hard to find 7x7 again. No luck.
Day three. Our last day of the hunt. We headed to another location that was covered with elk. We first spotted a 6x6 and then a big bull with a club after his two fronts on his left side. Not something my brother wanted to shoot. We decided to head to a different place that night, a place called Richard’s Rock. Just before we got to Richard’s Rock and after a big, long horse ride, my brother spots an elk. We stop, he glasses it and decided he is going to take try and get him.
He really likes wide bulls, the 7x7 was better to me by a long shot, but he is real excited about this bull. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. We moved forward until we were 680 yards away. Still too far to shoot. I figured by the time we got to him we would need to be under 100 yards away. There was no other place to see him between where we were and where he was. “Let’s go get him and yes we will be close the next time we have a chance, if we do not spook him.,” my brother said. We planned the stalk and were almost to a small ridge, close to where we thought the bull was eating. We stayed there and caught our breath before moving over the ridge. The wind is still in our favor. That was a blessing.
My brother is a great shot, he hardly every misses. I never ever remember him missing before. Just as we start to come over the ridge we spot the bull. He pulls up and shoots! Nothing. Shoots again. Nothing! He asked me, “Have I hit him?” “No.” He shoots again and there is still no sign of a wound. He started to reload. I began to worry that it would be too late, the bull was going to start running.
Before I knew it the bull takes two steps and falls over, dead as can be. This elk was one tough cookie, 7mm 165 grain bull from 60 yards 3 times in the boiler room. He had hit him perfectly every time. This bull was just big and extra tough. I think he was hitting him just low enough that the ridge blocked my view. I literally had seen no reaction from the Bull. The shots had destroyed the heart and lungs.
We went and got to the horses as we had all the equipment needed there and then went and cleaned and quartered the bull. 15 miles via horse. We have to do this ride all in the dark. The horns are plenty big enough to fit over the packs. In fact too big to fit on Boo, the first horse, but he fit great on Mac; He is a huge horse, a fox trotting, huge horse. I cannot remember shooting a bull that fit over the packs like this in a long time. This is the first elk we have packed out on Mac. He is calm and easy to work with. But he is so tall that lifting the quarters on is hard.
The diamond hitches hold perfectly all the way back. Even when the horns drag as this bull is so tall. Mac is a very tall horse. I am 6’ 3” tall and my eyes are even with his back. I cannot believe the horns dragged the ground a few times on the way out.
Super cold, super fun. We get home at 4 am. Just enough time for my brother to rest a bit before the funeral.
Are we lucky? Maybe. Are we crazy? Maybe. But having these great tags make it possible to go on great, crazy, worthwhile hunts.
Taped out at 340-4/8”, Missing 14+ inches broken off if he matched the other side. 54" main beams.
We use an app called PointHunter to help us apply for these hunts.
Try it out for yourself.
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Watch how it works on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwWaV0trHrwDownload now at
https://www.gotmytag.com/download/BFB
