Brother's Peaches Bull

[Watimberghost]

My brother Jacob, along with our whole family, was pumped to see "selected" as the result of his Peaches Ridge special permit application this year! We started scouting immediately!! I was lucky enough to draw this tag in 2008 and was able to shoot a very nice 6x6 bull the second to last day. So we know a little about what this hunt looks like. We also know that the type of country we like to hunt makes this hunt very challenging. Steep, wet, thick big timber, and even thicker repord make for ideal elk habitat, and tough hunting conditions. But man oh man is it rewarding in the end!

Fast forward through all the scouting and sleepless nights and it brings us to the Sunday before the opener. Jake crept into an area that we have been seeing elk all year for the slight chance to hear a bull, or two, still bugling. He was in luck. He was able to hear 3 different bulls in the same general area bugling the day before the opener! We were beyond jacked for the sun to set and rise again!! Opening morning found us in the timber in search of one of these love sick bulls. The wet, on and off, rainy conditions made it ideal to slip through the woods silently. We did our best to keep the wind at our face and even played around with some calling. Unfortunately the first day came and went with only a couple run ins with cows. Still... it was a fantastic day to be in the elk woods. The expectation of seeing a big bull around every corner is a massive thrill in itself. But to be able to spend the day doing what we love, in amazing elk country was what really made that special.

My mother was able to meet us for a good portion of day 1 and was there to hunt with us on day 2. (By the way, my family is amazing!! I just love spending time with them. And there's no better bonding then hunting). Sorry, back to day 2. Day two was spent working from the top of a massive ridge, all the way down to the bottom. Oh, and back up to the top. Again, another great hunt that just didn't result in a bull... yet... Upon climbing out of that hell hole and back to the car my mother listened to a voicemail from a great friend of ours, Les. Les had glassed up a nice bull across canyon and thought we should come take a look. Ummmm, OK!!!! We fly over to his location just in time to watch a great Peaches bull walk from the thick reprod into his Timber patch(home). With light fading fast we decided to let him be until morning. With the remaining minutes of light we went up to another ridge and glassed up another bull, and multiple cows. A sleepless night ensued...

The morning of day 3 found my brother making his way to the timber patch that we saw the bull from the night before. I set up across canyon to see if I could locate him. The sun started to reveal the beautiful landscape only to reveal no bull. Jake got the wind right and was about to make his stalk into the bulls bedroom. Then the radio sounded off, "I got a bull located." My mother was on the ridge above me glassing the backside. She had located a very nice 5pt pushing two cows up the hill. I made it up to her with my spotter and we decided this bull was worth going after. We began talking strategy as we were waiting for my brother to get up where we were at. Then with my naked eye I see a huge blonde patch on the opposite hill side. I say, "that cant be an elk?!" I was wrong. It was. I put the spotter on him and the first thing I saw was the sun hitting his backs. I could see clearly that were looking at a GREAT 6x6 mountain bull!!!!!

[Odell]

tag!

[Boss .300 winmag]

That's a lot of words with no pictures!   

[trophyhunt]

I like it so far!

[Skillet]

I like a good story,  and am happy you're telling it however you dang well please. 

[Pinetar]

Come on Joshua, don't make us wait too long to see the pic. A elk hunt with Jake, you super cool mom and good ole Les.  I want to go :=) Sounds like fun!

[pd]

Boy oh boy.  This entire forum is full of these long winded story tellers.  OK, you got me.  Wonderful mother (they are all great, I truly believe), Jacob the careful hunter, and the story teller.  And Uncle Les.

In for the long haul.  Hurry up, dinner is waiting.   

[Watimberghost]

The Big 6x6 was feeding sidehill into a VERY steep timber patch along with a young 1x2. With the wind in his favor, and the favor of the good Lord, we decided that Jake's best bet would be to follow them into the timber just above where they went in. So he did. And so followed my favorite hunting experience as the one not carrying the rifle or the tag. I got to glass my brother make a painfully slow creep through young reprod, glassing every step. As he got closer and closer to the timber patch the bull had entered, my heart was beating faster and faster. I was praying a mile a minute and was DYING with anticipation. I watched him enter the timber and the two minutes that went by seemed like hours. Then the sound I was praying for... a loud BOOM cracked through the canyon!! followed by a second BOOM just seconds later!

Turns out my brother's view and experience was even better than mine, haha. As he entered the timber he glanced up and noticed the yound spike locked onto him 50 yards above his location. Even with a good wind and silent movements, those elk can still bust you. Jake could not see the big bull at this point. He put his head down and took two very slow steps forward, revealing a big white wapiti butt! two more steps and the massive shoulder of this great bull was revealed. The first shot, slightly quartered to, hit one lung. the second shot, seconds later, hit almost the same spot. The spike ran uphill and the big bull ran down. Jake went to the scene of the crime and quickly found the bull tracks, and thank God, blood. He followed the tracks slowly and on full alert. The bull was hidden below him and blew out straight downhill. He pursued immediately. The bull was hurt bad and tried to hide his massive body and antlers by laying down behind a big tree. Jake got to where he could see him, and with a quiet, respectful apology, he put one more in him. The bull reared up on his hind legs and turned toward my brother!!! Jake jumped back.... not what he expected, haha. The bull then spun and rolled past a few jack pines and out of sight. Jake wasted no time and bolted after his downed bull. This is when he found out why the bull decided to lay down where he did. Jake was now sliding down a 30' near vertical rock face. There was just enough of a slope and just enough moss on the rock to help him semi slide down the rock. (If he had a go pro this would have been epic... Last of the Mohicans meets Indiana Jones, haha). He landed feet down just feet away from his bull. And in that moment he got to see/feel his bull exhale his last breath.

The radio sounded, "He is down." At this point I am a basketcase. I scream across the canyon! My brother responds with a war cry of his own. And not to be out done by my mother's Victory yell!! It was and still is one of my most favorite and memorable God given moments on the mountain. Thank you Jesus!

[Watimberghost]

I know, I know, too many words and not enough pics . My computer really chugs if I try and post pics along with the write up. So Im going as fast as I can, haha

[Watimberghost]

OK, who can I email these pics to. My computer is struggling with posting and so is my phone. The quicker I get a taker the quicker we all get to see pics

[JJB11B]

WOW That is an EPIC story! very cool!!!

[Pinetar]

Great Story!!!

Ok your killing me, pics hehe. This family has the coolest mother you will ever meet and she will hunt right along side any of us.

[Watimberghost]

Great Story!!!

Ok your killing me, pics hehe. This family has the coolest mother you will ever meet and she will hunt right along side any of us.

And my father is a machine in the woods. Very blessed to have them as parents!

[Watimberghost]

I am honestly struggling with these pics. This is not intentional I swear

[hirshey]

BIG TEASE! Great story though.