I still cannot believe I am about to write this. I started hunting with my father in law 7 years ago however, I took a few seasons off due to life. The first hunt got me hooked, I just could not seal the deal. I have had missed shots and made mistakes which I have learned from. This year I asked my wife if I should put in for a hard to draw unit or an easier basically Teanaway vs. Observatory. She said since I am going to Utah for a mule deer hunt and with our nine month old and three-year-old I better put in the for hard unit. Well here I am I was drawn.
I remember the day I was drawn; I was at work screaming with excitement. I knew this unit held big bulls and that I was going to have to put in some time to get a great bull. I started scouting immediately, initially I sent tons of letters and knocked on many doors. I was lucky enough to secure multiple private access boarding public land. I continued scouting not seeing much sign until the middle of August when I got a partial view of a bull and some cows. I was slightly discouraged but still put on the miles.
I got off work Thursday and all day all I could think about is getting to the woods, I had to wait until my wife got home around 9pm. She even made a comment in the day about me already being in the woods in my mind haha. I got into camp around midnight and could not sleep, I finally fell asleep around 2am. I work up a little late and got to an area where I had seen the bull. I listened for a while and couldn’t hear anything. I grew impatient and threw out a bugle. Guess what! A bull responded close by, I could hear him come crashing in about 100 yards. I stopped calling and watched, he just looked around and casually strolled off. I knew this was the spot.
This morning my caller Steven rolled in to camp around 4am. We got ready and headed to the woods around 530. We hiked up to the first ridge which was somewhat near where the bull I saw was. We sat listening when right around 0600 we heard a bugle close by, we waited to bugle until we got set up and better light. We checked the wind and came up with a game plan. We got into position with my father in law by my side and my caller behind some ways. He starts to bugle and is immediately followed by this bull and others. We could hear my bull off to our right. Steven continued to call and we could hear crashing in the woods moving right to left. He got to the top of this nob on the left of us probably 200-300 yard out, we could not see him. He got hunt up there for what seemed like an eternity. I was getting impatient and wanted to close the gap but my father in law stopped me (luckily)! Steven moved farther behind us to try to draw him in, it worked! I saw him about 100 yards out and immediately told my father in law “he’s a shooter.” He started coming into me head on, I was surprisingly calm. I drew back at 40 yards. He continued head on to me until about 20 yards. He stopped a bugled, I immediately got a rush I have never felt. I realized I was looking in my peep with my left eye and corrected that quickly. Steven bugled and he started heading to my left. I knew this was it, I followed him to my left. He was ten yards out when I let her fly! I saw where it hit and knew was done, I kept saying “he’s dead, he’s dead.” I saw blood spurting out his side! He ran 20 yards and fell, then got up and went 10 more yards and fell again. I put a second arrow in which finished him.
I cannot stop looking at the pictures and I have been smiling ear to ear all day. Without my father in law and Steven this hunt would not have been the same. It was awesome experiencing my first elk and bow kill with these two. I also want to thank the members on here for all the help! I look forward to helping whoever gets drawn next year! Who has a guess how big he is? Taxidermist who didn’t measure said 365-370?
