I got my first ever branched bull on Monday morning. Although it barely qualifies to be called a branched bull haha. 2x3. Tiny body and bad hoof rot.
I walked into a clearing a few miles from the truck. Walked in before daylight. I was in the trees 100 yards from the clearing a half hour before light. Then as I could see across the clearing I crept out to the edge of the trees and sat in the shadow up under a low fir tree. The clearing goes out to about 200 yards across. After about 5 or 10 minutes I see an elk coming into the clearing, it looked like a spike but I had a cow tag so I figured more would come. I slipped up to another tree which was as close as I could get without being out in the very open. I ranged him at 115 yards. No other elk came around at all, he was alone. I saw an eye guard and a split up at the top but wasnt sure if it was on the same side. Then after resting my binos on my shooting sticks I was finally able to see that both sides had eye guards so I knew it was a legal bull. By then he had angled so he was walking away. He was at 150 yards when I settled my gun into the sticks. Fired, by habit I aimed center mass on the vitals. Clean miss right under him. I didnt think of hold over for bullet drop. I start reloading and he just stands there and stares at me. I even had to stand up to get it fully loaded. I got back on the sticks right as he starts to step. I hold right on the hackles on the top of his back above his shoulder. Before the smoke clears I am reloading and look up to see him take 2 steps, shake, and fall over. Almost had a heart attack when I walked up and couldnt see the 3rd point, but it had burried itself in the ground. I would have never got him without my shooting sticks. I just threw them together out of scraps in the shop the night before opening day because I remembered a missed shot from last year due to shaking. They were a lifesaver! 330 grain Harvester Hardcast with 80 grains 777 FFG. 150 yards. Heart shot!!!!!!! Got a complete pass through. Went through one shoulder blade, lungs and heart. When I got up to him I was shocked at how small of a body he had. His hind quarters and front quarters where almost the same size. The hinds were so badly hoof rotted and the fronts had been over compensating and were beefy. Got him cleaned up, all loaded on the cart and started trecking. Best solo pack ever. only 20 yards of a gradual uphill, the rest was level or slight downgrade. He was on the ground around 7 ish. I got to my truck to get the cart at 8. Got back to him by 9. Loaded up ready to go by 10 and back at the truck by 11:15. He still has a bunch of real leathery like velvet stuck the the backside and top of his antlers. Not what I had pictured for my first branched bull, but not complaining one bit. Excited as can be!
The last picture. Yellow circle is where I was. Red dot was where he was.
