Pathfinder's Quality Bull Hunt

[Pathfinder101]

Some of you may have noticed that back in June, I didn’t show up at my usual bar stool in the Loser’s Lounge after the WA draw results came out.  I’ve had a regular spot there since I entered the draw system when the Army moved me back to Washington in 2001.  For 23 years I never drew a quality tag of any kind. 
Of course I wanted to jump straight on and start a thread to let everyone know the good news and (of course) ask for help.  I live close to the unit that I drew, so scouting wouldn’t be a problem, but the elk here are few and far between and the land is almost entirely privately owned.  At least the land where the elk tend to live is privately owned. 
And that is the reason that I didn’t start a thread to bring everyone along with me through this whole process.  As much as I wanted to share my hunt, I had been warned by several landowners that if a bazillion people put in for this tag next year, they are not going to be happy.  So, I waited until now to do a thread, and no; I am not going to say what unit this is.  At the request of several property owners who put in for a tag to hunt the unit they live in and don’t want to see it get swamped.  In truth, unless you live here and know a lot of these guys, it’s honestly not worth getting the tag anyway.  Much of the permission I received was because one landowner called another and got me on.  And to be honest, the three places where the elk usually live won’t give anyone permission, for any reason.  That makes this a nerve-wracking hunt.  Basically, you have to wait for the elk to get bumped off one place, and show up someplace that you can get on.  Apparently, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t.  The name of the game here is permission, and luckily, being a high school teacher, I had all summer to knock on doors and chase down leads.  By opening day, I had secured access in one way or another to 16 ranches and farms. 

[Pathfinder101]

We had seen a few bulls scouting throughout the summer and early fall, but never on property that was accessible.  One landowner did let me hang some trail cameras and I got a few bulls on them (including one shooter), but they had all disappeared.  The elk had also figured out how to use my camera as a scratching post, and I honestly never got a full picture of a shooter bull; just pieces and parts of them. 

[Pathfinder101]

On opening day I took a personal day at school (I only get three of them a year) and hunted the entire day in the pouring rain with a buddy that knows the unit (and a lot of the landowners).  We did spot a bull, at almost a mile away in the pouring rain.  He disappeared into the terrain and we spent the morning (3 hours and 7 miles) trying to walk him up.  Never laid eyes on him again.  I still can’t figure out how he ghosted us, but I guess we just chalk that one up to the “They don’t get big by being dumb” axiom.  I’m also still waiting for my good Kenetrek’s to dry out from that hunt. 
I worked the next two days, waiting for the deer season in the unit to end and the elk to settle into some sort of pattern.  I did hunt the evenings, or to be more accurate, I took my rifle for a long, romantic walk and did some glassing until dark.  No elk.  Period.  As you can imagine, I’m not getting quality sleep at this point either.
Wednesday night my sister and brother in law show up to help spot.  My plan was to put them on a vantage point to glass the next morning while I hiked to another one. 
Thursday morning brought the first light freeze of the year.  It felt good hiking in the dark to the spot where I had seen the bull opening day, cool and frosty, just the way elk hunting is supposed to feel.  I settled in and started glassing at first light, but by 9 am all I had spotted was a bunch of mule deer and a ridiculous number of coyotes.  I hiked back to the truck, planning to take my sister and brother in law on a tour of every place I had permission in the unit so we could come up with a plan for the evening glassing.
On the way back to them I hit a T intersection and was about to turn left.  To the right was a small hill that overlooked a large piece of CRP.  Back in July I had seen a herd there and had marked it on my map. I decided, what the heck, I’ll turn right and drive 100 yards to the top of the rise and take a look. 
To my complete shock, I saw a small herd of elk about 2 miles out, in the middle of the CRP.  I jerked out my spotting scope and confirmed 12 cows, a 5 point bull and a mature bull that clearly had a bigger body than the 5 point.  Much bigger. 

[Pathfinder101]

Through the heat waves of the sun hitting the cold ground I couldn’t judge antler points at all, but I could see a big enough frame.  The elk were moving, so I dropped a pin for my sister and watched the situation develop while I waited for them.
After milling around nervously and covering a few hundred yards, the elk seemed to settle down.  My sister showed up and we glassed them for a while, finally deciding around 10 am that they were going to stay put long enough for a stalk.  I took off after them at 10 am.
The piece that the elk occupied looked almost perfectly flat.  Not a tree in sight, and the only cover an occasional sage or rabbit brush, or a shallow draw.  I used the terrain as best I could, but when I ran out of cover 45 minutes later, I was still 1500 yards from the elk.  Crouched behind a sage bush I watched them for over an hour.  For me to move, I would have to either run or crawl across a small saddle, in full view.  As I watched and waited for a chance to move, I got to observe the herd.  There must have been a second estrus cow in the group, because the big bull was making a nuisance of himself.  Either that, or he was just an overly optimistic fellow.  He wouldn’t let that 5x5 near any of the cows.  Several times he physically chased him out of the group.  That made moving even tougher, because even when the cows weren’t oriented in my direction, the 5x5 was standing overwatch. 
Finally after over an hour, the elk fed into a shallow draw.  Most of the cows went out of sight and the bulls were looking the other way, so I crouch-waddled as fast as I could to the adjacent draw.  It was shallow, so I had to navigate it either crouched or on my knees, but after a while I had gained about 300 yards.  Unfortunately, when I could see the elk again, they had covered 300 yards as well.  Shoot.  No net gain.  I crawled behind some rabbit brush, pinned down again.  Still 1500 yards from the elk. 
Another hour and a half laying in the star thistle and waiting for an opportunity.  It was now afternoon and the sun was getting hot.  Although the heat waves made it hard to glass, I had a pretty good idea that the bull was a shooter.  His tops weren’t great, but his fronts and thirds were massive and he had good beams. 
Around 1pm the cows all bedded down in a shallow depression.  Some of their ears were still sticking up above the grass and thistle, but I thought I was out of their view.  The two bulls were still at it though.  The big bull kept chasing the 5 point off about 100 yards from the cows.  At one point he made a show of tearing up the ground with his antlers, flinging sand and grass all around him.  Pretty cool to watch.
Then, after an hour of the 5 point trying to sneak back in and the herd bull chasing him off, they came to some kind of agreement.  Both of them suddenly turned their backs to me and started walking away.  I figured it was now or never, and hoping that the cows couldn’t see me and that the bulls wouldn’t stop and look over their shoulders I squat-sprinted to the next draw.
Finally, I got the break I needed.  The draw was deeper than I thought.  And better yet, it looked to run directly in the direction of the elk.  With the wind more or less in my face now, I started to hike.  Being so flat, it was impossible to mark on OnX exactly where the elk were, but I had managed to get one reading on my rangefinder of 1497 yards, so I knew how far I had to go.  Keeping my old Army pace-count I ticked off 100 meter sections.  300 meters… 400 meters….  The draw wasn’t perfectly straight, but I knew I was getting closer.  700 meters…. 800 meters….
The draw ran out at about 1000 meters.  As I started up the low rise, I began to feel the tension.  I guessed that when I finally laid eyes on them again, they would be around 500 yards.  Well within my effective range.  If I hadn’t spooked them that is. 
As I peeked over the hill, I spotted the 5 point almost immediately.  Both bulls (having apparently reached some sort of temporary truce) were bedded down about 50 yards apart, 200 yards to the right of the cows (who were still mostly out of sight in their depression).  Scanning the brush I spotted the big bull.  Or rather, his antlers, sticking up out of the grass.  I ranged the 5 point; 553 yards.  I watched him with my binos for a minute.  He would wake up, move his head a little, and doze back off.  I had seen enough to know that I had no qualms punching my tag on this bull.  I had been right about his tops, they were short, but his fronts and thirds and his mass were enough that I didn’t care.  I would like to say that I scored him in my head and made a decision, but honestly I just looked at that bull with the sun shining off his bright white points and just wanted him.  Occasionally I got a glimpse of his roman nose and I knew he was old; probably regressed a little, but impressive. 

[Pathfinder101]

It was now about a quarter after 2.  I set up for a prone shot, but the grass was blocking my view.  After a few moments of deliberation it occurred to me that both bulls were asleep.  There was no reason not to get closer.
Actually, there was.  All day now (over 4 hours) I had been walking, crawling, kneeling and squatting in star thistle.  A sea of it lay in front of me.  No terrain to hide me, crawling forward would be an elbow, belly and knees ordeal.  But, with 23 years of applying in my pocket, grass and thistle higher than my scope around me (at least when I was prone), and 2 sleeping bulls to my front, I figured that I could afford to dig a few more broken spines out of my skin.  I started inching forward. 

[Pathfinder101]

30 minutes later, I was inside 300 yards.  The roll of the hill afforded me enough of an angle that I could see the sleeping bulls while I was prone.  I set up with rear support, just to be safe. I had nothing to do at this point but wait for him to stand up.
15 minutes later it happened.  I looked down at my phone for a second (updating my sister as to my progress) and when I looked back up, he was standing, facing me, quartering a little.  I don’t think I have ever felt more confident in a shot before.  With front and rear support, proned out in the thistle, I knew the shot was a hit before I heard the whop.  He jumped a little and dropped right back into his bed.  I racked another round and watched him through the scope for a full minute.  His legs kicked a few times.  His antler moved a little, then all was still.  After a minute I raised up to my knees, assured that he was dead.  I called my sister and told them to head my way with packs.
With plenty of time on my hands while pinned down for the past 5 hours, I had been updating several buddies as to my progress.  I sent several texts “Bull Down!” and got some messages back asking my location to hike out and help.  Overwhelmed by generosity and still coming down from the adrenaline, it occurred to me that I should probably go walk over to my dead bull and get some “As He Lay” photos while I waited for the people with the real photography talent to show up.  I stood up and pulled on my bino case (I had been using it as a rear support for my stock) then picked up my rifle.  As I did, I saw a shadow move out of the corner of my eye.     
Unbelievably, there stood my “dead” bull, almost 100 yards to the left of where he had been laying.  I stared for a second in disbelief, then shook myself out of it long enough to lift my rifle and put the scope on him.  Was this a different bull?  Looked the same.  Huge body, long, heavy brows.  Oh Lord; should I shoot him again?  What if this is a different animal…?
He helped me out at that point by falling to the ground again.  I watched through the scope as his legs kicked a couple more times and then went still.  I started walking towards him at a brisk pace, rifle ready.  150 yards from him I saw him get to his feet again, so I shot him offhand through the shoulders again.  He dropped straight down.  As I walked up to him, he was still kicking. 

[Pathfinder101]

Little Pathfinder Face-timed me on his way to Football practice (he had gotten the Bull Down message) so he could see the bull. 
“He still moving Dad” he said
“Yeah, he’s dead.” I replied  “It’s just nerves.” 
We spoke excitedly for a while and I hung up.  I got a couple more texts and calls from buddies that were on their way, and my oldest son, stationed at Ft. Moore in Georgia.  Incredibly, the bull was still moving.  I was only 6 feet from him, but every time I moved, his eyes followed me and he looked like he was trying to get up again.  After almost 10 minutes, I called my sister.
“Uh, you guys are going to hear another shot” I said “I am going to have to shoot him again.”
Everyone I know that hunts elk has stories (including me) about how tough elk are.  But I had never seen anything like this.  One more shot, and he finally stopped moving. 

[Pathfinder101]

A little while later guys started showing up.  Photos and quartering and celebrating commenced; the happy bloody work that we all love as things wrap up.  One guy even managed to get ahold of the landowner and get permission to drive out to us, making for the easiest pack out ever.

[Pathfinder101]

I couldn’t have written a better script.  Friends and family, an ancient, massive, dinosaur of a bull and a perfect sunset for photos.  I know there are better scoring bulls out there, but I honestly don’t care.  I swear, if this is the biggest bull I ever harvest before I die, I’ll die happy. I thank God for the opportunity, the ability and the success.  I hope every hunter in their life gets to feel the way I felt at least once in their lives.  It might have taken 23 years for me to finally get this tag, but honestly I think that made it that much better.

That said;  I hope I draw another quality tag before I’m 80… 

[dvolmer]

Absolutely fantastic!!!!  This made me very happy!  When you texted the picture to me I thought, "This couldnt have happened to a better and more deserving guy". Congrats on a great bull and a great memory for life!!!  Thanks for sharing again Mark!

[Woodchuck]

That's awesome man, congratulations. 

[crabcreekhunter]

Congrats on the amazing bull, totally understand the private access dilemma and thanks for not making it harder for the next tag holders.  Everything doesn’t need to be on the internet, good job on doing your homework and getting it done.

[Ironhead]

Beautiful Bull and a great write up. Congratulations!

[Threewolves]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

Sent from my SM-A426U using Tapatalk

[Platensek-po]

Wow man! Congrats and as always a fantastic write up! Thanks for sharing and congrats again!