My 2009 bull.

[Little Stu]

nice bull congrats

[The Weazle]

Nice bull!  Hopefully someday I wont have to travel out of state to make a kill like that!

[WAPITIHUNTER]

All you have to do is draw a special permit in the right unit in washington.

[Elknut1]

 Way to go on a great looking bull ! What's the short story version?

  ElkNut1

[PolarBear]

All you have to do is draw a special permit in the right unit in washington.

Not if you know what you are doing and do your homework.

[fly4fish]

Looks like you did a good job stripping the meat off those ribs.  Nice bull!

[alecvg]

Great bull Wapiti!

[shanevg]

Nice bull!

[Backstraps]

Right on Wapitihunter! Looks like a great bull! What's the story? Score? I know who to call when I draw that permit next year! Congrats,Straps

[hogsniper]

I think everybody gets sick of the critics about not wearing orange or about where your muzzle is pointed in pictures. A story about wounding multiple elk before being successful is something that should atleast raise some questions from fellow outdoorsman!  Just my 

[3dvapor]

nice bull,  thanks for posting the whole story despite controversy, sounds like a great tag.

[WAPITIHUNTER]

Well the short story is this. I finally got a day to hunt all by myself which I actually prefer. I spoke to my brother Finmann the night before and admitted to him that I was getting a little discouraged and frazzled on this one. I will offer my brother, whom I love very much, alot of credit for my success on this one as he gave me a good bit of advice the night before I killed this bull. He said "you just need to calm down and let it happen. It will happen when it happens". I said ok I will try. I then told him " you know what happens when I get out there by myself? I bet you I will go out and kill one of these suckers tomorrow. I slept in that Morning as I was tired and I was hunting around where I was camped that day as we had bulls ripping everyday there. I got up and Immediately heard the elk chiming in like clockwork. I started to hustle back in before it got to late but I just could not seem to get on any. There were moving around alot chasing cows and whatnot. I did a long still hunt through some nasty reprod which produced nothing. Hmmm.........now what?

Well I thought I would just slowly pick my way back towards camp down the horse trails and do a few random calls as I went. I just passed Cranberry lake and let one fly and right above me less than a hundred yards a big Growler cuts loose. I grabbed ahold of all my tackle and ran as fast as I could back to the other horse trail that would take me to the other side of the ridge he was on. I let out a few cow calls and a bugle and then grabbed a big stick and started giving this bush holly living hell. I was beating the crap out of this tree when all the sudden from my left this big 6x6 comes out of nowhere, stops right in front of me drops his head and starts his own bush thrashing session. Then all is quiet for just a brief moment..........Almost a calm peacefull sound like right before a storm is about to erupt..........Then the storm came with a fury as the woods erupted like everything was coming down on my head. The bull charged up the hill and dropped his rack and was shoving cows all over the place. I then instinctively ran to where he stood and urgently was scanning the hillside......in my mind I am thinking comeone where are you.......whered you go over and over. then it happened.........................A flash of body and horn OH!!!! there he is I quickly side step a few times and find a lane and as quickly as that a yardage pops into my head only once......I stuck with it and never doubted. I drew my bow and settled the pin behiind his shoulder and released the arrow he took one step forward and turned to go away.....................THUNK!!!!!!!! GOT HIM!!!!!!!!! He crashed off and the woods erupted agin like a volcano elk flying everywhere as the other bull ran up and was pushing cows also. I marked the shot and elks location with my surveyors ribbon. I then made a couple of calls on the cell and was giving him some time. I kept hearing some cracking limbs and brush from where he ran. I was pretty sure he was done. I finally started to look for blood and after a short time I found some. I then hear an antler hit a tree and a crash..........Yep I know he is down now. I continue to follow the blood trail and I am scanning ahead with the bino's when OH WHAT IS THAT? Urgently I press the glass against my eyes very firmly and look at this object as if my eyes are trying to burn ahole through it. That looks like an elk. Oh Oh Oh OH my Oh my I go running up and WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! I then called my brother and said the same thing in his ear.

Thats about how it all went down. Then the fun began as it was hot and the flies were terrible.I shot him at 9:40 and we didn't get the last load to the truck till after 5:00 pm. Through all the highs and lows This was a very great hunt with tons of action, the elk were very vocal yet extremely wary. All together I hunted 13 days.

Final Tally the bull gave up 363 pounds of boneless meat. His rack scored a respectable 297" and was 42 inches wide and 48 inches long with ridiculous mass. He bested my best bull ever by 8 inches so I am completely satisfied with this bull, in fact I could not be any happier about how the hunt turned out.

On a side note one of the muzzleloader hunters killed a 320 class 6x6 in the same spot I wounded the bull in the hams. Well just so happens they saw the bull I wounded and he had busted off a tine and was doing exceptionall well competing for cows and all. That made me feel a little better about the whole situation even though I new he lived all along.

[257 Wby Mag]

Good lookin bull ya got there J-rod. I'll have to check it out at Charlies place.

[WAPITIHUNTER]

couple more pics for all.

A kill shot

 A properly boned out carcass as some have observed.

Getting ready to walk out. This thing is heavy!!!

Me fealing completely drained of energy. I hadn't eaten since about 7am. I was empty. No reserve.

If anybody wants to see the rack it will be on disdplay at Rainier archery for about a month or so!