My Dad has some better pics... I'll try to get them... We got up there a week early to make sure we got our camp site and scouting in.... Glassed a bull that I really wanted to go after... But so did 3 other bull taggers..
He was very visible and HUGE!!! So Dad and I stuck to our plan to hunt out of camp in the burn..... The elk were there and rutting hard... Opening day just after day light.. I passed a 3 point (really a legal a spike)
That doesn't happen very often and my Dad's season didn't start til Saturday.... Go figure.. Bulls were bugling everywhere!!!! It was insane...
Got in on another spike and a rag 4.. Passed them all as well.... I really knew what kind of bulls were around if I was patient, lucky, and prepared.... But really didn't want to take home an any bull tag unnotched.... And I had two more days with only bull taggers... On the third day I would take a rag horn if I hadn't connected is what I told my Dad...
But I had high hopes.... Got on some more elk but never saw the bull.... Day two started off with passing on a decent 4X5 that I really thought about taking.. Specially @ 40 yds....
And a spike was bugling his head off @ 100- 200 yds for a hour.... It was very cool... Another spike joined him... And a 3 point... Passed again.... Snuck up on a herd in some thick timber to not get a shot @ 10 yds because there was a cow in the way... It was a nice bull too.... Wind swirled... Game over... 3rd Day pass another spike @ day break... I think the screamer from the day before...
Not seeing much more til 10 am.. Dad spotted a spike and rag 5 on a ridge over.... I set up for a shot on the rag 5 but it never panned out... I wasn't comfortable with the shot.... Couldn't get back on him... Headed up ridge... Was making my way down to a bull I named growler because of his bugle.. Saw this trail that was just trampled down and thought about sitting on it awhile... But I really wanted to get on Growler... Looked at it one more time an there was a cow in the top about to come down and up my side of the ridge.. Turned out to be 2 cow... 2 calf... They were about ten feet from me walking when all of a sudden they all looked back toward the trail like it was synchronized...
I said there's my bull..
Then he appeared... I squared up on a shooting lane.. The cows caught my movement and took off... The bull came running down the ridge and I let him have it @ 52 yards quartering toward me on a dead run.. He came up the ridge ten feel from me just like the cows...
Went about 75 yds and fell in the ravine... Of course..
Quarter and capped it out... Carried the head and cape out 7.5 miles in the pouring rain that night.... Just got the mount back....
Thanks everyone!!!
