1st Bull Down

[deadyote]

Well I was able to get this Elk on Wednesday and the hunt was a blast. I was hunting the Hancock property and this was my first muzzleloader hunt and 1st bull.  I missed a shot on a bigger bull opening morning that snuck in the back door, but that is why they call it hunting. We saw a couple monster bulls, but either were not able to get a shot or it was after dark. This bull I have seen three other times and sealed the deal the last time. I thought he was a 6X6 because of his tops being a 6X6, but half way through gutting him, I looked down and told my buddy Jake he was missing his 2nd on his right side, which made him 5X6. I don't care, he is a trophy in my mind and I had a blast hunting.

Jake was hunting with me Sat, Sun, Mon, and Tues and had to go back to work on Wed. Jake's last words were, "Your going to get an elk tomorrow." His reputation is that he hunted with another buddy Randy for a couple days and then the 1st day he left, Randy shot a massive 354" 7X9. Jake said it would happen again and it did. I met Rudi through a mutual friend and he went hunting with me Wed morning. We got into an area where we had seen some dandy 7x7's and two other bulls, including this one. We started calling right at light and this guy popped out about 300 yards away. I'm shooting a muzzleloader, so that is too far to shoot. He looked around, didn't see his new girlfriend, and then went back into a patch of reprod. We snuck around to another side of the reprod and called again and he popped out again, but this time we thought he might come in, but again he turned around and went back into the reprod. We snuck around to the third side, which was in a clear cut and called for the third time. 5 minutes later he popped out and saw a 4X5 that also came out from a different direction. This guy didn't like the 4X5 in his area, so he b-lined it for the 4X5. If he had come in like we were hoping (downwind), I would have had about a 125 yard shot. Instead the elk walked away from us. Rudi, my buddy who was calling, was behind me and up a hill a hundred yards or so, kept calling for about an hour. Around minute 30, the bulls lost interest. They had been bugling back and forth, which was cool to watch and we ended up hearing 6 different bulls bugle during this set up. This bull ended up going into an alder thicket, so I couldn't see him, but I could see the 4X5. Both were working towards my downwind, so I knew I didn't have a ton of time. After a few minutes, I decided I needed to make a move or they would bust me. I moved to a new spot and right when I got to my stump, this bull stepped out of the alder thicket looking at me. I ranged him at 200 yards, still too far. He was looking in my direction, but the wind was still in my favor and the sun was right behind me, so I don't think he saw me. He went back to feeding, so I snuck a little bit closer and he looked at me again and checked the wind, but went back to eating. The bull then started feeding to the left and went behind a tree in front of me, so I moved to get on the other side of the tree and got about half way there and he's standing there looking at me again. This time, he turns and starts walking back the other way and was about to leave. I leaned over onto a stump, ranged him at 167 yards, put the iron sights right behind his shoulder, took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. Click.............................Boom!!! There was more delay than normal, but when I looked up and the smoke cleared, the bull was down right where he stood. I was more than excited. Rudi had to go to work, so I took him to his truck and made the phone calls to see if anyone was able to assist in the work. Rudi and I were about a 25 minute walk back to the truck, so I dropped all my gear and started walking. About 100 yards from the truck i realized I left my truck keys in my jacket back at the elk, so I jogged back and got my keys. Running in hunting boots sucks . Jake was the only one who was able to give me a hand and only because he left work early. That right there is one of the reasons why he is a great friend.......Thanks Again Jake.........I Owe You BIG!!! We got the elk into the back of the truck in halves with some help from a unnamed person, took it to my folks' house, lifted it up with me Dad's tractor, and got it all skinned out. That is when everyone else showed up, Craig, Randy, Mason, Gratzer, Mom, and Tif with the boys. Everyone helped out and the meat was taken to the butcher the next morning and the head was taken to Mel for the taxidermy work. All in all the experience was awesome. We will have plenty of meat coming back from this elk because it weighed 448 lbs hanging weight, so we plan on many BBQ's at our house this year. Thanks to all who were part of this, including Rudi and Andi who helped out and showed me a few spot to keep an eye on.  People always talk about the hunt being so much fun, but for me it is hanging out with my friends and making memories.

[PacificNWhunter]

Congrats on a great bull.

[USAFpj]

Good one!  It would be interesting to see that rack straight on.  

[markts]

Dandy bull congrats

[400out]

nice bull 

[bow4elk]

Nice job!  That's a great bull!

[tshoote30]

Very nice lookin Bull, Congrats. that is awesome.  

[Annette]

Great story, Thanks for sharing...Con grat on a great first bull!!

[BLKBEARKLR]

Sweet bull, there are some monsters out there for sure.

Joe

[powderbounder]

Nice bull. Which Hancock property? PB

[7mm short mag]

good job man! good looking bull

[Michelle_Nelson]

Congrats Nice looking bull!

[rosscrazyelk]

Wow, Thats a funny looking elk. Never seen one with a white head like that . They are the ghosts of the woods....
But seriously nice bull congrats

[C-Money]

Nice Bull! Glad you nailed one!

[bucklucky]

Congrats on the nice bull!