Hunt recap:
I ended up being able to work up a really good load for my 338 RUM with 225gr Nosler Accubonds at 3,067 fps (first pic) and it was shooting awesome out to 800 yards at our range the day before we left.
The terrain on our hunt was beautiful and HUGE. I was almost ovewhelmed by how steep it was and how much area we had to cover - over 250,000 acres in this Manti unit where the Elk could hide from other hunters and pressure in general.
On day 2, after an hour hike in the dark to a ridge top to our glassing spot, we spotted a herd bull with a group of 8 cows and 2 smaller bulls. We were debating on whether or not to make a run at them to cut the distance from 1,200 yards down to at least 800 but before we could decide - another group of hunters started shooting on the next ridge behind this group of elk and they started running.
As luck would have it, they actually started heading at an angle towards us and to a patch of thick timber. I set up on my tripod in case I got a shot, but I only ended up having a 2 second opporunity in a clearing at 1,030 yards. With not enough time to make a good shot, I decided to pass on that opportunity.
We then made a move and hiked to the end of the point on the ridge that we were on - cutting the distance to roughly 800 yards to the ridge top that the group was side hilling. The cows started coming out and we got set up for the shot, just in case the bull followed behind them. Suddenly a decent 5x5 came out of the top of the clearing, along with a 3x4 and started chasing the cows around the meadow. That's all it took and the big 6x6 stepped out of the timber and immediately started chasing the smaller bulls off his harem of cows.
I waited for him to turn broadside after raking an Aspen tree and sent a round at 851 yards. Before the shot, I looked at the wind and it looked dead calm - but in my excitement I didn't account for the thermals and it pushed my shot high and right of my aiming point (which followed the up-draft from the canyon between us). He spooked about 20 yards downhill and quartered to me, I made an adjustment and took aim at his front shoulder at 835 yards and sent another round. This one hit right on the point of his shoulder, which we got a great video of the shot and impact, and he bucked and tumbled into the thick timber. We saw him fall, get up and then thrash around in the pines. We sat there on the spotters and me looking through the scope for several minutes to make sure he didn't get up and decided to start our hike over to where we last saw him.
It took us 3 hours to hike from our ridge, down a trail to the creek bed, then bushwacking our way up the other ridge to where he was standing. When we finally got to where we had marked him on OnX, we could smell him with the wind that had picked up - but couldn't find exactly where he was. We went back and watched the video, found where he was standing at the shot and quickly walked down the trail to where he was holed up under a downed tree limb.
His body was enormous! Our guide estimated him to be near 1,000 lbs, based upon his experience with other bulls and comparing him to the body size of his pack horses. I was blown away by his head size, neck, legs - everything!
We took a bunch of pictures and then got to work quartering him out, cutting the cape off for a mount and getting the meat into game bags.
We methodically made trecks down to the base of the ridge to the creek where we had pack horses over the next 6 hours, with each trip taking 30-40 minutes. I couldn't have done it without my buddy, Sean and our guide Jordan - who were both awesome at packing and helping keep up everyone's spirits throughout our packout.
We loaded up the pack horses and walked out on foot, getting to the trail head at dusk. This marked the end of a lifelong dream of mine - to hunt the mountains of Utah for Elk on foot.
I will be telling my grandkids about this hunt one day, Lord Willing, and the meat will go to my friends and family over the next few months to help feed our families. I'm thinking about mounting him bugling, as he let out a big bugle right before my shot that morning!
Thanks for reading along and enjoy a few pics from our adventure!
. Hard not to use those ole 245's 2900+ fps!!
