HammerBullets
Well-Known Member
Steve and his wife packed out for a 5 day hunt 4 miles in deep, steep, wilderness.
The first morning they got up an hour before sunlight to work up a drainage filled with deadfall to a bench where they've seen elk in the past. At twilight, 40 minutes into their hike, a muffled bugle. As they continued to climb up the steep terrain they both clearly heard a bull elk bugle about 400 yards above them. At the same time a group of cows were talking to each other below them.
They continued through the open area and made it to piles of rocks where they waited. They spotted the cows walking diagonally across the slope toward the saddle 3/4 of a mile away and 1000 yards above them. The entire time the cows were constantly talking with a bull occasionally bugling.
They knew they'd never catch the group so they decided to try and intercept them on the ridge above the saddle. They started a direct ascent up the steep terrain. Half way up the slope they realized why the cows were so talkative, there were elk strung out all over the hill.
They backed down, used the hill and limited trees for cover. After half a mile of working around the herd they finally made it to the ridge where they continued up the steep terrain.
They crested a drainage that was open from a recent burn. A group of cows were talking as they moved through the drainage. Steve settled his 7 PRC on some deadfall and started glassing. As the lead cow made it to the top of the ridge a bull bugled and was headed right toward them. He chambered the 172gr Absolute Hammer bullet he has running 3000FPS and waited.
Steve watched the bull through the trees, ranged him at 424 yds. The bull was working up hill. It made a mistake to look at some cows down the ridge. Steve said, "It was what needed. I touched the trigger, the rifle jumped, and a split second layer I heard the 'whumpf' of the bullet hitting it's mark. Immediately, I repositioned and found the bull again, he had blood pouring out of his throat where my 172 gr Absolute Hammer had torn his jugular. I watched as he walked about 30 yds across the slope, ready to follow up with another shot of needed, and then he laid down and put his head on the ground.
We sat there watching him for a few minutes, he picked his head up after a bit so I shot him again in the back of the neck. He put his head down and never moved again. We had him!
From where he'd been shot to where he needed it looked like someone had been throwing around buckets of blood. For not having hit bone, the Hammer had torn a tremendous hole in his neck. Devastating."
Congratulations on an EPIC hunt. Thanks for sharing the play by play and sharing your journey with us.
