7MMColoHunter
Active Member
This bull I took in 2006. Again it was the second afternoon of the hunt and we were running late. We made it down into where we start walking into the area we hunt around 3:30pm. The elk I was after was around 6 miles in and I had very little time. I left my pack and only took my rifle, bullets and knife. I took off at a very steady and fast pace.
When I made it down to where I last knew the elk were I took off my coat and started waiting. About 10 minutes after sitting there I heard a bugle quite a ways off. I grabbed my rifle and headed further down. I went about another 1/4 to 1/2 mile down and noticed a bull out in a huge meadow feeding. I pulled up the rifle and saw he was a cool 5x5 with his left antler growing straight out to the side of his head. I kept moving to try and get closer, crossing another decent clearing, to get to the last bunch of cedars before I could not get any closer.
After getting into the cedars I moved to the last big cedar and set up the rifle on the bipods and started to look the elk over. There were four more 5x5's out in this huge meadow. I watched them for some time as they still were acting big and bad with each other and proving there dominance. Then some cows and calfs started coming out into the meadow and I caught a glimpse of another bull. Out comes a bigger 5x5 that would gross around 250 and I started to get a little more excited. I kept watching all the elk coming out and then I noticed a huge polished tine and then he walked out.
The bull I had been looking for all of my life. When he came out he was walking straight at me. His huge body and antlers rocking side to side. Then it happened, I started shaking and losing my breath. I had never ever had this happen to me in my entire hunting career. I could not keep the crosshairs on him and I still could not breath. I got up and walked away from rifle and tried to compose myself. I got back in the rifle and it started happening again. I did this two more times. I got back in the rifle and put the crosshairs behind his shoulder and then started second guessing myself on how far away he was (the rangefinder was in my pack) and put the crosshair right on top of his back and sqouze the trigger. I did not hear that wonderful "WOP' and he spun around and moved about 5 yards. I pulled the crosshairs down and sqouze the trigger again and this time it was true. I could see the blood trickling down his side just behind the shoulder and I wasn't going to take the chance of him going any further. I went ahead and shot him four more times behind the shoulder before he fell over. This was a dream 22 years in the making in the OTC unit we have hunted in since we could hunt. I went down later and ranged it at 419 yards.
When I walked up on this amazing bull a flood of emotions went through me I can not even explain.
A true hunt of a lifetime!
When I made it down to where I last knew the elk were I took off my coat and started waiting. About 10 minutes after sitting there I heard a bugle quite a ways off. I grabbed my rifle and headed further down. I went about another 1/4 to 1/2 mile down and noticed a bull out in a huge meadow feeding. I pulled up the rifle and saw he was a cool 5x5 with his left antler growing straight out to the side of his head. I kept moving to try and get closer, crossing another decent clearing, to get to the last bunch of cedars before I could not get any closer.
After getting into the cedars I moved to the last big cedar and set up the rifle on the bipods and started to look the elk over. There were four more 5x5's out in this huge meadow. I watched them for some time as they still were acting big and bad with each other and proving there dominance. Then some cows and calfs started coming out into the meadow and I caught a glimpse of another bull. Out comes a bigger 5x5 that would gross around 250 and I started to get a little more excited. I kept watching all the elk coming out and then I noticed a huge polished tine and then he walked out.
The bull I had been looking for all of my life. When he came out he was walking straight at me. His huge body and antlers rocking side to side. Then it happened, I started shaking and losing my breath. I had never ever had this happen to me in my entire hunting career. I could not keep the crosshairs on him and I still could not breath. I got up and walked away from rifle and tried to compose myself. I got back in the rifle and it started happening again. I did this two more times. I got back in the rifle and put the crosshairs behind his shoulder and then started second guessing myself on how far away he was (the rangefinder was in my pack) and put the crosshair right on top of his back and sqouze the trigger. I did not hear that wonderful "WOP' and he spun around and moved about 5 yards. I pulled the crosshairs down and sqouze the trigger again and this time it was true. I could see the blood trickling down his side just behind the shoulder and I wasn't going to take the chance of him going any further. I went ahead and shot him four more times behind the shoulder before he fell over. This was a dream 22 years in the making in the OTC unit we have hunted in since we could hunt. I went down later and ranged it at 419 yards.
When I walked up on this amazing bull a flood of emotions went through me I can not even explain.
A true hunt of a lifetime!
