late rifle bull:3 tags, 2 great bulls!

[jonscaife]

So I always end up putting in by myself for elk, well last year I drew a bull tag to find out that some friends of mine drew the same tag!So we decided we may as well hunt together. We hunted hard all week and I ended up tagging out on a small 5x4 (it was my first elk hunt ever, so I was pretty stoked even though it was a pretty small bull). One of my buddies ended up shooting a small 6x6. We filled 2 out of 4 tags out of our camp. Not too bad for a couple newbies.

Anyway, this year I ended up putting in by myself again......and I drew the same tag! Even crazier was that my buddies I hunted with last year drew the same tag again as well!!

Scouting was fairly productive. We were able to locate a couple pretty good bulls and we all were very excited for the hunt.

We all showed up on the wednesday before the hunt to do some last minute scouting. I was able to find this bull that evening.

Thursday morning I went scouting again in the same area hoping to find this bull again. I was able to glass this bull up again maybe a couple hundred yards down the same ridge! He was hanging out with another bull that had his right side almost completely broken off. By this time I was getting pretty stoked for the hunt to start.

I went out again in the evening and was able to locate the same bull in the same area! By this time I figured this bull was gonna be on this ridge the next morning. I knew this wasn't the biggest bull in the woods but I had a feeling that my dream of killing a mature 6x6 bull was about to come true.

After a dinner of brauts, some colorado kool-aid (coors light), and exchanging some old hunting stories, we all hit the sack hoping that tommorow would bring some big bulls along with it......of course I don't think any of us actually got any sleep.

 

The next morning I arrived in the area I was going to hunt about a half-hour before shooting light. Of course I was excited but that excitment was kept in balance by knowing that big bulls have a tendancy to disapear come opening morning. My plan was to walk the ridge opposite of the one I had been seeing that bull on. This would give me a 250 to 300 yard shot......if I could find that bull again. Just as there was enough light to see my hand in front of my face I started off. I would glass as much of the ridge as I could see through the trees, then move a hundered yards or so and do it again. After three or four times doing this, I began to slowly make my way another hundred yards or so. Before I even put up my binos, I see a small golden brown object on the ridge......ELK!!!!! Through my shaking binos I could make out the broken off left antler. It was the bull that had been hanging around the 6x6 I had been seeing. He was about three hundred yards away. I knew my bull had to be near. It took all the self control I had not to pull the trigger on this bull. Judging by his right side he was a decent bull himself and I knew my Ruger .270 would do the trick. But I pulled it together. I knew my bull had to be close. Then I heard it.....a hundred yards or so below that bull there were 2 bulls sparing. I threw my binos onto those bulls....maybe one of them could be my bull. Just as I realized that these were just two young raghorns, another bull steps out from behind some thick stuff! I quickly studied his antlers. Through the morning haze I could see his long mains...... this was my bull. He was only 150 yards or so away. I quitley extended the bi-pod on my rifle and laid down. I found my bull in my scope just as he feeds his way behind a dead ponderosa. I follow him as his head comes into view through the other side of the tree. I do my best to ignore his antlers and just focus on my shot. He continued feeding. As he steps forward, exposing his vitals, I pull the trigger. BOOM!! It was the first shot I heard that morning. All the other elk take off as my bull stagers forward about thirty yards and drops. I had just killed my bull!

I text my buddies, telling them I had just killed the 6x6 I had been seeing and that I would need their help to get him out of the woods.

I could see my bull laying there from where I stood which made my waiting for a half-hour seems a whole lot longer. As I walked up to my bull I was amazed at the size of his body. Just huge compared to the small raghorn I had shot last year. When I put my hands on his antlers fo the first time I realized something......this was not the 6x6 I had been seeing. He had 7 points on his left side and his 5ths where about twice as big! This bull was even bigger than what I had been seeing!!!!

I know this bull is'nt the biggest one out there but he is huge to me. I am honored to have a chance at such a majestic animal.

 

The next day my buddy killed another 6x7!

Thanks to all my friends that helped me get my bull out of the woods and congrtats to my freind Randy (ol' man rivers) on such a great bull.

[pato]

Congratulations. Great bull for the late hunt.

[papa]

Two nice bulls!congrats.

[Elkaddict]

Congrats on a couple of great bulls!

[loco4coues]

Congrats on a great bull! Thanks for sharing.

[200"mulie]

great looking bulls

[mcelkhunter]

Two very nice bulls. Congratulations!

[Guest akaspecials]

Congrats! Thanks for the writeup!

[Coues 'n' Sheep]

Great job and congrats to all!

[izquik72]

Great late season bull.

Sounds like you found a great spot

[mitchel]

Great hunting story and congrats on your successful bulls.

[huntingfool]

Awesome, congrats guys!

[gbocardo]

Awesome bulls. Needless to say I'm a little jealous I have not been drawn since 2007.

[Chef]

Great job guys!

Congratulations!

Nice bulls.

[tjhunt2]

As I read thru your story I was expecting to see a so so bull in the picture but WOW that thing is awesome. Not that there's anything wrong with a so so bull because that's all I shoot. lol Great story and my congratulations to you and your friend on your success. Thanbks for sharing!

 

TJ