Most of this is a repeat from the 6A bulls thread but a few members thought it would be a good idea to start a new thread. It's already been a week since this bull went down and I am still pumped! Here is the story...
My brother in-law Greg and I were hitting it hard since opening morning and we were into bulls every morning within 30 minutes. The bulls were very quiet so we just kept the wind in our favor and began to still hunt then spot and stalk. We got on a decent size herd Saturday morning and spotted a monster bull and a nice 5x5. We hauled butt to get in front and set up. Never saw the big bull but the 5x5 walked right up to us at 30 yards. This was the closest I had ever been to a bull and it was awesome! He never gave us a shot opportunity and eventually squirreled away. Sunday night was the only night we found a bull in the evening and I missed on a downhill 60 yard shot. Right over his back. At the time I was a bit discouraged but knew that's how it goes sometimes. Apparently it wasn't the bull that was meant for me. Monday was the slowest day we hadn't seen a bull all day and we put in some miles. Monday evening we hit one spot and the wind was all wrong so we backed out and moved to a different area. Wind was good, hitting us in the face so we began moving but didn't see or hear anything. Then about 6:30 we stopped and were ready to make it back to the truck. In one last attempt I decided to try and call to get a response. The first was a bugle. We had some success with the cows calling back if they were in the area.Then I grabbed my mouth diaphragm and started up with some cow calls I had been practicing. A few seconds later we heard a bugle but not just any bugle we knew he was on his way and coming in fast. We had seconds to get behind a bush and I was going to position my brother in-law a little further back to continue calling but the bull was already on us so we stayed put. He hung up at the end of a clearing and was looking in our direction to find where the call came from. Then he started trotting again and circling us to get wind. I immediately went to the other side of the bush and drew back. I asked for a range and he was way too far and now staring in our direction. It felt like I held my bow for the longest time until I couldn't do it anymore. So I attempted to let down with him staring and just knew he was going to spook. Thankfully he didn't notice and it took all my strength to let down as smoothly and as subtly as I could. He began moving around us again still out of wind and slowly coming in closer.My heart was racing and my hands were a little shaky. We were focused on the bulls movement while trying to control our own as we were being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Finally he stopped provided me with a broadside shot with his eyes behind a tree.I knew this was my opportunity and I remember Greg telling me "you got this". I drew back and took a couple deep breaths trying to control my nerves. I put my pin on the spot, waited a few seconds and let the arrow fly. He immediately bolted. I didn't see the shot but not 5-7 seconds later we heard a large crash. We weren't sure if he was down or crashing through the trees in the canyon he ran into. I slowly made my way to the shot area and just stood there still in shock. My brother in-law followed and started looking for sign and I just heard him say "Dude, come here". I looked down and there was blood everywhere. We peaked down the canyon and there he was piled up about 125 yards away. It was over. I don't know if he moved or my shot went forward but it went in the neck and severed the major arteries. It was over very quickly for him and for that I was thankful.
I fully intended to take the first bull that would have provided me with the opportunity. I really just wanted to gain some experience and get the first one done. I spent tons of time this summer scouting for areas with lots of elk, practicing in different shooting scenarios and working on my calls in the truck to and from work. I think the hard work we put in paid off and I was happy we were able to get it done. A big thanks to Greg. We worked well as a team and had some laughs too. I am glad he introduced me to archery and hunting. Also a thank you to my wife Jaime. She spent a lot of time scouting with me this summer and of course for putting up with my new found obsession.
Now the pictures!! Signature Taxidermy in Flagstaff scored this bull at 350 1/8".
