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Bucknasty!

Silly not to have one? I think you might have taken that one step too far. I know of lots of guys that are straight elk killers that have probably never touched a hoochie mama. One of these guys NEVER cow calls! To back up what I'm saying, check out the Elk forums on Bowsite and look for a guy named Bigdan from Montana. He's got over 50 bull elk killed and killed 3 P&Y bulls on public land in one year, one of which was a giant AZ bull. I'd like to hear you tell Bigdan he's silly for not hooching with his track record and experience, and see what he has to say!

If you need to use a hoochie mama to communicate with the elk, you should go to Elknut.com and get some of his tapes and learn to use a diaphragm call. Hands free and most natural elk sounds you can produce. Just have to get the hang of it.

Wow! That is a pretty happy ending to a very up and down adventure. Sorry you won't be able to enjoy the meat, but your persistence is to be commended. You should be very proud of yourself. I'm very happy that you recovered him afterall! Nick

Good to know...thanks! here the latest on the topic...The BL's are excellent, however, the ED's do have better edge sharpness and higher color resolution.

I'm having the same issue as you. I don't mind spending the money if I know I will get the performance out of it, but I have a hard time paying $1000 more for something for like fractions of difference. The top 3 I am considering are the Minox 15x58, the Kaibabs, and of course the Swarovskis. I have used the Minox 15x58's. I used them on my pronghorn hunt just a few weeks ago. I borrowed them from a friend. I can tell you that they are big and heavy. I have somewhat of a narrow face and they seemed to work OK for me, but I think the others will probably fit me better. I have also looked through the Swarovski a bit, but never a side by side comparison in the field with either one. Bottom line, the Minox performed well for me, but I don't think they are as clear and bright as my 10's. But they do reach way out there. If you don't plan on doing extremely long distance glassing for optics, something like a 12X might work for you. I already have some pretty nice 7x35's and some 10x50's so I am mostly in the market for 15's but I am also curious about the 13x Minox binos. I think I called Cameraland about that once and they said the 15's were better by a lot. So take that for what it's worth. For $499 open box or $549 new for the Minox, I don't think you could go wrong. I've also heard that the Kaibab is a "best buy" for the category, and it's pretty much undisputed that the Swarovskis are the KING. Not sure how well the Leica's with the rangefinder fit in there either, but I bet they do pretty good. I need to try the Kaibab's before I buy, but I am guessing that's the way I'll end up going. Ditto what Trent said on the tripod. Nick

Hunters with the lack of consideration described above are our worst enemy for sure! How can someone be that stubborn or clueless?

Always nice to hear both sides of a story! Good on ya Brian for looking into this matter and responding. Very upstanding if you ask me. I'm very sorry to hear that this happened to you My2! I would be pissed too at first, but in the grand scheme of things I seriously doubt they would have done that if they had any idea you were on the herd. Either way, I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune and I really hope you were able to find another nice buck and get it done. Nick

Awesome pics Coach! Thanks for sharing. It helps me keep my intensity level up for this December when I go on my dream hunt. Nick

What a way to put it all together! That is like a mini western safari right there! Congratulations. You WILL be eating good my friend! Nick

Looks like some tasty meals are coming your way! Way to go! I've killed a bull, but am 0 for 5 on cows with my bow. That's a great accomplishment for sure. Nick

What a great start! Congratulations on a fine trophy! Nick

Garrett! Great work young man! I'm sure you've made your dad and many others very proud of you, including me! Congratulations, Nick

Hey I think I know that guy! Pretty sure he's from my neck of the woods. Bert! One in a lifetime trophy right there! Freak Nasty is exactly my thoughts. Great job to all involved! Nick

Fantastic results on your hunt! Good on ya! Nick

Any more pics? Really tough to see, but I can tell it is a dandy! Congratulations! Nick

Holy Smokes! What an awesome specimen! That is a bull to be proud of. Congratulations! +2 on the story! Nick

Sorry to hear about the unfortunate turn of events. If you think you got in the vitals, stay after it, he's dead somewhere. If you're not so sure, like Blake said, those critters can live a long, long time on a marginal hit. Regardless of what happens in the end, keep your head up high. If you bowhunt long enough, something like this happens to everybody. It is clear that you have been putting in a tremendous effort on your hunt and recovery of the bull. There's no shame in that. I really do hope you find your bull! Best of luck, Nick

Hey Stan, Great report. Now finish the "honeydo's" and get back after it! I'm confident you can close the deal. Best of luck to you. Nick

You really need to buy a few different boxes of some different cartridges and try them at the range on a bench rest. I have a .270 win also, and tried quite a few "premium" rounds. It seems like the more expensive they are, the worse they shoot in my gun. After trying probably 5 different brands, the Remington Core-Lokt from Wal Mart, less than $20 a box shot better than any other I tried. We're talking 3 shot group less than 1.5" MOA at 200 yards. Nick

Good on you guys! That is a great pronghorn! Well worth the wait I am sure. I was very fortunate to have some great help before and during my hunt as well. Makes it that much sweeter when there is someone around to share in the good times! Nice work, Nick

More pics

Congratulations! Nice buck!

Well worth the wait! Fantastic Job!

Congrats Andy! That is one dandy buck! Especially with a bow!