In 2006 my grandpa, uncle and myself drew a limited opportunity any elk hunt in 5a. We have a cabin in clear creek so the whole family went up while the three of us were hunting. The day before season we had found 3 good bulls on a water hole on the east sunset. Opening morning we rode together around the mountain at dark to get to where we needed to walk in. as we came around the mountain we had tail lights ahead of us and head lights coming at us from the other side of the mountain. Of course everyone parked at the same gate and basically walked in single file up the same road.
The next day my uncle went on his own to try out a new area while me and grandpa did our own thing. Well, late morning we were heading back to the cabin to see how my uncle did and we seen his truck parked out in the flats. We drove over to the truck and seen his tool box was gone and quad tracks going off the road. (my uncle doesn't do much hunting) We started following the quad tracks and found him driving back to the truck, he stopped and said he had a cow down a little ways out but he had pulled his trailer with his quad and had dropped it some where to drag the elk to it with the quad but couldn't remember where he left the trailer. He took us to the elk and of course he didn't gut it so we got that done for him loaded the cow onto the quad and headed for the truck. I decided to look for the trailer with the quad and elk while they walked back. Found it just across the wash from where the elk was headed back.
For that evening hunt my granpda went on his own and my uncle came with. I took the quad up the mountain parked and walked through the meadows toward a water hole.It was a Mid October hunt but we started to hear two bulls bugle on both sides of the meadow so we just sat in between the bugles and waited to see what happened. The bugles just kept getting closer and closer and we started to get excited. With barely enough light left I seen a Bull step out of the thicks maybe 120 yards in front of us. Whispered to my uncle not to move raised my gun and took a shot. The bull reared up on his hind legs and spun around ran maybe 10 yards turned back around to come back and stand in the same spot. I racked another one in took the second shot and down he went.
That was my first bull, a decent 6x6 and we both just went crazy with excitement. We walked back to the quads to wait for my grandpa and we finally seen him pull up at the bottome of the mountain waiting for us to come down. I got on the radio to let him know that we had a cow down and to come up and help us out. He drove up and he followed us to where he was. When I through the head lights on the bull I thought he was gonna have a heart attack.
Well it was my first bull and I wanted to do the cutting my self but my grandpa doesn't really know how to just watch someone else work and two knives inside an elk deosn't work so well. He ended up slicing my middle finger pretty good. Finally got the bull loaded on the back of the quad and it wasn't easy since there were no trees around. On the way down the mountain we had to have one drive and two holding the back of the quad down cause it was wanting to roll over with the weight of the bull on the back. When we got back to the cabin around mid night my Grandma, Aunt and Mother were ready to call in the rescue, but were happy to see the bull.
My uncle got a lot of crap from my aunt since he had shot the cow that morning and she wanted some antler to take home and he was a little jealous since he sat and watched me shoot the bull with his tag already on the cow.
Well, the night wasn't over. I couldn't stop the bleeding on my finger so they had me go to winslow for stitches.
It was a pretty exciting hunt hopefully the story ain't too confusing
heres a couple pictures