COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Hey folks, i'm finally home for more than just a day which is great except that now I have to attend to all the chores that have been neglected since July! I've been in the woods for a little over 100 days so far this year and it's been a blast! Lots of work but it all paid off and we had a great early season! I've been tryin' to round up all the photos and don't have them all yet but here's what i got so far.... Wilbur was the first stud to hit the dirt and was probably the toughest, least fun hunt of them all this year! It was pre-rut so no bugling to be heard, just lots of walking and still hunting draws hoping to bump into him. It was hot, the bulls were nocturnal and it took 10 full days for our luck to finally change! The evening of the 10th day was when we finally picked the same draw that Wilbur had chosen to feed in and after a single perfect shot he was finally ours! Wilbur will be scored again in a few weeks as the drying period is almost up and I'm sure he won't be much less than his original score of 445"!!! The next bull was taken by an archery client of mine. This bull has a history with us as one of our clients shot him last year and hit high just above the spine. We looked for days for this bull and never found him.......until this year and he was still on his feet! We named this bull "Crossover" because of his crossed-over G1's. He also has extra points on his G2's which made him easy to identify. The archery hunt was great for us and we were calling in several 360-380 bulls each day! We were hoping for bigger but the hunting pressure started having a negative affect on our spot so when Crossover stepped into the shooting lane at 17 yards broadside, I stopped him and a perfect arrow was on it's way! Crossover ran 60 yards and tipped over and after putting our hands on him we were all amazed at how huge his body was, he was just like Wilbur in that he fooled us on trailcams! The huge body and head made his rack look smaller but in the end he scored 372"!! It was at the processor that we found out indeed this was the same bull our client shot and lost last year, the broadhead and about 4" of shaft were removed in the backstraps! While we were hunting for Crossover, our good friends were helping another hunter in the same unit. They had their bulls picked out and were hunting very hard every day passing up good bulls waiting for the one they wanted! "Squiggy" was the bull that the hunter "Don" wanted. This bull is awesome and has a cool G3 which earned him the name. Don has helped us all summer and definitely put in the time to earn such a stud bull. Squiggy made the mistake of coming well within archery range of Don and Don made the shot! Squiggy scores right at 380"!!! Next was the early rifle and muzzleloader hunts. I was fortunate enough to get to hunt with a repeat client of mine. This client's name is Ian and he's the kid that killed that "Ron Burgundy" bull from last year! He drew the tag again and the hunt was on! We had very limited time but like last year we made the most of it! We called in and passed several great bulls and finally on the 4th day of the hunt we had this great bull coming in screaming! Ian was on the shooting sticks and ready when I stopped the bull broadside and said "take 'em"! When the smoke cleared we could see the bull was hit perfect and in a matter of seconds he was piled up! This was an awesome hunt and Ian took home his second 370" class bull in 2 years...not bad for a 17 year old! Again, while I was hunting with Ian, some friends and family were hunting in a different unit. This hunt was with a friend of ours "Will", and Will was holding out for something big! He spent max points on his early rifle tag and the boys were hunting hard looking for a bull worthy of the wait! After several long hard days they finally found the one and put him on the ground. This bull is a true giant of a bull and one that dreams are made of! He will be scored by an official measurer soon but with a conservative tape in camp he taped out at over 420"!!! I don't have the feild photos yet but I'll get them posted when I can. Congrats to Will and the boys on gettin' it done! I've got a few more bulls I'd like to share, just don't have pics yet, one is an 11 year old young man that took his first bull with us, it was a blast and he showed amazing patience by passing up several great bulls, some were even 360" class bulls! He took a perfect 330" 6x6 bull on the last hour of his hunt and his dad was sitting next to him to watch it all go down! Thanks for checking out the pics, I'll get back in the groove here now that I'm home for a bit, looks like there's a bunch of success stories to catch up on here! Take care, JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted October 15, 2009 I was wonderin when you would come back! Congrats on some toads! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakehaffey Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Wow, awesome season!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hunterdude Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Nice photos on all the elk! What luck to be able to draw the same tag two years in a row! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PSEps Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Very nice bulls. Congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leland Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Congrats to you and your crew, you guys run a first class operation. Its nice to see outfitter's in the field that don't think they own every bit of land, and try not to control what everyone else does. I hope you guys continue to have the success that you deserve. Leland Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mangum Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Home work definately pays off. Congrats to you and all your clients. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lucky2hunt Report post Posted October 15, 2009 What else to say but.....WOW! You guys are astounding! Your mastery of this passion that most of us have called Hunting, is remarkable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues Sniper Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Awsome! Congrats to the Mullins team and the lucky hunters. Unbelievable season guys. Many congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BowNut Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Just Awesome! Them are some great bulls. Congrats to everyone involved. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cramerhunts Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Amazing group of bulls Jim! I know how hard you guys work for your success and the photos show it! Congrats on a great season and look forward to the rest of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZP&Y Report post Posted October 15, 2009 CF, You have clearly whacked' em' and stacked em' Nice Job- All of the Bulls are incredible and to be able to have MAY pics and then bulls on the ground in Sept means your are putting in HUGH amounts of time that is paying dividends! Thanks for sharing and I know the Coues bug must be calling? AzP&Y Doug Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
palivs2hnt Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Simply outstanding! Thank you again for taking the time to share stories and pictures. Can't wait for the others! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs125coues Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Jim, congrat's to you and the family. We(Mark and I) were able to spend a few hours in the camp with Pop's and Gary and hear some of the stories. Thanks for the update and pictures. Kathi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted October 15, 2009 Congrats to you and your crew, you guys run a first class operation. Its nice to see outfitter's in the field that don't think they own every bit of land, and try not to control what everyone else does. I hope you guys continue to have the success that you deserve. Leland Thanks a bunch Leland, that's what we strive to do! I wish I had stopped to say hi and congrats to you on your beast of a bull, that was one of the top bulls taken on the archery hunt, what a stud bull, i'm sure you worked your tail off for him! Congrats! Thanks to everyone else for the nice comments as well! It's been a tough season and definitely one that has put our determination and persevearance to the test, it's great to endure and still be successful in the end! Tons of great experiences, memories and friendships made this year, can't wait to see what the rest of the seasons produce! Thanks and take care, JIM> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
