Early Season Muzzy Bull

[Lookin4amonster]

This year a family friend of ours (let's call him Grizz) was lucky enough to draw an early season muzzleloader tag in unit 9 and we couldn't have been more excited to tag along on this trip. My dad's been out of town and couldn't make his archery hunt, so my brother and I jumped at the bit to assist in this hunt.

 

We started out the hunt on Friday morning (Sept 23) by going to the same spot Grizz had seen a monster 400+ bull when he hunted the unit 22 years earlier. He'd been scouting in the area and heard a bugle come from the exact spot he'd missed the opportunity years ago. He was convinced this was the toad's great great grandson or something. We got to the spot we wanted to be before dark and it was quiet as can be. Not a single bugle echoed through the park, so we decided this was a better evening spot and we got back in the truck and drove a mile at a time to listen for bugles. There was not much action that morning except a faint bugle way in the distance at our final stop. We were a little discouraged at how little action there was going on, but archery hunters had been chasing these bulls around the past 14 days, so we just chalked it up to spooked animals.

 

In the evening hunt, we decided to go back to the same spot we had gone that morning. We got to the park we'd been to in the morning near a waterhole and sat down on a log to listen for bugles. There was a guys quad nearby that we believe was sitting the water, so we didn't want to get anywhere near the tank to disrupt his hunt. However, at about 4pm, we heard him walk back to his quad and he started coughing uncontrollably for literally 30 minutes. I've never heard anyone lose it this bad to coughing ever. It was like he was smoking weed or something and kept taking giant rips off a bong, it was insane! So we circled out of there quietly and moved East to listen better. Around 5-5:30 we started to hear a couple bulls bugling about 1/2 mile to the South and we started our stalk. The bugles were coming from a draw nearby that was really thick, so it would be difficult to get on these bulls. We quietly worked our way down into the draw and decided on which bull we wanted to pursue. We got within 100 yards or so when the bull changed directions on us and moved back towards where we had come from. We caught up right in time for us to catch his 2 cows coming out into the open through a 5x5ft window about 60 yards away. We got setup for a shot assuming the bull would follow the same path. It took awhile for him to show, but about 3 minutes later, he stepped through about 20 yards further, but through the same window. He didn't give us much time to look at him, but we knew he wasn't an opening day shooter immediately. He was a real symmetrical bull, 6 points a side, probably about 330-340. A shooter in most units, but not in 9 and not with a muzzleloader. So we let him pass and called it a night.

 

The next morning (Saturday Sept 24) we went to a new area a little north of where we'd been, again got there before light, and immediately heard 4-5 different bugles. Our plan was to walk the road paralleling them and find out where they were going to cross. They'd bugle, we'd walk.. pretty simple. After about 15-20 minutes of the lead bull not bugling, we decided to work our way in. We got really close to the herd, but the wind was terrible and we assume they ended up winding us. What we thought was interesting though, was while we were stalking this bull, the rest of the bulls abruptly shut up. On our way back to the truck though, we ran into another hunter leaving, who told us some jackass had driven right into the area this bulls were bugling, jumped out of his truck and spooked every animal in sight. It really screwed up this other guys' daughters morning, and in effect messed up our backup options as well.

 

That evening we decided to sit a waterhole that an archer had shown us. He said there was a 330 & 360 bull coming in regularly, but he was holding out for a 390 bull that kept coming in after dark. On our drive to the spot, we came around the corner and BOOM! there was the 390 bull with about 10 cows drinking out of a mud hole in the road. I didn't get a good look at him, but Grizz said his G5's & G6's formed a "whale tale" with his 6's being about 2ft long. That bull split at first sight, let off one bugle to round up his cows, and was gone. We continued with the plan, parked the truck, and started walking back to the waterhole. About 400yds into our walk, 2 cows ran in front of us about 50 yards, but didn't go far and kept looking back. We kept waiting for the bull to follow, but after a LONG while nothing happened. So we took another 15-20 steps and we saw more movement to the right, it looked like another cow and calf. They moved out to our right. We heard a single bugle again we think to round up all the cows we spooked away from this bull and then nothing further. If there were 3 bulls that were consistently coming to this water, we just spooked 2 of them. But we still decided to keep on. About halfway to our spot, some moron about 1/2 mile away started target shooting. The first half of the shots sounded like a handgun, but the second half sounded like muzzleloader rounds, but the shots were too close together, so we weren't sure. All we know is everything in the county was probably going to shut down. We got to the water, posted up about 60 yards to the west, and prayed for the best (no intention to rhyme). We sat there for a couple hours without a peep and decided to call it a night. Grizz woke my brother up sleeping under a tree, got on his knees to stand up, turned around to grab his stuff when he noticed 3 BEARS (a sow and 2 cubs) walking down the side of the hill, right towards us at 60 yards. He immediately pointed them out to us, we all stood up pistols in hand, and yelled at them to get outta here. The front cub stood around for a bit, but eventually joined mama and trotted out of sight. As harmless as this encounter was, the 2 cubs were leading the way down to the water, and if we had waited about 2 minutes longer to get up and those 2 cubs walked in between us, someone would have probably gotten seriously hurt when mama went to protect her cubs. Thank God no one did.

 

To this point in the hunt, we've had a lot of great experiences, but haven't really had that much luck seeing bulls and getting shot opportunities. But the next morning (Sunday, Sept 25) we'd have the pleasure of hunting with some new friends who would not only bring us success, but would give us the elk hunting experience of a lifetime. They had an area to the West we hadn't hunted yet that had big bulls and they were getting into them frequently. They took us to the area and hunted with us the next morning out of the kindness of their heart. We got to this new spot before dark and heard bugles to our North almost immediately. The first bull we were pursuing had a deep, grunting bugle that sounded like he was a mature bull. We would cow call and he'd almost simultaneously respond. We got to within 100yds of the gully he was in when a cow that was away from the herd spotted us and took the entire group out of the area, so we decided to pursue a bull to the west. Again, we'd cow call and the bull would immediately respond. We got even closer to this bull, and he tried playing games with us. He never spooked, but he was circling us and never came in to see what was going on. At the same time, even further to our West, another bull was bugling and he sounded bigger, so we gave up on this bull and pursued the new one. We got to a large meadow with sparatic junipers throughout the middle, and we knew the bull was just on the other side of the meadow in this little saddle. We got to within 100 yards of the other side and all posted up in front of this giant juniper. We cow called several times and the bull responded every time, but was weary about coming out in the open. We could hear him pacing back in forth in the trees and his bugles were coming from different areas. He wanted to come out, but was very cautious. About 5 minutes in, a cow appeared to our left about 80yds or so away. She was looking in our area, but didn't look like she spotted us. She was definitely looking for the cow making the calls, but just couldn't locate her. She meandered off to the East and when she was out of sight, we called again. After a few calls, I noticed horns coming out in front of us at about 120 yards. There were 2 other junipers in between us and the bull and he got behind them. He bugled and we cow called. He was baited. He came out from behind the junipers, right to left, at about 80 yards and was now directly in front of us. He walked right at us with his neck down, but his head up, looking right in our direction, covering his chest. At about 60 yards he quartered toward us and let out a dirty, gruntled bugle that made my knees shake. When he stopped, Grizz put the crosshairs on his front right shoulder and squeezed one off. The bullet buckled this massive bull in his tracks and you could see the .50 caliber tip shoot ripples down this bulls body. He turned, ran about 20 yards, and it was game over. We all erupted in celebration and hugged one another. This was the bull of a lifetime, an experience that you couldn't script any better if you tried, and the best part.. IT'S ALL ON TAPE, in HD!

 

The bull is a 6x7 scores 355 1/4 with massive 21" and 23" G4's, and very nice mass.

 

I know this story has dragged out, but just to share one more thing. As Arizona residents we've got it made! Those poor saps back east who look forward to deer season and deer season only don't know what they're missing. We're blessed with almost every big game species you can think of and it's easy to take it for granted. Not to mention the biggest, best elk hunting in the world. This bull ended up scoring well and we're very happy, but next time anybody gets the chance to draw an elk tag, try not to focus on the score of the animal, but enjoy the experience that not everyone gets to live-out like the rest of us.

 

Special special special thanks to our new friends Steve & Vic for calling for us and filming the whole encounter. We couldn't have done it without you and we are happy to have met such great guys.

 

*** the video will take awhile to be cut and uploaded, but the second it is, I will post it immediately*** I guarantee it will be one of the best elk videos you've ever seen.

 

Grizz

 

Grizz and I

 

Back of the Truck

 

Pretty Cool how the Bullet Folded back as Advertised

[wing master]

Awesome bull and great pics! Enjoyed reading the story thanks for posting! Can't wait for the video.

[Red Rabbit]

I really enjoyed your story. Cool point off the left 4th also.

[200"mulie]

really nice bull. congrats

[Coach]

Great story, and what a beautiful bull! Congrats, and nice job on the hunt and the write-up. I can't wait for "the movie".

[270wsm]

That was a great story thanks for posting it. And congrats on that awesome bull!

[Santana Outdoors]

Awesome bull and story, thanks for sharing. Congratulations to everyone involved.

[.270]

chalk up another one for the geezers! Lark.

[tjhunt2]

Congrats and thank for sharing.

 

TJ

[Elkaddict]

Gotta be thrilled with that toad!! Congrats!!

[Ron G.]

Very nice! Congrats to Grizz and thanks for sharing!

 

Ron

[Pine Donkey]

Great bull. Thanks for the story and pictures!

[Younghunter]

I love his mass. Good story.

[anthonyrmatthews]

Great story! Thx for sharing. Thats awesome that you got to hunt with those guys, they are great guys too!

[Chef]

Big time congrats! Heck of a bull with some great character!