HEADACHE Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Couldn't sleep for the past week awaiting this day, opening muzzleloader season. Got lucky and drew my first tag for muzzleloader. Woke up like five times last night! So excited. Finally rolled out of bed at 345... Showered, out the last of my stuff together.... Got to my friends house at 445. Loaded up, drive 40 minutes, unloaded his big ranger. Loaded out gear and headed out. Had a couple good bulls scouted from weeks before. Sneaked into my spot...nothing there..... Glasses 40minutes...no elk... Finally spotted a couple bulls over a mile away. Walked half way there and decided one bull was good enough to pursue. Hiked half a mile up a ridge and came in on top of him. Sat down on a huge rock bluff, ranged him at 176.... Perfect! He was feeding with 2 other bulls....the wind swirled, one small bull put his nose in the air and took off.... I was already on the bull I wanted, but he was behind a bush...waiting for him to take 2 more steps.... Instead, he put his nose in the air... That's a bad sign, I had to shoot him now or let him go... He was about to bolt.... I breathed a slow breath and held tight... Bam! The 50cal thundered across the giant Basin! Shhhhmack! I heard the 300 grain hornady hollowpoint find its target! The bull lurched forward, then turned and walked downhill about 20 yards. Then laid down and that was that..... Died in about 10 seconds. I was incredibly excited! Tried to load another load, and the wind was hooking so fast, it blew about ten grains of powder out! My buddy and I took of towards the bull. My other friend made his way 30 minutes worth of hiking down into the basin to get his hands on the bull. magnificent creatures, these monarchs of the forest. We snapped a few pics, then began skinning and quartering the animal out. An hour later we began the arduous trek out of the basin. 2 hours later I got the head and one backstraps out, my friend took one hind quarter. We rested a bit then went back for the rest of the neck, tenderloins, backstraps and other hind quarter and 2 front quarters. I've never hiked so far with so much weight on my back through such a nasty, Rocky, thicket of bushes and trees in my life! It took everything I physically had for another 2 hours to get the rest of that elk back up to the quads. I mean literal muscle failure exhaustion for hours and hours.!! Shot the bull at 830 am, got him finally loaded into quad at 430 for the ride out. Thank goodness for my friend, or I'd still be out there! I am whooped butt tired! We got the bull to the processor, and went to my buddy's house to drink and eat some fresh elk tenderloin..... Oh brother was that well earned nutrition! Tasty, tasty nutrition! So happy, and so exhausted! Just thought I'd share. 20 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BRYCE CANYON Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Very nice! What kind of rifle were you shooting? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bisbee Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Great story and awesome elk. I hope to be posting a picture and story in a couple of weeks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cramerhunts Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Great write up and awesome bull! Congratulations! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
el diablo Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Nice bull. Congrats. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HEADACHE Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Very nice! What kind of rifle were you shooting? Thompson Center Triumph. I absolutely am impressed with this thing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SirRoyal Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Congratulations, that's an awesome bull !!!! That unit will produce some good ones at times!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mesabulls Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Awesome looking bull! Good job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Great bull, Congrats! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhxDT Report post Posted November 14, 2015 what a stud. Great homework pays off. You probably hit a new high for calorie burn. WOW. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4Falls Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Beautiful bull. Congratulations, you sure earned it. Good work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Great bull. Fine job. Lark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues79 Report post Posted November 14, 2015 That's a great bull. Looks like if you had to go up and out of that country, your legs are deserving to be exhausted with that weight on your back. Muzzy's are a lot of fun. Really cool deal. Congrats Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
6ANut Report post Posted November 14, 2015 That is one sweet rack, congrats. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Browns Report post Posted November 14, 2015 Lets see some more pictures. Awesome, congratulations!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
