couesbuck22 Report post Posted December 1, 2015 I'm going to start by saying that the man that I have looked up to my entire life passed away in January, my grandfather. I wouldn't be half the man I am today if it weren't for him. My father left when I was young and my grandpa took me under his wing, He's the one that taught me everything about the outdoors, whether it be how to hunt, fish, or the simple things like hooking up the brush-hog to the tractor or taking your hat off at the table. So when I got the money pulled from my account for an elk tag I had one thing in mind, do it for him. The guy that was supposed to be helping me ended up in the ER with chest pains a week before my hunt and ended up having triple bypass surgery, so now i'm on my own. I didnt get too caught up in scouting early, i let the rut go by and spent every second i could the three weeks before my hunt hiking to the top of the biggest mountain in the area to look for elk. I saw some bulls, but nothing I really wanted to wrap my tag around, then three days before the hunt i found him. A big 5x6 that just showed up in a spot i thought i had already exhausted. So i kept tabs on him and i found him every night after that leading up to the hunt, he came over the same saddle, walked to the ridge on his right and would slowly feed his way down. I couldnt get out to scout in the mornings due to work and college but i had a feeling i could find him. I got there way early friday morning and hiked to the top and sat there for an hour and a half before i could even think about glassing, when it finally hit gray light i swung my tripod around to the bottom of that ridge and there he was. He fed around the corner to the next cut where i couldnt see him so i grabbed my stuff and hiked way around the backside of the mountain to try and get eyes on him again, i got around to where i could see the drainage i thought he was in and Bam right where i thought they'd be is the smaller bull that i last saw him with, i watched him bed down under a pine and made my move, I had to cross two big drainages and a third smaller one but I had my grandpa in the back of my mind the whole time and kept going. I got one ridge across from where i saw the smaller bull, slipped off my pack and crawled out to the edge to peek over, i found the smaller bull in the same tree and i could tell he was looking away from the way the right horn was, but i didnt see any other elk. So i slowly crawled up a little farther and still no other elk, so i just laid there, i didnt take my binos because i was within 100 yards and the wind was good. So i got set up and was laying there for about an hour and a half and then i caught movement in the skyline, hunters. Four guys came walking over and headed straight down towards the elk, and next thing i knew there was elk running out of every tree on the opposite ridge it seemed like, going every direction but i never got eyes on the big one. So i hiked back up to my glassing spot on the very top and started glassing, its about noon now so i know that the elk are going to move to get out of the sun, it might only be ten steps but i knew they were going to move. So i found an elk on the farthest ridge i could see, about 3 miles from me and i wasnt sure if it was him but to me its always worth a shot. So i threw my pack back on and started the second stalk of the day. I figured the easiest way to get to this one was to just go straight down the mountain to the bottom and come up one drainage over from the elk i saw and then crawl over, it would be less than 100 yards again. I got there about an hour later and crawled over, found an elk laying in a tree and it was a decent six point (remember this bull), but not the one i wanted quite yet. So i slowly crawled back over to my pack and made the trip to the top of the mountain this elk was on, i knew the bull I wanted was usually on his feet a little after 4 PM. So i got to the top of this mountain and started glassing the other one, and right after 4:30 PM i found him, knew he was doing his usual thing so i grabbed my pack and started the run. I got one ridge across from where they usually were about 15 minutes before the sun went down and i could see him across the drainage feeding down, just like he did the previous 2 nights. So I laid there and he fed down and he was at the same elevation as me and a smaller bull he was with fed out into an opening and i thought here we go here's my chance, and all i could see was horns walking straight away from me and out of sight. I didnt want to push him so i went back to my pack and hiked up the mountain in the dark and down the backside to my truck. I went home and slept then got up at 3 the next morning but i just had a feeling that i needed to wait until shooting light to make the hike up the mountain. I still can't figure out where this feeling came from but i have a pretty good idea, I was hiking up a ridge to the top of the mountain and i looked down to my left and theres the bull im after standing 60 yards below me staring right at me. I had left him on the total opposite side of the mountain the night before. I slowly slid the gun off my shoulder and probably should have taken the standing shot but on a bull this big I wanted a solid rest. so i extended the legs on my bipod as slow as possible and got one out and swung down, then i started to slide the second leg out and when it hit the end it made that click and the bull decided he had enough so then i swung it down and sat down, he ran up the opposite ridge and started heading down the hill on top of that finger but he slowed down to a walk and when he got to the last opening i yelled "HEY" and he stopped and i was in my scope and squeezed it off, no whop, no elk. I immediately started glassing and i found him about 2 miles below me walking just fine with no blood anywhere on him. So then i'm thinking my scope got bumped when i was crawling or maybe it got bumped during all the walking i had been doing so i went back down to the truck and drove out to the cinder pit where everyone shoots and i laid down to shoot at a rock that was 200 yards away and i took a glance at the turret on top of my scope and it was past the six almost to seven. NOT. GOOD. So i spun it back to the two and took a shot at the rock. Dead nuts. So then i packed up and headed right back out and started hiking up the mountain again, and at 4:45 there he was again. But on a different part of the mountain and i knew id have to run to get a chance before dark, so i got on the back of the mountain so the bull couldnt see me and im running down the back of this saddle and i look over and there's a bull standing there across the canyon 300+ yards so i slam on the brakes and get the gun up and i can tell hes a good bull so i go to sit down and he starts running right to left so i stand back up and im watching him through the scope and he stops so i let my grandpa's 300 Win. Mag bark and i immediately heard the WHOP! so the bull comes to me and starts going right to left again so i stop him and give him another one, no whop, then he comes down the hill some more turns the opposite way and stops so i squeeze off a third shot and WHOP! then i watch him through the scope and he got wobbly going into some trees, as he's going in I realize it's the same bull I found bedded the day before and could have had a 87 yard shot at prone, but I got it done strongarming the gun at 342 yards (I ranged it after I shot) so i knelt down and laid the gun down next to me thinking of my grandfather and removed my cap and said a prayer, about ten seconds later i could hear him fall and take his last breathe. Thats when I lost it, I'll admit it I had tears in my eyes as I put on my pack and made the final hike across the canyon to where my bull was. When I got over to him I knelt down, and looked up to the sky and said this ones for you grandpa. Thats when I really lost it, I sat there for 15 minutes probably just taking it all in, I never got the excitement you see other people get with all the yelling and screaming, but I knew I had done it, even though I was alone physically I knew he was there with me the whole time laughing when I would slip and fall on my face, I ate it good a couple times but I was more worried about keeping his gun from hitting the rocks than using my arms to catch myself, This elk means more to me than any other animal i will ever harvest not just because hes my biggest bull so far but because of the reason i hunted so hard. R.I.P. Grandpa Jim i know you were up there looking down the whole time with a smile on your face pointing me in the right direction. I was using my grandpa's gun, and I had a broken tine that my grandpa found on my very first elk hunt 8 years ago. 21 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mocha1545 Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Nice write up. A Great tribute to your Grandfather! Congrats on a well earned Bull! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PelaPapas Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Heck yeah man! Congrats to you on that great bull! Sounds like your grandpa was by your side the whole time! Congrats again on getting it done! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naturebob Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Congrats. Nice story. You will always have those good memories of Him.............BOB! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Meyer Report post Posted December 1, 2015 Congrats on the nice elk 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Will K Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Very nice. Big congrat's. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allan Report post Posted December 2, 2015 What a nice tribute to your Grandpa, it shows how important it is for parents and grandparents to invest time in their kids. Great bull too by the way! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Great write up and you bet your grandfather was there beside you all the way. Congratulations and thanks for sharing this awesome tribute to your grandfather with us. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trphyhntr Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Congrats, with a memory like That's it's gonna be a tough bull to beat. Great trophy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZbowhntr Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Great writeup. Oh to be young again. You were covering some ground in a hurry. Congrats on a nice bull. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
couesbuck22 Report post Posted December 2, 2015 He enstilled that never quit attitude in me and I try to apply that to everything I do, especially when it comes to stuff like hunting because if it weren't for him I would never have these experiences of triumph and fail. So grateful for everything he taught me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sam Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Congratulations! I'm sure your grandpa was watching over you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mesabulls Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Great story and nice bull, congrats! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StraightTequilaNight Report post Posted December 2, 2015 Congratulations. Thanks for taking the time to share. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swivelhead Report post Posted December 3, 2015 Very cool post. Honoring those who have gone before us is admirable. Congrats on the bull too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
