olmos1010 Report post Posted September 24, 2019 After almost a full week of chasing bulls my wife finally gets it done. This was the toughest rut hunt I've been apart of thus far. We were able to get on and locate bulls every single day but they were just not responsive to calling.( At least not the big ones.) She passed on several bulls some of which were bigger then the one she tagged but just didn't present the shot she wanted. Her decisions to pass on bulls that didn't give optimal shot had me frustrated but also very proud at the same time. On Thursday the 19th we were up at 4:30 and decided to slip into a spot before dark. A spot that was on fire the morning before with at least six bulls all around us was completely silent this morning. By 7 I had given up on this spot and decided to hike back to the quad. Frustrated and tired we drove back to camp and grabbed a quick bite to eat. On a whim I told her let's get a little higher up and go to a spot where we had success in the past later on in the day. I get to a spot that overlooked the steep canyon and throw out some calls. In the far distance I hear a couple faint bugles. Ask the wife if she wants to go after them and she responds reluctantly "I guess so." We drop down the canyon and up the other side only to hear the bulls bugle 1 ridge over. Without asking her again I start dropping down the second canyon. We hit the bottom and I tell her only one more Hill to climb. We get to a spot to where the elk we're only about a hundred yards away and I start calling. They bugle and bugle but never get any closer. I decide with the wind right and howling pretty good we could sneak a Little closer. We get to within 50 yards and all pandemonium breaks out, elk are running in all directions. Knowing that the wind was good we hunker down and start calling. I hear a bull coming in but I can't put my eyes on him because of the thick and tall Manzanita. He's only about 15 yards at this point and my wife says she doesn't have a shot. The bull freezes and isn't coming any closer. After a few minutes my wife looks to her left and there's another bull about 28 yards out. She points to the bull and says she wants that one. the bull that was 15 yards away slowly walks out of sight and we decide to make a move on the bull up top. I can hear him thrashing and see his antlers going crazy but that's all I can see of him. I tell my wife if she crawls up to the next tree she should have about a 20 yard shot. She gets to that point and slowly stands up but says she has no shot. I'm about eight yards behind her so I stand up slowly and look through my binos. I can see about at 1 foot by 1 foot opening through the bush that is right on his vitals. I let her know if she shoots through that hole in the bush she has a shot. She slowly stands back up and looks again. After what seemed like forever she comes to full draw steadies herself and releases. Through my binos I watched the shot and know instantly it was perfect. The bull takes off and after only a short Sprint through the tall Manzanita I hear a crash about 80 yards away. She looks at me crying and asks "was it a good hit"? With the biggest smile all I say is "you smoked him". After some hugs and high fives I start to track. Knowing that he's down I waste no time and after only a short walk through the Manzanita we find him piled up. Perfect double long shot and the bull was dead within 30 sec or so. Not a monster by any means but I couldn't be more proud. What makes this hunt all the more special is that my 67 year old dad and my nine-year-old son were part of it. On almost every stock an outing other than this one they were with us putting in the miles. We hiked back to the quad and drove back to camp before breaking him down so that I can get my son and Dad there to share the experience. 31 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rossislider Report post Posted September 24, 2019 Congrats! That is awesome! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kfallsrob Report post Posted September 24, 2019 That's awesome and great story. The trophy is in the eye of the beholder. She looks thrilled and I'm sure you're extremely proud. Great job keeping at it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adicted Report post Posted September 24, 2019 good job...with the family too 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
More D Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Awesome! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Now I know where your kid gets it. Stone cold killer for a mom. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goinhuntn Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Congrats, sounds like it was an awesome hunt! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZ8 Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Fantastic job! Congrats to your wife! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke-BE Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Great job and congrats 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Couzer Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Nice!!! Great job 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roosevelt Mark Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Congrats to momma and looks like the young man is having a blast. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZHunter1 Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Very cool that you could have your family there with you! Congratulations 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swivelhead Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Great stuff! Serious effort got it done. Congrats to your wife. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heat Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Right on, bet she won't be forgetting about that shot anytime soon! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FirstBlood Report post Posted September 25, 2019 Great job...! Boy it looked a little warm out there... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
