Elk Success

[MT-Native]

My buddy got super lucky and drew a LE archery tag on his first attempt this year. This was his first season elk hunting. I had the same tag in 2020, so I had a pretty good idea of the unit and was excited to play guide for him this season.

He injured his shoulder mountain biking this summer and was able to get special permission from the DWR to hunt with a crossbow.

We'd had a couple day hunts up until this point, chased a few bugles, but hadn't had anything within range. I had a spot in mind that we were planning on saving until the last week of the hunt, when we would pack in camp and stay several days. This spot was on fire in 2020 when I had the tag, and it's where I harvested my bull. I wanted to scout it out and make sure it was as good this year before we put all of our eggs in that basket for the last week.

So we decided to day hunt our way over to where we could see into the drainage on Friday. There is no good way to get in or out of this spot, the hike just plain sucks. As soon as we got onto a ridge where we could see the drainage, we saw a herd moving. We counted 30+ cows and spikes, and then 2 nice bulls at the end of the group. They were both shooters, with one stud. They were messing with each other, bugling within 10 yards of each other, and at one point were raking both sides of the same tree.

We weren't planning on dropping into the drainage, as the plan was to just scout it and make sure it looked good enough to come back when we were ready to camp. But when you're looking at bugling bulls, what else can you do? We decided we would go for it, and deal with the late night of bushwhacking hell to get out of there.

We waited for the wind and worked our way down to the patch of timber we watched them disappear into. Just as we get to where we planned to sound check and locate them again, we hear a bugle 150 yards away to our right. We are in a fairly open meadow with some aspens, to our right is an empty creek bed and some dark timber on the other side, which is where the bull is. We hustle to set up, my buddy on our side of the creek facing the timber, with me behind him. I bugle and immediately get a response, and then another - this one 60 yards in front of the shooter, just on the edge of the timber. I rake a tree, snap some branches, the bull is pacing on the edge of the timber, fired up but not committing to step in to the open. We go back and forth like this for 15-20 minutes. Each time I bugle and rake, I'm belly crawling back 5- 10 yards, hoping to pull that bull just a few more steps.

Next thing I know, I see the bull charge up our side of the creek and directly at me. I think "Crap, he's gonna kill me." He gets within 10 yards of me, turns, stumbles and crashes. That's when I see the blood on his side and realize my buddy just smoked him! He let out a groan and that was it. He was dead within 20 seconds of the shot, and laying directly between me and my buddy!

Long story short, we got our butts kicked for the next 2 days getting him off the mountain. I'm trying to tell my friend, that this is not how archery elk hunting works, just so he knows. You don't shoot the first bull you ever get into range. And a 350" herd bull on top of that...

Nice work that’s an impressive Bull. something that you guys will never forget for sure!

 

[Pheasantdude321]

Wow, now that's a heck of a trip!!! Congratulations

 

[HuntandFly]

Nothing like smacking a 350 bull on your first tag. Better call it a career and leave some rags for the rest of us

 

[Catahoula]

Congratulation, very nice bull.

 

[Colorado_native]

Congrats!

 

[awbowhunter]

Awesome story and heck of a first bull!!

 

[Steve1662]

Congrats and nice recap.

Sent from my SM-A515U using Tapatalk

 

[Bjon8912]

Great bull!

 

[tmitty]

I had to follow up on this one. Headed up with that same buddy to a OTC area so I could take a crack at filling my tag. Got on the mountain at 11:30 am, with plans to hunt the next 2.5 days. My buddy and I were 1.5 hours into our hunt, when we sat down for a sandwich and made some cow calls. This little guy came in silent. I shot him frontal at 10 yards. Easiest blood trail I've ever had to follow, just gushed for about 180 yards until we found him piled up. Just feeling extremely lucky this year.

 

[doc holiday13]

View attachment 454360

How old do you think that bull was assuming he isn't a genetic anomaly and ended up that size even in his prime

 

[tmitty]

How old do you think that bull was assuming he isn't a genetic anomaly and ended up that size even in his prime

He was definitely a young bull, I would guess 2.5. He was small bodied too. He had a puncture wound in his backstrap on one side. Looked like he got gored by another bull.

 

[Richard]

Congrats! Great Job and great bull!

 

[twdjr]

Congrats!

 

[Matt79]

Awesome, congrats to you and your buddy!

 

[mhammond86]

Congrats! Great season so far