Just returned from Nevada for my late season bull hunt in units 111-115, 221 & 222. Here is the Readers Digest version of the hunt.
This is the first time I hired a guide. I got up there last Thursday and the hunt started on Friday. The method the guide used is to use a spotting scope to find elk in the mountains from the valley below. Then determine if they are good enough to pursue. The guide had 3 sub guides so between my non hunting partnber and I we had 6 sets of eyes looking for elk. My desire was a 330-350 class bull. The guide had 4 Zeiss spotting scopes and during the week amazed me at their ability to find pieces of elk way up on the mountain. One day we spotted a nice group of bulls worthy of a stalk. We hiked up the mountain and that afternoon found 17 bulls in the basin. Many were not what I was after, but we saw a couple huge bulls with busted points. One was a giant seven point with every point broke except the 6th and 7th on his right side and and a couple off his left side, but his antlers were massive. The guides said if he was in tact he probably would go up to 380. Most of the big bulls in this basin were busted up. There was a huge six point with perfect antlers that we saw right before dusk, but it was too late to make a move on him. Out of the 17 bulls we saw four pairs fighting. Not just mild fighting but serious fights with their antlers cracking can be heard from several hundred yards away. I'm not sure why they were fighting so much at this time of year. I had a couple of decent 6 points within range, but wanted to hold out for a big one.
My opportunity came a couple days later when the guides spotted the big broken seven point and three other bulls one ridge to the north of where we last spotted them. A couple of the bulls with the big seven were shooters so up the mountain we went. A couple hours later we were in position above the elk but could not see them because they were bedded down. The big broken seven was the first to get up. We were about 300 yards away. My partner whispered to me to shoot that big seven point, busted horns or not, he was massive. I decided to go ahead and take a crack at him. I was completely calm and I had the crosshairs settled on him and started to squeeze.....The guide hissed at me to hold up, one of the other elk was getting up....The one that got up was the big six point we were after....My guide guessed he woud go about 330 and asked if I wanted him....My calm now turned into a pounding pulse that caused the crosshairs to jump at every heartbeat....It took a couple of minutes for him to get broadside and clear of the brush...."Shoot him" the guide said...I couldn't get the crosshairs settled.....I took a couple of deep breaths and when the crosshairs settled on him I think I "yanked" the trigger.....BOOM!....One of the guides said "I think you gut shot him!" as two other nice bulls got up and they milled around...I had all four in sight in the open but could not identify the one I just shot at..."Which one is he???" I asked....No answer......."Which one is he???" They all just stood there looking around...I could see no sign of injury....Three of the bulls were broadside, but if I gut shot the bull I shot at I wanted to make sure I didn't start "flock shooting"....They then started running towards the trees when one of the guides said he was the second bull in line...I finally got a clear shot at him a shot again just before they disappeared in the trees...For most of the time they were headed out they were just a mass of antlers and bodies and it was impossible to get a clear shot until the edge of the trees...
We headed to the edge of the canyon hoping to catch them in the open....they were no where to be found...One of the guides was already on the track where they went into the trees and down the canyon...They split up with three cutting across the canyon and one heading up...The sub guide followed the three sets of tracks for a while and "no blood"...There was quite a bit of snow on the ground so tracking was easy...We joined the sub guide and took up the single track....we followed all the way up the ridgeline....no blood at all...when we were high on the ridge my partner spotted a bull gooing over the top of the next ridge over....we looked at him through the binocs and he was trotting without any handicap....we followed the track back across the canyon towards where we saw the bull go over the top....It was the same bull.....I had missed the shots...
My partner said he would have shot the broken up seven point and mounted him with a plaque that said "I'm a big SOB and I fought or f@#$%d every elk on the Shell Creek Range"
I had one other opportunity on a good six point bull and after a couple hour wait he got up and walked straight away...never offering a shot...he was with 8 other bulls of various sizes who, of course, did offer me various shooting opportunities....The guide spotted the big bull by just seeing an antler at about a 1000 yards in the trees...we closed to around 400 and then could see most of his head...amazing eyes these guys had through their spotting scopes....
On the last evening, right at dusk I had a four point raghorn in the crosshairs and could have dropped the hammer to bring home some meat...my heart just wasn't into settling for anything less than what I was after so I let him walk.....
There were a couple days where we saw "hundreds" of elk (We lost count in one herd at 147) and dozens of bulls...It was a pretty amazing area....
All the planning.....all the anticipation....and I missed the shot at the moment of truth....
Oh well....I guess that's hunting!
This is the first time I hired a guide. I got up there last Thursday and the hunt started on Friday. The method the guide used is to use a spotting scope to find elk in the mountains from the valley below. Then determine if they are good enough to pursue. The guide had 3 sub guides so between my non hunting partnber and I we had 6 sets of eyes looking for elk. My desire was a 330-350 class bull. The guide had 4 Zeiss spotting scopes and during the week amazed me at their ability to find pieces of elk way up on the mountain. One day we spotted a nice group of bulls worthy of a stalk. We hiked up the mountain and that afternoon found 17 bulls in the basin. Many were not what I was after, but we saw a couple huge bulls with busted points. One was a giant seven point with every point broke except the 6th and 7th on his right side and and a couple off his left side, but his antlers were massive. The guides said if he was in tact he probably would go up to 380. Most of the big bulls in this basin were busted up. There was a huge six point with perfect antlers that we saw right before dusk, but it was too late to make a move on him. Out of the 17 bulls we saw four pairs fighting. Not just mild fighting but serious fights with their antlers cracking can be heard from several hundred yards away. I'm not sure why they were fighting so much at this time of year. I had a couple of decent 6 points within range, but wanted to hold out for a big one.
My opportunity came a couple days later when the guides spotted the big broken seven point and three other bulls one ridge to the north of where we last spotted them. A couple of the bulls with the big seven were shooters so up the mountain we went. A couple hours later we were in position above the elk but could not see them because they were bedded down. The big broken seven was the first to get up. We were about 300 yards away. My partner whispered to me to shoot that big seven point, busted horns or not, he was massive. I decided to go ahead and take a crack at him. I was completely calm and I had the crosshairs settled on him and started to squeeze.....The guide hissed at me to hold up, one of the other elk was getting up....The one that got up was the big six point we were after....My guide guessed he woud go about 330 and asked if I wanted him....My calm now turned into a pounding pulse that caused the crosshairs to jump at every heartbeat....It took a couple of minutes for him to get broadside and clear of the brush...."Shoot him" the guide said...I couldn't get the crosshairs settled.....I took a couple of deep breaths and when the crosshairs settled on him I think I "yanked" the trigger.....BOOM!....One of the guides said "I think you gut shot him!" as two other nice bulls got up and they milled around...I had all four in sight in the open but could not identify the one I just shot at..."Which one is he???" I asked....No answer......."Which one is he???" They all just stood there looking around...I could see no sign of injury....Three of the bulls were broadside, but if I gut shot the bull I shot at I wanted to make sure I didn't start "flock shooting"....They then started running towards the trees when one of the guides said he was the second bull in line...I finally got a clear shot at him a shot again just before they disappeared in the trees...For most of the time they were headed out they were just a mass of antlers and bodies and it was impossible to get a clear shot until the edge of the trees...
We headed to the edge of the canyon hoping to catch them in the open....they were no where to be found...One of the guides was already on the track where they went into the trees and down the canyon...They split up with three cutting across the canyon and one heading up...The sub guide followed the three sets of tracks for a while and "no blood"...There was quite a bit of snow on the ground so tracking was easy...We joined the sub guide and took up the single track....we followed all the way up the ridgeline....no blood at all...when we were high on the ridge my partner spotted a bull gooing over the top of the next ridge over....we looked at him through the binocs and he was trotting without any handicap....we followed the track back across the canyon towards where we saw the bull go over the top....It was the same bull.....I had missed the shots...
My partner said he would have shot the broken up seven point and mounted him with a plaque that said "I'm a big SOB and I fought or f@#$%d every elk on the Shell Creek Range"
I had one other opportunity on a good six point bull and after a couple hour wait he got up and walked straight away...never offering a shot...he was with 8 other bulls of various sizes who, of course, did offer me various shooting opportunities....The guide spotted the big bull by just seeing an antler at about a 1000 yards in the trees...we closed to around 400 and then could see most of his head...amazing eyes these guys had through their spotting scopes....
On the last evening, right at dusk I had a four point raghorn in the crosshairs and could have dropped the hammer to bring home some meat...my heart just wasn't into settling for anything less than what I was after so I let him walk.....
There were a couple days where we saw "hundreds" of elk (We lost count in one herd at 147) and dozens of bulls...It was a pretty amazing area....
All the planning.....all the anticipation....and I missed the shot at the moment of truth....
Oh well....I guess that's hunting!
