myfriendis410
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- Dec 11, 2006
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So, part of our party is back and the rest are chasing bulls......
The conditions were terrible for opening day with soupy roads and impassable areas due to the rain. Our intrepid guide (Steve) decided area 24 was out so we went into area 15. We spotted a small herd that had a raghorn in it that was later killed by a junior hunter. As we were traversing a ridge Steve looked down and spotted a 5 X 5 moving up-valley. We exited the truck and our hunter (Dave) loaded up his newly set up .300 Weatherby mag. The visibility was less than perfect with blowing cloud/fog out around 500 yards, which made it impossible to glass any great distance. As Dave and Steve headed down the hill looking for the one bull, the fog lifted and there were about 80 elk on the hillside around 450 yards away, feeding down the hill! I was locking up the truck (Alan) and came down the hill behind them. We settled down under a tree and found a really nice symmetrical 6 X 6 feeding a bit by himself surrounded by cows and two other bulls.
The range at that point was 402 yards. Dave is shooting a 200 gr. TSX handload and had just been shooting it at 300 yards, so he knew what the drop was, and had a range card out well beyond that. The bull slowly fed down until he was 342 yards away and broadside. Dave is set up with a tripod, his butt on the wet ground, Steve and I with our binos and me with the RXIII on him. Knowing the drop at 350 was 12 inches, Dave aimed 12 inches over the heart and cut loose! It was beautiful: the BEST hit I've ever had the pleasure to watch! The bull jumped, kicked out both hind legs and ran away from us and within 30 yards started lifting his off-side leg. At 50 yards he stopped and just flipped onto his back. Perfect; right-in-the-heart-dead-broadside-shot with the bullet a bump under the skin on the off side shoulder! The shot was fired at 8:25 a.m. the first morning.
Dave was right: the weather really made that hunt next to impossible: it took almost two hours to find a trophy! He's out of his mind happy and the bull is going to the taxidermist next week. We've got the meat in the cooler and it smells like it's going to be really tasty and not strong like so many of them (Tule elk) can be.
A big thanks to Deedy at Bryson Hesperia for her hospitality and for the use of her walk-in cooler.
As of this morning, a total of five bulls were brought in and nothing yet as nice as Dave's. There are nicer out there, but frankly, none prettier! Thanks Dave for inviting me, it was the treat of a lifetime! Steve outdid himself and is still up there guiding Josh for his bull. (I had to come back to go to work tomorrow) Keep your fingers crossed on Josh: he deserves a great bull!
Happy New Year!!!!! Here's the money shot:
The conditions were terrible for opening day with soupy roads and impassable areas due to the rain. Our intrepid guide (Steve) decided area 24 was out so we went into area 15. We spotted a small herd that had a raghorn in it that was later killed by a junior hunter. As we were traversing a ridge Steve looked down and spotted a 5 X 5 moving up-valley. We exited the truck and our hunter (Dave) loaded up his newly set up .300 Weatherby mag. The visibility was less than perfect with blowing cloud/fog out around 500 yards, which made it impossible to glass any great distance. As Dave and Steve headed down the hill looking for the one bull, the fog lifted and there were about 80 elk on the hillside around 450 yards away, feeding down the hill! I was locking up the truck (Alan) and came down the hill behind them. We settled down under a tree and found a really nice symmetrical 6 X 6 feeding a bit by himself surrounded by cows and two other bulls.
The range at that point was 402 yards. Dave is shooting a 200 gr. TSX handload and had just been shooting it at 300 yards, so he knew what the drop was, and had a range card out well beyond that. The bull slowly fed down until he was 342 yards away and broadside. Dave is set up with a tripod, his butt on the wet ground, Steve and I with our binos and me with the RXIII on him. Knowing the drop at 350 was 12 inches, Dave aimed 12 inches over the heart and cut loose! It was beautiful: the BEST hit I've ever had the pleasure to watch! The bull jumped, kicked out both hind legs and ran away from us and within 30 yards started lifting his off-side leg. At 50 yards he stopped and just flipped onto his back. Perfect; right-in-the-heart-dead-broadside-shot with the bullet a bump under the skin on the off side shoulder! The shot was fired at 8:25 a.m. the first morning.
Dave was right: the weather really made that hunt next to impossible: it took almost two hours to find a trophy! He's out of his mind happy and the bull is going to the taxidermist next week. We've got the meat in the cooler and it smells like it's going to be really tasty and not strong like so many of them (Tule elk) can be.
A big thanks to Deedy at Bryson Hesperia for her hospitality and for the use of her walk-in cooler.
As of this morning, a total of five bulls were brought in and nothing yet as nice as Dave's. There are nicer out there, but frankly, none prettier! Thanks Dave for inviting me, it was the treat of a lifetime! Steve outdid himself and is still up there guiding Josh for his bull. (I had to come back to go to work tomorrow) Keep your fingers crossed on Josh: he deserves a great bull!
Happy New Year!!!!! Here's the money shot:
