oregon public land bull down

Yesterday started at 2 am with the alarm going off, I had just enough time to get up take a quick shower and head out to pick up an old friend that does not get to hunt much anymore (he has MS and can not hunt much because of it, but really wanted to go on a quick hunt trip with me) well this one did not end up quick.
5:30 am we hit the woods hoping to get to our first hunting area by light. The area had tons of sign but no animals running around so we headed off to area number 2, as we are walking up to this saddle (the start of area 2) we are doing some cow calls and a few small bull bugles. We are almost to the crest of saddle and we hear a calf call, it keeps getting closer and closer then just disappears.
A few minutes after the last calf call we hear a bugle way off in the distance. we crest the saddle and can hear a bull just going nuts, check the wind and then move down below the bull so we have the upper hand.
mike and I discuss the best strategy and decide to cut as much distance as we can, as we walk mike does some small bull bugles and some cow calls. we can hear the herd bull just going nuts but he is not moving away from his cows. we don't make it 300 yards and I spot a big body out in front of me about 100 yards.
I sneak up as far as I can and find another body about 50 yards in front of me. There are no shooting lanes and at this point I am not sure if it is a bull or a cow since I cant see its head. slowly I crawl to my left and see a rag horn bull, mike is still calling and this bull could careless all he is worried about it raking a tree. Then i notice another bull on the other side of the tree and he is doing the same thing on the same tree (never seen that before 2 bulls on opposite sides of a tree both racking). All of the sudden the little bull jumps and then starts to walk (he is walking to my right and away from me) as he does this the other bull turns and follows. Dang i just lost my chance, then without any sound I see the bigger of the two running right at mike and about 15 yards to my side.
He runs (more of a trot) past a big tree I draw my bow, then the most amazing thing happens he stops broadside in the open (they never do that), I am at full draw so I turn and take one step back so I am clear from the this little pine tree I am hiding next to. I anchor, put my 20 pin on the spot and let it go, the bull takes off and I see half my arrow fall out of his shoulder. Mike bugles quickly and bull stops at what I guess is 40 yards and just stands and looks my direction, I felt like my first shot was not great as it looked like my arrow did not penetrate very deep. With the bull just standing there I draw, anchor and let another one go. the bull is hard quartering away and I see my arrow bury deep in bulls chest on a perfect line. The bull runs and I loose sight, as I sit and listen I think I hear the bull go down, that's when I look at mike and he is jumping up and down I guess he can see it and watched it go down.
we give it 15 minutes and then I go look for my first arrow. this is what I find

not far from there we find this

mike and I walk up to the bull and this is what it looks like

then for the hero pictures (mike did not want to be in on these or it would have been both of us)


upon some investigation we discover that my first arrow center punched the heart and my second arrow did nothing it stayed on the outside of the rib cage and just ran up the hide. this was a great lesson on how a hit can look great and be really bad.

To make a long story just a little longer, we boned it out and head out. the whole time we are working on the bull the herd bull is still screaming. we get the first pack out at 2pm and the second and last pack out at just after 4pm.
I will say I am so glad I am in the best shape of my life because Mike was not really setup to pack (remember this was more of just a quick little trip) but my first pack on the way out was 138 pounds the second was 99 it was crazy and my knees are killing me. Anyway I am very proud of this bull and this hunt, especially to have shared it with mike (this is the first bull he has called in that had been harvested)
I got this hunt on video but the video is not great and if I can get it cut down (48 minutes) I will post it for you guys to see, it is from a head cam like a go pro.

 

wow great shot!

i've always wanted to go hunting but i would like a hunting partner who would take all the meat. i haven't found that partner yet so i have never been hunting.

 

yep, you got a bullseye on the heart all right!

...my brother is getting into deer hunting w/ bow this season (1st time), ...will be interesting to see how it goes for him...

 

Nice shot !public land hunting at its best!

The heart is tasty!

Congrats! Good bull
Az

 

thanks guys

 

damn skippy!! cool..

i want to hunt with you.

 

we should hook up sometime and hunt!

 

Very nice Bull, congrats. Let us know what it scores (if you score him).

 

Nice bull man! And excellent shot, That will be one TENDER bull!

Have a backstrap for me