Archery Talk

Nice bull!!!

 

Good job!

 

Appreciate it! I'm still riding the high from the hunt haha! It was awesome!

 

Anybody run a rear stabilizer

 

awesome!! Congrats!

 

That’s beautiful! Congratulations!

 

Got a few bucks. Moving really late. Pre Rut.

 

Nice Job @AKSig88 !! However.....This thread is useless without a STORY!! Please indulge!!

 

This^^

 

I'll do you one better than just rambling on here, I did a story on my Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGx...&story_media_id=2004000362970016305_184248135

Let me know if you can't view it than I'll be glad to ramble haha

 

Thanks!

Looking good!!! I haven't checked my cams yet for my lease down here in Whitmore Lake, getting anxious!

 

says you have to log in..

 

Yeah, he needs to ramble us up a story here.

 

Ok no worries!

So I drove into the unit on the evening of the 3rd to setup camp and get ready for the next day of scouting!
We woke up the next morning after a restless night of hearing distant and close bugles. We made our way up the mountain which was about a 40min atv ride. Once we got up there the rain storm and fog moved in. So we took shelter in this old ranger station cabin...

Once the fog cleared. Our morning scouting began....I let out a bugle to try and locate some bulls and we heard some about 0.5mile from our shelter and so we headed in that direction as the wind was in our face the whole time.
Once we got close we can tell the bugles were coming from the meadow and timbers below us. We inched closer to the edge of the ridge and stayed close to any try tree or brush that was on the ridge. After glassing a spike, raghorn and a smaller symmetrical bull we marked this spot and decided it could be a good spot for opening day morning. We hike around more looking for sign and hoping to see more bulls, but ended up seeing more hunters. So we decided to go back to camp and dry up and eat some lunch!
After lunch we head to lower elevation for evening spot, the views were just as good in the lower elevations....

We hiked around and again didn't see any bulls or sign. But did spot 2 cows, so we hung out hoping bulls were to follow. After about an hour of glassing we called it a night to get ready for opening day.

 

October 5, 2019 OPENING DAY

My buddy reloads for me and he picked his best one for this day!
So we made our way up the mountain, parked the ranger where we did previously and made our way to the ridge in the dark and waited for the sun to rise and the bugling to start...

As soon as it was bright enough to see where we were, the bugles began and we knew we were in the right spot. We inched closer and closer to the edge of the ridge, just like the morning before. Once we got to a spot where I had a good chance at placing a bullet on any bull in the meadow, we waited for any sighting...waited for about 30min.
At this point I decided to cow call, so I let out a string of cow calls....and sure enough this bull steps out immediately and looks up at us. I waited to for him to turn his head and glassed him to see how big this bull was. As soon as I decided he was a shooter, I asked my buddy to start ranging him and I got ready with my .30-06.
As soon as the bull was in a clear spot, 150yd, broadside....I sent it. Immediately I racked another one as the bull started to walk. He went broadside at 160yds and I sent another and that hit him good, but he kept walking and disappeared into the timbers below...

I was shook, nervous, rambled. I knew I made two good shots, but watching him walk, made me second guess myself. My wife and my buddy both said he was hurt and they were good shots. But still I was SHOOK.
We waited 45min before heading down to where the first shot took place. While we waited we glassed up two more shooter bulls on the ridge next to us, so that helped pass time!
Once we got to the spot where the first shot took place, we searched for blood or hair, but found nothing. We followed his path as best as we could remember, and as we approached the spot where the second shot was taken, small specs of blood....yes!!! We followed it to find more blood, but also being careful not to push him by glassing ahead of us.
We followed the blood down a small hill that opens to a meadow, but will small patches of timber on both sides. The blood started to get sparse halfway down this hill. Sparse down to small drops here and there. So we decided to wait longer on this hill right next to the last droplet of blood we found. After 10min of waiting I was looking around in the timber....and wouldn't you know it, I spotted a giant bull laying dead on its side!!

I would be lying if I didn't get emotional or tear up a bit, boy I was on cloud 9. Couldn't be more grateful!

 

Great story! Thanks for sharing it.

 

awesome congrats!!

 

After admiring the bull

Now the real work begins....my buddy and I immediately began breaking the bull down, taking as much meat as possible

After the meat was packed and put in the ranger, I want back for the final load...

As soon as we got back to camp, we hung the game bags, placed the cape in a safe spot, and fired up the camp chef two burner with my cast iron. My buddy is a chef and he prepared one of the tenderloins....first rendering down pre cooked bacon in the cast iron for the grease, discarded the bacon....then seared the seasoned tenderloins in the grease....my 2019 elk hunt officially had ended! Amazing hunt!

 

Thanks! Hopefully I didn't ramble too much HAHAHA!