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I'm blessed to report that I successfully filled my bull elk tag in Unit 5A. I harvested him at 3:30 PM on the last day of the hunt (Nov. 30). Alone, I hunted hard for 5 days and almost gave up. 5 days of hard work produced the sighting of only 1 cow and 1 calf. I did manage to jump a really nice 4 pt. muley bedded down, and, I also saw a double handful of antelope on the run.
Finally, on the last day of the hunt, I glassed/located 4 bulls. One rag-horn, a nice 6x6, and deep in the trees, what appeared to be a large 7X7. My range-finder put the 6X6 at 342 yards. All 3 bulls were located across a small cheater canyon, which feeds into Jack's Canyon some short distance away. A shot of 350 yards is small potatoes for a .300 WSM, so, I settled in for a clean shot on the 6X6. However, seconds before I pulled the trigger, the winds must have shifted/swirled, as all 3 bulls threw their noses skyward. Obviously, they winded us (a buddy was with me) from across the canyon, as they left the area promptly and without hesitation. I can't begin to explain the disappointment I felt as I watched them disappear into the trees.
A 1-hour drive around the canyon returned the wind in my favor. Walking directly into the wind now, I worked back toward the general area of the previous sighting, and luckily, walked face-to-face with another 6x6. Luckily I saw him first, behind a small cedar with his head down, feeding away. With the wind blowing directly in our face, and while standing in a virtual wide-open flat on the ridge, we both crouched to one knee. Once I was confident that the bull hadn't detected our presence, I slowly extended my mono-pod, gently nestled my .300 WSM onto it, and waited approximately 8 minutes for him to step into the clear. Not wanting to risk being seen by removing my range-finder from my back-pack, I simply estimated him to be about 80 yards away. After the shot rang out, he ran approximately 15 - 20 yards and peacefully expired. After removing his internals, examination of his heart revealed the cause of his swift expiration. His lower heart lobe and both lungs all resembled that of a small octopus. The 180-gr. Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertip performed flawlessly.
I used my cell phone to call upon the assistance of two other good friends, who both promptly and eagerly came out into the bitter cold/snow/dark and helped me get him loaded into my truck. At 9:30 PM that night, we were all headed back to town. A SPECIAL THANKS to Jim Hansen, Kelly McCauley and Emerson Scott for their unselfish assistance and support. You guys are awesome!
I do have some pics and will hopefully get a few of them posted soon. He's your typical Unit 5 Bull, a thin but respectable 6X6, sporting a broken eye-guard/brow-tine. A quick guess says he's probably a 270-300 class bull.
Now, if I can just get into shooting form by months end, perhaps I can put the "smack-down" on a big 'ol desert muley buck with my new bow. :wink:
Finally, on the last day of the hunt, I glassed/located 4 bulls. One rag-horn, a nice 6x6, and deep in the trees, what appeared to be a large 7X7. My range-finder put the 6X6 at 342 yards. All 3 bulls were located across a small cheater canyon, which feeds into Jack's Canyon some short distance away. A shot of 350 yards is small potatoes for a .300 WSM, so, I settled in for a clean shot on the 6X6. However, seconds before I pulled the trigger, the winds must have shifted/swirled, as all 3 bulls threw their noses skyward. Obviously, they winded us (a buddy was with me) from across the canyon, as they left the area promptly and without hesitation. I can't begin to explain the disappointment I felt as I watched them disappear into the trees.
A 1-hour drive around the canyon returned the wind in my favor. Walking directly into the wind now, I worked back toward the general area of the previous sighting, and luckily, walked face-to-face with another 6x6. Luckily I saw him first, behind a small cedar with his head down, feeding away. With the wind blowing directly in our face, and while standing in a virtual wide-open flat on the ridge, we both crouched to one knee. Once I was confident that the bull hadn't detected our presence, I slowly extended my mono-pod, gently nestled my .300 WSM onto it, and waited approximately 8 minutes for him to step into the clear. Not wanting to risk being seen by removing my range-finder from my back-pack, I simply estimated him to be about 80 yards away. After the shot rang out, he ran approximately 15 - 20 yards and peacefully expired. After removing his internals, examination of his heart revealed the cause of his swift expiration. His lower heart lobe and both lungs all resembled that of a small octopus. The 180-gr. Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertip performed flawlessly.
I used my cell phone to call upon the assistance of two other good friends, who both promptly and eagerly came out into the bitter cold/snow/dark and helped me get him loaded into my truck. At 9:30 PM that night, we were all headed back to town. A SPECIAL THANKS to Jim Hansen, Kelly McCauley and Emerson Scott for their unselfish assistance and support. You guys are awesome!
I do have some pics and will hopefully get a few of them posted soon. He's your typical Unit 5 Bull, a thin but respectable 6X6, sporting a broken eye-guard/brow-tine. A quick guess says he's probably a 270-300 class bull.
Now, if I can just get into shooting form by months end, perhaps I can put the "smack-down" on a big 'ol desert muley buck with my new bow. :wink:
Duh!!! Nothing like being a newbie. I'll hopefully get it straightened out and sighted-in to 20 yards tomorrow, and to 30 yards by Monday. That's my personal goal. Thanks again for taking the time to help me out. I will never forget your generosity.
