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buffhunter

Meant to be BULL

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Wow what a great year to say the least. When the draw results came out I found out I hit the mother load. I had drawn a archery antelope and an early archery bull elk tag!!!!!!!!!! So the hard core praticing started...... I would shoot every day before i took my daughter to school (even if i only got to shoot 6 or 7 arrows), and when I got a chance I would hit the hills behind my house here in 34A to get my lungs and legs in shape. Well a month before my antelope hunt i did something i have done many times before and never had any problems (jumped off of my deck boat to the concrete launch ramp its about 4ft off the ground).......... Well now that I have gotten older i guess it was a problem.lol long story made short I tore both miniscus in my right knee, and could barely walk on it. So good thing for me the doc could get me in right away and cut me open and fix me up.

 

The antelope hunt was one of the best hunts I have been on. I was on my game something awesome. I had 10 stalks where I had herds of antelope anywhere from 10-80 yards and never got a shot......lol It was awesome and yes fustrating but to have that much action and to constantly get that close all spot and stalk I was pumped. Also the knee held up good except for kneeling. I had put in just over 100 miles (per gps) in 9 days and only had to eat a few 800mg ibuprophen......

 

So i got a 2 week break, just enough time to switch to my heavy arrows and get the bow all tuned and sighted in for elk. The bow was shooting great I was shooting great and ready to chase some bugeling bulls. So for those that dont know we have a family resturant down here in vail Argenzianos. Well we work quite a bit and time off is limited, when i go on a hunt we close the place. just for a piece of mind. Anyway my father also had a bull tag in the neighboring unit. So after work 10pm we drove up to elk country. We just pulled in close to where we were going to hunt and parked the truck 3am........

 

Day one: Needless to say we did not get much sleep. About 15 miniutes. So I decided to spend the first morning with my dad. Well we took the ranger off the trailer and began to head in closer to where we wanted to hunt. It was still dark and we decided to stop the ranger and listen a bit. We sat for a few miniutes and nothing. We spent the rest of the morning doing a bit of hiking and herd a few distant bugles but covered a ton of country. Well on the way back to the truck we had a CV joint blow up on us....... wow good way to start. We spent the rest of the morning trying to fix it. We could not but just ended up pulling the whole axle and running it easy on 3 wheel drive..... So I figured I would meet up with my partner justin and get a good and needed afternoon nap. um no that was not the case. My hunting partner Justin called me and said he had hit a bull and needed help. So he gave me GPS coords and off we went. Well I found his quad and went to the coords. Well they took me across a huge canyon to a blood trail.... come to find out it was not his Crazy. after hiking an hour or two I could not find Justin or any more blood I went back to set up the trailer. Justin comes to camp shortly after and we head back out to go look some more. Long story made short we looked and looked and could not find the bull. It was like someone just plucked the bull off the face of the earth.

 

Day two: Had Justin and I back in the same area where he had hit his bull so I could hunt and look at the same time. It was a slow morning with just a few bugles. I blind called in a small bull and 2 cows to 35 yards but it was early in the hunt. The evening was also non eventful.

 

Day three: Had us trying a new area. The bulls were bugling awesome until all the traffic and the sun came up..... But we did call in 3 hunters that morning. So we figured we best leave this spot alone....ha The evening started off slow. We headded out early and went on a walk about. We did about a 8 mile loop and only 3/4 of a mile from the truck when we started to hear so bugles. And the best thing was the bulls were even closer to the truck!!!!! We got under 40 yards to a nice 6x6 280-300 class bull but no dice.

 

Day four: Had us out in the junipers hunting in the rain and mist all day. As soon as we opened the door on the truck the bulls were going ballistic and on the move. This was one of those big herds 60-70 strong with 4 or 5 bulls in it. We took that herd for over 5 miles and 5 different times had the herd bull 60 yards or less but could not make it happen..... But I knew this was a good sign with the bulls rippin the way they were. So the evening we went to the same spot as the night before. About 30 miniutes before dark the bulls really started going. I ended up getting under 60 yards from a 300 class 6x6 but ran out of light......

 

Day five: Had us back in the junipers and into some very nice bulls. But today for some reason they just shut up right at 7. it was like someone hit a switch. But i tracked them down and got into them. The only bulls I had an oppertunity at were the rags and nothing really caught my eye so I passed. The evening we had some bulls going but just could never close the distance.

 

Day six: Had us in a totally new spot thanks to my friend Steve. He told us an area he had the bulls going good so we went. Again as soon as we got out of the truck the bulls were going nuts and sounded like they were getting ready to fight. We dump into a huge canyon and slip right in on the elk and my partner justin backs off and rips some bugles and we have a good bull comming. He locks up 35 yards away from me and I get no shot oppertunity. He and his cows walk off. No worries another bull is coming. We get up out of the canyon to get the wind and I spot him!!!!!!! WOW he is a MONSTER!!!!!! 1st 2nd and 3rds were all over 20in for sure. He had 8+ inches of ivory on each one of his fronts. That spot wasnt going to work out so we have to move. I work us around and sneak into 25 yards of the cows the bull was at 38 with no shot. So we set up and then that nasty 4 letter word in hunting (WIND) switched directions for a split second and it was over...... At that point I got a look at that bulls back end and it was equally as awesome. His 4ths were well over 24 and his 5ths had to be 18-20. He was that bull of a lifetime never to be seen again by us.......

 

Day seven: Had us checking out another new spot thanks to my Dad. After his evening hunt the night before he was on his way back to camp and was stopping on the highway that splits our units and listening for bugles. He found a spot where there was 10 different bulls going nuts right off the highway in my unit. So we got there at 415 and decided to listen and man they didnt move all night. It was defaning will all those elk going that nuts...... Justin and I split up and went to chasing. I had so many close calls that day i remember them all. But I was going to shoot anything for two reasons my wife and daughters were up there and i love elk meat and so do my daughters and wife. Well I was on bulls bugleing till 10 that day and found myself 4 miles from the truck in some big canyons. but marked where I had left the elk. That evening I found a road that I was able to drive to get within a mile of where I left those elk. Well when I got there at 3 in the afternoon the bulls were already going crazy about a half mile from the truck. I finally get caught up with them and I found myself in the middle of 3 nice bulls trying to keep their cows from each other..... Finally after a mile of trying to keep up with them it was about to go down. A really really nice 5x5 runs in front of me to go steal a cow from one of the other bulls. Well he grabs a cow and brings her back up by me and stops behind a tree at 45 yards. At this point I draw my bow and start to shake like crazy from the excitement. I calm myself a bit and the bull comes out. Well I broke weak and just was too pumped up and rip the shot. I shoot right in front of his shoulder and all those highs went to the lowest of lows. But I kept my head up and hit it hard the rest of the night. I almost had a couple more oppertunitys but never got the break.

 

Day eight my last day: I started off in the same spot as the day before (with my buddy Cory) and the elk were going again but not as many. It was dark 415 430 ish. I decided to start headding out to be somewhat close by the time it got light..... Well the track meet was already on and the bulls where on the move. By 610 we had finally caught up to them and I was under 100 from real nice 6x7 8-10in kicker off his G4. Well of course as soon as I am putting the sneak on another bull starts going crazy 150-200 yards away and the bull I was on rounds up his cows and takes em to the next canyon. So now im standing in the middle of a pocket meadow with no cover around me for 40 yards. I decide to take my jacket off and take a leak. As soon as I put everyting away and start to put my pack on I hear a bull bugle close to me i figured about 100 or so. i get my pack on pick up my bow and look up and see him coming right at me. I didnt know what to do so i just dropped to my knees and loaded an arrow and start ranging trees. He gets to about 40 yards and notices something isnt right. Gives me a stare and then proceeds to cicrle around me. Well when he walks behind some pines I had just ranged at 40 yards I drew back. He came out and stopped looked at me and that was all I needed. I put my 50 right on his elbow and cut it loose. He took a bit of a step when I shot and hit him a bit back. Well my friend Cory watched him bed within 150 yards. So I sneak my way to cory and as Im doing this a quad fires up a 1/4 mile away or so. The bull then picks his head up off the ground very wobbley and looks in that direction. He then proceeds to get up and walk off only taking a step or two and stopping. So I decide to give him 4 hours. when we start on the trail it was fairly easy to follow. Good blood every couple steps. But then it drys up so I go on track for another 20 yards and just as I creap around this rock cropping I hear the bull stand up I draw to shoot but could not get another arrow in him...... Now im thinking to myself You just screwed the pooch buddy......no way your gonna find him now..... well after a short text to a good buddy of mine he said not to wait that the bull was hurt and stay on him. Well I did and as I started sneaking and glassing my friend cory whistles very faintly...... I look back and i see him pointing. so I sneak back up to him and see the top of the back of my bull bedded at 40 yards. so I find an opening and lay another shot in him right behind the shoulder but he did not evern flinch he was already expired. He took one last 80 100 yard run and bedded down and died. At that point I let out the biggest yell of my life all that hard work determination panned out!!!!!!!! well and quite a bit of luck having that bull walk right to me. Not bad for my last day... And the knee held up great over 80 miles and 27,000 feet accended!!!!! I Just want to give a huge thank you to my wife Annie and my girls, Justin and his family, and Cory..... And a special thanks to Hot Shot Manufacturing, Steel Force Broadheads and PSE Archery.post-3462-0-10486600-1413230448_thumb.jpgpost-3462-0-33475200-1413230562_thumb.jpgpost-3462-0-18633900-1413230580_thumb.jpg

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Great write up and way to stick with it and stick a nice bull. Great pic with all the kids helping, thanks for sharing.

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Congrats on a awesome bull! Thanks for sharing the pics and story.

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Nice bull, great diary description of your hunt.

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Congrats on a great Bull.

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Congratulations on your success!

Amanda read my mind...I too love the pic with the kiddos!!

 

Way to get it done on your last day.

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Wish I killed a bull by hitting it with my ranger... Congrats again bud on a great bull and your best yet!!! You earned it for sure! Now time for you to kill a giant buck in December!

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