Amazing opener!

[putm2sleep]

JWill - heck yes you should have! Anytime brother!
Sorry to hear, I think I have your address still and will
Get some steaks and burger your way!

He is heavy and gnarly around the bottom indeed elkmagnet
Mudunc - it is righteous country! I'm sure you'd enjoy catching some
Big browns on the fly down in the bottom there!
Noharley - appreciate the kind words sir!

I have a beauty shot of the rack leaning against the tree with quarters hanging
My favorite-Maybe one of the Clydesdale we had for a pack horse too loaded down

 

[Bwana]

Congrats on what appears to have been an awesome hunt and a mighty fine bull too.

 

[FloridaArcher91]

congrats on the nice bull!

 

[Sytes]

WOW! Great bull for a great guy! Bet your kids were excited to see and hear of your adventure! Congrats!

 

[putm2sleep]

Hi Sytes! How are you sir!!!! Appreciate that, and yes, kids were crazy.
Bwana - it was a really fine week on the hill I must say.
FloridaArcher - hope you are a Seminole

Good day gents.

 

[sneakem]

Congrats!!! Hopefully you had horses... That's a long pack if you didn't. Definitely a better than average bull for that area.

 

[nuevo_eph]

Nice one, hope to see a write up sometime to round out the story I have in my mind. Congrats.

 

[putm2sleep]

That sweet orange vest is darn near 30 years old, pretty good for an old field vest, the lucky Pheasants Forever vest from Gramps. It’s seasoned up, along on every big game hunt, and I thought of the many, many hunts my grandfather and I took together as I walked up to that spot where this elk lay. Man, what would he have thought of this pig?

The place: same spot and same camp for almost 20 years. Same group of guys, same camp, just different living quarters (better wall tent and accessories), and the weather is always righteous. Whether it is bow, muzzle or any of the rifle seasons and 2014 was FULL ON FALL! Full moon-ish too, which is supposed to be bad, maybe the eclipse helped?, but always find it to be good. Arrived Thursday, set camp, checked the meat poles, and settled in to enjoy the next 30 hours relaxing before the madness of elk opener. Great stars and stories, and plans were made for opening morning, positions, travel patterns and routes and the clocks were set for 4.

Saturday am - quick breakfast, saddled the horse, and the crew was off. I made a couple drops (sitting a couple buddies in sweet spots along the way about 45 minutes to an hour in) tied the horse, and made tracks back around the mountain for a wapiti sunrise.

With the sun rising, the elk seemed to be bugling and moving below and down low, so I moved along above them. Didn’t use my call or even use my binos, just still hunting and stalking. I thought I knew, but ya never really know, where the elk were going. (note: stopped and the pack came off, content with a good spot, but then more talk above and from around the corner said, ‘keep moving man’.) I knew where that music was coming from. A quick check up the mountain, and I see a herd up from their beds way up top, too far, and those weren’t the elk I heard.

A fast, sneak about 400 yards below this little profile rock, and I ran smack into them. Perfect! No range finder – it is automatic, they are 120 yards. A few looked my way, but the other ~60 head kept feeding, all content with their spot. Sweet!!! I scanned and looked for horns, legal bulls, hoping one would stand out. Time was standing still or I was invisible. Blessed to be alive and thinking what another awesome opening morning ….. elk in my lap.

About the time I got to figuring, any moment they are all going to get a whiff and hit the trail and be gonzo. Nope. Everyone be cool, ‘tell the b&^$% to be cool’(Pulp Fiction). Then, from my far right trotted in a large body with big bones protruding skyward, head low and then screamed – ‘he is herding his herd’!!!!!!! Unreal.

No time for counting, and there was no doubt about it. Still standing there in the wide open in front of these elk, I shouldered, settled the crosshairs and watched him through the scope a second – squeeze / BAM / thwack / ‘WAHOOOm’. The 338 barked, hit the mark and the big bull hunched and ran to my left. The herd scattered 30 yards, but then stopped. Crazy, this is epic!
Wait. He is still standing after 225 grains??? BAM / thwack / WAHOOOm - > he soaked up another, started back right when his legs gave out. He could not carry the load and nose dived into the mountain 100 yards above me like that buffalo in Dances with Wolves.
One of the mavericks of the mountain was down. The rest is history. Meat in the freezer.

 

[noharleyyet]

Well described...darned near as good as a video...thanks.

 

[1_pointer]

Well described...darned near as good as a video...thanks.

Agreed!

 

[Festus]

Very awesome, indeed!

 

[BrowningBLR]

Awesome bull, Aaron! Looks like a hell of an elk camp!