Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Elk .... Let's see them!!!

My first and only bull, so far... 2004 Unit 55 Colorado muzzleloader. Watched him work his way out above timberline with a herd of cows the night before and back into the timber in the morning. Hunted my way up during the day then waited for the herd to work their way up to timberline in the evening. I ended up in the middle of the herd and took the shot at about 40 yards. The rest of the herd crashed past me back into the timber, thought I was going to get run over. I watched him tip over backwards and stick his antlers into the ground so that he lay on his back like in a cartoon. I skinned and quartered him then hiked out in the dark. 20200611_171520.jpg
 
First archery bull taken in Arizona September 1981. In 1980 a family from Montana sold their ranch and purchased a ranch in southeastern Arizona. I started hunting elk in Arizona with the twin brothers. We enjoyed a number of hunts together in the 80's as archery elk hunting was not popular at the time and permits were easy to draw. I learned a lot about elk and elk hunting from the two brothers. I also learned about people from Montana, even though my sample size was just two. I learned that they are all really great people and they are all amazing elk hunters!IMG_0559.JPG
 
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Bull was a beautiful creature in the WY high country, about 10,300ft., who we snuck in to about 20 yds. while he was sleeping thinking he had a couple cows with him. Of course I had a cow tag so when he curiously hung around for literally about 30 min trying to catch our scent, all I could do is watch and admire.

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Didn't get it done with a cow that trip but was determined and headed back later in the season to lower country. Hiked in a few miles then spotted a small herd of about 20 cows a couple miles off. Thankfully caught them right before they disappeared over a ridge with a single shot to one of the only 2 remaining cows not skylined. After a 5 mile hike in was able to get this beauty of a cow.

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Luckily my buddy parked his truck just 1.5 miles downhill of there and met me at the site right before dark to help pack it out.

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Of course he's about 15 years younger and tells me how he doesn't like to make two trips, so we loaded up all the meat and gritted it out in one trip. Oh, and his dog helped carry the tenderloins.

Made it out all the way and then literally 15ft. from the truck slipped and fell on my ass. Pretty classic.

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I waited 14 years for this tag in Utah. As a resident I expected to kill a better bull but didn’t get the time to scout because of work. When the time came to hunt my boss gave me a single day off because we were working 7 days a week. I messed up a shot on a really big bull in the 370 range. But with a single day to hunt I wasn’t going home empty handed after a 14 year wait. I decided to take this rag horn bull and put the meat in the freezer. It was a good eating bull.
 

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I waited 14 years for this tag in Utah. As a resident I expected to kill a better bull but didn’t get the time to scout because of work. When the time came to hunt my boss gave me a single day off because we were working 7 days a week. I messed up a shot on a really big bull in the 370 range. But with a single day to hunt I wasn’t going home empty handed after a 14 year wait. I decided to take this rag horn bull and put the meat in the freezer. It was a good eating bull.
You need a different boss.
 
Longtime lurker, first-time poster. Happy August. I’m starting to miss some sleep with anticipation for September here in Colorado.

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This is the bull I took on an OTC archery tag in Colorado two years ago. I called him away from his cows at 8:30 in the morning in mid-September, 6 1/2 miles from the trail head. 42-yard shot. Packed up with my buddy’s goats.

I spend a lot of my time coaching competitive youth soccer, and last fall that left me with one week to hunt during the rut, but I got the flu and missed the season entirely. Looks like things will be different this fall with Covid, but if there’s a silver lining, it’s that I’ll be in the woods a bit more.
 
Longtime lurker, first-time poster. Happy August. I’m starting to miss some sleep with anticipation for September here in Colorado.

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This is the bull I took on an OTC archery tag in Colorado two years ago. I called him away from his calves at 8:30 in the morning in mid-September, 6 1/2 miles from the trail head. 42-yard shot. Packed up with my buddy’s goats.

I spend a lot of my time coaching competitive youth soccer, and last fall that left me with one week to hunt during the rut, but I got the flu and missed the season entirely. Looks like things will be different this fall with Covid, but if there’s a silver lining, it’s that I’ll be in the woods a bit more.
Welcome aboard! And THAT, folks, is a great introduction!
 
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