Randy helped me get a bull

[tononv]

Haven’t posted in a couple years but have been reading some of you folks posts. Randy spotted this bull about 10am last Thursday. He was headed to bed and we couldn’t change his mind with our calling. Managed to connect on him about 6:00pm. You will be able to see the action on Freshtracks.

Awesome bull congrats!

 

[hank4elk]

Bet it was a fun hunt! Cool!

 

[Hammsolo]

Not sure.

The “score” is the story.

 

[bucdoego]

The “score” is the story.

To each their own. Maybe you will learn more about the "score" when the episode airs. Maybe not.

Either way, I applaud Scott and Randy (and the others that joined them) for an excellent hunting trip with (lifetime?) friends, as well as for sharing it with everyone here at HuntTalk and at Freshtracks (in the future).

Scott's bull is a brute, too. It's just a bonus though.

 

[CPAjeff]

Congrats Scott on a great bull - many backs make light packs! So cool that there are lots of wonderful people in this world who will help others!

 

[rmyoung1]

Congrats, Scott. That’s a bruiser

 

[BlakeA]

Congrats!

 

[Hammsolo]

To each their own. Maybe you will learn more about the "score" when the episode airs. Maybe not.

Either way, I applaud Scott and Randy (and the others that joined them) for an excellent hunting trip with (lifetime?) friends, as well as for sharing it with everyone here at HuntTalk and at Freshtracks (in the future).

Scott's bull is a brute, too. It's just a bonus though.

I’m not anti-B&C. Who doesn’t want to hunt down 400 class toad? I’d have it measured, but the real “score” is the story with all those awesome compadres! Inches are a fun foot note.

 

[KayakMacGyver]

Very nice bull. Congrats! Looking forward to seeing the full experience from this hunt.

 

[TheTone]

Great bull. May I ask about how much you spent on super tag chances. I know some people are spending a ton on them each year

 

[Big Fin]

Great bull. May I ask about how much you spent on super tag chances. I know some people are spending a ton on them each year

Scotts son is getting married this coming week, so he might be out of town and not able to answer. He told me what he spent. A one-day lift ticket at Big Sky will cost a skier 3x what Scott spent on the tickets for this tag. A fact that makes me smile, knowing how many people are doing what you mention.

 

[TheTone]

Scotts son is getting married this coming week, so he might be out of town and not able to answer. He told me what he spent. A one-day lift ticket at Big Sky will cost a skier 3x what Scott spent on the tickets for this tag. A fact that makes me smile, knowing how many people are doing what you mention.

Cool, a friend of mine drew one a few years back with very few entries. I also talked with another guy a couple weeks ago that is on his second moose tag and 6th overall. He’s spending a lot!

 

[Dougfirtree]

Wicked bull! Congrats!

 

[NVLongbow]

Great bull. May I ask about how much you spent on super tag chances. I know some people are spending a ton on them each year

I spent $60 dollars.

 

[Baerman]

Wow, Big Hank is dead! Congrats on killing a dinosaur.

 

[passinthru]

Congratulations sir!

Some excellent people involved all around it appears, well deserved.

 

[2rocky]

Scott,
After watching you and Randy bowhunting together so many times, it does my heart good to see you connect on a huge bull of a lifetime. I can see why so many people wanted to be a part of your hunt seeing how you are on those hot , windy miserable fruitess chases in the Nevada mountains. If i ever get a chance to shake your hand in person I'll treasure the opportunity.

 

[NVLongbow]

To each their own. Maybe you will learn more about the "score" when the episode airs. Maybe not.

Either way, I applaud Scott and Randy (and the others that joined them) for an excellent hunting trip with (lifetime?) friends, as well as for sharing it with everyone here at HuntTalk and at Freshtracks (in the future).

Scott's bull is a brute, too. It's just a bonus though.

Scott,
After watching you and Randy bowhunting together so many times, it does my heart good to see you connect on a huge bull of a lifetime. I can see why so many people wanted to be a part of your hunt seeing how you are on those hot , windy miserable fruitess chases in the Nevada mountains. If i ever get a chance to shake your hand in person I'll treasure the opportunity.

Thanks! Those archery spot and stock hunts are grueling when it is so hot, and especially hard on the guy with a bum liver.

 

[Tinner2216]

Wow, what a stud of a bull. Has to be extremely satisfying to have your plan work! Congrats and will be watching for the episode.

 

[NV_Hunting]

We waited. Nothing.

We waiting some more. Nothing.

Some of the other folks, @Spitz, Don, Robbie, and Mike had went to other glassing areas from camp in hopes that more eyes would increase the odds of finding a great bull. The idea was that we would meet back at camp for lunch and compare notes. Around 11:30, having heard no bugles for a half hour and knowing the bull had went to the bottom of the drainage, Scott made the call that we head back to camp and meet up. We snuck back up the ridge and headed back to camp, with Scott remarking, "That bull has reset my expectations for this hunt."

When we got to camp, the rest of the crew was there. They had seen some bulls and a they had relocated a few of the better bulls from scouting. When Scott described this bull, you could see the crew was impressed by Scott's excitement. The plan could have been to grab lunch and take a nap until the elk got back on their feet in the evening. Scott made the call that we take our naps out in the field while being set up on the bull. I liked that idea.

Scott wanted everyone to be nearby, in the event he took the bull. The rest of the crew followed us to the general area, each going to a separate glassing spot that would help us know of this bull made it out of this huge basin. These folks were going to have no shortage of bulls to glass.

Scott, Michael, and I headed back down into the basin, setting up a bit higher than our morning nest, hoping it would give a bit more of view of the exits from that aspen grove, even if it added 50 yards to the shooting distance if they came to the water hole below. It was a great setup.

With time on our hands, Scott spent his time building shooting rests from the shooting stick and his trekking poles. He even carried a small tripod chair down there to get him a bit higher over the sage that could obscure a shot. He was ranging every possible shooting lane and working on his breathing sequences. When a young cow elk came to the water hole, Scott used her as a training dummy; ranging here, adjusting his scope, fixing his rest, and preparing for a shot of a bull came through.

About 4:30pm, a thunderstorm rolled in. I wondered how wet we would get, but only some annoying rain hit us. The rumble of thunder in the distance seemed to get the bulls further up the drainage to start bugling. After about fifteen minutes of bulls yelling at each other some cow elk started talking. Then some more cows. Then some cows down below us. This was getting noisy in a hurry.

Not long after that, the same groaning and bugling from this morning starting coming up from the bottom of the drainage, seemingly on a vector that would take him to the waterhole below us. Scott, Michael, and I all were casting looks to each other that said what words would have stated as, "Can you believe he's coming back up here?"

The bugling started to get more intense. The cows were chirping as loud as I've ever heard. There were elk all across the ridge to our west. Some bulls crossed into openings. One laid down and bugled to the others. None were the big guy from this morning.

I told Scott that with all the bulls we had gotten a peak of and none of them being the big guy, the odds of the big guy being below us was getting better and better. Scott assured me he wasn't shooting unless the bull was the one from this morning. Hard to disagree with that statement.

The noise below us was getting closer and more PO'd with each minute. No need to call and give up our position, as the bulls and cows up the drainage were doing a better job than I ever could of triggering the bull below us. Eventually, three cows emerged next to the waterhole and headed up the drainage to where the big party was going on. I was ready for the bull to follow them, as his bugles and groans were very close to where those cows emerged. But, he didn't. He stood in the aspens and tore up a bunch of trees, then groaned, then went back to abusing the aspens.

He was so close. It was just too thick to see him. Now his bugles got closer and more toward the small finger on our southern flank that ran down into this aspen cluster. How could we not see him. Now, we could hear him tearing up some unsuspecting tree. He was surely coming up that small ridge that would lead him out of the aspens. I whispered to Scott, "What the hell, he's going southeast while his cows just went straight north. Oh well, keep coming big boy."

About the time the tree abuse peaked, Micheal, who set up about 15' above us, whispered, "I see him. He's on the ridge, just inside the aspens. He's destroying a tree."

I glassed and could now see the commotion just inside the trees. Scott turned his shooting set up to the south, a 90 degree pivot. I pressed the binos to my eyes in hopes I could verify if it is the bull from this morning or one of the many other "nice" bulls that were super aggressive. I turned the spotter and the digiscoping to where I though the bull might emerge. Scott asked me to confirm his range reading of 212 yards. Yup, the shot would be somewhere between 205-240 yards. Scott spun the dials on the CDS and settled in, asking, "Let me know if he's the bull from this morning."

Having destroyed one aspen, the bull started up the ridge and emerged from cover. With the benefit of the spotter and digiscoping, there was no doubt, he was the bull from this morning. I told Scott it was the bull. Having watched the bull through the rifle scope, Scott affirmed that he was shooting if a chance came.

I started a few cow calls, wanting to stop the bull before he crested over this small spine and into another cluster of aspens. He bugled, but kept walking. I wailed a the whiniest cow call I could muster. The bull stopped to look, his vitals covered by a small shrub. Scott whispered, "I don't have a shot." Given this was the only shrub within 40 yards that could obscure a shot, my comments were not repeatable for the episode.

Michael, being higher and at a slightly different shot angle had an open view and was wondering why shots were not being fired. That gets communicated by camera guys by saying, "I'm on him. I'm on him. Take him when you're ready." To his credit, Scott kept his cool.

The bull started walking again and laid on the cow call even more frantic than before. The bull stopped and bugled at me. He now turned slightly quartering to us. A clear shot from Scott's position, though slightly obscured from Michael's. What seemed like forever, which was only 22 seconds on the camera footage, Scott waited for the perfect opportunity.

At 215 yards, Scott fired. The 300 Win Mag sent the E-tip to the bull with a loud crack as it hit ribs on its way in. Watching through the digiscope, I could see the impact. The bull made a slight pivot toward the aspens, seeming to struggle as he stepped. As is my mantra, I told Scott to keep shooting as long as the bull was on his feet. I cow called and the bull stopped. He looked a bit wobbly. Scott shot again and another perfect shot put the bull on his knees.

A few downhill rolls and the bull came to rest with his abnormally large antlers extending above the sage. Scott was without words. In my excitement, I think I made up for his moments of stunned silence. Congratulations and hugs. A few shouts of glee informed the rest of the crew that the shots they heard had done the trick. Little did we know that Spitz and Mike could see the bull from their glassing position.

We all met up and let Scott walk down to the bull. Scott turned to us as he got closer and laughed, "He keeps getting bigger." No trick photography needed for this bull.

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Just watched the Video, very nice bull and Scott seems like a good dude for sure!