perma
Well-known member
I hid it to see how close your field judging is compared to my rookie scoring. Sanity check for me to see how far off I am on scoring it. And I didn’t want your field judging to be influenced by my score.
It’s fun, kind of.
The veil has been opened! 1/11
- Thread starter perma
- Start date
It’s fun, kind of.
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
If the blurring is to get us to guess - I’m gonna toss out 61”
perma
Well-known member
Which one?
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
Big one, the little one, although a trophy for you as your first animal, probably doesn’t break 30”
perma
Well-known member
I haven’t measured junior yet, skull is getting bleached right now. Now I’m wondering why we’re far apart on the big one. I’ll have to remeasure tonight.
Wyhunter
Well-known member
I used the boone and crockett site to measure mine. Input all the numbers and it totals everything out. Shows you where and how to measure everything.
www.boone-crockett.org
Scoring Your Trophy: pronghorn
perma
Well-known member
I had a field book that came with a measuring tape, calculator, etc but can’t find the damn thing for the life of me. I’ll remeasure to get a more precise score but I didn’t do anything different than what this suggested aside from using loose measuring tape.I used the boone and crockett site to measure mine. Input all the numbers and it totals everything out. Shows you where and how to measure everything.
Scoring Your Trophy: pronghorn
BackofBeyond
Well-known member
Huh. Looks like I missed a measurement on mine.
perma
Well-known member
*shrug*
The unit I shot him from isn’t known for growing them this big, so that’s why I’m questioning the integrity of my measurements. Maybe I got lucky, he wasn’t easy to pack out….
Valley1320
Well-known member
He looks nice!!
Wyhunter
Well-known member
Its a really nice buck. I wouldnt worry about the score. And its definitely a trophy for where you got him. Only reason I scored mine, was that Ive always wanted to shoot a 70" buck and I knew he was close.
perma
Well-known member
Truck is loaded, ice blocks in the cooler, gun zeroed and glass cleaned.
I keep looking at pictures I took last year of this same unit I hunted. It’s a blessing that I get to hunt a draw unit twice without spending any preference points. Of course, that means no one wants to hunt this unit. I try to justify a lot of why that is, or why I came back. The pictures remind me of how close I was. If I woke up 30 min earlier, or scouted that road in the summer.
Nevertheless, my last CO hunt of the season is here. We’re going above the clouds. Time for redemption.
I keep looking at pictures I took last year of this same unit I hunted. It’s a blessing that I get to hunt a draw unit twice without spending any preference points. Of course, that means no one wants to hunt this unit. I try to justify a lot of why that is, or why I came back. The pictures remind me of how close I was. If I woke up 30 min earlier, or scouted that road in the summer.
Nevertheless, my last CO hunt of the season is here. We’re going above the clouds. Time for redemption.
perma
Well-known member
Let me tell you guys something. If you ever go on a hunt with me, buy the opposite tag of what I have.
I get up to my glassing spot and glassed in some gale force winds that froze my water bottle. After two hours of that misery, I spotted two bucks, one good 4-point buck and a very nice 3-point buck. No elk.
I told myself that if I’m seeing deer this high, I gotta be seeing elk. Annoyed, I left and started scouting the area some more. We decided to head back to camp for a well needed nap.
After such, we drove back up through a different route and something just felt different, aside from the hurricane that was happening. I started glassing basins and didn’t find anything. Right before we created the hill, I told my dad to stop for one more shotgun glass.
There he was….
It was a 6-point bull surrounded by 10 or so cows. Exactly where I thought he would be.
My dad and I may have been hasty and started discussing who’s taking the first shot. I debated that this is likely going to be a long range shot and that I should be the rifleman should we get pinned over 200 yards (dad can’t shoot that far, doesn’t practice that).
Tonight, we’re going back one more time at sunset to see if we can bed him or the cows, then it’s a rat race to that spot first thing tomorrow. I like my odds; only seen two other camps up here and two UTVs zipping by.
All in on red.
I get up to my glassing spot and glassed in some gale force winds that froze my water bottle. After two hours of that misery, I spotted two bucks, one good 4-point buck and a very nice 3-point buck. No elk.
I told myself that if I’m seeing deer this high, I gotta be seeing elk. Annoyed, I left and started scouting the area some more. We decided to head back to camp for a well needed nap.
After such, we drove back up through a different route and something just felt different, aside from the hurricane that was happening. I started glassing basins and didn’t find anything. Right before we created the hill, I told my dad to stop for one more shotgun glass.
There he was….
It was a 6-point bull surrounded by 10 or so cows. Exactly where I thought he would be.
My dad and I may have been hasty and started discussing who’s taking the first shot. I debated that this is likely going to be a long range shot and that I should be the rifleman should we get pinned over 200 yards (dad can’t shoot that far, doesn’t practice that).
Tonight, we’re going back one more time at sunset to see if we can bed him or the cows, then it’s a rat race to that spot first thing tomorrow. I like my odds; only seen two other camps up here and two UTVs zipping by.
All in on red.
perma
Well-known member
I owe a better write up, but this hunt is frustrating. Desperate people do desperate things, and I get it, but to the extent of neglecting rules and regulations is uncool..
Three more days.
Three more days.
Art Vandeley
Well-known member
What happened with the bull ?
Khunter
Well-known member
huh? Would be nice to understand what this is about.
perma
Well-known member
Well, here it goes.
Day 2: The madness before the opener.
I woke up frozen because I forgot how to burn wood in my stove. It snowed a bit that night but not enough to cover the ground. We took an easy day since I had located a bull, so this was a day to find out who’s doing what and where, maybe find a shed or two and go back to the bull that evening and bed him.
We first drive into the middle of the unit and hike up a private road with public easement (met the owner of the land, very nice guy). I found a good shed here last year so dad and I were looking for some more. Not one, oh well, amazing views anyway. We head back to town to refuel on gas and get some melatonin. I’m operating on 3 hours of sleep here.
We get back to camp to get more firewood and grab a bite. It was about 3 and it took us an hour to get to the bull. I glassed the mountainside and he wasn’t there. I waited for every bit of light but he just vanished.
Here’s where I get upset. I happen to glass the ridge line and I find some frogs in a UTV glassing the whole range. That particular road is only accessible by ATV, horse or hike. They were in a RZR and ATV. Area. Blown. Out.
The blame falls squarely on my shoulders though. I made a bad assumption about a second road that leads up there that wasn’t accessible last year but is this year. So the issue now is the deck is reshuffled due to the ease of access to the top.
My bull was gone and the pressure will likely be high. If I high tail it there in the morning, maybe the spot is ours.
Day 2: The madness before the opener.
I woke up frozen because I forgot how to burn wood in my stove. It snowed a bit that night but not enough to cover the ground. We took an easy day since I had located a bull, so this was a day to find out who’s doing what and where, maybe find a shed or two and go back to the bull that evening and bed him.
We first drive into the middle of the unit and hike up a private road with public easement (met the owner of the land, very nice guy). I found a good shed here last year so dad and I were looking for some more. Not one, oh well, amazing views anyway. We head back to town to refuel on gas and get some melatonin. I’m operating on 3 hours of sleep here.
We get back to camp to get more firewood and grab a bite. It was about 3 and it took us an hour to get to the bull. I glassed the mountainside and he wasn’t there. I waited for every bit of light but he just vanished.
Here’s where I get upset. I happen to glass the ridge line and I find some frogs in a UTV glassing the whole range. That particular road is only accessible by ATV, horse or hike. They were in a RZR and ATV. Area. Blown. Out.
The blame falls squarely on my shoulders though. I made a bad assumption about a second road that leads up there that wasn’t accessible last year but is this year. So the issue now is the deck is reshuffled due to the ease of access to the top.
My bull was gone and the pressure will likely be high. If I high tail it there in the morning, maybe the spot is ours.
perma
Well-known member
Day 3: I brought the wrong gun
It’s opening day and I froze again. Only 3 hours again but I’m up at 4 and ready to go. I need a half hour to brush my teeth, get clothes on and pop my contacts in. I have a plastic lens that requires a bit more time but I got it in pretty fast. I’m motivated, that bull couldn’t have gone too far…..
We get to the top and unfortunately those frogs got to the top and had the audacity to ride their UTV the whole ridge line. At this point, I’m crushed. I told dad to turn around and park a 1/4 mile back, I might have another plan.
There’s a small drainage I scouted that looked “elky”, so I gave it a shot. We get there WELL before first light. I sit on a ridge line under a tree and start glassing.
To my surprise, a good five-point bull was walking the tree line tending to some cows. I hit him with the range finder: 550 yards. I haven’t practiced that shot and wasn’t confident my gun wouldn’t make it, so I got up and bolted to the other side of this rockslide. By the time I got there, he was gone. It was only 45 seconds. I hit the tree line he was by: 350 yards. I dial the gun and wait there. He never showed up.
I know this is a debatable topic that I’m sure people will say I’m wrong on, but I don’t know that my 30-06 would have done the trick at that range. Maybe not on that bull. After that whole trip, I wished I had my 300 Weatherby, there wouldn’t have been any question in my mind. Maybe I am wrong, I don’t know. My dope card was good to 400 yards so it was out of my range decision I made at home when I had a level head. Period.
We backed out and came back that night and waited for him. He never showed up.
It’s opening day and I froze again. Only 3 hours again but I’m up at 4 and ready to go. I need a half hour to brush my teeth, get clothes on and pop my contacts in. I have a plastic lens that requires a bit more time but I got it in pretty fast. I’m motivated, that bull couldn’t have gone too far…..
We get to the top and unfortunately those frogs got to the top and had the audacity to ride their UTV the whole ridge line. At this point, I’m crushed. I told dad to turn around and park a 1/4 mile back, I might have another plan.
There’s a small drainage I scouted that looked “elky”, so I gave it a shot. We get there WELL before first light. I sit on a ridge line under a tree and start glassing.
To my surprise, a good five-point bull was walking the tree line tending to some cows. I hit him with the range finder: 550 yards. I haven’t practiced that shot and wasn’t confident my gun wouldn’t make it, so I got up and bolted to the other side of this rockslide. By the time I got there, he was gone. It was only 45 seconds. I hit the tree line he was by: 350 yards. I dial the gun and wait there. He never showed up.
I know this is a debatable topic that I’m sure people will say I’m wrong on, but I don’t know that my 30-06 would have done the trick at that range. Maybe not on that bull. After that whole trip, I wished I had my 300 Weatherby, there wouldn’t have been any question in my mind. Maybe I am wrong, I don’t know. My dope card was good to 400 yards so it was out of my range decision I made at home when I had a level head. Period.
We backed out and came back that night and waited for him. He never showed up.
perma
Well-known member
Day 4: Don’t leave elk to find elk
Knowing what we know, it was clear to me that I found a bull that I kind of patterned. He likes the tree line, he has cows and he’s a morning bull. So he should be out this morning!
We go back to the same spot and I get significantly closer. I hit the tree line: 375. Perfect. Wind is in my face, thermals are going down into the drainage, couldn’t be better. Unfortunately, he didn’t show up.
My plan was to stay there until 12 and back out. That was until a flat brimmer, Sitka’d out of his mind, decided to walk form the bottom of the drainage up to the park that bull was at. In the middle of the drainage. In the heat. Gotta give the dude some credit. That was a nasty walk that could have been easier. He was so gassed by the time he got up there he just sat in the middle of the field. Pissed, I left and started to think of a new plan.
There was a logging road that was on the other side of the road that I wanted to check for fresh sign. Maybe that big bull was in here? Not the case; all I found was used TP, bear scar, a deer skull, deadfall and a grouse I jumped by a tree. With a little light left, we go back up and start glassing. I’m hearing bugles but they sound “tubey”, so I think some dork is throwing a Hail Mary trying to locate a bull. I glass but find nothing except the UTV riders riding on a hiking trail.
Grumble grumble.
Knowing what we know, it was clear to me that I found a bull that I kind of patterned. He likes the tree line, he has cows and he’s a morning bull. So he should be out this morning!
We go back to the same spot and I get significantly closer. I hit the tree line: 375. Perfect. Wind is in my face, thermals are going down into the drainage, couldn’t be better. Unfortunately, he didn’t show up.
My plan was to stay there until 12 and back out. That was until a flat brimmer, Sitka’d out of his mind, decided to walk form the bottom of the drainage up to the park that bull was at. In the middle of the drainage. In the heat. Gotta give the dude some credit. That was a nasty walk that could have been easier. He was so gassed by the time he got up there he just sat in the middle of the field. Pissed, I left and started to think of a new plan.
There was a logging road that was on the other side of the road that I wanted to check for fresh sign. Maybe that big bull was in here? Not the case; all I found was used TP, bear scar, a deer skull, deadfall and a grouse I jumped by a tree. With a little light left, we go back up and start glassing. I’m hearing bugles but they sound “tubey”, so I think some dork is throwing a Hail Mary trying to locate a bull. I glass but find nothing except the UTV riders riding on a hiking trail.
Grumble grumble.
