Posts
1743
Joined
8/30/2007
Location
Lehi, UT, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/24/2012 2:19am
Hey all!
I just wanted to report on my successeful elk hunt this past weekend. It was also my first.
Spent four and a half days on my grandfathers property in the Bookcliff range hunting elk.
I wasn't out for a trophy, I just wanted the meat.
The last night I was able to hunt my buddy and I spotted a "shooter" five point (like I said...not trophy hunting), but it was sitting on the opposite side of the canyon and not on my grandpa's property (about 700 yards away). So we sat and watch him for about an hour. Finally his cows got up and started moving feeding...and towards the fence line.
Eventually, just before dark, two of his cows jumped the fence. And then we saw him come out of the tree's and walk up to the fence, then walk back to the trees. He did this three times. Each time my heart would start beating faster and faster.
Finally he jumped the fence at about 600 yards (and up hill)....and I pulled the trigger on the 7mm. Stupid me forgot to hold on to the gun (I'd been using it as a spotting scope for the past hour and half) and it popped back and the scope split my forehead open to the bone (yeah, yeah...laugh it up). So I'm bleeding all over the place from a 1 inch gash in my forehead...it's running down in my eyes, down my neck, all over my shirt, everywhere. I don't do blood...so I'm getting all light headed, and shaking like a leaf.
Anyway, I didn't take the uphill part into the equation, and shot low. Kicking up dust right at his feet. And he runs into the trees on my grandpa's side of the fence. And comes back out and goes to jump the fence again, and my buddy is like...SHOOT AGAIN...SHOOT AGAIN...But I can't see crap for all the blood in my eyes, and the feeling light headed and shaking and all that...but I tried 6 more times...all misses. Each time I'd shoot he'd run into the trees, and then come back out to jump the fence (he wanted to get to his cows) and I'd shoot again, and he run back into the trees. Anyway my buddy reaches in the bag and hands me my last shell and says "don't miss". I load it in...wipe the blood from my eye Take a deep breath, and fire...missed again.
Depressed, it was my last night to hunt, I thought I was going home empty handed. But earlier in the day, and in another canyon I dropped a shell, and my buddy picked it up and handed to me and I put it in my pocket.
So we're sitting there for a fwe minutes, me with pressure on this gaping wound in my head...my buddy packing up our stuff...when he remembers that shell.
Anyway, with renewed hope, calmer nerves (I'd stopped shaking from the blood), less blood in my eyes (the few minutes of pressure had virtually stopped the bleeding), and a realization that I was shooting up hill. I load that precious, and last, round. Take aim, just between the top of his antlers and his back...and squeeze the trigger.
And he drops to the ground right where he stood, then gets up stumbles about 10 feet and falls again. Turns out it was a double lung shot.
I couldn't be happier...well, I guess if I stumbled upon a 360 inch bull, I may be a bit happier, but I've got all the meat I wanted. The animal didn't suffer unnecessarily (though I'm sure the loud BOOM everytime he approached the fence scared the hell out of him), and had a great time in the mountains.
Anyway, just wanted to share.
I just wanted to report on my successeful elk hunt this past weekend. It was also my first.
Spent four and a half days on my grandfathers property in the Bookcliff range hunting elk.
I wasn't out for a trophy, I just wanted the meat.
The last night I was able to hunt my buddy and I spotted a "shooter" five point (like I said...not trophy hunting), but it was sitting on the opposite side of the canyon and not on my grandpa's property (about 700 yards away). So we sat and watch him for about an hour. Finally his cows got up and started moving feeding...and towards the fence line.
Eventually, just before dark, two of his cows jumped the fence. And then we saw him come out of the tree's and walk up to the fence, then walk back to the trees. He did this three times. Each time my heart would start beating faster and faster.
Finally he jumped the fence at about 600 yards (and up hill)....and I pulled the trigger on the 7mm. Stupid me forgot to hold on to the gun (I'd been using it as a spotting scope for the past hour and half) and it popped back and the scope split my forehead open to the bone (yeah, yeah...laugh it up). So I'm bleeding all over the place from a 1 inch gash in my forehead...it's running down in my eyes, down my neck, all over my shirt, everywhere. I don't do blood...so I'm getting all light headed, and shaking like a leaf.
Anyway, I didn't take the uphill part into the equation, and shot low. Kicking up dust right at his feet. And he runs into the trees on my grandpa's side of the fence. And comes back out and goes to jump the fence again, and my buddy is like...SHOOT AGAIN...SHOOT AGAIN...But I can't see crap for all the blood in my eyes, and the feeling light headed and shaking and all that...but I tried 6 more times...all misses. Each time I'd shoot he'd run into the trees, and then come back out to jump the fence (he wanted to get to his cows) and I'd shoot again, and he run back into the trees. Anyway my buddy reaches in the bag and hands me my last shell and says "don't miss". I load it in...wipe the blood from my eye Take a deep breath, and fire...missed again.
Depressed, it was my last night to hunt, I thought I was going home empty handed. But earlier in the day, and in another canyon I dropped a shell, and my buddy picked it up and handed to me and I put it in my pocket.
So we're sitting there for a fwe minutes, me with pressure on this gaping wound in my head...my buddy packing up our stuff...when he remembers that shell.
Anyway, with renewed hope, calmer nerves (I'd stopped shaking from the blood), less blood in my eyes (the few minutes of pressure had virtually stopped the bleeding), and a realization that I was shooting up hill. I load that precious, and last, round. Take aim, just between the top of his antlers and his back...and squeeze the trigger.
And he drops to the ground right where he stood, then gets up stumbles about 10 feet and falls again. Turns out it was a double lung shot.
I couldn't be happier...well, I guess if I stumbled upon a 360 inch bull, I may be a bit happier, but I've got all the meat I wanted. The animal didn't suffer unnecessarily (though I'm sure the loud BOOM everytime he approached the fence scared the hell out of him), and had a great time in the mountains.
Anyway, just wanted to share.
Post a reply to: Had a great Elk hunt this weekend.