11-02-2009, 10:59 PM
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Shot this "raghorn" 5 x 5 bull last Thursday, the second day of the general muzzleloader elk hunt.
My hunting buddy and I went to the same area on opening day. We spotted a small herd of elk feeding in the head of the basin at first light. They were a ways away but decided to stalk them by following the ridge and getting above them. Approximately 20 minutes or so we had reached the elevation on the ridge that would put us above where we first spotted them. We slowly moved into the area but couldn't see them. We decide to head further up the ridge to see if they had moved up further. Right then we spotted them and they were right where we had hoped. At about 80 yards away, there was a 6x6 and two smaller raghorn bulls. However, there was a problem, there was also a cow at about 40 yards and she had us pegged. My buddy and I both sat back down in the sage brush to get out of view and decide what we were going to do. We sat there in the brush as the curious cow walked closer and closer to maybe 25 - 30 yards away. At that point she winded us and wheeled around and took off up the ridge. We both jumped up to get a shot at the larger bull. I shot first and missed. Then my buddy shot and missed. While we were frantically getting reloaded the larger bull was standing broadside no more than 80 yards away. But we could not get reloaded fast enough, and all three bulls headed over the ridge into the steep thick timber. We searched for a blood trail but no luck. That was opening day.
We got an early start the second day of the hunt and headed back to the same spot in hopes the elk would give us another chance. We reached the bottom of the basin at daylight. We glassed the hillside and spotted three elk in the same spot we saw them the day before. We followed the same route we took the day before and got up to the elevation we had last seen them. We peered over the sage brush and sure enough, they were there. Only this time they were feeding only about 30 - 40 yards away and there were no cows with them. We sat back down in the brush to devise a plan. A raghorn was the closest, and from where I was sitting all I could see was antlers and the top of his head. I moved a little to get my gun in better position and he heard or saw something and now was starring right at us. We had a staredown for about 5 minutes before he became a little more relaxed and turned his head away from our direction. Soon after that I watched him lift his chin into the air and curl his upper lip to get a good sniff of the wind. He wheeled around at which time we stood up to get a shot. My buddy shot first and missed. I then move up the hill a little ways to get a better view and find a spot to sit down to get a shot. In my scope, I could see all three bulls. I picked out the one that was giving me the best shot, put the crosshairs on his shoulder and pulled the trigger. Boom. Down he went like a ton of bricks. It surprised the heck out of me to see him drop so fast. When I got over to him, I could see that I had hit him in the neck. Needless to say, I was excited.
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Shot this "raghorn" 5 x 5 bull last Thursday, the second day of the general muzzleloader elk hunt.
My hunting buddy and I went to the same area on opening day. We spotted a small herd of elk feeding in the head of the basin at first light. They were a ways away but decided to stalk them by following the ridge and getting above them. Approximately 20 minutes or so we had reached the elevation on the ridge that would put us above where we first spotted them. We slowly moved into the area but couldn't see them. We decide to head further up the ridge to see if they had moved up further. Right then we spotted them and they were right where we had hoped. At about 80 yards away, there was a 6x6 and two smaller raghorn bulls. However, there was a problem, there was also a cow at about 40 yards and she had us pegged. My buddy and I both sat back down in the sage brush to get out of view and decide what we were going to do. We sat there in the brush as the curious cow walked closer and closer to maybe 25 - 30 yards away. At that point she winded us and wheeled around and took off up the ridge. We both jumped up to get a shot at the larger bull. I shot first and missed. Then my buddy shot and missed. While we were frantically getting reloaded the larger bull was standing broadside no more than 80 yards away. But we could not get reloaded fast enough, and all three bulls headed over the ridge into the steep thick timber. We searched for a blood trail but no luck. That was opening day.
We got an early start the second day of the hunt and headed back to the same spot in hopes the elk would give us another chance. We reached the bottom of the basin at daylight. We glassed the hillside and spotted three elk in the same spot we saw them the day before. We followed the same route we took the day before and got up to the elevation we had last seen them. We peered over the sage brush and sure enough, they were there. Only this time they were feeding only about 30 - 40 yards away and there were no cows with them. We sat back down in the brush to devise a plan. A raghorn was the closest, and from where I was sitting all I could see was antlers and the top of his head. I moved a little to get my gun in better position and he heard or saw something and now was starring right at us. We had a staredown for about 5 minutes before he became a little more relaxed and turned his head away from our direction. Soon after that I watched him lift his chin into the air and curl his upper lip to get a good sniff of the wind. He wheeled around at which time we stood up to get a shot. My buddy shot first and missed. I then move up the hill a little ways to get a better view and find a spot to sit down to get a shot. In my scope, I could see all three bulls. I picked out the one that was giving me the best shot, put the crosshairs on his shoulder and pulled the trigger. Boom. Down he went like a ton of bricks. It surprised the heck out of me to see him drop so fast. When I got over to him, I could see that I had hit him in the neck. Needless to say, I was excited.
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