Last Saturday was the day I fulfilled a life long dream of me. I've hunted elk before but never taken a good bull. A friend of mine invited me to hunt in Eastern Colorado with him and I jumped at the chance. He has a respectable track record at his honey hole. After the 6 hour drive to the plains of Colorado I bought my eastern plains unlimited tag on Friday afternoon.
The first place we checked at daylight Saturday morning turned out to be a lost cause. Other than a few tense moments when we jumped a black bear cub that went tearing off over the edge of the canyon squalling every jump and hearing momma popping her jaws loud enough for us to hear it, we didn't see anything in that canyon. So, plan B. We went prospecting. It's almost exactly like run and gunning for turkeys when plan A doesn't work out at flydown.
We walked back to the side by side, and went to another area. We pulled to within a couple hundred yards of another canyon and parked. We eased around a ridge glassing as we went. Nothing was seen or heard. My buddy pulled out a bugle tube and went to work. Immediately we got a reply almost out of hearing. So far that we both thought it came from different directions. LOL. Andrew let out another bugle followed by a few cow calls and the bull answered again, and this time we both pointed in the same direction. It was on. He was at least 3/4 of a mile away and up the side of the back end of a box canyon.
We moved about 400 yards towards the bull and set up under a cedar tree. Andrew bugled again, and was cut off by the bull bugling back. He was coming!!
The bull came off the side of the canyon wall from the west headed east towards us. He hit the bottom of the canyon floor with us. I first saw the bull at about 600 yards as he came through an opening in the cedars headed our way. I knew that he was a shooter as he trotted through the opening and into the cedars. He must have bugled 75 times as he worked his way through the cedars towards us. The next time I saw him was at about 350 yards. All I could see of him was his horns sticking up above the oak brush as he was coming. I have to admit, about now my heart rate went through the roof. Again, he got into the cedars and I couldn't see him. Torture is the best way I can describe what I was feeling about then. But, he was still coming and still bugling.
By then, he was within 250 yards and bugling like crazy but still in the cedars. I was trying to see any part of him moving but couldn't see a thing. He had to step out into the open as he was about to run out of cover. As I looked to the left, towards the end of the cedars on my left, there was a dead cedar. I was looking through my scope at this dead cedar as the bull was standing behind it looking through it at us. I would not have seen him if he hadn't moved his head and I saw his antlers. I didn't think it possible, but my heart rate doubled again. I whispered to Andrew not to move. The bull bugled as I looked at him through my scope. He was only 200 yards but there was no way to slip a bullet through the dead limbs of the cedar. I just needed him to take one or two steps. Torture again. About then Andrew cow called once. The bull perked up, bugled again, and took two steps into the open. Andrew stopped him with another cow call, and I shot him on the point of the right shoulder quartering to me. As I came down from the recoil, I saw the bull try to turn to his right but couldn't hardly as his shoulder on that side was broke. I bolted another round in, and gave him another one on the point of the left shoulder. That did the trick. With both shoulders broke, he slowly went to the ground, and it was over.
A flood of emotion swept over me. For those here that know me, and know of my health issues a few years back, know that I didn't think I would see the day for this to happen. But, I did! And I did it with a rifle that my father bought hoping to someday fulfill a dream of elk hunting with it, but never did.
If you've read this to the end, I thank you. This is the end of a quest of mine that has lasted for over 20 years. Here are a few pics of my bull.
Scott
The afternoon I killed my bull, I was treated to this sunset.
