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| 350" Bull |
Jared and I with some intel help from Brett decided we would try to our luck hunting elk on a general season over-the-counter unit in Range Creek near the Book Cliffs with our muzzle loaders in early November. On the first day of our adventure we covered a whole bunch of country with no luck. We decided to relocate camp that same evening and hike into some of the same canyon but from another angle. The morning hunt was pretty uneventful. After lunch we decided to split up and take different sides of the wide canyon up to the base of the high red sandstone vermilion cliffs. Jared came across some fresh elk tracks meandering through the juniper in he sand and low and behold he finally caught up to this bull with a cow and its spike calf from last year. The bull was bedded and Jared had to make a 250 yr shot from the prone position with his T/C as there was no getting closer. He stood after the shot coughing up blood and Jared reloaded and put another round in him for good. He got hold of me on the radio to tell me his good fortune. I made it over to his position to find him with one of the prettiest bull elk you could ask for. We shared some high fives and then got to work quartering him up to hike him out. This canyon is a special place. It's not had a whole lot of public people on it. It holds a few elk, the occasional big buck, bison, wild horse and I even saw some moose droppings. Few places hold this kind of diversity of game in the West. I hope one day to return but for now I will look back on this hunt when I see pictures of this bull and it will bring a smile to my face.
