Bill's Elk

[Vince]

Elkman texted me this afternoon with a picture of an elk that's going in the freezer from Oregon.

I'll not spoil his fun and let him report on it but I wanted to let folks know he was successful. He was just getting home when he texted me and was going to start cutting this critter up for processing.

Congrats Bill!

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[gerry]

Looking forward to hearing more about it.

 

[pre6422hornet]

His name isn't Bill.........

Its Elkslayer!

 

[JD338]

Congratulations Bill!
Looking forward to hearing the story.

JD338

 

[sask boy]

Sure looking forward to a good story with a few photos!!
Congratulations .

Blessings,
Dan

 

[SJB358]

Here is a picture of the bull.



And the recovered 160 AB from Bills old 7mm Rem Mag at 325 yards

 

[Vince]

From what Bill says this was one tough hunt with many arduous days to get this bull.

I'm in hopes that when he recovers from this escapade that he will regale us with a story of his adventures.

Vince

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[DrMike]

A fine looking spiker. Congratulations to Bill. He is truly the elk-slayer.

 

[IdahoCTD]

Didn't Guy go with Bill? Any word on how Guy did?

Way to bring home the elk Bill.

 

[LD375]

Nice, congrats bill! ..I'd love to Elk hunt some day too

Lou

 

[SJB358]

Bill is an elk hunting machine. I was pretty mad I couldn't make it out for that hunt. It's getting to be one of my favorite places to chase elk.

 

[joelkdouglas]

Congrats Bill!

I see you had time to switch from the Hornadys to the AB...super nice to have a range in your back yard!

 

[efw]

Congrats; what a fantastic experience elk country is! To shoot a bull as well as enjoy such a setting?

Heavenly.

 

[gerry]

A fine young bull and the recovered 160 gr AB looks very good.

 

[SJB358]

A fine young bull and the recovered 160 gr AB looks very good.

That is probably my favorite elk meat... A spike is just like a butterball whitetail. Don't get no better.

A recovered 160 AB is just cool.

 

[gerry]

A fine young bull and the recovered 160 gr AB looks very good.

That is probably my favorite elk meat... A spike is just like a butterball whitetail. Don't get no better.

A recovered 160 AB is just cool.

I can just about taste him from over here.......... man that has got to be good. Hope you enjoy every bit of that guy Bill

 

[Guy Miner]

Didn't Guy go with Bill? Any word on how Guy did?

Way to bring home the elk Bill.

Guy had some medical issues crop up and had to cancel on Bill at the last minute. Felt terrible about it, leaving the poor ol' fellow out there on his own, defenseless against those elk...

But he seems to have come through just fine.

Sorry Bill, would have loved to have been there, packing quarters out with you, but... Well, you know. Dang it.

Congratulations!

Guy

 

[IdahoCTD]

Sorry to hear that Guy. There is always next year.

 

[Elkman]

You have seen the pictures so here is the story. I was disappointed that Guy could not make it but was happy that he was/is on his way to recovery. I arrived on Wednesday afternoon set up camp and retired for the night. I had planned two days of scouting but on Thursday a cold front passed through and with the sideways snow and ridge top breeze (20+ mph), I got in a nice hike and retired early back to camp. The next morning at 0530, I headed up the trail near camp (an area that has been productive before) and after an 1 1/2 hour hike left the trail and eased through an open pine forest while glassing the north facing slope across a small drainage. I spotted a small herd, 12+ of elk with two young bulls. So I backed out and spent the day in camp. Opening day found me laying behind a large dead pine tree 400 yards from the spot where I last saw the elk, as daylight came upon me. There were no elk visible "anywhere", and I could see a lot of real estate. Weather conditions were fierce, with a 20+ mph wind coming from my left and a temp of 35 or so. I kept glassing the small patch of timber across from me as I knew they had to be in there.
After 3 1/2 hours being stiff and cold I decided to relocate up canyon a couple of hundred yards to get a better angle into the timber. As I moved up the hill, the elk started moving out of the timber into a more open bushy area. I ranged them at 350 yards from under the closest pine. After a couple of min I located a bull behind them (by color) and with a close inspection he proved to be a spike. I was really worried about the wind but had been watching indicators all morning and felt good about the shot. I set my pack on the ground vertically, and used it for elevation and forced the rifle tight against the tree for a very solid rest. I was sitting, and when I fired the first shot from the 7mm Mag, I heard the 160gr. Nosler AB hit and saw the bull hump up as he walked behind a tree. You can see the entry wound in the picture. Shots two and three were while he was in the dark timber and were wasted. Once more he cleared the trees, headed downhill in the draw, and I hit his neck with shot 4. I never saw him again until I found him laying as he is in the photo. While walking to him another young bull was feeding to my left (176 yards) watching me cross the opening down to bottom of the draw.
After taking care of him I packed out the back straps, and tenderloins in my day pack. On Sunday I made two round trips and Monday 1. Each up and back took slightly less than 4 hours. This was a great hunt and a wonderful ending, to a fantastic season. After two separate hunts in two states, I had actually hunted for a total of 2 1/2 days, it doesn't get much better than that. This was my second big game animal taken with a 7 mm Mag, and have owned this one since the early 70's.
Thanks all for the interest :grin:

 

[Silentstalker]

Thats a perfect bull for a full freezer! My absolute favorite meat! Congrats and great shooting!