Here is my friend Tim and D!ck's huntin adventure...Contrats to both of these guys!!!
muleyman
Here is the story behind the Oregon bulls. It all started like usual a year ago when trying to figure out where we were going to hunt. We had success before in a good unit (2 spikes) but felt we wanted to make a change and try something different. We made up our minds and crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. Well obviously we drew our unit (undisclosed) and thus began the 4 months of stress leading up to the hunt. Like most men we waited until the last minute to pack and get ready for the hunt. We left on Saturday the 24th after the Ducks pounded the Huskies of course! Off we went into the night sky, myself, Richard our captain and my 9 year old son (his 1st elk hunt). Lets just say hopes were high as we traveled (far away) and the dreaming began. In our minds we already knew were coming home with something, my son was missing Halloween and the Ducks/USC game so he was really hoping we were coming home early. Sunday we got settled into our camping spot or as we called it "Little Patch of Heaven" it was a rough camp but after some TLC we had a nice fire pit and life was good! As we were working around the camp I looked up only to see about 30-40 elk running down the hill and across the road only about 100 yards from camp (Game On) so needless to say we did some pre scouting that night, and our expectations were even higher. Monday we got up and it was raining like crazy went out for a bit saw about 30 elk a couple spikes but no branch bulls. As good Oregon hunters however we knew were going to shoot the first elk we saw with antlers our freezers were getting mighty low and us fat kids love us some meat. After getting soaked it was time to hunker down in the trailer, eat some of Richards famous green chili stew, watch hunting videos and climb into our fart sacks. Life could not get much better! It is now Tuesday, day before the big hunt. Finally we are going to walk in the woods with our guns being without your gun is like going to an all you can eat buffet and only having salad. So we do some scouting in the morning see some elk cows only, then we decide to take a drive and go see some friends we had a blast and it helped relieve some stress awaiting the hunt. It is now Tuesday night after filling our bellies with about 8 lbs of lamb chops we started getting all our essential items together for the big hunt you know important stuff (snacks, tags, license, baby wipes). As we sat around the fire we were discussing the next days game plan. Why is it that you second guess yourself and never do what you say you are? Wednesday 6:00 am the smell of coffee mixed with rancid butt fills the warm but yet chilly trailer, you could cut the air with a knife. Smiles were big, hopes were high time to set out. Like I said why do you always change your plans? at about 7:30 I heard shots, I knew it was my partner well it wasn't it was a 14 year old girl about 500 yards from our camp and she dumped a nice 5x6 it was her first bull (good for her) like good soldiers we kept hunting, many miles later no animals day 1 was over. No blood in camp (only on baby wipes) but that is a whole other story. Frustrated but not defeated we made plans for day two. Go back to what you know, don't give up God is good we were hunting could life get any better? Into the darkness we set out. Richard in one direction me and my son in another. we got settled, sitting back to back my son looking at one ridge and me looking on another. Hunter says dad can I have my binoculars, I had not even got my back pack off when he said "Dad elk on that hill they are everywhere" I quickly looked and he was right. I called my partner on the radio, He already saw them and it was now Game time. We made a plan and put it into action. I had about a mile to go and turned to my son and said I have to do this alone, I need to be quiet and its going to be a hard hike. What a amazing kid he is he looked at me and said go get em Dad. I dropped everything except my gun and shooting sticks and off I went. I only knew my partner was to my right about 5-700 yards away but I left my radio behind in the excitement (stupid me). I hiked for what seemed for ever but really was only about 15 minutes. I climbed up a hill and could see fresh tracks and sign everywhere, I could no see any animals but knew they were close. I got down on my knees and began to crawl from tree to tree until I saw a body. Now I am shaking, full of nervous energy, excited I knew it was going to be fast and furious. I slowly crawled to the next tree, now I can see about 10-15 bodies feeding in the trees (they have no idea I am ever there). glassing each body I can not put antlers on anything. I slowly crawl to the next tree, now there are even more elk, one cow looks in my direction but has no idea I am there, she goes back to feeding an I am about 40 yards from them. I slowly glassed each majestic beast and saw tha one seemed larger than the others but I could only see its back half. He was huge but I could not see his head, slowly he walked past a tree, I saw one antler I knew I was taking him no matter what. As he walked slower I saw more of his rack and knew he was a good bull, broadside 35 yards away stood my ultimate dream, this is why we work so hard and do what we do. I could hear in my head my 92 year old grandpa who taught me about hunting "bust him, squeeze don't pull" BOOM!!!! hard hit to the shoulder he began to run off BOOM/BOOM!!!! two more hard hits, now he is trotting and is about 150 yards away but not stopping so BOOM!!!! another hard hit "why won't you go down" I'm thinking to myself. Now he is out of sight and I hear BOOM/BOOM/BOOM!!!! I knew it was my buddy I run up the hill and see elk everywhere going over the top of the hill. I see a bull laying on the hillside I yelled at Richard did you see a big branch bull come this way?. He said yes it ran over the hill after he shot his. The elk were pushed righ to him and he shot the first one that came out with antlers there was another big branch bull and 4 spikes in the group as well. I was heart broken I knew I hit him hard and the sickness began to fill my stomach. As I am walking towards my buddies bull I look down hill and sitting on the hillside is my bull Praise the Lord! I walked towards him and wouldn't you know it he gets up and starts going down hill BOOM/BOOM!!! I hit him again. I can see the stram coming out of his body (he is like the Michael Myers of Elk) and finally he goes down. A buddy asked if I was using a BB gun I was using a 300Win Mag with 180 grain bullets (he looked like swiss cheese when we skinned him). I cant believe what just happened, we have two bulls a 5x4 and a 6x6 down within 300 yards from each other. Check out the heart picture from my buddies elk (300Ultra Short Mag takes care of business) As we are yelling and hugging (it was emotional I won't lie to ya) I start calling my sons name and all of a sudden I see him sprinting up the hill he jumps into my arms and says "did you get one" I said we got two he asked how big was it I said a 6x6 and he nearly choked me to death he was so excited. Now the work was to begin it was 7:40 two elk down we had not even made our meat pole yet we knew we were in for a long day but who cared we had elk down! Needless to say we finished up by 6:00pm We took them each out whole (not bad for two old guys and a 9 year old) All I can say is that I have never expierenced a hunt like that. I was so blessed to take a nice bull, and my partner took a nice bull as well. (our first branch bulls) I can't say enought about my partner and the time we had together there is something so special about hunting and to have my son with me even made it sweeter. Thank you Dr.Classen for making it such a memorable trip I will never come down off my cloud. Only one last thing to say and that is GOD is GOOD!
Tim Whitehead aka Studbuck01
muleyman
Here is the story behind the Oregon bulls. It all started like usual a year ago when trying to figure out where we were going to hunt. We had success before in a good unit (2 spikes) but felt we wanted to make a change and try something different. We made up our minds and crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. Well obviously we drew our unit (undisclosed) and thus began the 4 months of stress leading up to the hunt. Like most men we waited until the last minute to pack and get ready for the hunt. We left on Saturday the 24th after the Ducks pounded the Huskies of course! Off we went into the night sky, myself, Richard our captain and my 9 year old son (his 1st elk hunt). Lets just say hopes were high as we traveled (far away) and the dreaming began. In our minds we already knew were coming home with something, my son was missing Halloween and the Ducks/USC game so he was really hoping we were coming home early. Sunday we got settled into our camping spot or as we called it "Little Patch of Heaven" it was a rough camp but after some TLC we had a nice fire pit and life was good! As we were working around the camp I looked up only to see about 30-40 elk running down the hill and across the road only about 100 yards from camp (Game On) so needless to say we did some pre scouting that night, and our expectations were even higher. Monday we got up and it was raining like crazy went out for a bit saw about 30 elk a couple spikes but no branch bulls. As good Oregon hunters however we knew were going to shoot the first elk we saw with antlers our freezers were getting mighty low and us fat kids love us some meat. After getting soaked it was time to hunker down in the trailer, eat some of Richards famous green chili stew, watch hunting videos and climb into our fart sacks. Life could not get much better! It is now Tuesday, day before the big hunt. Finally we are going to walk in the woods with our guns being without your gun is like going to an all you can eat buffet and only having salad. So we do some scouting in the morning see some elk cows only, then we decide to take a drive and go see some friends we had a blast and it helped relieve some stress awaiting the hunt. It is now Tuesday night after filling our bellies with about 8 lbs of lamb chops we started getting all our essential items together for the big hunt you know important stuff (snacks, tags, license, baby wipes). As we sat around the fire we were discussing the next days game plan. Why is it that you second guess yourself and never do what you say you are? Wednesday 6:00 am the smell of coffee mixed with rancid butt fills the warm but yet chilly trailer, you could cut the air with a knife. Smiles were big, hopes were high time to set out. Like I said why do you always change your plans? at about 7:30 I heard shots, I knew it was my partner well it wasn't it was a 14 year old girl about 500 yards from our camp and she dumped a nice 5x6 it was her first bull (good for her) like good soldiers we kept hunting, many miles later no animals day 1 was over. No blood in camp (only on baby wipes) but that is a whole other story. Frustrated but not defeated we made plans for day two. Go back to what you know, don't give up God is good we were hunting could life get any better? Into the darkness we set out. Richard in one direction me and my son in another. we got settled, sitting back to back my son looking at one ridge and me looking on another. Hunter says dad can I have my binoculars, I had not even got my back pack off when he said "Dad elk on that hill they are everywhere" I quickly looked and he was right. I called my partner on the radio, He already saw them and it was now Game time. We made a plan and put it into action. I had about a mile to go and turned to my son and said I have to do this alone, I need to be quiet and its going to be a hard hike. What a amazing kid he is he looked at me and said go get em Dad. I dropped everything except my gun and shooting sticks and off I went. I only knew my partner was to my right about 5-700 yards away but I left my radio behind in the excitement (stupid me). I hiked for what seemed for ever but really was only about 15 minutes. I climbed up a hill and could see fresh tracks and sign everywhere, I could no see any animals but knew they were close. I got down on my knees and began to crawl from tree to tree until I saw a body. Now I am shaking, full of nervous energy, excited I knew it was going to be fast and furious. I slowly crawled to the next tree, now I can see about 10-15 bodies feeding in the trees (they have no idea I am ever there). glassing each body I can not put antlers on anything. I slowly crawl to the next tree, now there are even more elk, one cow looks in my direction but has no idea I am there, she goes back to feeding an I am about 40 yards from them. I slowly glassed each majestic beast and saw tha one seemed larger than the others but I could only see its back half. He was huge but I could not see his head, slowly he walked past a tree, I saw one antler I knew I was taking him no matter what. As he walked slower I saw more of his rack and knew he was a good bull, broadside 35 yards away stood my ultimate dream, this is why we work so hard and do what we do. I could hear in my head my 92 year old grandpa who taught me about hunting "bust him, squeeze don't pull" BOOM!!!! hard hit to the shoulder he began to run off BOOM/BOOM!!!! two more hard hits, now he is trotting and is about 150 yards away but not stopping so BOOM!!!! another hard hit "why won't you go down" I'm thinking to myself. Now he is out of sight and I hear BOOM/BOOM/BOOM!!!! I knew it was my buddy I run up the hill and see elk everywhere going over the top of the hill. I see a bull laying on the hillside I yelled at Richard did you see a big branch bull come this way?. He said yes it ran over the hill after he shot his. The elk were pushed righ to him and he shot the first one that came out with antlers there was another big branch bull and 4 spikes in the group as well. I was heart broken I knew I hit him hard and the sickness began to fill my stomach. As I am walking towards my buddies bull I look down hill and sitting on the hillside is my bull Praise the Lord! I walked towards him and wouldn't you know it he gets up and starts going down hill BOOM/BOOM!!! I hit him again. I can see the stram coming out of his body (he is like the Michael Myers of Elk) and finally he goes down. A buddy asked if I was using a BB gun I was using a 300Win Mag with 180 grain bullets (he looked like swiss cheese when we skinned him). I cant believe what just happened, we have two bulls a 5x4 and a 6x6 down within 300 yards from each other. Check out the heart picture from my buddies elk (300Ultra Short Mag takes care of business) As we are yelling and hugging (it was emotional I won't lie to ya) I start calling my sons name and all of a sudden I see him sprinting up the hill he jumps into my arms and says "did you get one" I said we got two he asked how big was it I said a 6x6 and he nearly choked me to death he was so excited. Now the work was to begin it was 7:40 two elk down we had not even made our meat pole yet we knew we were in for a long day but who cared we had elk down! Needless to say we finished up by 6:00pm We took them each out whole (not bad for two old guys and a 9 year old) All I can say is that I have never expierenced a hunt like that. I was so blessed to take a nice bull, and my partner took a nice bull as well. (our first branch bulls) I can't say enought about my partner and the time we had together there is something so special about hunting and to have my son with me even made it sweeter. Thank you Dr.Classen for making it such a memorable trip I will never come down off my cloud. Only one last thing to say and that is GOD is GOOD!
Tim Whitehead aka Studbuck01
