mozey
Long Time Member
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Already posted a little bit about this in the NM Forum, so I apologize for the redundant parts. This was the first time I've drawn this tag in about 18 years. The last time I drew it, I connected on a 365" 6X7 bull (pics below), and I had planned to relive the dream and backpack the ten miles back to the same spot where I'd killed that bull.
Well, I was rained out the first two days. On the third day, I was about four miles into the planned ten when I spotted a group of four bulls and two cows on a hillside. I already often get accused of "hiking past elk to get to other elk" so I thought I should take a closer look.
I was able to sneak within 460 yards, but couldn't make up my mind whether I wanted to shoot. There definitely wasn't any 365" bulls in that group, and I also wasn't 100 percent sure that they were standing on the legal side of the hunting unit boundary.
But I continued to I watch them the rest of that morning until they all fed into a thick stand of new aspens, where it looked like they were going to bed for the day. I then snuck within a couple hundred yards of where they'd been feeding and was able to use the onX straight-line tool to verify that they were indeed on the legal side of the boundary. I was then able to sneak back out of there without them detecting me.
At that point I decided that I would try to take the biggest bull (even if it wasn't a 365-incher) if and when they came back out that evening.
I waited and watched all day, and right at sunset two of the smaller bulls came back out and started grazing, but not the one that I wanted. So I decided to set up my tent right there and wait until morning.
The next morning, only a few minutes before sunrise, I rolled out of my sleeping bag, grabbed my rifle and binoculars, and started sneaking back towards where I'd last seen them the night before. I hadn't gone a hundred yards when I saw the first bull at about 300 yards. I closed the distance another 50 to 70 yards and now I could see five bulls. I looked them all over very carefully, picked out the biggest, and dropped him with my 300 WSM.
I've been fortunate to work on a lot of big bulls over my lifetime, but the massive body size of this one intimidated me a little when I walked up on him. I knew I was going to need some help. I sent out some texts and soon had a couple really good friends change their schedules that morning so they could come in and help me.
I then started working on the bull. Unfortunately, within the first minute or two of starting to skin it, my knife slipped and whacked me across the back of my left hand. I knew it probably was not good, but using some Leuko tape, I wrapped it up tight and got most of the bleeding to stop. Instead of immediately hiking out of there, I decided to keep working on the bull so that the meat would not spoil.
I caped him and then used the gutless method for the quarters, back straps, and tenderloins. This task took about three or four hours, and I was just finishing when my friends showed up and took over the task of hauling it out, while I took down my camp and then got myself to the closest Urgent Care, which was only a 20-minute drive after my four-mile pack out.
The Urgent Care folks took one look at my hand and said that I had cut a couple tendons and a knuckle which would require surgery and recommended that I go to an ER. So I drove the rest of the way to my home so my wife could take me to our local ER.
We were at the ER from 7:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. After x-rays and some exploratory probing, yes, I'd cut completely through my ring finger tendon, and partially cut my middle finger tendon and bone. It's going to require surgery for which I'm scheduled this Monday. I still believe I did the right thing.
The ER doctors stitched me up and put a cast on me. I hate trying to type one-handed.
A third friend joined in the hauling out of my elk, and it took them until 1:00 a.m. to get all of it out. Those are some really good friends...
The first two pics are my 2006 bull, and the third is my 2024 bull. Didn't quite recreate the dream, but it's all still good.
Well, I was rained out the first two days. On the third day, I was about four miles into the planned ten when I spotted a group of four bulls and two cows on a hillside. I already often get accused of "hiking past elk to get to other elk" so I thought I should take a closer look.
I was able to sneak within 460 yards, but couldn't make up my mind whether I wanted to shoot. There definitely wasn't any 365" bulls in that group, and I also wasn't 100 percent sure that they were standing on the legal side of the hunting unit boundary.
But I continued to I watch them the rest of that morning until they all fed into a thick stand of new aspens, where it looked like they were going to bed for the day. I then snuck within a couple hundred yards of where they'd been feeding and was able to use the onX straight-line tool to verify that they were indeed on the legal side of the boundary. I was then able to sneak back out of there without them detecting me.
At that point I decided that I would try to take the biggest bull (even if it wasn't a 365-incher) if and when they came back out that evening.
I waited and watched all day, and right at sunset two of the smaller bulls came back out and started grazing, but not the one that I wanted. So I decided to set up my tent right there and wait until morning.
The next morning, only a few minutes before sunrise, I rolled out of my sleeping bag, grabbed my rifle and binoculars, and started sneaking back towards where I'd last seen them the night before. I hadn't gone a hundred yards when I saw the first bull at about 300 yards. I closed the distance another 50 to 70 yards and now I could see five bulls. I looked them all over very carefully, picked out the biggest, and dropped him with my 300 WSM.
I've been fortunate to work on a lot of big bulls over my lifetime, but the massive body size of this one intimidated me a little when I walked up on him. I knew I was going to need some help. I sent out some texts and soon had a couple really good friends change their schedules that morning so they could come in and help me.
I then started working on the bull. Unfortunately, within the first minute or two of starting to skin it, my knife slipped and whacked me across the back of my left hand. I knew it probably was not good, but using some Leuko tape, I wrapped it up tight and got most of the bleeding to stop. Instead of immediately hiking out of there, I decided to keep working on the bull so that the meat would not spoil.
I caped him and then used the gutless method for the quarters, back straps, and tenderloins. This task took about three or four hours, and I was just finishing when my friends showed up and took over the task of hauling it out, while I took down my camp and then got myself to the closest Urgent Care, which was only a 20-minute drive after my four-mile pack out.
The Urgent Care folks took one look at my hand and said that I had cut a couple tendons and a knuckle which would require surgery and recommended that I go to an ER. So I drove the rest of the way to my home so my wife could take me to our local ER.
We were at the ER from 7:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. After x-rays and some exploratory probing, yes, I'd cut completely through my ring finger tendon, and partially cut my middle finger tendon and bone. It's going to require surgery for which I'm scheduled this Monday. I still believe I did the right thing.
The ER doctors stitched me up and put a cast on me. I hate trying to type one-handed.
A third friend joined in the hauling out of my elk, and it took them until 1:00 a.m. to get all of it out. Those are some really good friends...
The first two pics are my 2006 bull, and the third is my 2024 bull. Didn't quite recreate the dream, but it's all still good.
