Semi-live Utah LE Elk Muzzy Hunt

elkhunterUT

elkhunterUT

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I have always enjoyed the semi-live hunts on here so when service allows, I will keep you updated on my muzzy hunt that opens on Monday 9/21.
We arrived yesterday late afternoon and got camp set up-our #1 camp spot was taken.

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Got out to glass just before dark and spotted 2 bulls, both good 6’s bedded down and alone. The 1 bull bugled about every 2-3 minutes.
 
Got to my glassing spot this morning well before light and heard a couple bugles-very windy.
As it got light I spotted this good 6 all alone
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Then found this bull with about 15 cows-he is a 7x7 that I have trail cam pics of
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Around 8:00am spotted this good 6 with about 10 cows
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Did not turn up my #1 bull yet-hopefully tonight!
 
Walking into my glassing point this morning in the dark and a bull bugles at me from about 50 yards-too dark to fully tell but looked like a small 6x6.

Found the 7x7 again that I shared a trail cam pic of above. He was with 30+ cows bugling non-stop and herding those cows like crazy.

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He is in a perfect spot for tomorrow if he stays put. He moved quite a ways from Saturday morning to today though, so who knows where he will be tomorrow. Lots of other bulls bugling this morning. Tomorrow will hopefully be a hoot-looking forward to it.
My brother and I are going to backpack in a spike camp later this afternoon near where I have been glassing. I may not have great service over there, so I will update when I can. Game on tomorrow!!??
 
OMG! Another semi-live hunt for me to get hooked on! I'm addicted!!

Good luck. With bugling bulls like these all around you, we're expecting some kool pics with big ole grins! No pressure...:):)
 
My brother and I packed in our spike camp around 5pm on Sunday. As we were hiking in to the spot we wanted to camp, we could hear several bulls screaming directly below us. Not wanting to push them, we decided to set up camp higher up.
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Just as we finished setting up camp we hear some elk coming towards us-several cows and a 320 class 6x6 walk by at 50 yards above us. Minutes later I hear more elk coming to my left and look over to see about 6-7 cows coming right at me. They turn on a trail and walk below me at 15 yards.
A few minutes later a bull screams below us about 100 yards away. It is almost getting dark now so we start glassing hard in the thick aspens below to spot him. He is bugling about every 2-3 minutes and eventually he shows himself. A solid 335 class 6 point. He starts heading directly towards us screaming the whole way (I will share the video later if I can). He walks by at 30 yards and circles up above us to chase off a raghorn that had slipped in. He works his way up above us and we get in our sleeping bags.
Sleep did not come-bulls bugled all night long, in every direction around us. A good problem!!?
 
We woke up at 5:50am opening morning to grab a quick bite to eat and listen to bugles. One particular bull below us sounded best with some raspy bugles and growls, so we headed that direction at first light.
The wind was blowing down from our right to left and the bull sounded to be on a steep aspen face to our right, so we continued towards him, but kept below him. Eventually we spotted a couple cows and then Chad saw the bull. He moved into my view for a second and I could tell he was a heavy massive old bull. He chased a cow to my right and then whirled back at another cow and came back into my view at 85 yards. I put my scope on him and knew he was a shooter without any hesitation. A cow cleared and his shoulder opened up and I shot, dropping him in his tracks. Cows exploded everywhere, 30+ cows and I knew it was the massive 7x7 that I shared earlier from my trail cam pics and video from Saturday and Sunday morning.
As I walked up to him, I couldn’t believe how heavy his antlers were and how big bodied he was-just a tank in every way. He was the king of that mountain-the only bull I saw that had more than 2-3 cows. I couldn’t be happier with this bull. I never did see my #1 bull again after Labor Day, so I’m thinking a rifle hunter killed him. Doesn’t matter-this bull is cooler!!??
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This hunt was everything I could have asked for and more. I put in 25+ days of scouting since May and obsessed over many bulls caught on trail cam or on video. It was an amazing experience. This was a DIY hunt, but it never really is completely do-it-yourself. I had a lot of help from others and want to thank my Dad, my Bro Chad, and friend Matt for being with me on the hunt. Also have to thank my friend Taylor for his info and experience on the unit and his brother Patrick for helping me pack the bull out on his horses-can’t thank them enough! I could get used to packing elk on horses rather than on my back!!
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Can’t forget to thank my wife and kids most of all for allowing me to pursue my passion-they are the best!!
I will gather some of the best trail cam pics and video I have of my bull and share it later after I get home and settled a bit.
 
Thanks guys-I am still on cloud 9 from the whole experience!
To answer some of the questions that have been asked: this is a Pahvant bull.

On his mass, I am getting 60 1/8” total. If there are any official measurers on here, I have to ask why you take the smallest circumference for each mass measurement, and not the largest? One of the unique and awesome features of this bull is his mass between his 3rd and 4th points-at one point he has a 10 1/8” circumference but have to use the smallest 7 2/8” measurement. Just seems weird, but I don’t care about his score-I love him!
 
Massive body on this guy! He looks like a ready for market grain fed steer!
I know it’s hard to know for sure but what’s your best estimate on his “standing” weight?
 
Bumpy said:
Massive body on this guy! He looks like a ready for market grain fed steer!
I know it’s hard to know for sure but what’s your best estimate on his “standing” weight?
Click to expand...

Not sure on his standing weight, but that was the first thing that stood out to me in the trail cam pics were how huge his body was and how short his legs looked. He had lost some of the girth obviously with the rut and had hardly any fat on him at all, but I could not believe how big his neck and body were - just a tank.

I did drop the meat off at a processor and with all 4 quarters, backstraps, and neck meat (I kept the inner loins to cut and cook up this week), it came to 280 pounds
 
Great story. Thanks for your write-up. Do you mind sharing what Muzzleloader and load you were using? Very impressive to drop a bulllike that in its tracks
 
eyeguy said:
Great story. Thanks for your write-up. Do you mind sharing what Muzzleloader and load you were using? Very impressive to drop a bulllike that in its tracks
Click to expand...
I was using a CVA Accura MR .50 caliber with a 300 grain Hornady XTP Mag bullet/Black Harvester sabot combo. Shooting 70 grains by weight/100 grains by volume of Blackhorn 209 powder. This is the first elk I have personally shot with this setup, but my daughter has killed 2 deer with it and they both dropped in their tracks also. My brother and his kids have had similar results as well with the same load and bullet combo. I have been impressed for sure!
 
elkhunterUT said:
I was using a CVA Accura MR .50 caliber with a 300 grain Hornady XTP Mag bullet/Black Harvester sabot combo. Shooting 70 grains by weight/100 grains by volume of Blackhorn 209 powder. This is the first elk I have personally shot with this setup, but my daughter has killed 2 deer with it and they both dropped in their tracks also. My brother and his kids have had similar results as well with the same load and bullet combo. I have been impressed for sure!
Click to expand...

Congrats again on what you aptly called a tank!

I shoot that same bullet in my Knight whitetail setup. Good to know it'll be good for an elk some day.

Thanks for sharing again!
 
elkhunterUT said:
Thanks guys-I am still on cloud 9 from the whole experience!
To answer some of the questions that have been asked: this is a Pahvant bull.

On his mass, I am getting 60 1/8” total. If there are any official measurers on here, I have to ask why you take the smallest circumference for each mass measurement, and not the largest? One of the unique and awesome features of this bull is his mass between his 3rd and 4th points-at one point he has a 10 1/8” circumference but have to use the smallest 7 2/8” measurement. Just seems weird, but I don’t care about his score-I love him!
Click to expand...
Incredible mass measurements. What did he end up scoring? Not that it matter cuz it’s an amazing bull! Congrats again.
 
Going through a bunch of trail cam pictures from my scouting and hunt - here are a few bulls that stood out:
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The last 7x7 bull here was the one I watched on the Saturday evening before my hunt and posted a picture of in my story - he is a stud bull. To my knowledge, he was not killed on the muzzy hunt.
 

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