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I wanted to share some of this years' hunting adventures with
you. It started out in September in Washington and I was archery hunting with 2
of my nephews Shane and Alex. About 20 minutes into our hunt I called in a herd
bull that had 20 cows. It was a big 5X5 and he came in pissed off. My nephew
Alex was set up 30 yards in front of me and the bull came in straight on to him.
He was @ full draw and it was only 5 yards away breathing down his neck and he
couldn't get a good shot. The bull eventually turned to go and I stopped him
with a call and my nephew got a shot but it just wasn't meant to be. We hunted 4
more days with some close calls but no kills. I then got ready for my Idaho
hunts. I hunted two Idaho tags this year, the first for 12 days in September
hunting in the Diamond Creek Unit in SE Idaho. We had a great camp with my
brother John, my friends Kevin and Don, and my brother-in-law Michael even
showed up for a couple of days.
The weather was horribly hot but I saw 14 bulls and got 1
shot that I missed. My brother John scored a bull with his long bow. He has
killed many bulls but this was his first with his traditional gear, making for a
very rewarding hunt. John and I then went solo to the Panhandle Unit rifle hunt
starting October 10th. It was around 6-8 degrees the first 3 mornings and we
could barely function. On opening day we called in a small 5X5 but it didn't
work out. On Monday the 12th, tired of being frozen, so frozen our calls,
fingers, and toes barely worked and our waters in our backpacks would be frozen
within an hour. So we drove 20 miles into a little store and tried to buy some
hand warmers. The owner at the store looked at us like we were two girls and
told us he didn't have any but that he would sell us some Midol or tampons if we
needed some. We took the hint, left with our tails between our legs, and headed
back out.
We walked about 1 1/2 miles in behind a gate in the high
country and set up to call. John had called in a big bull at this location 2
years ago during archery and thought it might still hold elk. We started calling
and got a big aggressive bugle from about 1,000 yards away. John gave me the
green light to be the shooter so I got ready and he started working the bull.
The bull moved about 300 yards closer and then went silent and I thought it may
be over when John let out his small bull squeal and broke a bunch of branches.
The bull started screaming at him and getting closer and then finally I saw him
standing directly above a rock cliff/wall. I had ranged the edge of the timber
when I first set up and knew it was 400 yards. I figured him to be @ 500, held
12" high and squeezed off the shot. What I saw next is hard to describe and I
will never forget it. That bull free fell between 30 and 40 feet spinning out of
control, grounded out at the foot of the cliff and slid another 70 yards! I
yelled at John that I got him but I was sure that his antlers must be broken
off. They weren't but he had 2 busted legs and and some nasty cuts. He was
actually 515 yards and I double lunged him. Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures.
I'm looking forward to the late archery hunt in Washington.
Hope you enjoyed the story,
Paul
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