Another 7B Bull Elk

[Mauser98]

Seeing Fincat's thread about his nice 7X7 elk from 7B motivated me to get busy and tell the tale of my 2013 hunt in 7B

My cousin and I arrived at our camp on Sept 11 to meet two other cousins that had arrived a few days earlier. The weather was very hot(+/-)30C.


On Sept 15, my daughter, son-in-law and grandkids visited us in camp. Lots of fun. The twins are two and full of energy. They helped clean camp.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/Tiagra885/Hunting%20Pictures/cc67ac39cb05a197ba0ab546bf223bf9.jpg

They did such a good job with the brooms that we decided to feed them. Pretty hard to beat a raw potato and a home brew on a hot day.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/Tiagra885/Hunting%20Pictures/cead231da8073a7055e0afa192c89ce8.jpg

[Mauser98]

After they left, I went elk hunting. Cow elk had opened that day. I parked the atv about 700 meters back and walked in on a seismic line. The bush as really dry and noisy so I was moving very slowly and stopping frequently. Didn't matter. I still got busted by a cow elk. She didn't spook but barked a few times. I cow talked and she settled down and wandered off. I never did see her.


I carried on to a spot overlooking a gully and set up. Bugled and chirped a couple of times but no response. But I think the bugling paid off later.


The daylight was starting to wane so I started back toward my atv. I was about half way back when an elk bugled over to my right. It wasn't too loud so I figured he was in a gully that I knew was about 600 meters away. I didn't bugle because I didn't want to get in to it with him with night coming.


I hadn't gone another 20 meters when he bugled again only the time a lot closer. Safety off and moved a few meters to the edge of a small meadow and beside a clump of willows


He bugled again really close-like maybe 20 meters!! I almost had a jammer!!!


I'm set up and watching to my right when he comes out into the meadow where it extends into the brush. He's on a mission. Breathing hard, neck extended, focused.


He passed on the other of the clump of willows I was next to. As soon as he emerged I had him in my scope. Big problem. My scope was set on 4X and all I could see was hair. I saw the point of his front leg, moved the cross-hair up and back a bit and shot him. He went down hard but after a few seconds was up again so a second shot was needed. Turned out that my first shot was a bit too far forward and broke his front leg before messing up the lungs. The distance was 7 meters for the first shot.


I was using my custom FN Mauser in .375 Ruger. The load was 270 gr Barnes 3X at about 2700 fps. The scope is a leupold VX II 2-7X33. From now on it will be set on 2X while hunting.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/Tiagra885/Hunting%20Pictures/6F72E679-8393-44FC-8C6E-5993285031D3-279-00000030B13FAA8C_zps58055074.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/Tiagra885/Hunting%20Pictures/6b2b576ad8cb4da3a72a17350dd661fa.jpg

[Mauser98]

The average in our camp is 66. The youngest is 58 while the eldest is 72. I'm the average. We use an aluminum trailer to transport whole animals out of the bush and at one time we would use brute strength to load the beasts into the trailer That got old so one of our handier members came up with an alternate method.



This clip shows loading another bull one of our party shot. The same method was used for mine


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/Tiagra885/Hunting%20Pictures/62E66F7E-12D7-46C9-8A3E-227470FB3BAD-534-0000008944893283_zpsdcbddb08.mp4

[Blainer]

Great share
nice bull

[kennyj]

Great story. Great photos. Great bull!
kenny

[benttip]

how cool is that....lol..right on congrats and thanks for sharing,,,

[rocksteady]

That is just way too slick how you loaded that beast... Gotta remember that trick.... Oh wait, I hunt road closures, that would not help me...

Congrats on the bulls

[boxhitch]

Good loading trick , especially the auto-dismantle feature

[treehugger]

Great story... and bull! Thanks for sharing. And the ingenuity on the trailer... work smarter, not harder. Nice!

[cas-has-cars]

Thanks for the story and showing your loading handy work.
Well Done.

[deer nut]

With age comes wisdom obviously! That was cool the way he got that nice bull in the trailer! Inspiring. You guys seem to have things figured out!

[Fincat]

I now what your saying about a jammer. Great looking bull!

[Spy]

Great elk & story thanks for sharing, your tricks. :-).

[Big Lew]

Congrats to you guys, pretty clever, and was that a weed eater in your truck?

[hunter1947]

Very nice bull elk you got Man O Man is ever neat to see some of us old timers post up pictures of big game animals ,,real neat way of getting that bull elk into the bucket ,,thanks for posting ,,nice story and a big congrats to you..

[glen8221]

Congrats on the nice Bull. Looks like you have an Engineer in your hunting party. Thanks for sharing. Great story.