The 2015 season arrived and once again i had a bull elk tag just burning a hole in my pocket! I started out the season in the same area that i have been successful in years passed and while i was seeing elk i was also seeing an increase in other hunters from years passed. Determined to find a big bull i told myself i would hike farther than most people would to reach my goal. The days rolled on and the miles kept accumulating on my boots and there were days i would get frustrated either from the lack of elk or the abundance of hunters, but i pushed on. Talking with friends of mine that also had the same tag i began to feel better about myself when hearing that some of them had yet to see a bull and i had been passing up bulls on a daily basis. They all said i was crazy and that i should just shoot one already and begged to know where i was hunting. I told them i wanted a big bull or i would just not fill my tag. The Final day of the season arrived and i had to work all day but decided that i would head out after work for one last try. When i got to my spot i was thrilled to not see any other trucks at the trailhead. I got all my gear together and took off down the trail towards a spot i had seen a big 6x6 with palmated tops 4 days before just over the private/public land boundary. Hoping he worked his way onto public. I had a mile to go to where i last saw him and happened to glance up the hill to my left and saw what looked like an elk head sticking up out of the sagebrush. i pulled up my binos and sure enough there was a bull bedded 200 yards away oblivious that i was there even though i was in the wide open. i could see he had really nice fronts but couldnt see anything above his thirds because they were obscured by a pine tree. After watching him for 20 minutes or so i decided he was the one and took the shot. He is a really unique bull, no broken points just some funky tops. Didn't get done packing him out until 1:30am, Thank god for family and good friends that came to help with the packout!
