we're almost 20 miles from the nearest paved road we're back in elk country
here southern Colorado and we're gonna be hunting for trophy bull elk we're
gonna be hunting Meadows up at 10,000 to 11,000 feet the first evening finds us
coming out on a big wide Long meadow and remember when i told you about the
pre rut well the pre rut is right now I like to
hunt this time here why because whether your rifle hunting or archery hunting
being able to Cow call and bugle with the bugle these bulls are real receptive
to that now you got this 300 point bull right here and he's got these cows but
he walks away from them now why would a bull like this just during the rut
coming on leave those cows like that well let me show you here look what
comes to the left a 330 bull he comes right in here and says girls you're
going with me you know it's a fallacy people don't realize if these cows did
not want to go with this bull they woulda took off and he would have never
been able to keep up with him yet we move after a little bit here we move
further on down the meadow about three miles and we come up on another bull
that has all I'd say a dozen cows we slip right in on him we set up we watch
him and this bull is I'm telling you a character he's hot he's come on the
rut Oh early and he's right in this wall or watching he gets down there and gets
dirty and muddy and rolls around into that mud
this feels so good he says he's got about a dozen cows off the side here and
he's just just getting all muddy here I think it makes him look bigger and he's
a little lazy to sit staring bugles in the mudhole was he listening so that's
Jim over there I know Jim he better not come over my area I'm gonna just bugle a
Jim I tell you what I've named this the nasty chuckler why named in the
chuckler you listen here he chuckles after every bugle while he does watching
me race is all I'm gonna throw some mud up in the air you know we didn't want
this bull he's got good main beams probably 48 but he just doesn't have
that 50 point you notice it's been busted off but he still would be a good
trophy bull and anybody's book but we're looking for something a little
better you know at this time just as these bulls are gathering cows up it's
really a good time like I said before - cow call get in on a bull and bugle or
just a bugle and cow call you don't know what kind of bull you're gonna have
coming in listen to him chuckles but you know even
at this time he's all muddied up we call it the waller' out but he's a nasty
thing this bull is he looks over at these cows that over to the right here
and he says hey he's got his own brand of perfume here now I want you to
watch this he just urinates all over his face look at that oh you nasty thing you
he says I gotta get smelly for these girls whoo this guy is nasty
well we're gonna leave him alone and ease down further
down the meadow and we come on another bull here he's about a 320 bull
he's got 46 inch main beans he's 44 inches inside but you know he isn't one
of those big bulls that we're looking for you notice his his Royals which is
his fourth point is only probably 10 inches long finally as the Sun has gone
down and it's just getting really to dusk to even film out there at 800 yards
I spot this bull now look when he turns there look how heavy his back tangs are
he's got one of those big 20-inch Royals you know it's just too dark to do any
shooting on this bull plus you know I'm shooting video here with a 20 power lens
and he's 800 yards away it's just too late in the evening and up
on the right here comes another bull probably got a over a 40 inch outside
spread these Bulls are just traveling around looking for cows there he is
right there we'll come back maybe tomorrow morning
and see if we can't find these Bulls the next morning we're up on a lookout and
we look straight across at over 11,500 feet and there's a whole harem of elk
over there now the one to the right and just below the ridge line and that's a
bull and you can't see him here but he's a 360 bull if he's an inch just he's got
dozen or so cows there and he's living right on top of that peak you know we
hear some bugle and down below us and we look at each other and say well do we go
to is 11,500 feet or do we go down below us and look at these Bulls down below
well you know what I say let's go low and see what we can find
so we ease down off this point and into the bottom Creek bottom
and we run into these Bulls splitting these cows up now did you hear that
growler now that's I do a little squeak bull here
that's the bull and I want to see in my years of hunting when I hear a bull
growl like that he's a big ol mature bull these are the Bulls right here
pushing these cows around keeping each other away from them
there isn't a bull Hill over 330 there's not a bull here we'd be interested in
taking but boy are they off far looking and kick that cow off see I don't want
you he'd get over there sometime you hear that growl I'm scanning the timber
I can't find him he's held up in that timber and won't come out we sit there
for a longest time finally we move off and as the sun's coming up we go into a
little pocket on down in them into this Creek bottom and here we got a bull and
I'm telling you this is in the morning he must have 20 cows or more there if
you want to count them go ahead but there is a bunch of cows he's gathered
up every cow on this Creek range I guarantee you tomorrow he won't have
all those cows there'll be several bigger bulls come in and take him away
from him but there he is right there he's about a 330 yeah Mike that's me
yeah we see him yeah Rod's on the camera run the camera yeah he he's got all this
on film right here that's about a 330 bull we're looking for that next class
higher 340 that's got the 18 inch Royals he knows here he's Royals a little short
but man does he have the cows here he runs over here and there's a little
teeny spike elk and that poor spike doesn't know what's going on and this
bull is gonna run him off how would you like to have that bull chase you it's
just hey I'm out of here I don't know what he's got into this bull elk but he
sure doesn't like me well he's gonna keep any bull if he can
away from all those cows but we watching for a while here just a real beautiful
bull he just lacks that last royal going up there 18 inches to be very very
impressive that's the only thing he lacks and in most areas this would be a
super trophy and it is a trophy bull but when you give an area like this where
you know the top in is 340 you know you really want to try to hold out for a
good big bull
we were moving along here and come to an opening in my hat fell off because the
wind was blowing and they went around a tree
I reached around the tree to grab the Hat and I looked up and here was a 340
bull just going into the timber I think he's 340 he just went in the
timber and right behind him comes as 320 bull
if we were only two minutes sooner I don't think he's big I think you know I
don't think so
there he goes in the timber back where we heard that growler this morning you
know in all the years that I've hunted hearing a big ol bull like that I know
that if we can get him out of that black timber he's gonna be a good old bull you
know it's about five o'clock in the afternoon and these lesser Bulls are
pulling out of that timber into the meadow and we got a little 300 bull that
comes right up to it and I'm gonna look do a little cow calling in hopes of
getting an answer from that old bull
there he is did you listen to that did you hear that
he's coming I know he is he's coming right out in this opening but he's gonna
turn there he is so busy and breaking the ground he doesn't even see it he
pulls up here he's a 350 bull I'm gonna take him a
good shot I aimed right on his back and that 7mm you know a hundred and sixty
grain nozzle or partition just took him right out what a toad he is really
starting to rot big old black horn we call her in our country timber bulls
with in big black antlers Oh easy rotten who does he stink Bobby says well I'm
glad you're gotten him out instead of me
he's got 52-inch main beams 21-inch royals
he's a 350 type bull his Royals are as wide as your palm of your hand at the
base just a real beautiful bull