Hells Canyon Bull

[regularjoe]

Had a great hunt in Idaho's unit 18, Hells Canyon Wilderness. It is a fantastic area and is loaded with mature bulls and a lot of nice mature mule deer. It is a controlled hunt access but luckily a fantastic outfitter has an allotment of 9 tags.
We hunted one on one. He was open to ethical long range shots as he knew I had done a lot of training and would only take a well considered shot. I harvested this beauty across a canyon... it was a great hunt in amazing wild country.
As if this weren't enough, we followed up with a trophy Mule deer in the breaks of the the canyon.

 

[climb-101]

congrats on nice bull you got there. looks like its a little rough to get out of there though.

 

[regularjoe]

Over all it is steep rough country... a little intimidating. The outfitter however, new the country inside and out. We were able to quarter the bull and load it right onto the mules. The mules were pretty savvy and we followed game trails right to the elk.

 

[regularjoe]

Working our way through the narrows in the Seven Devils....

 

[HUAINAMACHERO]

Very nice bull, congrats!!!
Nice pictures, looks like a really nice hunt you had there.
Thanks for sharing.
Any more pics? How about pics of the mule deer?

 

[Wingnut]

If you don't mind saying who was the outfitter? I am looking to do a hunt in Idaho next year.

 

[HARPERC]

Great pictures! I love the one walking the string across the rough spot.

 

[regularjoe]

The Seven Devils Range is a remarkable place. I could roam that place on horseback summer spring and fall and never get over it's raw beauty.... lots of wildlife. Goats, Bighorn sheep, elk, mulies, lions and bears. So far the wolfs have not made a big impact on the Hells canyon herds (im sure that will change).
The outfitter and guide was Russel Gilmoore who owns Hells Canyon Outfitters. Its a hunters hunt. Comfortable, yes. Fancy, no. The guy is a true predator. If finding herd bulls is the goal over sopping up biscuits and gravy then this is the real deal.

This is the bonus Mule deer. We spotted him from a long ways out. I humped two hours and climbed 1800 vertical feet to get within 525 yards. We had to bring him down on our backs because it got pretty steep.

 

[Scot E]

One of my favorite places in Idaho and that's saying something! Congrats on both trophies!

What are the specs of your gun, cartridge, scope etc.

Scot E.

 

[regularjoe]

I'm shooting a HS Precision 300 WSM topped with a Nightforce 5.5X22. It took quite a bit of work to get a load the REALLY worked well. I settled on 180 gr. Barnes TTSX bullets, winchester brass and RL17 powder.

 

[kcebcj]

Nice mature bull. 18 is a good unit to hunt and I did so for years but have not been in there sense retiring and buying a small ranch in unit 13. Congratulations...beats the heck out of a rag-horn doesn't it!

 

[regularjoe]

Nice mature bull. 18 is a good unit to hunt and I did so for years but have not been in there sense retiring and buying a small ranch in unit 13. Congratulations...beats the heck out of a rag-horn doesn't it!

Indeed it does!

 

[carpetman2]

Great bull. I got my first long range trophy bull in unit 18 in 2009. It is trully rough country. My bull took 30 hours to get to and back to camp. LOL! But it was worth every minute. How far was your shot?gun)

 

[regularjoe]

Great bull. I got my first long range trophy bull in unit 18 in 2009. It is trully rough country. My bull took 30 hours to get to and back to camp. LOL! But it was worth every minute. How far was your shot?gun)

The shot was 798 yards. Dead perfect flat rock rest on eberlistock rifle cradle I sewed to my pack. I had a cross wind to deal with.. We kept waiting for the mirage to straighten up. 20 degree up slope. Took my time as the bull was fully unaware. Worked out well!