First bull I took w/ my Sendero

[7MMColoHunter]

I took this bull in Oct of 2005. On the second afternoon of the hunt myself, two hunting buddies, and my two sons headed down into one of our better spots for the evening hunt. Just as we set down to start glassing we heard a bugle in the distance. Then the elk started coming out about 3/4 of a mile away into a big clearing. There was a total of 23 cows and calfs and one bull. The wind was stightly at our backs and we did not have much time so I decided we would just go for it.

I left the boys on the point and my buddies and I dropped off at a quick pace and headed toward them. One buddy could not keep up and I and my other buddy kept moving fast. When we reached where the elk were they were all gone except one lone cow. I looked at my buddy and said take her the rest are gone. When he fired I heard the bull bugle in the next clearing. I grabbed my gear and took off running again. When I rounded the hill they were all standing there. I dropped my bipods and got in the prone position. I pulled out the range finder and ranged him at 519 yards and they started to move. I dropped the range finder and got the crosshairs on him. He was moving (in a trott) I lead him and sqeazed the trigger and heard that wonderful "WOP". The bull ran about 30 yards and tipped over.

I had already known that he was busted up from when we first looked at him through the binos, but the area I hunt is an OTC unit and very heavily hunted. I waited for the boys and my hunting patners and we all went over and checked the bull out. Both of my buddies ended up taking there cows out of the same herd also while I was shooting the bull. It was a very fun evening that ended in a lot of work, but the best kind of work.

The boys with the bull the next morning.

Me and the boys with the bull back at camp.

 

[winmag]

Nice bull. Any clues left as to what happened to the rest of the antler on the ''passenger side''? Fighting? fence? a fall? Looked like a clean break and it didnt grow that way.
Congrats to you and your 2 buddies. Id have let him have it too especially on an O.T.C. tag. Dontcha love spendin time with the boys. My little guy is only 5 now but I took him Turkey huntin at 3. Hilarious story posted in the turkey huntin section. Great job

 

[carpetman2]

Nice bull. What a way to get him. You have more confidence in a running (trotting) shot than I do at that range. It sure sounds like you guys had a lot of work, but it was a hunt your boys will never forget. Great Job.
Chris

 

[7MMColoHunter]

Thanks for the excellent comments guys!

winmag,

I am pretty sure he was busted up from fighting. Even though it is an OTC unit there are some giants that live in this country and they get broken up pretty bad. My boys and my girl (she is the oldest) have all been hunting and fishing with me since before they could walk.

carpetman2,

I guess the confidence for that shot has come from all the years of calling coyotes and shooting at them on a full bore run with the 22-250. The kids and I have had many great memories together.

Here is a neat old picture. This is of my dad, brother, cousin, and myself with one of the first bulls I remember my dad taking.

 

[winmag]

I dont know whats more cool in that picture;
The bad *** Bronco's
The sweet hoist/rig
Or the fact that you were there with your dad draggin a bull out of the Aspens......
Looks like a toss up

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Great pics thanks for sharing some day I will have a story like that to share thanks.

 

[7MMColoHunter]

ICANHITHIMMAN,

Thanks much and I hope some day you do get it done.

winmag,

I am a huge Ford Bronco fan and you can see where I got it from.
Here is another one for you from the same day. Dad and my cousin are on top and my brother and I are inside.

 

[carpetman2]

Those are just great pictures with great memories. I am striving to give those type of memories to my children. I'll be posting some pictures of my kids with their trophy's soon.

 

[winmag]

w.a.g. on the year, 68'?
I love the old Bronco's too, but I know very little about them other than theyre just plain fun. I used to go Steelhead fishin with my dad and his buddy that had one. Man we never shouldve got back from half the places we made it to. I wouldnt even take my jeep there now a days.
That Bronco is long gone now,as it took out a telephone while inverted and in flight.......Ya......Kieth is OK, but the Bronco is no longer part of this world. He misses it dearly, and so do we, but we've always got the memories and story's. What a fun rig!

 

[silvertip-co]

COol pics of nice elk, I like all the vintage wheeled equipt also. COngrats.

 

[7MMColoHunter]

silvertip-co,

Thanks! Thanks for the cool welcome.

winmag,

Very good guess! My dads Bronco (white/blue) is a 68'. The grey one was my uncles and it was a 69'. My dad had to sell the 68' to cover doctor bills, but picked up a 72'.

Here is the 72' uncut. I'm holding the deers head up (I think I was 11 or 12).

Then he wrecked it bad up on the mountain coming back from a weekend trip archery hunt with my sister, brother, and friend in it (everybody was ok other than my sister cracking the upper bone in her arm). Went airborn for about 60' and rolled 3 1/2 times. This is how it turned out after the rebuild. Notice the wicked new roll bar in it.

 

[winmag]

Love it. I wish my family took huntin pictures way back when. We always just hung the horns up somewhere, or hung em in the house if they were real big.
I started takin pictures around 2000' ish or so, so my huntin' album only has a few, but my son is in there and someday he'll be able to look back and share em with his buddies like you do now. Kinda strange to think everybody will be talkin about that ''old Jeep'' dad had, someday. haha
Thanks for sharing the pic's. Brought back some great memories.