Hey, don't be like so many others and **** your own elk based on antler size!!! That's an awsome bull and a long shot! Congratulations to you. Nice area too!
Tell us more about the hunt. Were you glassing, did you have to stalk any distance? What happened? What bullet did you use?
Well thank you. Here's a little more info...
I was set up on top of the hill looking down into a canyon as the sun came up. I had been glassing a bunch of elk feeding. There were a bunch of cows and spikes, along with a nice 5x5 in the group. I caught glimpse of this bull in the oak brush but wasn't exactly sure what he was. I kept waiting thinking that he would eventually move out into the open. The 5 point appeared to be the herd bull. He was still screaming his head off and chasing the cows around while the this bull only bugled a couple of times and didn't really show interest in the ladies. I figured him to be something smaller. So anyway, he eventually walked out into the an opening and I saw that he was a 6, but my view of his body was obstructed by a tree leaving me without a shot. Then he came out to where I could see him at about 600 yards. I got set up and took a crack at him, but forgot to hold a little low due to the downhill shot and shot over his back. All of the elk bunched up at the report of the rifle not knowing where it came from, and trotted a little further away. The 6 point stood there broadside, I hit him with the range finder, adjusted the scope. After I touched another round off, I saw him stumble and drop to his front knees. Being the tough sons of a guns that elk are, he got back up and made his way into the oak brush downhill of him. I watched as the other elk came up the canyon hillside towards me as well at keeping an eye on the area the 6 point went into. I wanted to be certain he wasn't going to come out and follow the others as my vantage point was the best that I was going to get. My heart skipped a beat when a pair of antlers appeared in the bunched up group of elk moving towards me. However, upon picking the antlers apart in the heavy brush I knew it was the 5 point and not the 6 point. I got down to where I knew the 6 point was at and could hear labored breathing and coughing. I picked him out of the brush and could see him coughing chunks of lung and blood. Although he was going to die, I went ahead and gave him another one to put him out of his misery. Took a few pictures with the self timer on the camera, and then started the work.
I was using 225 grain Barnes TSX bullets, which passed through the animal completely.
While skinning the head out to do a euro mount, I noticed a nasty scab/scar on top of his head between the pedicles. I cut it open and out fell a hard piece of something. Upon cleaning it up and inspecting it, I found that it was a tip of another elk's antler that had busted off in his head when they were sparring. Ouch!
Here is the view from where I was set up at.
SW Colorado fall colors:
Piece of antler from his head:
