# Humble pie LE Elk



## 4x4 Bronco (Sep 7, 2007)

When my 13 year old drew a LE rifle permit I spent nearly every available second preparing to get him a good bull. Many scouting trips, reading biologist reports, speaking with previous tag holders, biweekly trips to the gun range, etc etc. I assumed that if I put in the work and time we would come out with a good bull. I will admit that I learned a ton about elk hunting those 8 days. We put in over 35 tough miles on our boots. I was so impressed with my son! I am really proud to be his father. We had some close calls. I feel like we had a pretty good plan. When it came down to the last night of our hunt with 30 min left of daylight, and we had 5 different opportunities to harvest a spike I spoke with my son. It was clear a spike would be a trophy of sorts to him. I feel a bit like a failure and that I let my boy down. At 150 yards a spike bull walked into our small window of opportunity. He made a perfect shot and the bull went down with a very clean kill. It was a bear carrying him out of that canyon on my back. My son insisted on carrying the head the entire way. What a cool week with an awesome kid! Not the caliber of bull we wanted but a hunt of a lifetime non the less.


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

That bull scores a 10/10 in my book!

Congrats to you and your son!


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

This is where LE hunts tend to send the wrong messages to hunters...instead of enjoying the time spent in the outdoors hunting and chasing branch antlered bulls, you were obviously feeling the pressure. Too often the success of others and the time it takes to get an LE tag put unfair expectations on the hunter and he ends his hunt with regret about what he didn't kill or should have killed. Fortunately, it sounds like you have wisely kept things in perspective. The truth is that the adventures you shared together will always mean more than any trophy you put on the wall or harvest.


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## sheepassassin (Mar 23, 2018)

nothin wrong with that bull! congrats to your son


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## 270win (Sep 16, 2010)

Well Done


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## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

That's a trophy for sure. 
Well earned 👌


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## Hunttilidrop (Jun 12, 2018)

That’s a trophy spike if I ever seen one! Well done!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Awesome bull! 

One of my most bittersweet experiences looking back at my teenage hunting years was shooting a very large pronghorn buck at first light on opening morning. He's big enough that I would have to be very lucky to ever shoot one as big or bigger again. For me, after I shot him I never had the drive to even apply for another buck pronghorn tag--doe tags were cheaper and still fun! To this day I have yet to see a bigger buck on the hoof in person, and while I like looking at big 'lopers I still feel zero drive to go hunt another buck. I fear that I might have felt the same way with bull elk or deer had I drawn a good tag and shot a big bull/buck at that age.


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## scartinez (Apr 22, 2008)

Congrats. That's a great bull and will put meat on the table all year.


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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

Good job and I’m sure an even better hunt.

Good news is that since your boy is only 13 he’ll likely get another chance at an LE Elk tag and another chance to spend time hunting bulls with dad.


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## macanudo (Feb 20, 2015)

Congrats on a successful limited entry hunt. 
Mac


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## pollo70 (Aug 15, 2016)

That's trophy in my book, congrats to you and your son its all about those limited memories that makes it !


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## Wire (Nov 2, 2017)

Congrats on a successful hunt. Size doesn't always matter but a lot of people won't post anything unless it's big. Thanks for sharing your son's hunt with all of us and I'm sure he'll never forget it.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

That elk will be MUCH better eating than any bigger stinky bull. Humble pie is way better than tag soup for sure. Congrats


-DallanC


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## Buckfinder (May 23, 2009)

Congrats!! No humble pie needed, way to spend a week with your son and end with success!! Good work!!


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## [email protected] (Aug 13, 2019)

Great job any bull is a good bull


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## Whiskey H0und (Aug 26, 2016)

Thats a hell of a bull!!!!!!!!! Congrats to you and your son!!!!! As far as the rest, its the journey, not the destination; so to speak. Spending time in the wild with family is the trophy.


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

Nicely Done! Your boy should be proud! Better than tag soup and it will taste better than a big old tough smelly bull anyways! :grin:


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## Vanilla (Dec 11, 2009)

4x4 Bronco said:


> What a cool week with an awesome kid! Not the caliber of bull we wanted but a hunt of a lifetime non the less.


This to me tells the whole story. Yes, I'm sure the hope was for a big, mature bull, but the details you shared show that even if that was the hope, it was not the only measure of success. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you guys had a great experience. I'm sure he will remember that for the rest of his life.


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## Ray (May 10, 2018)

Humble pie tastes better than tag soup. Congrats!


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

That’s awesome congrats!! That one will indeed taste better than an old rutty, stinky, pissed all over himself bull. And that is a beast of a spike. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## neverdrawn (Jan 3, 2009)

Take a moment and read some of the threads about the youth LE hunt on this site and others. You'll quickly realize what a trophy that is! It's by no means an easy hunt and you taught you son a lot about patience and dedication harvesting that bull. Great job by both of you and congrats to your boy on a beautiful, hard earned bull.


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

So, what unit were you hunting? 

Let me share an experience where I had a big taste of perspective. I took my kid hunting with me several years ago. He was 3 maybe 4. We stayed overnight, I pulled him in my sled with the ground blind, tree stand, blankets, books, snacks, and anything else he may have needed. I remember the sled tipped over so I ended up hauling him in carrying him and carrying the bow as it was early morning and dark. We saw a very nice buck, missed a smaller buck as I was trying to keep him quiet. (I put a 40 yard pin on a 30 yard buck in the commotion) and sent it right over its back and then blew out the bigger buck. 

I was all sorts of dissapointed as we had a good time, said a prayer to shoot a deer, missed a deer in front of the kid, and then had to pack him back out. 

I asked him on the way home what his favorite part of the hunt was. His answer: "The part where you carried me dad." I got pretty choked up and may have wished for some eye wipers. It's not about the critter. It's about the time with your son that you'll both remember. It's about him, and the size of the bull has no measurement of the impact of you as a dad. 

Just enjoy the ride. Soon enough, you'll be alone wishing he'd hunt with you. Or he'll be moved away wishing he could hunt with dad again.


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## 4x4 Bronco (Sep 7, 2007)

Thank you all for your encouragement! I was not expecting the great responses I am getting. Part of the story I didn’t share:
When we first entered that steep nasty canyon where we knew the bulls were hanging out we had a 320 class bull at 150 yards. It just so happened that by my gps maps he was roughly 25 yards on private. There were no fences and no one around. We could have killed him easily. We never even brought up the rifle. We believe in following rules and hunting ethically. We tried to call him across the boarder but he was having none of it. We were thrilled to harvest a bull! This is my son’s first big game animal. We were hunting the wasatch unit. Thanks again for those who gave input before the hunt, and thanks to those who have shared positive comments! You have lifted my spirits today!


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## waspocrew (Nov 26, 2011)

Congrats to your boy on a great first elk! It sounds like you two had an incredible experience!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

4x4 Bronco said:


> Thank you all for your encouragement! I was not expecting the great responses I am getting. Part of the story I didn't share:
> When we first entered that steep nasty canyon where we knew the bulls were hanging out we had a 320 class bull at 150 yards. It just so happened that by my gps maps he was roughly 25 yards on private. There were no fences and no one around. We could have killed him easily. We never even brought up the rifle. We believe in following rules and hunting ethically. We tried to call him across the boarder but he was having none of it. We were thrilled to harvest a bull! This is my son's first big game animal. We were hunting the wasatch unit. Thanks again for those who gave input before the hunt, and thanks to those who have shared positive comments! You have lifted my spirits today!


That's awesome! You're definitely ingraining your son with the right stuff, and here's to years and years of future adventures!


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

That is the very definition of a trophy! The hunt is the trophy, not some number count of the rack. Great job.


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

Congrats to that young man! The burning desire to go back has just been ignited!!


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## Whiskey H0und (Aug 26, 2016)

caddis8 said:


> So, what unit were you hunting?
> 
> Let me share an experience where I had a big taste of perspective. I took my kid hunting with me several years ago. He was 3 maybe 4. We stayed overnight, I pulled him in my sled with the ground blind, tree stand, blankets, books, snacks, and anything else he may have needed. I remember the sled tipped over so I ended up hauling him in carrying him and carrying the bow as it was early morning and dark. We saw a very nice buck, missed a smaller buck as I was trying to keep him quiet. (I put a 40 yard pin on a 30 yard buck in the commotion) and sent it right over its back and then blew out the bigger buck.
> 
> ...


Must be some ninjas cutting onions somewhere.


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## Whiskey H0und (Aug 26, 2016)

4x4 Bronco said:


> Thank you all for your encouragement! I was not expecting the great responses I am getting. Part of the story I didn't share:
> When we first entered that steep nasty canyon where we knew the bulls were hanging out we had a 320 class bull at 150 yards. It just so happened that by my gps maps he was roughly 25 yards on private. There were no fences and no one around. We could have killed him easily. We never even brought up the rifle. We believe in following rules and hunting ethically. We tried to call him across the boarder but he was having none of it. We were thrilled to harvest a bull! This is my son's first big game animal. We were hunting the wasatch unit. Thanks again for those who gave input before the hunt, and thanks to those who have shared positive comments! You have lifted my spirits today!


You're doing it right sir.


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## BMCBryce (Sep 6, 2012)

That is one of the finest bull elk taken this year... because of the effort you and your son put into the hunt. I am certain neither of you will ever forget that experience. Huge congratulations to you both.

Bryce


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## prumpf (Apr 8, 2016)

Great work! Congratulations on the Trophy. 

Size expectations may not have been fulfilled but if it was like any elk hunt the memories will be greater than you thought possible. 

Time to start dreaming for 2020!


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## elkunited (Aug 16, 2019)

A father's dream to hunt with his son is your reality. He and you will both cherish these memories forever.


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

4X4
I understand were your coming from, I shot a 4x4 bull in the Book Cliffs last week. I thought the bull was bigger but there was considerable ground shrinkage. In the end my two buddy's and I hunted hard for 5 days plus 2 days scouting, I passed up 6 bulls, called in 3 bulls to within 20 yards which were my first ever bulls called in, saw more branch antlered bulls in 8 days then I ever have while hunting and had one heck of a time. Biggest thing is that my buddy's gave up 8 days of there lives to load up and come hunt with me not to mention the day cleaning mud and dust off of everything plus the cash involved, I don't even want to know how much they have in fuel and grocery costs as I know mine was through the roof.
I'm hanging this little 4 point on the wall thats for sure, it means more to me then the 6x6 I harvested during GS a few years ago.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Congrats to all of you.
It really is about the experience and not the size or even a kill. Hopefully the memories will last a lifetime.


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## 7mm Reloaded (Aug 25, 2015)

Awesome bull kid that's something to be proud of. I'm sure your dad is proud of you. Don't worry about other people stealing your thread with pics of their own. They should start their own threads.:shock:


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## turkinator (May 25, 2008)

Thank you for sharing your story even if it may not have been the outcome you initially hoped for! I'm sure your son will never forget this hunt and it will light a fire in him that will burn for a long time. I'd have an awesome euro mount of that spike done and hang it on the wall so every time you look at it you'll remember the great experiences you had together.


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## muddydogs (Oct 7, 2007)

7MM RELOADED said:


> Awesome bull kid that's something to be proud of. I'm sure your dad is proud of you. Don't worry about other people stealing your thread with pics of their own. They should start their own threads.:shock:


Wasn't trying to steal anything but trying to show support that it isn't all about the size. If you think that little 4 point is trying to upstage a spike taken on a LE hunt your mistaken. Always has to be one in every thread.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

muddydogs said:


> Wasn't trying to steal anything but trying to show support that it isn't all about the size. If you think that little 4 point is trying to upstage a spike taken on a LE hunt your mistaken. Always has to be one in every thread.


Right on! No upstaging here as I see it, just different. In fact, EVERY hunt is unique and it's fun to see pics and read the different stories from folks who don't worry that much about the size of the antlers/horns/skulls. Many times those smaller antlered animals are tougher to get than the big boys.

Thanks for sharing those stories! And congrats for a job well done.


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## themockingjaye (Sep 15, 2019)

Hey Congrats! 

What is an LE rifle permit/LE Elk tag? Not understanding the LE part.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Congratulations Brady to you and your son! You both worked hard for that and you did it right! Nothing to hand your head about. Great job!


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## 4x4 Bronco (Sep 7, 2007)

themockingjaye said:


> Hey Congrats!
> 
> What is an LE rifle permit/LE Elk tag? Not understanding the LE part.


LE just means Limited Entry. Those permits where many people are waiting over 15 years to draw.


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## RandomElk16 (Sep 17, 2013)

muddydogs said:


> 4X4
> I understand were your coming from, I shot a 4x4 bull in the Book Cliffs last week. I thought the bull was bigger but there was considerable ground shrinkage. In the end my two buddy's and I hunted hard for 5 days plus 2 days scouting, I passed up 6 bulls, called in 3 bulls to within 20 yards which were my first ever bulls called in, saw more branch antlered bulls in 8 days then I ever have while hunting and had one heck of a time. Biggest thing is that my buddy's gave up 8 days of there lives to load up and come hunt with me not to mention the day cleaning mud and dust off of everything plus the cash involved, I don't even want to know how much they have in fuel and grocery costs as I know mine was through the roof.
> I'm hanging this little 4 point on the wall thats for sure, it means more to me then the 6x6 I harvested during GS a few years ago.


Wasn't that just an amazing time hanging with your friends in the mountains for 8 days though???

And killing elk is a rush!

Congrats on a great hunt and awesome bull!


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## caddis8 (Sep 10, 2007)

Whiskey H0und said:


> Must be some ninjas cutting onions somewhere.


Onion chopping ninjas are the worst. I'm getting softer as I age. Maybe it's all the Hallmark movies my wife makes me watch with her.

I'll go with Ninjas because Hallmark shows don't make me leak like other stuff.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

You aren't a failure and you didn't let him down. Because of you he has learned:
1. How to shoot
2. How to prepare for a hunt
3. That hard work pays off
4. How to quarter and pack out an animal
5. That things don't always work out like you planned, and that's OK. 
6. Countless other mini-lessons that can only be learned one-on-one with dad. 

Congrats on a great hunt!


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## ultramagfan2000 (Nov 27, 2009)

You're not a failure this year has been a weird year for many LE elk tag holders.


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## DevilDog09 (Oct 4, 2016)

That is one of the best stories I have ever heard on this forum. Imagine the life lesson you taught your son in harvesting that bull! Life doesn’t always give you the outcome you want, no matter how hard you try, you never know what life will throw at you; all you can do is adapt and overcome! That is exactly what you and your son did. I have a really strong feeling that years from now, this will be the elk he tells story about when sitting around the camp fire.


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

I am sure this will be the one bull he remembers more clearly than any others he may hunt and harvest in the future.

Well done, congratulations.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Congrats on the success but be careful using "pie" and elk hunting in the same paragraph. Your going to get Johnny all worked up!


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

ridgetop said:


> Congrats on the success but be careful using "pie" and elk hunting in the same paragraph. Your going to get Johnny all worked up!


I'll admit, the first thing that came to my head when I read the title was, "WTF?! I swear ridge said Pie was on a GS unit?!!!"


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## BigT (Mar 11, 2011)

Seems like it was a very successful hunt. Great job! That'll be a lifetime experience for your son... And all the time you were able to spend with you son is priceless! 

Congrats to your son! And to you on mentoring him in so many ways


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