# 17 years of waiting...



## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

... was worth it.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Great bull!

Lemme guess, he was walking down the trail, you jumped out... the bull was disoriented and blinded by all that glowing orange and you blasted it? :mrgreen:

Hehe seriously though, thats a bull worth waiting that many years for.

-DallanC


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## silentstalker (Feb 19, 2008)

Great bull! Congrats!


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

Awesome!!! Congrats!!!


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## stillhunterman (Feb 15, 2009)

Great bull, well done!


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Nice, solid bull there...

I love those Bookcliff elk..:!:..


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## UTJuice (Oct 2, 2014)

Wow heavy!


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

I was amazed by his mass, which the pics don't show very well.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Awesome bull, congratulations. The first thing I noticed was his mass.8)


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

In before "what did he score?!?!" Great looking bull. I've been putting in for about the same amount of time, but no tag yet. Still waiting for that year when I can have enough time and money to really give it a good go. Until then I will keep dreaming, waiting, pining, anticipating, yearning, etc..


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

Oh and thanks for the pic, but can we trouble you for the story that goes along with it?


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

I'm beat. I'll type up the story tomorrow. It was awesome!


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## utahbigbull (May 9, 2012)

That is one sweet bull Judd!! Congrats, can't wait to hear the story. Looks like a bull well worth the wait!


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

Congratulations


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Very nice, is this from your normal haunts? I saw another one taken yesterday much smaller, with a guide on the first day, I was a little surprised on this other one.


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## MWScott72 (May 23, 2011)

Great bull...makes the rest of us with general tags antsy to get things started!!


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## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

MASS MASS MASSS that bull is flat gorgeous! Congratulations!!!


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## BigT (Mar 11, 2011)

Awesome bull. Congrats!


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Huge, this is from the Bookcliffs (roadless). We know the area pretty well now, but it took a lot of glassing over 330 bulls to find the bull I killed. Here is the bull my dad took last year a few canyons down from where I shot mine.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

great bull. congrats


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## mjensen1313 (Jul 29, 2015)

Congrats, can't wait to get the rest of the story!


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Congrats on a stud bull!


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Is is still tomorrow? LIke waiting and waiting for a loan, I just can't stand the wait.... It isnt going to Rich Freaking Stevenson, no need to proof it, just throw it out there for us already!


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

Awesome bull! Love the mass!


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Working on some video. Soon.


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## martymcfly73 (Sep 17, 2007)

Awesome! Congrats!


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

Stud bull!! He has some great character. congrats.


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## USMARINEhuntinfool (Sep 15, 2007)

Mass for days, that's awesome, good job and congrats!


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

Stupid easy hunt with a gun in mid sept. Congrats on a nice bull. Could have laid down a few dozen with a gun while I packed my bow up and down those steep canyons!


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## GeTaGrip (Jun 24, 2014)

Awesome bull! Congrats.


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

king eider said:


> Stupid easy hunt with a gun in mid sept. Congrats on a nice bull. Could have laid down a few dozen with a gun while I packed my bow up and down those steep canyons!


Jealous much?!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Holy Moly, I'd run the other way if I seen that big SOB!

.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

Bowdacious said:


> Jealous much?!


Not at all. Just had it with the state of utah putting the bow hunt so freaking early and shutting down the season for gun hunters. Just when things start heating up on the rut the season is closed for bows and opened for the weapon that needs no assistance in getting close for a harvest. Makes zero sense to me! Surrounding states start bow hunting on sept 1. But our state shuts it down 11 days into sept. Then opens a gun season. Wow! What a hard hunt with a gun in the rut! Wait I take it back, it's not a hunt! It's a shoot!


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)




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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

king eider said:


> Stupid easy hunt with a gun in mid sept. Congrats on a nice bull. Could have laid down a few dozen with a gun while I packed my bow up and down those steep canyons!


We looked over a lot of bulls to find that one. But I agree it isn't as tough as a archery hunt and I commend you for being so tough to hike up and down those canyons with a bow. Good on you. Did you happen to shoot at any? We saw at least 3 bulls that were wounded by archers and not recovered.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

king eider said:


> Not at all. Just had it with the state of utah putting the bow hunt so freaking early and shutting down the season for gun hunters. Just when things start heating up on the rut the season is closed for bows and opened for the weapon that needs no assistance in getting close for a harvest. Makes zero sense to me! Surrounding states start bow hunting on sept 1. But our state shuts it down 11 days into sept. Then opens a gun season. Wow! What a hard hunt with a gun in the rut! Wait I take it back, it's not a hunt! It's a shoot!


I guess I should have read all of your posts before giving you props. :?

I was going to post a last video of the hunt with the shots and coming up to the elk, but to avoid looking like a "SHOOT" I'll leave it be. I can see where me posting that would make it look like I woke up at daylight walked outside my cabin in my undies and shot one of the 1,000 bulls leashed to the trees on my property. Don't want to further the stereotype of it just being a "SHOOT". Jeesh.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

For those interested here are the measurements:


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## brendo (Sep 10, 2013)

Thanks for posting those Judd! It always interesting to see the numbers. And once again congrats on a pig!! Can we start a petition so that you will post the last video?  any elk hunt takes skill, preparation and hard work I find it extremely disrespectfull to come onto his thread and post something like that.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

JuddCT said:


> I guess I should have read all of your posts before giving you props. :?
> 
> I was going to post a last video of the hunt with the shots and coming up to the elk, but to avoid looking like a "SHOOT" I'll leave it be. I can see where me posting that would make it look like I woke up at daylight walked outside my cabin in my undies and shot one of the 1,000 bulls leashed to the trees on my property. Don't want to further the stereotype of it just being a "SHOOT". Jeesh.


Not insulting you at all. Just tired of how our state runs it's big game LE elk seasons. $$ talks. I digress my argument so as not to hijack your thread. Great bull you shot and you shouldnt let a poser like me ruin your moment. 
Just to answer your question, yes I shot a bull, I was unable to recover after a very lengthy search. I punched my tag as that was my bull and came home.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

This isn't my first trip into the roadless section of the book cliffs. I was able to join my older brother on his hunt 3 years ago and help my father with his bull last year. It is an amazing place and even though it took 17 years to draw the rifle tag, it was well worth it!

The three of us left Orem last Wednesday night and stayed in a hotel that night. We woke up early Thursday morning and took the now easy drive to Ten Mile Knoll (thanks to the pavement). As we pulled up it was great to see the horse trailers gathered as it really meant my hunt was officially here.

We met up with some great friends (been with us for all three hunts) at the trailhead and packed up the mules and horses and set out on our journey. If you haven't been down the trail off of Diamond Ridge it can be a little tough, but with it now being a third time we knew what to expect.

It was exceptionally hot during our ride with not a cloud in the sky. I thought about the many archery hunters who were currently chasing the bulls and thought it would be a tough hunt, but a bow in hand and tag in your pocket beats a day in the office. I thought about previous years riding in and hearing bugles and cow calls. This ride was silent and knew the calling I had heard and seen in the past would be different this year.

3 hours into our ride and we had passed 2 camps. We rode further and decided to set up camp on the south side of a dense pine filled ridge trying to get as much shade as possible for us and the stock. Setting up camp was tiresome as all I wanted to do was get out with my spotting scope and climb one of the many steep hills before dark. Luckily we were able to split into 3 groups and left for the evening glassing party.

We got up high and looked over memorable hillsides where my father shot his elk the previous year. Sure enough there was a 340 type bull in there (as usual) with about 20 cows. As I glassed other canyons I saw some smaller bulls (300-320) and thought to myself that each would be a trophy in its own right. One of my favorite parts about glassing is the hiking in the dark back to camp. The darkness gives your imagination the ability to run wild and each of the bulls I saw grew at least 20 inches.

Friday morning we woke early and set out to new spotting locations. That morning brought new bulls and potential plans for the opener the next day. This morning I was able to sit with my father and brother. As we each looked different directions through our spotting scopes I couldn't help but think back to a time as a youth when my father would take us to the north slope and hunt branch antlered bulls. I remembered the first elk I saw shot up on the north slope. An ugly rag horn 4 point. My brother and I freezing our butts off one of those usual snow storms and our father preaching patience was the key. He was right, but we still froze our butts off.

We met back at camp and shared videos/pics and stories about the different bulls and which we thought was in the best location to make a stalk in the morning. It was again very hot during the day and I did my best to find some shade and take a nap. Around 4:00 pm we got up again and went into different directions to find the bulls. This night proved very fruitful as we were able to locate a bull we named "Dopey". This bull was a 7x6 and he had mass. The funny thing about him was that originally we thought he had a drop tine on both sides. Upon closer investigation we found that it was just his ears and they seemed to droop much more than any other bull we had found. As we got back to camp that night we decided he was in a great location for a stalk the next morning.

The opening morning of the hunt I found myself excited to get going. We hiked under the stars that morning as we made the 1.40 hike to where we though Dopey would be at first light. We hiked up the bottom of a canyon that was covered in thick Pines and later opened up to sage brush covered hills and patches of quakes. We thought we would hear him bugle as we sat and waited for shooting light, but the only sounds we heard were a faint bugle another mile up the canyon. It could have been him, but we were sure he would have stayed put from the night before.

As legal shooting light came and we began out stalk up the hill we were immediately busted by a spike. We sat still for a while and let him continue on his way undisturbed. As we continued on our path we could see a few cows, but no big bull. Still up the canyon we heard a faint bugle and decided to move up there to get a look. Another half mile up the canyon and we could see a herd of 30 cows in a patch of quakes. In with the cows was a 6x6 with weak backs bugling occasionally to keep the herd moving up and over the hill.

As we watched this heard move over the skyline on top we heard another bugle from the same direction. We couldn't see the other bull, but decided to get on top at this point to see what was there. Before we moved to the top we decided to glass back to the other side of the canyon on the skyline and we were able to see a small raghorn and cows. As we watched them closer we noticed another bigger bull that would occasionally get up and move. It was Dopey.

My father was in a great vantage and decided to pull out his spotter and watch us make a long stalk down this ridge and up the other side. It is hard to describe how steep those hills are without first hand experience, but they are STEEP and can make for a tough stalk. We got to within 250 yards of where we had last seen the bulls and cows and decided to get set up for a possible shot. The shooting lanes were okay, but not great due to the incline and not knowing where the bull was (he had gone silent.) We ranged the top of the hill and it 258 yards. As we waited for maybe 1 minute, but it really felt like an eternity, we finally saw movement. A few cows had decide to move and that is when we saw some tines move from behind a tree on the top. I moved to one of the shooting lanes and pulled out my sticks and laid the 7mm Rem Mag on them. I waited, heart beating uncontrollably for an open shot. He stepped into the shooting lane and I shot... right over his back. I had bull fever. I cycled the bolt and took aim again... BOOM. cycled again and... BOOM.

Over the radio we heard my father say he was still up and moving. At this point the entire mountain side moved and not only did he have a few cows like we thought, but there had to be at least 50 up there. Some went straight down in to the bottom of the canyon. Other stayed on top and so did the bull. We relocated further up the hill and found the bull again I took aim... BOOM. I see the bull's front end drop. My brother yells "he went down". I breath a sigh of relief. We pull up the radio to call my father to pack up and come over when we see the bull running. I couldn't believe it. Luckily he went down again about 75 yards away behind 2 big Pines. At this point I decide I don't want to track this bull another 5 miles and we decide to make the stalk up to him.

As we stalked up the hill I could see the bull's head up looking around. My heart was beating again and I berated myself on how I could have taken a poor shot and not killed the bull quicker. We got to the two Pines and the bull's head was down. I though it was over. Nope. Instantly the bull tries jumping to his feet. At this point he was facing us less than 10 yards away. I waited until he turned and I finished him off.

I immediately felt a large weight lifted from my shoulders as I saw the bull in his final resting place. I felt thankful for the experience with my family and friends and for the meat my family would enjoy. I felt tired from the many miles hiked, long hours glassing, and emotionally exhaustion that accompanies an experience like this. It was an entire melting pot of feelings that is hard to explain.

We waited until the rest of the group was able to hike up the hill to us and enjoyed many long embraces. Pictures were taken, jokes were made, and laughs were had. It was everything I ever hoped for. Now the work.

We caped the bull and boned the meat. While caping out the head we finally figured out why this bull was named Dopey. This bull was no longer using his ears for hearing. His ear canals were an apartment complex for maggots! There were so many maggots in his ear canal it took me an hour with cape to clean them out. The canal was entirely blocked. It was disgusting and amazing at the same time.

It was a long day of hiking back to camp, saddling up the stock, and heading back up to get the meat/cape. Due to the heat we had made a log bridge over the small creek and laid the meat and cape over it. We knew it wouldn't take long to spoil so reluctantly we packed up camp, saddled up, and headed out on Sunday morning. As we headed up Diamond Ridge I took the lead and replayed every moment of that hunt. I wouldn't have changed anything.


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

That second picture really accentuates the mass. Impressive!


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## turkinator (May 25, 2008)

Awesome bull! Thanks for the pics and story!!


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## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

Thanks for the story, what an adventure!


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## Shunter (Jul 23, 2014)

JuddCT said:


> For those interested here are the measurements:


I'm trying to figure out how to measure my elk and I see that in your measurements you measured between burr and g1, and in the Boone and Crockett measurement it looks like the first mass measurement is between the g1 to g2. What type of score system did you use?


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

king eider said:


> Not at all. Just had it with the state of utah putting the bow hunt so freaking early and shutting down the season for gun hunters. Just when things start heating up on the rut the season is closed for bows and opened for the weapon that needs no assistance in getting close for a harvest. Makes zero sense to me! Surrounding states start bow hunting on sept 1. But our state shuts it down 11 days into sept. Then opens a gun season. Wow! What a hard hunt with a gun in the rut! Wait I take it back, it's not a hunt! It's a shoot!


I agree the state does some things backward when it comes to the buwhunt....but remember...you CHOOSE to buwhunt. Just like people that complain about bow hunters, they CHOOSE to rifle hunt. Nobody is putting a gun to your head and making you buwhunt. Stop complaining and making excuses for something you CHOOSE to do.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Well done


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

That's a real nice bull. Congrats.


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks everyone.


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## huntnfool (Sep 16, 2007)

Juddct pm sent


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## Fishracer (Mar 2, 2009)

Awesome Bull with a great story!!!!


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

Bowdacious said:


> I agree the state does some things backward when it comes to the buwhunt....but remember...you CHOOSE to buwhunt. Just like people that complain about bow hunters, they CHOOSE to rifle hunt. Nobody is putting a gun to your head and making you buwhunt. Stop complaining and making excuses for something you CHOOSE to do.


Making the choice of my way of hunting doesn't negate the fact that I can voice my opposition to the set up of how the system is run. That kind of attitude would justify those who would like to see things change to go away quietly in the night. Glad your ok with the state doing things backward with bowhunters. I for one am tired of it! But auction LE elk tags sell for more money that way. One of the many reasons it won't change....


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## Igottabigone (Oct 4, 2007)

The first mass measurement is between the G1 and G2 for Boone and Crockett. The last measurement is usually between the G4 and G5. Is that a misprint?


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

I wonder what in the world caused his ear canals to get fly blown. Yuck!


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## fishcarver (Sep 10, 2007)

Super hunt and a great story that goes along with it. I love the Book cliffs. I was in there last year probably the same location your were. i also took a great bull. id go back in a heart beat. Congrats.


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## snw_brdr10 (May 20, 2014)

We are heading out to the book cliffs this weekend. Muzzy hunt starts monday!  Cannot wait!


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## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Igottabigone said:


> The first mass measurement is between the G1 and G2 for Boone and Crockett. The last measurement is usually between the G4 and G5. Is that a misprint?


B&C score. This app just calls it something different.


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

Awesome bull, story, and hunt. I love the Books!


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## Raptorman (Aug 18, 2009)

king eider said:


> Making the choice of my way of hunting doesn't negate the fact that I can voice my opposition to the set up of how the system is run. That kind of attitude would justify those who would like to see things change to go away quietly in the night. Glad your ok with the state doing things backward with bowhunters. I for one am tired of it! But auction LE elk tags sell for more money that way. One of the many reasons it won't change....


 Start your own thread for whining and complaining, this thread is about a great hunt and shouldn't side tracked with someone who is bitter about a hunt they knew the dates of before they applied and chose to wait till after to do anything about. I agree it sucks but nothing will change by posting here.


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## king eider (Aug 20, 2009)

Raptorman said:


> Start your own thread for whining and complaining, this thread is about a great hunt and shouldn't side tracked with someone who is bitter about a hunt they knew the dates of before they applied and chose to wait till after to do anything about. I agree it sucks but nothing will change by posting here.


Your right... Just responding in conversation that's all. Carry on...


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