# We Only Saw One Elk the Whole Hunt...



## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

...And NHS dropped him in his bed. Even though there were not many elk, being part of harvesting an amazing animal like this makes this one of my most enjoyable and memorable hunts ever.

This is a general season Utah elk, public land. He rough scores about 330. The location is highly classified information. I hope you'll understand. 

I'll let NHS tell the story if he chooses.

[attachment=2:12a2ckqw]NHS Bull1.JPG[/attachment:12a2ckqw][attachment=1:12a2ckqw]NHS Bull2.JPG[/attachment:12a2ckqw][attachment=0:12a2ckqw]NHS and AF.JPG[/attachment:12a2ckqw]


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## stillhunterman (Feb 15, 2009)

Wow! Awesome! :mrgreen:


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## tuffluckdriller (May 27, 2009)

DROOOOOOOLLLLLL!!!!!!


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

That is a great bull.. Looking forward to the story. 8)


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Over the counter elk tag: $45
Gas: $100
Groceries: $50
Time spent with a good friend taking the bull of my dreams......Priceless


Thanks AFCYN! I'm too tired tonight, but I will post more pictures and the story sometime tomorrow.

NHS


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## BIGBEAN (Apr 16, 2008)

That is one great bull cuz, wish I could have been there. 8)


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## sharpshooter25 (Oct 2, 2007)

Amazing Bull and congrats. If I reimburse you for the tag, gas, and groceries will you tell me the place you hunted so I can go there on the muzzy hunt? haha


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Holy sheezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!! Rub some of that success on to me _(O)_ _(O)_ _(O)_ CONGRATS!!


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

Congrats to both of you. One of the best hunting stories of the year. That is what hunting is all about! This bull has great everything-- length, color, symetry, mass.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Packout said:


> Congrats to both of you. One of the best hunting stories of the year. That is what hunting is all about! This bull has great everything-- length, color, symetry, mass.


That is what I was thinking! I have a hard time believing that it is only 330, then again, who cares, what a BRUT!!


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## cosmo71 (Aug 12, 2009)

Nice job guys! I have been bugging your wife all week about an update and it looks like it was worth the wait. Those eye guards are sweet!


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## shortbreath54 (Apr 23, 2009)

You saw only one..but the right one
Super hunt Guys Great to share the fun 
Thanks for the pictures...


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## bucks gone wild (Sep 9, 2009)

wow! for general area thats awesome! nice job and enjoy looking at that rack the rest of your life!


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Couldnt have happened to a better guy. Nice work NHS.


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## lehi (Sep 13, 2007)

Im not a good judge at size, but it looks bigger than 330. very nice bull!


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## svmoose (Feb 28, 2008)

Great bull guys! Congrats, and on a general hunt to boot. You can't beat that! I would have to say that bull is bigger than 330 as well. My guess would be 350-360 range. He's got good length everywhere. Let's just say he's 400.


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## SFWG (Sep 8, 2007)

Very nice bull, and I know your top secret location! :wink:


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## USMARINEhuntinfool (Sep 15, 2007)

Way to go NHS!!!!


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

NHS and AF,,,EXCELANT work for genral season..........And,,,,,,,,

A+ for scoring him right. It's unreal how many people don't get how big 330 is.


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

Dude!!!!!!!!


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## Dekashika (Oct 23, 2007)

Wow! Congrats, thats a great bull. It does look like a bit bigger than 330, not that I am second guessing your score, or it matters at all. That is a true trophy that you should be proud of. Well done.


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## jahan (Sep 7, 2007)

That is impressive and like others said it looks bigger than a 330, but what the hell that is like a 400 in an any bull unit. Congrats and it couldn't of happened to a better guy.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

I have always thought my chances of taking a mature branch antlered bull in Utah were slim to none. I have put all of my eggs in the mule deer bucket. I have 13 mule deer points after this years draw and 0 LE Elk points. In fact I haven't even taken a spike before. I have been involved in a few good hunts for bulls, but always as the caller and packer. I had an awesome hunt a couple of weeks ago helping my cousin BIGBEAN take a great 6 point with his muzzy. Read about it here: http://utahwildlife.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=19982

My good friend AF CYN called me early in the year with an idea. He is a genius at what he calls "Hunter's Psychology"....figuring out where people are least likely and willing to hike, pouring over maps and google earth looking for a tiny piece of ground to hunt. He started doing his homework for this hunt early in the year. He talked to DWR biologists, COs, land owners, other hunters and everyone else who would answer the phone. Then a few weeks ago when I was on a business trip, he took a scouting trip to get the lay of the land. See his post here: http://utahwildlife.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=57&t=19906&p=221133#p221133So when the time finally came, we were both very excited as we pulled out of my driveway on Friday afternoon.

Saturday October 3

This was a tough day of hunting. AF CYN and I got up well before sun up. We had a place in mind to be at when sun came up. He was there three weeks earlier and knew that is where we should be opening morning. When we reached the spot, AF set up and I booked it down the ridge to have a different vantage point. As the sun came up, we gave a few soft cow calls that went unanswered. After a couple of hours of sitting and glassing I explored the little point I was sitting on. I saw some old tracks, but nothing fresher than a couple of weeks old. I made my way back to AF and we talked about what to do next. We decided we wanted to be up near where we were for the evening hunt. It was a beast of a hike and one that we didn't want to do again, so we hunkered down in the afternoon. We ate lunch, had a rock tossing contest, took a nap and then split up. He went to explore a drainage to the south, I went north. As I moved around, I saw lots of old sign, but nothing fresh. It was well after dark when we both made it back to the wheeler.

Sunday October 4

Day of rest. It felt good to sleep in. We made a big breakfast. Laid around. Listened to both sessions of conference. Took an awesome drive and saw some spectacular scenery. It rained of and on in the afternoon and evening. The wind blew real hard at times. Sunday night, we laid out our strategy for the next morning. With the wind and the rain, we decided to begin the morning in the bottom of the canyon instead of on top. We went to bed refreshed and excited for the hunt the next morning.









Monday October 5

We got up early. It had turned cold. We headed up the bottom of the canyon to the end of the trail, and then we went about 3/4 of mile further. The plan was for each of us to get on one side of the canyon, up off the bottom a couple of hundred feet, get to where we could see, and then do a few cow calls to see if we could locate an elk. It was just getting to shooting light as I reached a small bench. I set up to where I could watch the other side. I cow called twice. I heard AF cow call a couple of times. I sat and listened. After a few minutes, I heard some breaking branches up the hill behind me. I turned around, hid behind a rock and cow called again. The trees were thick, I could only see 15 yards. I glassed trying to look through the trees. I could not see a thing. I heard AF cow call again. I heard some more breaking branches. The sound was moving away. I sat there a few minutes more. I felt my radio vibrate in my right pocket. I whispered to AF to "go ahead". He asked If I heard the branches breaking behind me. I told him I did. He said to him, it sounded like an elk raking. I snuck slowly up to where I first heard the sound, and to my delight, I saw this in the damp ground:









I called AF on the radio and told him I was on the track. He decided to get a little higher on his side to see if he could see. I told him I would begin tracking it. Hopefully, one of us would get a shot. I knew if I saw him, it would be a quick and close shot. I was in thick trees. I cranked my scope down to 4x, cradled my rifle with my thumb on the safety and trigger finger extended along the stock above the trigger guard. I would scan the ground and look for the farthest track I could see. Then as slow and quiet as possible, I would make my way to that spot, glassing and scanning the trees ahead. When I reached that spot, I would repeat the process. I followed the bull for more than an hour, covering about 1/2 mile. I knew I was following a bull, because every so often, I could see where his tracks went up to tree and he had raked it with his antlers. The bull was not moving fast, just walking leisurely. I could see when he would cross through a ravine, he would stop on the other side and watch his back trail. After following for more than an hour, I came to a nice little sagebrush bench that was a bit more open. I knew the bull was not far in front of me. It was time to let him bed down. I buzzed AF on the radio. We came up with a strategy to get a shot. I told him I would sit tight and wait for him to cross over to my side. He would head up the canyon a ways before crossing over so that we would not get busted by the bull. The plan was for him to get up ahead and above me on my side, so that he could see into the trees ahead of me. It would take him awhile to get into place. I took off my day pack and found a nice soft piece of ground. I sat down and leaned up against a tree and waited....


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Congrats! A monster bull.


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## cosmo71 (Aug 12, 2009)

NHS isn't the only one who waited...where's the rest of the story?


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## 2-Fer (Oct 29, 2007)

NHS said:


> I sat down and leaned up against a tree and waited....


You cant do that to us. Where is the rest of the story?


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## tuffluckdriller (May 27, 2009)

That's a mean, dirty trick. kind of funny, though...


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

It took AF an hour and 15 minutes to make his way over and get in place. I had some time to sit and contemplate while he was making his way over. I knew we were giving ourselves the best chance at this bull. I still did not know how big he was. I was going to pull the trigger on any bull that had branched antlers. After sitting there for 75 minutes, I felt my radio vibrate. I knew AF was in place. I back tracked a few yards back into the clearing and looked up on the rimrock above me. I saw AF there perched 300 yards away ahead and above me. He had a good vantage point. I signaled to him that I was going to start again on the tracks. If I busted the bull out of there, he would have a good chance at a shot.

I began tracking. Three steps, glass, three steps glass. After 20 yards, I approached the edge of the little bench I had sat on for an hour plus. I took three more steps, I could see down the slope through the trees. ELK!!! I could make out a bedded bull 45 yards down hill. He was facing my direction straight on, but was unaware I was there. I put up my binos. Through the trees I could see he had great fronts. My heart leapt into my throat! I knelt down on one knee, and a 12" shooting lane opened up. I could clearly see him. He was laying facing me, head up and turned slightly to his right. I pulled up, steadied the crosshairs dead center on his throat right below his chin. I took a deep breath, let it out slowly and then squeezed the trigger. BOOM!!!!!

I recovered from the recoil in time to watch him just roll over on his left side. His legs shot straight out from the force of the bullet destroying his nervous system. I cranked another round in the chamber. He didn't move. He was done. He didn't even know what hit him. I can't describe the emotions I felt. Joy, power, exhilaration, humility all kind of rolled up into one indescribable feeling that comes only after an experience like this. I stood up and took a few steps to my right. I had a clear view of him now. This is what I saw:


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

I immediately called AF on the radio. I couldn't contain the excitement! He started to make his way over to me. I went and took a look at the bull for the first time. I was amazed. What an awesome experience! I cow called, so AF could zero in on my location. As he got close, I went out to meet him. He had not seen it yet. As I approached him I said, "Now don't freak out when you see him." I wish I had my camera running when AF saw him for the first time. He just kept shouting over and over, "It Worked!! It Worked!!, I knew it, It Worked!!!" We slapped each other on the back and just took in the moment together. What an AWESOME experience! AF is a great photographer. We spent the next 45 minutes taking a ton of pictures. I am glad we did. Here are a few of my favorites:

As he lay:



























Making meat:









Me with a great friend and an awesome hunter:









Packing out:


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Thank you AF CYN. You are a stud! This bull is just as much yours as mine. You have a keen mind! Thanks to BIGBEAN for the use of his wheeler. It saved up 1.5 miles of packing on each trip out. What an awesome experience! YES! IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!!

[youtube:3vby4zoa]http://www.youtube.com/v/eKqsVBqADD4&hl=en&fs=1[/youtube:3vby4zoa]


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## megadeth79 (Jul 3, 2009)

awesome story!!! hope my brothers and I can tag out on our elk!


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

NHS, you're welcome! You still owe me that milkshake....Actually, you owe me more than that now that you posted that video.


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## cosmo71 (Aug 12, 2009)

I enjoyed the video until AF CYN decided to start rapping. Great report and congrats again.


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## Theekillerbee (Jan 8, 2009)

That's a great story NHS. A huge congrats to both of you for putting it all together.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Awesome, congratulations and thanks for sharing.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

Way to get it done. A really nice bull. Congrats!


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

**** Nate, fine bull. I'm jealous!


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Let's see, only saw one elk, junipers and cedars all over the place, red dirt, open bull, Utah....

Henries. 8)

Nice bull dude! No matter where you took him! :wink:


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> Let's see, only saw one elk, junipers and cedars all over the place, red dirt, open bull, Utah....
> 
> Henries. 8)
> 
> Nice bull dude! No matter where you took him! :wink:


 8)


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## swampdog0 (Feb 15, 2008)

looks like a dove creek bull to me. congratulations on a great animal!


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## wagdog (Jan 6, 2009)

Man, that is an excellent elk. Congrats!


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

Nate if you can dance like that with 100 pounds on your back I'd love to see what you could do in some bell bottoms, and a rhinestone shirt.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

fixed blade said:


> Nate if you can dance like that with 100 pounds on your back I'd love to see what you could do in some bell bottoms, and a rhinestone shirt.


Maybe if your lucky, someday you might get a chance. :mrgreen:


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## huntnbum (Nov 8, 2007)

Very nice bull NHS, congratulations are in order.
I haven't ever seen a bull like that on public land. what a birthday present. I guess.
Good story too, thanks.


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

fixed blade said:


> Nate if you can dance like that with 100 pounds on your back *I'd love to see what you could do in some bell bottoms, and a rhinestone shirt.*


 :lol: :lol: Post of the week!!! 
Nice work NHS. Its cus you saved the killdeer. :mrgreen:


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## elk22hunter (Sep 7, 2007)

AWESOME TO THE BOTH OF YOU!


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## Yahtahay (Jul 3, 2008)

There is no way that bull is only 330! That is a beast, it's gotta be at least 350! At the very least!

Congrats though!


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## TLB (Jul 13, 2008)

Great Job to both of you!! Its nice to see hard work pay off!


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Heres one to compare "scores" with.
I've taped 7 bulls this year, and this one went 327.5[attachment=0:sdhf3jbx]jims 327.jpg[/attachment:sdhf3jbx]

How about it HNS and AF, Give us a good tight taped score. I'm guessing he's 333.


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## Me and Annie (Mar 3, 2008)

Great bull and even better story. That one is worthy of any outdoor magazine. Tracking him the way you did has to be the ultimate in hunting skill. Submit it while luck is still on your side. Maybe you will win a new rifle or something.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Nice bull.Nice job


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm still buzzin from this experience. It is hard to concentrate at work. I keep reliving it over and over. As far as the score goes, I could care less. Just out of curiosity, AF and I put a tape to him before we left camp. The only tape we had on us was my 25' Stanley. :lol: We measured conservatively and came to 330. That is going to be pretty close, I bet within 10 inches either way. That is why AF said "rough score". But like I said, I don't really care.


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

NHS- I know you could care less about score, which is what makes the story so great. Just to let you know-- you're off by about 14 inches. :wink: (I was bored waiting for a client)


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

316. :lol: Thanks Packout.


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

Wow thats awesome, gives guys like me hope for the future lol


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## jahan (Sep 7, 2007)

NHS said:


> 316. :lol: Thanks Packout.


Or 344. _(O)_


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

Yeah come on packout don't leave us hanging.


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## Huntoholic (Sep 17, 2008)

Now we have threads that are cliff hangers.  

See rifle hunters do know how to hunt!

Nice memories gentleman.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

great bull congrats


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## suave300 (Sep 11, 2007)

Congrats!! Thats an awesome experience, and a very memorable hunt! Put that down in a journal!


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

I had a dream last night I shot a great bull. When I woke up this morning, I was relieved to realize that I lived the dream! Still buzzin..... :mrgreen:


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

That is one great bull and a fantastic story. Thanks for putting in the break, I needed to hit the head! Congrats!


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Thanks Packout! You do great work. It looks great downstairs. A shoulder mount would have never fit!


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## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

Well......Let's see how he turned out.


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## fixed blade XC-3 (Sep 11, 2007)

You gonna ever give us the official score? Lets hear it mlam.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

fixed blade said:


> You gonna ever give us the official score? Lets hear it mlam.


 344 and 31/128ths


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

AF CYN said:


> Well......Let's see how he turned out.


+1!!!


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## El Casador (Aug 27, 2009)

Way to go that just proves there still is hope for us public land hunters that don't need to pay the mighty $$$ dollar to harvest good game.


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## Guns and Flies (Nov 7, 2007)

Great story, thanks for sharing.


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## NHS (Sep 7, 2007)

Exactly 5 years ago I was flying high. I've had some awesome experiences since, but grateful for memories of hunts gone by.


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## Nambaster (Nov 15, 2007)

I still remember this story... EPIC


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## SLCHunter (Dec 19, 2013)

Huge29 said:


> That is what I was thinking! I have a hard time believing that it is only 330, then again, who cares, what a BRUT!!


Ditto.


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## 35whelen (Jul 3, 2012)

Amazing public land bull!


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

Great job you two! That's my kind of hunt, friends working together, with a great looking animal as the result.


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

I remember that story, a prime example of when good planning and preparation stumbles on an opprutunity! 8) 

Grats gentelmen, fine looking bull.


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