Saw this on another forum this morning. Apparently, there has been a lot of controversy over this guy. Regardless of all of that, it is an extremely impressive elk.

Whether it did escape from a farm or not, that is one huge bull.

wow!

Very big Whats the controversy over it.

Now that is a monster Bull !!

SON OF A B....!!!

That's absolutely gigantic!!!

quote:

Originally posted by MileHighShooter:
wow!

Geez...that is absolutely incredible!

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
Very big Whats the controversy over it.

I don't know much about the facts, but on the forum I originally saw it, some were complaining about Mossback's tactics. I had never heard of the company until today, but I guess they specialize in trophy size western big game.

Some of it sounds like sour grapes, but there seemed to be some legitimate gripes as well. There are rumors that the DOW tried to dart the bull to see it it was an escapee from a game farm.

I have no idea what the truth is. I don't care if this thing was fed corn every day of it's life; he has insane genetics to grow that kind of rack. Hopefully he passed it on before he was killed.

I'd be VERY surprised if that bull came off of PUBLIC LAND.

F

From the televised hunts I have seen, Mossback puts people on some very large public land elk and mulies. They seem to do a lot of scouting and then have someone stay with a big one when they find it, even having them sleep on the mountain so they can get back on the animal the next day. I think they have guys in the field well in advance of the season to locate the really big bulls.

I doubt their services are cheap.

Now I never saw one that went 500 on the shows.

Here is a link to some more pictures on their website and a short video
I checked with the guys at Boone&Crockett and they don't know anything about the Bull or the story yet.
One hell of a Bull!
http://www.mossback.com/

That's an amazing amount of bone!

It's also on the Barnes website (If you've read Barnes loading manuals over the years you'll remember this gentleman).

"NEW WORLD RECORD ELK???

Undoubtedly, many of you know about the great Utah “Spider Bull†so many hunters were following this season. Well, the hunt has officially come to an end. The bull was taken by Denny Austad, a long-time supporter of Barnes Bullets and our great friend.

On the morning of Tuesday, September 30th, Doyle Moss and Team Mossback put Denny in the right place at the right time to take this magnificent trophy. He was shooting a .300 Austad II, a cartridge of his own design, loaded with 168-grain Tipped TSX’s. A quartering shot with the bullet placed slightly forward of the shoulder at just under 200 yards penetrated the length of the body, destroying both lungs and liver, anchoring the bull immediately.

Many members of the Barnes crew were fortunate enough to put our hands on the awesome rack – approximately 500 inches of horn! Official B&C scoring will take place in 60 days. This couldn’t have happened to a more grateful, humble, down-to-earth guy who counts his many blessings daily. Congratulations, Denny! Keep enjoying the ride."

The facts that I got from an outfitter and guide in Utah, concerning this elk. The organization did the same last year, find a wealthy hunter, make promises, send 20 to 30 guides, scouts, or what ever you call them, into the field to basically follow the animal around the clock until a hunter is acquired. Last year the other big bull was way over 400, he had 30 different people watching and shagging the elk until the hunter flew in and shot it.

This elk was shot by the govenors tag buyer, same tactics, shag the bull until the season opened, contact the hunter, or have him in place on day one, and shoot it. So in a sense it is controversial, but yes a tremendous bull.

The bull lived on a small mountain, not a huge area by any means, but not high fenced.

It is all about the money! IN fact, in my opinion, not a fair chase and should not be allowed entry into B&C or SCI!

The old boy missed it earlier with a rifle at 190 yards, broadside. He has an indoor range and is a reloading fanatic. THe govenors tag was $90K, with guiding fees of $30k, it wasn't a poor boy hunt. Not your average Joe or kids lucky day hunt.

Kudu56, you not serious are you. Should people who hire guides not get in to record books? That is basically why people hire guides, to find animals. And people who can afford to pay for more for a service shouldn't be able to get more? This coming from a person in previous posts on this forum gives one the impression of free market/conservative-- I am amazed. Don't get so excited. He shot a bull of a life time, good for him.

There is a lot of difference as to booking a hunt with an outfitter, you go hunt with your guide, who has done some scouting in the area, and you bag a trophy. No matter what your means are! But hiring an outfitter and his crew, and that is what it is, a crew, of 20, that basically lived with the elk until they found the right hunter with the right pocket book, then they took him to the animal, which he missed the first time, and then let him shoot it. Bought his way into the record book! Not fair chase in my mind.

LAst year was a "crew" of 30 that tracked the bull and lived with it all summer, until bow season opened, then the calls went out to the highest bidder, and he was led to where they had the bull cornered. And it was called in and shot. The same crew chased off all other hunters that tried to get close to the bull. Elk are like that, they don't just run off to tin-buk-two! Creatures of habit, and they stay in the same area except to maybe migrate to wintering areas.

quote:

Originally posted by kudu56:
The same crew chased off all other hunters that tried to get close to the bull.

If that's true its got to be illegal. I've had outfitters try to run me off of public land. Didn't work for them. I doubt Utah hunters would wet themselves and walk away if some ninny guide tried to run them off.

If its true the hunt wasn't fair chase and shouldn't be entered into the book.

If it isn't true it feed the jealousy rumor mill.

Should be substantiated, sounds highly suspicious.

quote:

Originally posted by slim buttes:
Kudu56, you not serious are you. Should people who hire guides not get in to record books? That is basically why people hire guides, to find animals. And people who can afford to pay for more for a service shouldn't be able to get more? This coming from a person in previous posts on this forum gives one the impression of free market/conservative-- I am amazed. Don't get so excited. He shot a bull of a life time, good for him.

I agree, good for him.

I'm all for a public land/private land, non-guided no paying tresspass fees record book using the same scoring system as B&C. As soon as I get time and money I'll get it going. Don't hold your breath.

I have no problem with the whole guide/hunt/record book thing. That's what Safari Club is all about, they don't care about high fences or ear-tagged game. However, it simply isn't the same amount of effort in the field. I wish B&C would put an asterisc near those entries, not out of disrespect for people who've worked very hard to be able to afford a guided hunt but to recognize those who've spent time in the state out with the game, tracking and patterning on their own. Paying to get a record book animal vs. doing it yourself...there's no ethical difference but I think it should have recognition differences.

slim buttes and mt Al, what is the difference between what this guy did to get his elk and a high fence ranch in Texas where some one pays to shoot a "Record Book Buck"?

SCI is NOT the be all end all of scoring systems if that is what a person is in to.

Do either of you think that bull will qualify for Boone & Crockett????

If the allegations are true and this service is putting basically a "Goon Squad" in the field running 24 hour surveillence on this animal, then that does not qualify as a "Fair Chase" situation.

In fact, if other hunters are able to prove that they were discouraged from entering the area due to the presence and actions of the outfitters employees, that qualifies as hunter harassment and I believe Utah is one of the states with laws against such actions.

At this point in time it seems like there is a lot of innuendo and finger pointing going on, but IMO, if the allegations are true, this kill is no better or more honorable than paying to go on a high fence operation anywhere and shooting a freak buck.

Setting controversy aside for a moment, that is a beautiful animal. Any Elk that is capable of growing 500 inches of antler in a year is a true toad.

Beautiful Elk.

No arguement there, it is an exceptional animal.

I have taken nothing from the animal, nor the shooter. Just the tactics that are becoming the norm in Utah if you have access to unlimited $$$$$.

Utah has hunt areas that have tremendous elk, you can pass on 360 bulls all day long and hold for 380's to 400's. Not even sweat it! But, "BUT", you have be lucky enough to draw a tag with odds equaling lottery winning! Good management, but then you throw in a govenors tag and it opens all the doors. Then using services such as this makes it comparable to high fenced hunting, which I have no problem with, but I do have a slight problem with the animal making the reocrd book or being entered in it when it is shot, killed, hunted, harvested, taken, etc; in such a manner, all it does is put a $ sign on the animals head.

And the mossback crew has simply created a marketing strategy that is working quite well for them!

This doesn't include the last two years!

Kudu is right. I looked at one of the trailers on their website showing trophy mule deer. At the end of the trailer it showed footage in the field of three or four trophies immediately after they were shot. In each case the shooter is present and 6-7 other guys! Are these the Mossback "spotters"? It is one thing to pay for a guide and then go out and hunt hard for an animal. But what is the difference between high fence hunting and paying an outfitter huge money to send a large crew out to locate and then babysit a trophy until the hunter can be flown in, or driven to the spot and then walked in close enough to get a killing shot. Has the hunter really "hunted" the trophy and taken it fairly? I think not.

Yes all present in the photos are the spotters, "crew", trackers! The big typical bull shot by the achery hunter last year, who flew in just for the shot, there were 28 or 30, spotters for that one and there were photos of the entire group floating around, all decked out in camo. They use radios to keep track of where the animals are, in Wyoming, that is actually illegal.

I know a guy in northern Wis who shoots some very nice whitetail bucks. He hires the local farm kids to spot and pattern them for him then he sets up for them. He has shot some good ones.