I drew my first ML bull tag this year. I'm just not the lucky kind I guess it took about 20 years to get it.

Well I went on opening day Oct 1st. I fell and I was sure that I was not going to be finishing the season again all the luck of a run over snake.

But my son Jacob got me out today.



We went to a place I have seen a lot of elk but it is wide open and not much cover. We didn't see anything until 2:00 pm. We drove around a corner and there were two bulls on the side of the hill. They took off running and went into a creek. One bull the biggest one took off across the desert the other stayed in the trees. I got out and followed him into the trees. I found him, but didn't get a shot. Jacob went down the creek and saw him again, and we lost him. We decided that Jacob was going to try to push him out of the trees. We were wondering why this bull didn't follow the other one.

Well Jacob saw him and waved me to go around in front of him. I got to the BLM fence and started to make my way to the bull. Then he came out in the open. He wasn't limping but he wasn't running either.

I decided that something was wrong with him and decided to take him anyway.

This picture he is in the center, Right before I shot.







I took a range on him, it was 248 yards. This was a lot farther than I normally shoot at game with the first shot but knowing that something wasn't right I decided to go for it. I set the sight and held for a high shoulder shot.

At the shot the bull folded right there.

Jacob was watching and he said he saw the bulls legs pull up and down he went. Then he heard the shot.







We went to work getting him quartered to pack. I did the cutting and Jacob did the hauling.







The only load I carried was the head. He is a great young man.







We found the bullet. It had broken the shoulder and took out the spine. Jacob found it as he picked up the shoulder and it landed on his boot.











The bullet lost only 4 grains. I was impressed with that.

Rifle-- TC Hot Rod Renegade 50

bullet-- 458 gr paper patched lee 500 S&W bullet I make my self sized for my gun

Powder-- 80 gr of Pyrodex P with an over powder wad.



The bull had scratches on the inside of his hind legs. It appeared he had been in a fight with a lion at some point. All the meat was good and everything was fine.

Congrats Ron! Great bull!

Very nice, congratulations!

250 yards with open sighted black powder dropping a bull through the spine.

That is the stuff of Hawkeye, Boone, and Crockett.

Well done, sir.

Congratulations and well done! You made a great shot. Did you ever figure out what, if anything, was going on with the elk that made you think there was something wrong?

quote:

Originally posted by JeffreyPhD:
Congratulations and well done! You made a great shot. Did you ever figure out what, if anything, was going on with the elk that made you think there was something wrong?

Some Scratches were found on the front inside of the Bulls legs when quartering him. There were a few more on the top of his hips. I wish I would have taken pictures. The scratches were not deep. They could have been from a mountain lion? its hard to tell. The area he was in has a very high population of lions, but who knows.
My son is a nurse and he checked the internal organs for any abnormal signs. Nothing looked wrong, and the meat looked, smelled, and tastes just fine.

Way to GO!!!!!

damned good shot and good bull too.

Not a thing wrong with that. Even
better was the pack horse!

Congrats to you.

George

Hey Ron, it was pretty cool to see your photo and short story in the Members' Best section of the June/July edition of American Hunter.

quote:

Originally posted by DesertRam:
Hey Ron, it was pretty cool to see your photo and short story in the Members' Best section of the June/July edition of American Hunter.

I was actually surprised to see it my self. I forgot that I had entered it in the magazine. Thanks

Fantastic shot, congrats!!