I got on the missing persons list!

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AfootTrack56
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I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby AfootTrack56 » Sun Oct 06, 2019 7:08 am

My wife got drawn for an early season muzzleloader bull elk tag this year and it’s been a long wait for the opener. We rented a huge cabin for the week and invited her parents, her brother, and my dad to come up and spend the week in the mountains. The plan is for her parents and my dad to watch the kids on alternating days so we can hunt, and they can do what they want as well. The plan is set. I made several trips to the area to scout, and seen some elk, and good sign of em. I was optimistic. My wife said she was gonna shoot the first bull that wasn’t a spike, so I had high hopes of filling the tag. Having an empty freezer makes a rag horn look mighty good.

One week out from the opener and I can hardly sleep at night. The weather is calling for 4 days of rain right before opening day, and it’s supposed to blow out on opening day. It should be perfect.

We get to the cabin the day before the opener and unload our gear, and everything is going to plan. I snuck out to do some quick road scouting to see where I can drive in the morning. Like I figured, plenty of mud. So my “plan A” spot isn’t accessible. So I decide on my “plan D” area.

Opening morning, 1 hour til daylight we are getting our gear ready at the truck and bulls are bugling all to the north of us. We are super close to the unit boundary and need the elk to come south. Of course at daylight the bulls start moving northward and out of our area. We stick to my plan and put some miles on. We got to 70 yards of a spike bull right away, and my wife let him walk. Miles later we cut some sign for a few elk. I bugled and the bull answered, but he was far off. We close the gap, and try to locate him again. I bugle and he responded, but he is still moving away from us. We elected to leave him til the afternoon and try to ambush him in the afternoon. We head to town to grab lunch and check on the kids.

Polished off lunch and we leave the cabin. I told my dad where we were gonna be parked and where that bull was we were headed out to find. We get close to the area, and I was showing my wife where I seen a big 6 point a few weeks earlier. It was about a mile or so from us, so I said let’s go see if there is fresh sign there since it just rained. I see some sign, but it’s rained on from the day prior. I let out a bugle and I get a response, but it’s far off. At least another mile. We drive down the road about a mile and try again. First bugle I make gets cut off by a bull at the bottom of the canyon. We bugle back and forth a few times, and all of a sudden the canyon comes alive, and there are bulls screaming everywhere.

As we are getting our stuff ready, my wife looks down and says “is that a heads up penny?” She reaches down and digs a penny out of the dirt. I tell her to stick it in her pocket. I instantly know something good is gonna happen. We drop into this hole, and it is so thick and steep, it’s hard to move around. We start making our way to the area with the most bulls talking. We are about 200 yards from what I think is the herd bull. He’s just over a hill from us. I can hear bulls headed in there and then they just move around this bull. His bugle is the only one staying in this cut on the hill. We get to about 125 yards from him, and a bull chuckles right behind us. At 75 yards I’m thinking this is gonna be it. I bugled and started raking a tree and the bull backs off to 125 yards or so.

My wife says she wants to try to get him. With a perfect wind for him, we drop down and close the gap. He didn’t like the bugle, but high pitch cow calls got him fired up. We are 70 yards from him and still can’t see him, but he bugles every time I cow call. I get my wife set up, and I start walking away from the bull and cow calling. He can’t stand it. I hear the brush cracking and he is coming on a string. Now I’m about 15 yards from my wife and I look back to see her cock the hammer on the muzzleloader, put her head on the stock, and touch off the shot. The smoke flies, I hear the bull run, and I see a bull run through a small opening, as soon as he disappeared in the trees, I heard a large stick break, then silence.

She’s shaking, and unsure if she hit him or not. We go over all the details of the shot and I’m thinking he’s dead. She’s certain it was a miss. We look for blood, and I find nothing. With 20 minutes of light left, I elected to slowly follow his tracks and see if we can find blood along the way. After all, nothing ran off past 50 yards. He may still be there. I find first blood 20 yards from the impact spot. She’s convinced he cut himself jumping through the brush to get away. I took two more steps and could see legs sticking out right where I heard the loud stick snap. She made a perfect 45 yard shot and the 6x7 bull only went about40 yards. She was so excited when she walked up to her first bull elk.

Now, we are at the bottom of the canyon, with no cell service, and it’s dark. I get to work on getting it cut up. She’s freaking out cuz there are animals still moving all over in there. I get about halfway done with the quartering and my phone goes nuts. Five missed calls and countless texts wondering where we are and what’s going on. Come to find out, her mom and dad are worrying as soon as it got dark. Not coming from a hunting background, they have no clue that sometimes it takes a while to get out of the woods. Well, they’re freaking out, then my dad started second guessing things. So my dad and her dad are driving around trying to find us. Of course we aren’t where I told em we’d be. They meet up with a cop in that same area, who is looking for someone shooting off emergency flares. Now her dad is really freaking out, long story short, we end up on the missing persons list, with the search and rescue crew on standby.

Meanwhile back in the canyon, we get the bull quartered up and we start heading for the truck with the first load. Only 3 hours overdue, I get to the truck and call my dad and let him know we were ok, and we had a bull down. They made all the calls to the local PD and got us off the missing persons list and we met up with them on the way back to the cabin. The following morning my dad and I finished packing the meat out.

Having filled her tag the first day, we spent the rest of the week hanging out. We also went fishing for two days. Caught some trout on one lake and the next day cranked in about 30 bluegills. It was a great trip. It’ll be hard to top this one.

Here is the lucky penny bull.
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PK_
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby PK_ » Sun Oct 06, 2019 7:46 am

Wow. Awesome trip. Congrats.
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mheichelbech
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby mheichelbech » Sun Oct 06, 2019 7:53 am

Wow that so awesome and congrats!
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JakeB
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby JakeB » Sun Oct 06, 2019 8:22 am

Congrats again! I know that was a great trip! :clap:
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AfootTrack56
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby AfootTrack56 » Sun Oct 06, 2019 8:34 am

It was a blast. So many “firsts” on that trip. I called in my first bull, my wife shot her first bull, my son caught his first fish, and I think my oldest daughter is addicted to jigging for bluegills. And fall is just beginning.
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby john1984 » Sun Oct 06, 2019 8:45 am

:clap:
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stash59
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby stash59 » Sun Oct 06, 2019 9:18 am

8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) :dance: :dance: :clap: :clap:
Happiness is a large gutpile!!!!!!!
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Jackson Marsh
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby Jackson Marsh » Sun Oct 06, 2019 2:10 pm

Congrats on a great looking bull! :clap: :clap:

Pretty cool your wife kept her cool and made a great shot. Funny story about the search and rescue crew on standby. Should of had them come and help pack meat out :lol:

Congrats to you and your wife. Great hunt.
matt1336
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby matt1336 » Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:17 am

Wow what a story. Congratulations to both of you!!! I love elk stories. I’m going to CO in two years!
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Huntress13
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby Huntress13 » Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:33 am

Woo you had me on the edge of my seat.
Great story, beautiful lucky penny bull. Congrats to you both!

I laughed where she said she thinks the bull cut himself on the brush. Girlfriend, they live in that stuff, look at his hide! :lol:
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justdirtyfun
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby justdirtyfun » Mon Oct 07, 2019 1:04 am

:dance: :dance:
That is a great family trip!!!
Congratulations to your wife on an outstanding bull.
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Arrowbender
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby Arrowbender » Mon Oct 07, 2019 1:17 am

Awesome!
Congrats to you guys!
Not many things in this world more fun than antagonizing bull elk!
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby Wlog » Mon Oct 07, 2019 3:40 am

Great story! You and your whole family will be telling that one for a long time. Congrats!
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Lockdown
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby Lockdown » Mon Oct 07, 2019 3:58 am

Jackson Marsh wrote:Congrats on a great looking bull! :clap: :clap:

Pretty cool your wife kept her cool and made a great shot. Funny story about the search and rescue crew on standby. Should of had them come and help pack meat out :lol:

Congrats to you and your wife. Great hunt.


Now that is funny. “My wife broke her leg!” When they lower the basket from the chopper just start throwing quarters in :lol:

Congrats to you and your wife! That’s a great bull! I enjoyed the story 8-)
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backstraps
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Re: I got on the missing persons list!

Unread postby backstraps » Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:38 am

Awesome story and adventure. Sounds like a great time with family (except the parents freaking :lol: )
Nice bull congratulations :dance: :clap:


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