Doc Get's It Done!!!!

[ElkNut1]

Yep, the Doc has come through once again, he truly is an ElkSlayer!!! He took a very heavy 6 point on the 16th, 4 of us from the Crew including Doc packed it out off the mtn aprox 3--3/1/2 miles back in. We didn't get back till well after dark with the loads. Doc - (Larry) Paul II (bowElkDown) - Jerry (no handle yet) - Me (ElkNut1) We had a ton of fun, well as much fun as you can have packing elk meat! (grin) Paul II & Jerry might not have thought it was too fun as they packed out the hind quarters & front shoulders on the bone in one load, wow it was truly a heavy load on those Kelty Haulers, it was a fairly large bodied bull! It was pretty amazing they packed that weight over the terrain & distance that they did, you can bet they were beat!!! Photos to follow!!!

ElkNut1

[>>>---WW---->]

BIG congratulations to Doc! You just can't beat having those young whipper snappers to pack the heavy load. LOL! Looking forward to the pictures.

[Swede]

Congratulation on another successful season. You guy are going to get a reputation for being worse than wolves if you are not careful. Do you think you too could become designated as a protected population and turned loose?

[The Doc]

this is the Docs idea of true freinds
i sent a text and picture of the downed bull to Paul {sir Elknut as i call him}
5 minutes or so later as im whittling away at the elk meat , i get a text from him saying that he had the elknut crew lined up , him Paul 2 , and Jerry. i didnt ask , beg plead , or even throw myself on the ground begging for help {although if he wasnt so quick to text back, i had it all planed. even , as a back up was to send a picture of me holding bull with fake tears {from mt water bottle} running down my face. along with a quote "just thinking about the long pack out by myself"

the elknut crew was on the way.
the story, like all good elk storys, at least 97% true

first light , bout 2 1/2 miles away on a sidehill filled with bunchgrass and sprinkled with aspens, i spot a bull . i could tell it was a mature one . put the spottin scope on him for about 10 seconds. total new mindset . i call it elk mode. mood changes, the fun i have been having hunting around in the woods, enjoying the sights, sounds, critters and whatever. thats gone . total one track mind , kill that elk. it took me well over 1 1/2 hours to get strait above the area where they were at daylight. 40 yards from where i could have crawled and looked over the rock outcropping and had a steep 250 yd down hill shot . i hear crack, a second later i hear the boom of the rifle. someone or allot of someones were shooting across the canyon .my guess was they were 800 yds plus. 8 shots rang out............. to be continued. {must put wifes new kitchen sink in}
ill send paul some pictures for him to post

[dotman]

Congrats, looking fwd to the rest of the story!

[planebow]

Congrats, can't wait for the rest of the story

[ElkNut1]

Ole Doc sure has a way with words!!! (grin) He'd make a great storyteller!!! Here's some of the country we were in on our way to the bull.

In 1st photo we are 3/4 of the way in sidehilling towards a hole, Doc would call it a "low spot in the earth" ya right!! (grin)

In 2nd photo you can see the steepness of the mountain as we sidehill around & continue dropping in elevation, fortunately the bull wasn't in the very bottom, but he did try to get there! I'm thankful Doc didn't get the bright idea of rolling the bull down the rest of the way to the bottom to make it a more challenging pack out!! (grin)

3rd photo is on our way in, going in light & coming out heavy!! Notice the smile on Paul II, that soon would be gone!!! (grin)

ElkNut1

[Dirty D]

Congrats!

That's some gnarly looking county...

[POk3s]

You hunting elk or bighorn sheep doc!? Congrats on what I think is a great bull although I've yet to see any pictures of it yet...........................

[dotman]

Let's see pics of this monster

[planebow]

When I was younger I used to hunt areas like that but now I am older and have wized up. Plenty of elk in other areas for us older guys.

[WapitiTalk1]

Nicely done Doc (and Team Elknut on the responsive assistance with the pack out)! Anxious to see some pics when you get a chance. Some beautiful country also.. Saved the draw pic as my desktop

[ElkNut1]

Rory, great idea! It is a cool photo!

I will add photos as Doc continues his story!

ElkNut1

[ORelksniper]

It's taking Doc an awful long time to put in a kitchen sink.

[ElkNut1]

LOL!! Doc has a Towing business & it keeps him running, his hours are all over the place, he'll be back as soon as he catches his breath!

ElkNut1

[The Doc]

elk huting is way more fun than pluming. and just about everything else too

back to the story,
hopefully not too long and booring

after i hear the 8 shots im bummed , to go from the mode of being 3 minutes from knowing your about to be into elk and most likley get the "job" done to pretty much laying on the ground trying to avoid getn shot is not a very good feeling. after a few minutes i figure i might as well peak over the bench and watch the bull roll down the hill. i look over and nothing , no elk , no people nada, i wait about 10 min. figuring its all over by now. i move about 10 feet and look 150 yds in front of me same trail same elevation and see 5 cows.{ now here is where years of elk hunting , and killing i might add comes to play , after so long there is little excitment and being able to make the right decision on what to do correctly comes easy and natural....... so i hear, and if i ever get to that point ill let you know, ha ha } so what do i do ???? i cow call for some unknown and stupid reason. now ill say if my intentions were to spook the elk back over the ridge, it worked perfectly. that was a very dumb thing to do. the elk were coming right at me......... it spooked them they go back over that little ridge where they came from , so i think {now i necided to think, unlike a few minutes ago} the elk want to go to the big timber patch behind me ill go strait up and cut them off. refer back to the pictures and keep in mind that pictures always make the country look flatter. i look strait up and come to the conclusion that this here short fat boy isnt goin to be able to climb this here sheep country fast enough to get in front of the heard.so i side hill on the same trail ,i get right to where i just spooked them from and at 175 yds i see 2 cows and a bull walk through an opening and into a small patch of trees. saftey off ... cow... cow..... cow.... nothing , no bull. after a few min. i move about 30 yds and up a bit. there at 200 ish i see a cow. i get down nealing elbow on knee .. another cow, i think i should be prone, nope no time the shot window too small.. cow.. ok bull. i could see on 10 X that it was a mature bull i put the cross hairs behind the shoulder trying to take my time while hurring {if that makes any sence at all } ok right behing shoulder deep breath pow Maggie barks {my 300 win mags name by the way} at the shot i knew it was a fuzz high . i also know i hit it. by the time i get realined from the recoil the elk are gone .
so i want to get up above where i shot from because i know there is a better view and might see the elk again for another shot if necacery. i procede to climb strait up this huge rock patch. bad idea , bout half way i start thinking dude, you shouldnt be on this cliff remember what happened to jim {a friend fell in same sutuation tore his acl or something like that in his knee, 7 miles from truck, good story il tell it later } anyway i get up there and no elk . so i make my way to where the bull was when i shot . as usual it looks totall different when you get there . about this time i hear 3 shots about 300 yds strait under me. i think well there some @%%^&$#@ just shot my bull. so i finally found where he was standing when i shot.. oooo nice big round track. look about 3 feet and see a few small blood spots , track him mostly by hoof prints for about 50 yds. he turns strait down hill {remember how steep in the pictures} i see a little more blood. looking about 10 feet in front of me i see a sapling looks like some elk hair... yep a little better blood trail now, look another 20 feet and there looks like allot of hair and blood on another sapling , yep now i think , its over this bull is dead and the shots i heard was them other guys below me. i move about 10 feet past the last sapling and now were talking lotts of blood no question now. i take a few more steps and could see the 5th and 6th points of a bull laying in the alders. i take a few more steps expecting to see people scrapping my bull. nope noone they never even tracked the herd up to where they ran them up to me. all the other guys below me heard was a lone shot from above ................
200 grain swift a frame high in the lungs

[POk3s]

Sweet story Doc....now where are these pictures!!!???

[ElkNut1]

As you can see hunting OTC units presents it's own types of challenges, you never know when other hunters may be around. Great job Doc!!! The photos of the bull by itself do not do it any justice, this is a real nice heavy horned bull as you will see in the photos as rack is carried out! Here's how Doc, (Larry) found the bull! See hoe he's tangled up with the alders!

ElkNut1

[ElkNut1]

Here he is after Doc wrestled him around a bit! Mind you, this is very steep & hard to just stand up more or less trying to move a bull around!

ElkNut1

[ElkNut1]

Doc had the bull broken down & in 6 elk bags by the time we got there. The rest of the photos are of us all packing it out! Doc & I shared the load of the rack & our packs the 3 + miles out. The other two mules, (grin) took out hindquarters & front shoulders on the bone! Wow!!! In that country it was a serious feat to do! Look at the heavy rack that bull sported! The photo of all 4 of us is 1/2 way through the pack job! There's still lots of light left, it was pitch black when we all made it out of there!

ElkNut1

[ElkNut1]

A few photos of the pack out! It was great times as usual & yes we cracked open a cool one when we got back to the rigs, we were tired & beat! You can see the guys re-structuring their loads as the steep hills mess with things! Not to mention a bit of tripping & falling!! (grin)

ElkNut1

[ORelksniper]

Nice bull, Doc. Also, nice little "low spot" you decided to hunt. Tip of the ole camo cap to your....insanity. I love it!

[dotman]

Great bull! Doc needs a new pack .

[WapitiTalk1]

What a horse Doc! Definitely, a bull to be very, very proud of. Congratulations on your trophy. RJ

[>>>---WW---->]

Sure a nice heavy rack on that bull. Just getting him moved out of that alder tangle was a chore in itself I'll bet. But now you can all take a rest until next year. LOL!

P.S. Hey, did anyone else notice that Paul actually had a smile on his face in that first picture? (grin)!!!!!! LOL! I think it has been mentioned before that he never smiles in pictures.

[dotman]

Sure a nice heavy rack on that bull. Just getting him moved out of that alder tangle was a chore in itself I'll bet. But now you can all take a rest until next year. LOL!

P.S. Hey, did anyone else notice that Paul actually had a smile on his face in that first picture? (grin)!!!!!! LOL! I think it has been mentioned before that he never smiles in pictures.

He sure doesn't look happy in the third pic

[ElkNut1]

Yes, WW is correct, I rarely ever smiled in any past photos. I decided this year to change that, look at most photos of the elk taken I'm in & you'll notice I'm trying to smile more in them! (grin) Surprised it was noticed!!!

ElkNut1

[MTLongdraw]

Congratulation Doc on a great bull. You know whats better than a sore back from packing elk? NOTHING is better than that.

[JohnFitzgerald]

That's a toad doc! Nice job!

[easeup]

wow! nice bull and lots of fun for that one!!!!

[Magic]

Nice bull, but what a mess. Congrats to Doc and the entire crew for the joint effort.