2015 ELK Photo Contest

[Ryan Avery]

Post up your Elk harvest from 2015. One picture per ELK and a brief description. No COMMENTS please. Doesn't have to be the biggest elk to win! Winners will be announced December 5.

Prizes,
Kill KIT
Zebra Light
First Lite apparel
Rokslide apparel
Alaskan Guide Creations

 

[whitingja]

So I called this in for my buddy and let him shoot it since he never shot one with a bow. I really regret that decision now. I knew he was big when I saw him from a distance, but not this big. Oh well. This is me in the pic.View attachment 28545

 

[griffinit]

A couple bulls were fighting 70 YDS below me, as I tried working in on the herd bull, but he gave me the cold shoulder to my calling and pushed his cows over the hill, when the herd bull was out of sight I gave a few soft cow calls and 5 bulls were feeding to me. When they were within 25 YDS I turned to my left and shot this bull Double Lunged him, he walked 50YDS before expiring.

 

[Highcountry_Hellrazor]

Going Full Retard Colorado Rockslide Bull OTC.

 

[Schleppy]

My first elk. 2015 Colorado OTC

Five years ago I decided I wanted to do a backcountry elk hunt, I spent three years piecing together the right gear and reading up on the subject. Last year I was able to find a great hunting partner with the same desire to kill an elk with archery equipment and we made the trip to Colorado. We learned a lot last year through trial and error but did not get a shot at an elk. This year we managed to get into the elk right away and I killed this 5x4 on the second evening of the hunt. Being deer hunters from the midwest (Wisconsin/Minnesota) we decided to go earlier in the season this year to sit in likely spots and softly cow call rather than try to get aggressive and bugle. On the evening of Labor Day I was sitting on a downed aspen log and had just finished cow calling when I heard the brush cracking up the hill. I stood up and got ready and out of the timber stepped this bull. He was about 50 yds away up wind and up hill from me and he quickly started closing the distance. I was standing pretty much in the open and the bull looked at me several times but kept feeding toward me. At 26 yds the bull went behind a small pine tree and I drew my bow, he stepped out broadside and I took the shot. I hit him farther back than I wanted to but he only went 15 yds and went down. I went and got my buddy and we found the bull right where I had seen him go down. We had about a 5 mile pack-out to the trailhead and we both loaded our packs with as much meat as we could carry. It took us a little over 3 hours to get out with the first load. The trail conditions were horrible due to all the rain and the packout through ankle/boot-top deep mud was horrible. We rested in the truck for a few hours and went back up the hill for the rest of the meat, antlers, and our bivys. When we got on the trail we found tracks in the mud from a family of bears following our backtrail. When we made it back to camp we found that the bears had climbed the tree we hung the last bag of meat and antlers in and had broken off the limb to get the meat. The bears destroyed the meat and hauled away the skull and antlers. After the extreme exertion from the packout and the walk back in combined with the lack of sleep the emotions for both of us of losing that last bag of meat and the head felt like a punch in the gut. I kicked myself for not taking the antlers out on the first trip, but I knew that I had done the right thing getting as much meat out and on ice as possible first. When we got back and on the road I sent a text to my wife with a pic of the elk and that we had lost some meat and the anlers. When we stopped to re-ice I called home and my wife said not to cry over losing the antlers because my son was doing plenty of crying for both of us. He was devestated that he wasnt going to be able to see the antlers. He told my wife that he hates bears and even took a teddy bear out of his room because he said he didnt want to see any bears. When I got home I was able to convince him that losing the anlers was ok and he helped run the meat grinder and process the elk meat. So it was a very fun and memorable trip for me. Thank you to all you Roksliders who have helped me along the way.

 

[DRP]

2015 Eastern Oregon ELK. found a small herd and shadowed them until they went over the hill into a blowdown bedding area. I peaked over the top and saw him bedded at 35 yards away. Nocked and arrow and took two steps to clear brush and let it fly. He only went about 70 yards straight down hill and piled up. 2.5 mile packout wasn't too bad when its a labor of love.

 

[MTbowhunter36]

View attachment 28663 Idaho OTC bull. Couldn't get him to come to cow calls or a challenge bugle, so I followed the herd and finally snuck in for a kill shot. My buddy and I packed him for 1.5 miles back to camp. He called a friend with horses to pack him out to the truck.

 

[MtnManZ]

Blood bath in Utah. This is how my elk fell when he gave up the ghost. OTC public land tag.

 

[Brock A]

Only 2 days to hunt my tag. Full freezer!

 

[MT_Wyatt]

First archery elk, very very young bull but I couldn't be happier. I've put a lot of work in to get to this point, and the fruition was priceless. My Dad has had the goal to call my first Bull in for years. So we backpacked in for a 5 day trip, and I arrowed this bull the first morning with my Dad on the call behind me. This pic is after shuttling half of my meat cache to camp. The elation we shared after that encounter makes all the work worth it, regardless of head gear. Now I can be selective

 

[pew]

This is my wife....and a poor nighttime cellphone picture to boot. We are CA surfers who moved to CO for a better life for our family. Neither of us come from hunting families but we love being in creation and the idea of "making meat" appeals to us. Since we knew nothing, we began collecting pref points in 2006 in hopes that by the time we had enough, we would have also gained some knowledge and experience. Four kids later, it came time last April for the draw, we decided that she should use her points on a RFW hunt since she finally was not pregnant or breastfeeding a youngster. As the Lord would have it, we found our she was pregnant again in May, but she decided to go anyway since this was nine years in the making and I am grateful for her stamina. She shot this cow at 215 yrds with a pretty standard women's/youth Rem 700 in .308 on the second evening of our hunt and at 21 weeks pregnant. While this was a non-guided "trespass" hunt, I realize it is by no means a purist OTC/DIY deal either; and while she is no "trophy" by anyone's standard but ours, it was a great time together and wonderful to have a full freezer!

View attachment 28763

 

[griffinit]

The herd was headed for dark timber on the opposing side of the canyon, I dropped down into the canyon and around them. As the 6 by 6 herd bull chased off a young bull, I herd a lot of commotion coming through the trees, I cow called to stop him in a small opening at 51YDS and let it fly, He ran side hill below, me and I let his lungs eat another arrow. He made it another 100Yds before expiring.
8 By 6

 

[OR Archer]

My 2015 Oregon OTC bull. Green scored 356.5". I was able to get in front of this bull as he was pushing his cows. He stopped broadside at 60 yards for the shot. He made it less than a 100 yards before piling up. 5.5 mile pack out never hurt so good.

 

[Tony Trietch]

This is my 2015 CO OTC bull. Stalked him in his bed and waited for him to stand. 64 yards downhill, cut to 58 yards for slope. He made it 40 yards before pile driving himself into a log jam on side of slope. Biggest body I have ever seen on a bull. Mass is crazy. One ivory left in head and teeth about ground to bone. The amount of meat I got off him left me in awe.
Hopefully will post up a pick of my WYOMING bull soon. I just need to go kill him.

 

[Dedicated_Elk]

2015 OTC Bull
View attachment 28852

 

[BackcountryMT]

2015 bull from MT. Heading out an hour before daylight when this bull started sounding off. Played the wind game and slipped in close before my partner started answering the bull with bugles while I slipped in silent. 25 yard shot 150 yard recovery.

 

[Nate]

[/URL][/IMG]

This hunt started over twenty five years ago and the twentieth elk harvested my great friend took this once in a lifetime public land bull in rugged Montana back country. I started hunting with him eleven years ago and he continues to push me harder than anyone I hunt with. He is a very selfless hunter and not a trophy hunter. He just enjoys working extremely hard to chase elk in very difficult terrain in northwest Montana.

Just before shooting light on the day of the harvest of this magnificent animal we jumped a bull from the trail. While getting our bows off our packs, putting camo on our faces, and eating a quick snack before the hunting begins, I told my friend that he was shooter that day and I was calling. Well by lunchtime we had not heard a thing. GPS said we had already ascended over 6,800 feet. While eating lunch he told me that sometimes you just have to step on them to get one to talk. Well about 2:30 we crawled through an alder patch and heard onecrashing away.

Frustrated I quickly barked a couple times at what I was certain was a bull running away. I looked down and saw a huge track in the dirt. I told my friend to work his way to the bedding area. I believed that the bull did not see us or hear us and believed I could possibly call him back. Well fast forward about 45 minutes to an hour and I heard the three short cow calls from my friend telling me to come his way.

I was greeted by a guy who was about to puke. He had just shot a huge bull and watched it die 30 yards in front of him. I took several pictures and he was only smiling in a couple. That day I really saw the signs of shock in my best friend who hunted over twenty five years and finally harvested a true once in lifetime bull. Green score on the bull was 373. It had 22" thirds.

I could not have been happier shooting the bull myself. He truly deserves this trophy.

 

[JTHeaney]

We are just north of Ruidoso hunting for our second year. It's three guys from the flatlands of Dallas-Fort Worth and I've only taken one bull with a rifle 10 years ago. We've been trying to do the calling and getting in front of them, then just moved to classing and trying to sneak in as apparently our Texan accents aren't overly accepted by the local herd.

This bull is my first antlered animal with a bow so I know I'm pretty screwed. We saw him headed to water and decided that would be a good idea to try for him. Hiding is some nasty cactus, him and a little 5x5 were screaming their heads off, I thought I was going to shake my arrow out of my rest. He got in the water and tore up the bank and made all kinds of racket the stepped out and game me a shot when he turned to scream at the other bull. 52 yards and a pulled shot right into his shoulder and my heart sank, I knew I just injured a beautiful bull. He ran 75 yards and fell over. Amazing feeling. Still in awe.

 

[BroodBuster]

16 year old Tristan with his first elk shot an hour in opening morning.

"Now what?"

 

[CrzyTrekker]

Backpack Muzzleloader Hunt, San Juan Mountains

To hunt this vocal bull that would not leave the dark timber, I climbed above timberline and waited until prevailing winds blew upslope. With the wind in my face, I stalked towards his bugles. During the last few minutes of the stalk, I was not sure where he was until he suddenly bugled behind the pine tree next to me. I slowly brought my muzzleloader up and waited until he stepped out in front of me. 10 yard shot. So much for time spent at the shooting range.