Some pictures…

Ucsdryder

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Jan 24, 2015
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I had a great rifle hunt this year. After 5 straight years hunting archery and having lots of luck I decided to mix it up and I picked up a rifle tag! I spent a lot of time building a new rifle and dialing it in. My confidence grew and my MER doubled, possibly tripled. I shot more this summer than I shot in 10 years!

I’m not going to do a normal recap, but let’s be honest, none of us grab “that” magazine for the articles…we like the pictures!!!!

Hope you guys enjoy!
 

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Ucsdryder

Ucsdryder

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Summer scouting is always as much fun or more than the actual hunt!
 

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Ucsdryder

Ucsdryder

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More scouting!!!! And even some elk!
 

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Ucsdryder

Ucsdryder

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And one last scouting trip…have I mentioned how much I love scouting…and how important it is to success…even when it’s blowing 70mph and snowing…
 

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Ucsdryder

Ucsdryder

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Opening day! Patience and more patience…let’s be honest, boredom. A couple of small bulls and a handful of cows. The only excitement was a gun that barely loaded due to carbon from the suppressor getting into the action.
 

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Ucsdryder

Ucsdryder

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Home sweet home….you know you had a doh moment when you put together the tent, stove, cots, etc and then realize you left the stove pipe 4 hours away. We ended up going back and getting it. Slept in bed that night and left at 2am to get back for the opener. Not smart!
 

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Ucsdryder

Ucsdryder

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Ok a quick story.

Opening evening had us in a different spot watching for elk to come out of the dark timber and feed on the open hillsides. Steph and I hiked into a spot that allowed us to watch 2 canyons and multiple ridges. We sat for an hour and when the sun dipped behind the mountain the temps plummeted. Steph was sitting on a snow covered rock shivering. I may not be a smart man, but I know when to call it quits. We started hiking back toward the truck. 2 ridges away I saw a speck that didn’t belong. I put up the ZEISS RFs and spotted a bull. A bull big enough to go after. I clicked the distance, 1640 yards back down the road where we came from.

I hustled back down to the truck, dumped the spotter, tripod, and water bladder and trotted down the road. I got to a high spot and glassed a smaller bull, 900 yards. I dropped down below the road out of sight and moved closer. I glassed back to the spot on the road and I was 280 yards away, which put me about 600 yards from the small bull.

I creeped up onto a small point and set up with the javalin bipod up front and my pack as my back bag. I started scanning for the bull, but he was nowhere to be found.

Within seconds I heard a vehicle coming up the road. An old Jeep comes up the road and parks below me, 75 yard away. The doors open, the doors slam. A man, woman and kid get out and start taking picture. Ohhhhhh great!

I look back and see an elk, glass up, there he is. The big boy. I try to range but I’m shaking now….525, 603, error, 535…I told myself to pull it together. 575, 583, 578, I waited for the mil adjustment and dialed. He was moving right to left and watching where he heard the noise of the doors slam. I tried to whistle but my mouth was dry and nothing came out. I gave it a “woooh” instead. Who’s says “woooh”. The bull stopped.

Crosshairs behind the shoulder, finger pressing…am I supposed to be adjusting for something? Elevation, wind, barometric pressure (not even sure what that is)…BOOM!!!!

The crosshairs come off him but get right back on him. He staggers backward and steadies himself, time to reload and as @Randy Newberg says, shoot him again! I reload and he’s gone.

Well that was fun!

I look back down the hill and there’s a man, woman, and kid looking at me like they just saw a ghost. I felt like Forrest Gump waving at them. They got back in the Jeep and drove off rather quickly.

I text Steph and told her I shot and I thought I hit him. She came tearing down the hill in the truck.

It was getting dark and we decided to go take a quick look. I brought the gun and a knife. No pack, no game bag, no nothing.

We mads it to the spot he was standing, no tracks in the snow, no blood. That didn’t make any sense. I ranged back to the hill…385. Oops, wrong spot! We walked to the next rise. 575 yards is a long way away!

I quickly found his track and then a speck of blood. I mean a speck! That’s not good. A 180gr bullet shouldn’t leave a speck.

I considered leaving and coming back, but it’s always so hard to leave blood so we started following it. Every 10 yards there was a speck. Not good.
 

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TodOz

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Ohio
You got me...... I feel like I watched a season finale of a good show and they left me hanging so I have to wait for the next episode to come out. lol. Can't wait to hear the ending.
 

el_jefe_pescado

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Montana
As an archery hunter also mixing it up with a bull rifle tag this year—I love it. Standing by.


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Ehiggins

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Dec 15, 2014
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Looks like the OP’s picture icon gives away the ending….


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Ucsdryder

Ucsdryder

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I know how it ends. :)

Glad you and Steph stopped by the other night
We stopped by and stole some beers, then talked Brad out of some prime white tail burger and some canned elk. Thanks Brad!
 
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Ucsdryder

Ucsdryder

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Ok no more talk, more pictures!!!!!
 

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