AgLA06 said:
Awesome result!
I've read your story a couple of times and I have a question. If you're only comfortable out to about 400 why even attempt a 600+ or 800+ shot in that situation? It sounds like they were out in the open, so losing them wasn't an issue. And then they responded so well to a call. What was the thought process by your guide here?
It was a tough decision. I asked the guide what the chances were of getting him closer with a call. He said it was possible, but less likely due to the large number of cows with him. This was supported by the fact that the large bull did not respond to the calls and only came toward us when the young bulls came up.
My thought was that since the elk had not been shot at before this season, the likelihood of them running off was low. I have hit paper targets at 600 before, but only off a bench. Honestly the most likely cause of my missed shots was buck fever. The only bad shot was the very first shot into the sun, which was probably a bad call by the guide, but I should have said no. That said, I thought the guide did a really good job overall, and he seemed to really know the area and what he was doing.
In my opinion the hunt takes a lot of skill, but some of it is also simple luck. There was another hunter on the ranch about a mile away hunting with a pistol. He has far more skill than I do, and he ended up with a much smaller bull.
