Looks like Lori missed the blog yesterday so I’ll chime in  today. In the morning I hiked another 10 miles in looking for the elusive monster elk. As Lori said, I have no interest in shooting a small one and have passed on 4 animals so far this trip. Not much luck but a long hike. It’s too warm and the rut (breeding time) hasn’t started due to the weather so they’re awful quiet.
Later in the day, I headed out about 6. As soon as we made it into the river bottom, we spotted a few elk in the dark timber. It was hard to get a shot due to all the trees plus in ranged 395 yards away. We decided to circle around to catch them heading up the hill. As soon as we made it to the base of the hill, all hell broke lose. Something spooked them bad as the herd bull never leads but there he was. Usually what happens is the bull sends the cows out first to make sure all is ok. I think it was a mountain lion that spooked them as I had seen a calf kill by one 10 minutes earlier. So out of the timber came this massively large 6 point monster charging right for me. When he saw me he veered up the hill and right behind him were probably 20 cows (female elk). Behind them were 4 more bulls, (males). I swung with the lead bull and tried to shoot him at about 250 yards (2 1/2 football fields for most of you) but first missed behind him and then over his back. I then turned my attention to the trailing bulls but had to wait for the females to go by them. Once they were passed them, I shot at the lead bull and down he went. He tried to get up once and then again and then a third time when I saw all four legs in the air. Thinking for sure he was down, I eased up over the ridge. To my surprise, he wasn’t there! My guide and I searched until dark when we finally spotted him way up the mountain bugling at us as if to say, I got away. I knew I hit him from him falling and we spotted blood on his shoulder through the binoculars. What happened though was I hit a void which is the spot right behind the shoulder where there are no vital organs or bones and the bullet must have went right through him. Now these animals are so freakin tough and at this time of year, really fat, that their fat just sucks in around the hole and closes it up.
Not wanting to push him out of the valley, we decided to head back to camp and take up the search at 5am in the morning. Hopefully I’ll find him in the morning. More to come, God Bless.