340 Class bull in velvet

Here is a 340 class bull that I caught on my trail camera.  I had to review 5 hours of video that was captured over 20 days to find this single 25 second clip.  When I first saw this I was hooping and hollering and wanted everyone to get out of bed to see it.  However they were not as excited as I was.

This was an amazing find for a unit will few elk.  It is an over the counter tag that anyone can hunt which makes him even more impressive.  Even with the limited number of elk in this unit I had to ask myself "How can you not try for this bull?".  Even if you go home empty handed you have to at least give it a try.   So after the muzzle loader season I am going up there for 5 days to try and locate this bull.  To even have a chance at bagging him with a bow he has to be hunted during the rut when he has lost his mind in search for cows.  You could hike the whole mountain range for a week and never see him.  He has to be vocal so you can locate him then work your way to him to even have a chance.  If you go too early you won't find him.  Too late (like after someone else scares him off the mountain or kills him) then that too will be disappointing.  The other risk is that he may be broken up from fighting.  All these are risks that have to be weighed in the timing of an attempt at hunting him.  I know that I will not be too early I just hope that I'm not too late.  First I hope that I can locate him then a chance at a shot at this magnificent animal.  This is the kind of elk I have been looking for my entire life.   This is the class of bull I searched for in 2010 when I went on my limited entry hunt in Utah.  It took me 7 years to draw that Utah tag and now I find what I am looking for in a unit that I could hunt year after year.  If there is one bull like this there is the potential for more.  It is going to take several years to figure out this area and how the bulls use it.  All I can hope for this year is bigger's luck because a 25 second video only tells me he exists.

Wish me luck on my quest.  I will try to record as much of my hunt as possible so that I have something to share if I run across this monster.  

Here are some key principles for successful hunting:

1. Be prepared. Proper preparation can have a tremendous positive affect on your success.

2. Hunt hard and never give up.  There is always that one place that you haven't looked that may hold your trophy. 

3. Relax, follow your instincts, and always be ready. All of us have hunting in our genes.  With a little experience you will be able to tell what elk like.  Follow those instincts and you will start seeing more elk.

Happy hunting, Hondo