first blood of the year, co pics

[bradrussell5]

Well guys, got off a plane last night in jackson coming back home from our first elk in south colorado. It was a kick in the ass to say the least and for anyone thats never done it.......just go one time! The weather for most part was good except for rain on sunday which kept us from getting more pics of our bulls. All five of us had bulls within 70 yds at one point in time during the trip and me and a friend got lucky enough to stick one. I was hunting a big bull (over 300") that me and jason had spotted the afternoon before feeding in a meadow right at dark. I saw him and another really good bull the next moring but couldnt get above them. That afternoon i ended up finding a wallow on a shelf half way up the mountain that was surrounded by live oaks and was close to where most of the rutting action was goin on. I got tucked back into some tall grass and waited for them to get out of their beds. Around 6pm i heard the first buggle which was fairly close but just had a gut feelin to stay put. A few minutes later a cow and her calf came into the wallow and was soon followed by 2 1/2 year old bull. He stayed in the wallow for 10 min puttin on a show by thrashin a small live oak on the far side of the bank. I thought about passing him up because i knew there were bigger bulls in the area but then that ole bird in hand saying came to mind. He wasnt exactly the one i was after but im still tickled pink at my first elk bow kill. Nathan ended up getting a really nice bull that will come close to p/y.

[cwink]

Good job.. I would have had a hard time passing them up too.. Next time you can wait out the big one..

[waterfowlwidowmaker]

Nice, Congrats....

[chopper30]

That's what I like to see!

[RebelYelp]

i believe them animals there is overqualified for Pope and Chop!

[super slim]

no doubt it was a fun trip, and something I will definitely do again.

Chop, you were right about the Ellis curse. Not only did I not get a shot, I am still waiting on the airline to find my dadgum luggage...

[DUCKAHOLIC]

awesome

[tombstone]

awesome. Man that is just awesome. I would love to sling an arrow at one. Heck, I just want to see the rockies.

congrats!!!!!

[bradrussell5]

The tricky part about huntin these suckers is dealing with the thermals and trying to figure out the pattern of how the wind works itself around the mountains,saddles,benches, and rock faces. The other hard part is dealing with the terrain and thin air. Its one thing to charge up the side of a mountain and get to the point where you can get a shot but its a whole nother ballgame charging up the side of a mountain to get to the point where you can get a shot and still be able to control your breathing enough to make an accurate fling. Its not only a challenge between you and the animal but a challenge between you and yourself on how far you can push yourself physically. It will definately test your limits

[jtdumallard]

stupid question:

Do elk Shed their antlers like whitetail do?

[Jelly]

yeap!

[vicksburg]

Congrats Brad, Sounds like a hell of a trip. Call me and tell me about it.

[bradrussell5]

Quinn, lost yo number along with my phone a couple weeks back so shoot it to me or give me a ring, bradrussell5@aol or 662-871-7894

[trey]

Hey Brad, Congrats, I hope you guys had fun. I got a call on Sunday from my brother and I'm going to Montana to video him and Will Primos. Something got messed up with their scheduling and Ole Kev asked me if I could video them. I don't think I'm in shape enough but maybe I'll lose a few lbs. If you can think of anything I would need let me know. I leave friday morning.

[no fly zone]

yea, maybe schedule gastric bypass their meachem. Im sure they can work you in by friday. Ha. Congrats on the kill brad.