Hey Fellas, I had a great hunt with my CVA Accura and the 250grn Thor. Here is a little story for you.
I packed in for the nine day season with my mule and horse. I hunt the same area every year, often with success with my bow and rifle. This was my first hunt with a ML. On the way in I passed 4 out of staters leading horses in then passed an outfitter picking up hunters from a drop camp. I was extremely disappointed to see that so many people had been chasing all the elk out of my spot.
Anyway, I got in and set up camp, got the horses feeding, caught some cutthroats for dinner with some freezedry and crashed. The next morning I really didn't expect to see much with all the hunters in the last week but I was wrong, two real nice bulls and some cows. NICE
I watched them up high with the spotting scope for a couple days while I chased a couple others, it was clear that people had been in the area squaking on their calls telling all the bulls to not talk.
On the third day I decided to push up into the elk that I have been watching. A 5x, 6x, some cows and a real nice 6x. I got up into them and fought with the wind for quite awhile, then just sat waiting for them to talk, after about four hours all three bulls spoke up in the woods below my lookout. The wind was perfect, I had located them so it was now time to move in. I worked toward one of them getting within 60 yrds. I responded to one of his bugles with my own, he turned and came up the hill into view but he was the smaller 6x, I left him, moved down and around him and waited for the next to bugle. After awhile I heard what I was waiting for. A bull above me. I moved up towards him quickly, getting into his area, then I put out a cow call, he screamed back at me, the game was on. I moved directly at him really fast and loud until I saw him. I dropped and moved behind a tree. He was 200 yrds with a cow looking right at me. The bummer was that they were out in a clearing. I cow called awhile, the bull couldn't figure out why I wasn't coming to him so he moved off, the cow hung out for awhile then moved. I moved right in and worked along a trail that the cows left on. I froze with a cow and calf seven yards directly below me, they continued on their way and I followed. I then looked down an avalanche slope, there he was 100 yrds standing broadside. I sat down layed it on him and squeezed. Good hit just behind the shoulder, I cow talked and he just stood there for awhile then laid down. Clearly sick. I reloaded and waited, he stood up now facing the other way I hit him again same spot but on the other side and I saw dirt fly on the other side, the bullet went clear through him. He bolted 10 yards, I cow called, he stopped and looked very sick, then laid down. I sat and reloaded thinking for sure that it was over. His head was down with very little movement. Keep in mind that we are at the top of a very steep avelanch slope mixed with cliffs. Well right then he jumped up and fell backwards over a cliff and tumbled head over hind down the avalanche slope landing in some little pines 100 yards down. I moved down, there was a little movement in the pines, then nothing. He had broken one side off just behind his 4th so I worked back up and found the broken tines. He was a great bull and I am very stoked to have put such a great hunt on him with success. It was almost dark and we were in a pretty precarious position on the mountain side so I didnt think to take any pictures until the next day when I had him back in camp all boned out. The Thors 250 grn did it's job with great penetration, I didn't find them though as they went all the way through.
Here are a couple of pictures of the antlers.
I packed in for the nine day season with my mule and horse. I hunt the same area every year, often with success with my bow and rifle. This was my first hunt with a ML. On the way in I passed 4 out of staters leading horses in then passed an outfitter picking up hunters from a drop camp. I was extremely disappointed to see that so many people had been chasing all the elk out of my spot.
Anyway, I got in and set up camp, got the horses feeding, caught some cutthroats for dinner with some freezedry and crashed. The next morning I really didn't expect to see much with all the hunters in the last week but I was wrong, two real nice bulls and some cows. NICE
I watched them up high with the spotting scope for a couple days while I chased a couple others, it was clear that people had been in the area squaking on their calls telling all the bulls to not talk.
On the third day I decided to push up into the elk that I have been watching. A 5x, 6x, some cows and a real nice 6x. I got up into them and fought with the wind for quite awhile, then just sat waiting for them to talk, after about four hours all three bulls spoke up in the woods below my lookout. The wind was perfect, I had located them so it was now time to move in. I worked toward one of them getting within 60 yrds. I responded to one of his bugles with my own, he turned and came up the hill into view but he was the smaller 6x, I left him, moved down and around him and waited for the next to bugle. After awhile I heard what I was waiting for. A bull above me. I moved up towards him quickly, getting into his area, then I put out a cow call, he screamed back at me, the game was on. I moved directly at him really fast and loud until I saw him. I dropped and moved behind a tree. He was 200 yrds with a cow looking right at me. The bummer was that they were out in a clearing. I cow called awhile, the bull couldn't figure out why I wasn't coming to him so he moved off, the cow hung out for awhile then moved. I moved right in and worked along a trail that the cows left on. I froze with a cow and calf seven yards directly below me, they continued on their way and I followed. I then looked down an avalanche slope, there he was 100 yrds standing broadside. I sat down layed it on him and squeezed. Good hit just behind the shoulder, I cow talked and he just stood there for awhile then laid down. Clearly sick. I reloaded and waited, he stood up now facing the other way I hit him again same spot but on the other side and I saw dirt fly on the other side, the bullet went clear through him. He bolted 10 yards, I cow called, he stopped and looked very sick, then laid down. I sat and reloaded thinking for sure that it was over. His head was down with very little movement. Keep in mind that we are at the top of a very steep avelanch slope mixed with cliffs. Well right then he jumped up and fell backwards over a cliff and tumbled head over hind down the avalanche slope landing in some little pines 100 yards down. I moved down, there was a little movement in the pines, then nothing. He had broken one side off just behind his 4th so I worked back up and found the broken tines. He was a great bull and I am very stoked to have put such a great hunt on him with success. It was almost dark and we were in a pretty precarious position on the mountain side so I didnt think to take any pictures until the next day when I had him back in camp all boned out. The Thors 250 grn did it's job with great penetration, I didn't find them though as they went all the way through.
Here are a couple of pictures of the antlers.
