Well, we headed back out last night and picked up where we left them, but they were gone out of the valley. We figured we they went down the back of the ridge to another drainage that we'd scouted. We hiked out and drove around in the dark to see if they were there. In mid-valley we finally got a response...
After a sleepless night, we heard a faint response in the back of the canyon...we cirlced around to the far clearcut just as legal light was breaking...my first bugle got an immediate response only 200 yards away!!! We were psyched and the hunt was ON!.. I chirped a few cow calls as we approached the clearing they were in...they were worked up, bugling and coming in...we quickly got into cover on the edge of the cut, dropped our packs and set up... as Sr. stalked up the edge towards a crest where he could hopefully see into the canyon, Eagle-Eye spotted the herd on the far ridge, about half a mile away... whew, Raghorney was with the cows and there was a 5x5 as well...
Eagle-Eye stayed back on in the corner of the cut as our 65 year old father in law disappeared up the ridge... we chirped an' bugled for about half an hour... the cows were squalking back from the ridge and the bulls were screaming, but holding their ground... suddenly there a deep bellow broke the silence followed by the tell-tale chuckle of a herd bull...he was right there... the legendary 7x8 that ended every conversation with hunters in the area...
I screamed with a chuckle back and they went nuts, tearing up the place...we couldn't take it any longer and just started up to the crest for a peek, when a CRAAAACK echoed through the valley...followed by another CRAAAACK...Yeaaaah!! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>!!! hi-5's as we sprinted up to the crest...Sr. let out a yelp and we knew he got one!! There he was standing over the biggest thing I've seen on the ground, with polished ivories sticking through the bush...<img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>
He was on the crest debating about how to close the 400 yard gap to the the BIG Boy, heading up to the herd across the valley, when the satellite bull appeared 50 yards up the ridge...3 weeks and 3 intense days on their trail...he passed on the hail mary... and took a safe shot at an awesome animal. I don't know if I'd have had the restraint and patience he had, but I respect him for it...he left Legend...for us...next year!
That was my first hunt with the family and I was even more excited for him than when I shot my bucks this year!! I was thrilled to have been part of a great hunt.