Funny I just happened to vist this site when this post showed up.....

The story goes a guy from NY state bowhunting CO in Sept 2000 found this dead bull in a wallow. He asked on another site how people thought he died. I read the post and knew the area he had hunted and emailed him for directions. I got back a few forest roads park here and hike around this way awhileto a meadow type directions. I sent them to my brother and he a buddy went looking. They found nothing but a cow elk skull the first time the went out.

They went out the next day hiked around a bit more and found the wallow and the bull. the problem was a bear had claimed the carcass and was having dinner by bobbing for elk. Unarmed my brother called me for back up and I drove up there with a buddy.The 4 of us managed to pull the elk out and snap some photos. On a whim I wondered how deep the wallow was....I'm glad I didn't step in! After 3 tries with shorter sticks I final found the one you see in the photos. I was as surprized as anyone that wallow was so deep.

There was mud splashed all over the place as the bull wallowed. The sides where nearly vertical and I think the mud was too slippery for him to climb out.The wallow was near a spring at the base of a tree and appeared natural.....just deeeeeeep!

The bull was a nice 5x6 280ish and he did not have any noticable external injuries. He had been dead nearly a month from the time the NY guy found him until we pulled him out. He really didn't smell to bad the cool water must have delayed decomposition.

I cut off the entire head with a saw and packed it back to my truck. Once at home I skinned and boiled the skull. I did find a pencil sized stick pushed deep into his nasal cavity.

Any other questions?

Sandbrew