HuntingNet.com Forums - Montana Bob Scores Elk and no Glasses pic

Thiswas the first time of the rifle season I got to go out an hunt forElk.
Got the 338 Rum and 300 Rum all sighted in ready to go.
Muley 69 called and said lets go hunting.
We have a spot which is directly across from my house in the hills above private property which has always held Elk so we decided to head up there.
We had been a little discouraged as we had a miserable archery season here as theElk had seem to just have vanished, However I had been seeing quite a fewElk on the hills the last few days.
Muley and I set out to arrive just at light to glass the hills.
Well our favorite spot had a new gate[:@]
It was a little frustrating as the area we hunt you can just drive to.
Wethought it over and decided to go ahead and walk in the 5 miles, but we wereunprepared for this type of hunt as we were never far toofrom the road on previous hunts.
We got in there a little after light and started glassing and didn't see much. I headed out to a favorite ridge that has always held Elk and where I missed twice last year.
About 300 yards down the ridge Bingo, Cow Elk staring me in the face at 100 yards. Dropped to my knees and crawled to a stump. Rested my rifle on the stump and turned up my Leupold 4.5x 14 to full power. The cow had some others with her and was staring right at me. I kept looking at this Elk and searching for other through the thick forest.
A couple minutes later the Elk had calmed and continued feeding. I crawled back to my pack and grabbed my Hoochie Mama and squeezed it a couple of times.
The forest lit up with cow calls. Elk were everywhere. By now I was back at the stump with scope turned back down trying to find horns through the thick forest.
Caught a glimps of some horns and turned the scope back to full power,It wasa rag horn coming down the trail straight towards me at what seemed like about 100 yards.
It had stopped facing me. This morning I had decided on the 300 Rum, I knew I could put a shot with the rifle at this distance inside of a quarter, there was a dead limb about 50 yards out that caused some concern, but decided ontaking theshot. Bang dropped the limb dead in its tracks.
The Elk all moved a bit not knowing quite what happened, the rag horn turned broadside in the trail, no longer a limb in the way I sent another 180 Gr Nosler in his direction.
The forest is now alive with Elk running over the ridge. I take a minute to collect myself and go over to the spot where the rag horn stood,I thought.
I searched for blood all over and found nothing. I followed the heavily torn up forest floor from the Elk over the ridge.
I again let out a Hochie Mama call and the most beautiful soundwas heard. Well over 100 Elk all talking back and forth.
It was a great scene and I just sat there with scope at full power looking and listening. I had a great vantage point as the Elk went up the other side of the ridge.
Out of all the Elk I saw a small 5x5 and another rag horn missing an antler. I got real lucky to find a bull to shoot in all the cows
Well I headed back to the stump and set up my rifle to view the area I had shot from. Made a note of the terrain features and started walking. I had greatly misjudged the distance having the scope at 14 power, more like 200 yard shot. Found the spot of impact and some blood... Yes. started tracking the goodblood trail and it just petered out after 40 yards. Followed all the trails made by the Elk for about 40 minutesand there about 75 yards from impact lay my bull against a tree.
Well I could write a book on how we managed to get it out, But will say we went back home, Got lights, pack and frame and didn't get back till late.
I got to thank Muley 69 who I met here at Huntinnet.com for helping with the packing out of the animal.
10 years younger than me, with alot more responsibilities at home for commingback out in the middle of the nighthelping me. I would have died on the mountain tring to get this thing out myself as far back as it was.
Thanks again Muley. ( and no those are not sunglasses, just those light sensitive len's, that us old guy's need;)