Hemi

Well, finally last night my luck broke and I managed to take a nice young 6x6 Bull Elk on our ranch here in British Columbia. I had not seen much elk activity for the last couple weeks since the season opened on the 10th of September. Last night I took my kids for a quick drive up above our ranch that borders the U.S. I was actually glassing for a big whitetail buck i have been after and happend to spot this lone bull a good mile into the U.S. and he was headed straight for our top fields. I dropped the kids off at the house and tore up to our top fields on my quad I managed to grab my cow call diaphram. Also up in the top field was my cow elk cardboard cut out I had made earlier in the year. I stopped the quad short of the fields and quickly hiked the last 5-600 yrds to the edge of a heavily wooded draw that runs between our neighbours ranch and ours. I glassed the bull approx. 800yds in the adjoining field heading to some heavy old growth timber. I normally set up my decoy by tacking it to a tree then proceed to set up 100yds or so away since I hunt with a rifle. This time though I was rushing because the bull was about to hit the timber. I cow called quite excitedly and flashed the cow decoy as i tried to hold it in the wind and make it stay upright. The bull instanty responded in a flat out run across the field down a ravine and jumped our property line fence onto my property and then dissapeared in the ravine below me. I had no idea where he went. I took the safety off my .300 win set the scope to 3x and then....my decoy blew over making the most noisey sound you could imagine. I figured great...he heard that nonsense and left.....but he bugled.......I knew he was close but could not see him yet. I was holding my rifle in one hand...nice light Savage!!!....the decoy up with the other hand and I thought I will cow call one more soft chirp....I chirped and the bull flew up and hit the decoy.......I fired from the hip one handed and shot the bull from approx. 18"!!! less than 2 feet....one shot clean kill...straight through the windpipe and through the spine with a Federal Premium MRX 180grn form the .300 winnie. He fell backwards down the hill....I filled my shorts! Ican not believe how fast and silent that bull travelled the last 100 or so yrds even when I knew he was there....I got plum lucky I didnt get run over and lucky that I got off a nice clean shot...and for the record I was actually shooting that rifle one handed at my steel gong a couple weeks ago just to see if i could.....I can!....anyhow the bull is a nice younger bull....no wall hanger but one I will remember forever!!.........hope everyone is having a great safe season, good luck and dont stand next to a cow elk decoy in the peak of the rut!!!

onebigelk

WOW!! Hemi,
I can't imagine the adrenline rush you must have felt. I've seen tv shows where a bull gets real close to guys, but to almost get run over must have caused your heart to stop. Really i would think you are lucky you didn't get hurt let alone get a shot off. I can only hope to get any encounter with a bull next month in CO. Are you done now where you can consentrate on that big whitetail your after?

hillbillyhunter1

Hemi, you should be ashamed of yourself if you can't call a bull in any closer than 18''...LOL. Holy Cow, way to go. Sounds like fun!!

turkeygal

Congrats ... 18" WOW that would be exciting!

younggun308

Cheez, Louise!!!!

"Honey, I'm telling you, I need a .375 H&H safari gun! Just take a look!"

AZBear

Well Done!!!

Now you have me second guessing my 30.06....not!
Great story and enjoy the bounty...

Champlain Islander

Good story and congrats on a nice bull. I will add though that I was taught to never take the gun off safe until I had the target identified and was actually ready to shoot.

lethalconnection

Wow that is awesome, that would have scared the hell out of me too having a bull charge me like that, congrats on your bull.

tangozulu

Congrats Hemi................maybe you should weld a bayonet onto that rifle barrel.
Thanks for sharing.
Pic?

Hemi

Thanks guys...I got lucky.....I hope to never call a bull in to within that range again!! lol.. hard on the heart. Good point made on the safety being off...although at the time my judgement told me that it would be fine...private land, no livestock present, large hill behind etcc...maybe I would do differently next time. Tango a bayonet would have been pretty handy!! Im sure I could have stuck him in the eye with a sharp stick at the least!!...it all worked out and I can not wait to have him in the freezer.

I have included one picture taken the next evening by my barn with the pick up lights shining on us....No actual kill field photos as it got late and to be honest no one thought of it at the time! I think everyone is more excited about eating it than the look of it!!