The afternoon of November 12 was unseasonably heat in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Temperatures exceeded 60 levels. Lush, inexperienced rye grass that ought to have simply been sprouting was ankle-deep.
I barely walked 100 yards from the ATV earlier than erecting an enormous taking pictures tripod. Setting the Browning 6.8 Western into the saddle, I made certain the fluid tripod head may easily swing throughout the 120-degree taking pictures window in entrance of me.
A number of readings from a rangefinder confirmed the farthest shot may come at 348 yards. The directions from my buddy, Richard Kropf, caught with me: “Stroll down the sting of this inexperienced area, hop a bit creek and arrange subsequent to a small oak tree within the nook of the brown meadow. If the bull comes out, it’ll be 200 to 250 yards from ya, on the primary path they use.”
From below the oak tree, I gazed throughout the 12-acre meadow of knee-high, brown grass and lifeless weeds. Within the distance I may see timber close to my duck blind the place I’d shot a restrict of puddlers that morning. Past that — simply over two miles from the place I stood — semi vans rumbled up and down Interstate-5. On the left facet of the sphere stood a 20-acre stand of brief oak timber and tall briar. To the suitable of the sphere was the identical kind of cowl, however it was 35 acres in dimension; it was extra densely full of briars, rose hips, and different brush. That’s the place the bull was bedded. We hoped.
The Bull Returns
Kropf had picked up a large bull on path digicam throughout the night time. “This one sufficiently small for ya?” he texted, midway into my morning duck hunt. The day earlier than, Kropf and I have been looking Roosevelt elk in one other spot. I advised him then, that whereas I hoped for a department bull, with the season ending in a couple of days, I’d be proud of a spike. My spouse and I wished meat within the freezer.
“Is that him?” I texted again. Earlier than Kropf may even reply, I knew it was. On November 7, 2024, Kropf caught the 7×6 Roosevelt bull on path digicam for the primary time. It confirmed up once more, three days later. Then it was gone. Till now. On at the present time, 363 days from once we’d gotten our final photograph of him, the large bull had returned.
“Yep, that’s him,” Kropf replied. My pulse raced. A barrage of feelings consumed me. I knew what caliber of bull this was, and I knew we’d solely have one crack at it.
“You inform me what you need to do, I’m prepared,” I texted Kropf. “There’s zero wind and received’t be till this afternoon, so let’s wait,” he texted again. I’m not as affected person as I must be, and the following six hours crawled by.
The Most Precious Shed Hunt Of My Life
The primary time I set foot on the piece of floor the bull now occupied, was March 31, 2023. Kropf invited me to carry Echo and Kona, my two pudelpointers, to hunt for elk sheds with him. Once I arrived and laid eyes on the small patch of hardwoods and brush, I believed Kropf was joking. “You meant blacktail sheds, proper, not elk?” I requested with a smile.
“Nope, there are some massive bulls that come down right here after the rut,” Kropf retorted. “Some bulls keep the winter right here, others come and go. The final couple years we’ve discovered some spectacular elk sheds in right here.”
Throughout some waterfowl hunts within the Willamette Valley that yr, Kropf advised me of a herd of bachelor bulls that had been hanging out on this property. What I had envisioned and what I noticed now have been two very various things.
A mile to the east of the fields and hardwoods was a bit of rolling foothills that make up the western slopes of the Cascade Vary. They rise to only over 2,200 ft in elevation. Rugged nation blanketed by Douglas fir timber are the place Roosevelt elk dwell, year-round, however typically whole herds drop to the lowlands. Ranches and timber firms have tied-up the hill nation, and only a few permit elk looking. It creates the right scenario for elk to thrive and for bulls to develop massive.
After the rut, many bulls drop to the valley flooring to recuperate. Right here, water, meals, and personal land imply safety. Until you understand somebody, holding this over-the-counter tag is nugatory. Enter Kropf.
I’ve been looking geese and geese with Richard and his brother, Brent Kropf, for practically a decade. They’re in regards to the age of my sons. They arrive from a farming household and are hard-working and trustworthy males — good folks to the core. I like looking with them. Their household owns and leases quite a lot of land within the Willamette Valley. And certain sufficient, the large bull was on certainly one of their leases. With out them, this hunt would have been nothing greater than a dream.
Throughout our spring shed looking journey we discovered a number of Roosevelt elk sheds. I lined most of that lowland habitat and realized so much in a brief period of time. Little did I do know that sooner or later I’d be looking elk there.
I noticed the tiny creek that meandered via the hardwoods, year-round. I laid eyes on rubs, confirming elk have been out and in throughout the rut. The variety of beds and well-worn elk trails boggled my thoughts. I knew elk dropped in from the hills, onto the valley flooring, however didn’t notice the magnitude of the exercise.
I’d watched elk in rye grass fields, 50 yards from I-5. I’ve additionally seen photos of some large bulls taken lately by each archery and rifle hunters, within the inexperienced grass fields. Timing and connecting with a landowner, that’s what looking Roosevelt elk on this habitat comes all the way down to. For the primary time in my life, I had each. It was far completely different from how I grew up looking these monarchs, excessive within the rugged Cascade Vary and deep within the coastal rainforest. I’m not complaining.
The Drive
Due to that shed looking expertise, I knew the place the paths have been that Richard referenced. My canine, Kona, had really introduced me a shed down that most important path.
After getting a number of ranges, I dialed the Leupold VX-6HD scope to 18 energy and turned the CDS to 225 yards. Whether or not the elk got here out 100 or 300 yards, I used to be set.
Richard had dropped off his brother, Brent, on the northwest nook of the hardwoods cowl. Richard was on the northeast finish of it. With the wind blowing from the north, at 8 to 10 miles per hour, the wind was good.
I used to be 200 yards from the brothers, trying right into a meadow on the alternative facet of the timber and brush that the bull was hopefully hiding in. Richard and Brent slowly zig-zagged their approach via the quilt. The aim was for the bull to catch their wind and are available out the place I used to be ready. With a number of escape routes, I gave it a few 50/50 probability of success; there have been quite a lot of escape choices.
As I stood overlooking the wooded, brush-choked fringe of the meadow, I attempted to recall the final time I’d really been part of a big-game drive. It had been years, many years, actually. Rising up, that’s how most hunters killed massive blacktails in the area, by driving them out of thick brush to hunters ready on stands. Capturing home windows have been transient, and people with reactive instincts stuffed their tags extra constantly than hunters who had to consider what to do.
Three minutes had handed, and nothing. Perhaps the bull left the realm throughout the day, I believed. Or, maybe it crossed the sphere I used to be taking a look at and entered into the timber to the south of me. If that was the case, it was lower than a mile till freedom within the Douglas fir lined hills. That bull might be miles away by now.
However I stayed optimistic and mentally ready for what may occur subsequent. I don’t know what number of occasions that day I envisioned the bull exiting the comb and getting into the sphere. I thought of all of the eventualities. The bull may slowly slink from cowl and stand nonetheless. It may bust out on a full run. Or something between. It doesn’t matter what, I used to be prepared.
Solely 5 minutes into the drive, it occurred. The bull emerged from the precise path that Richard mentioned it could. It lumbered its approach via timber and briar patches. Its head was held excessive. I used to be already monitoring the bull with my scope however it was too brushy to shoot. The bull’s tempo slowed and I knew it was about to cease.
And it did cease, proper behind a tangled mess of briars that have been too dense to for a great shot.
All I may see was the top and antlers of the large bull. Wild eyes and flared nostrils stuffed my scope. It was a robust picture I’ll always remember. For a quick second the bull stood, trying again over its shoulder. It’s moist, shiny nostril pumped the air for data. The shot would have been easy, however there was no window to the vitals and I wasn’t about to take a 200-yard head shot.
When the bull turned its head, the large rack practically sucked the breath out of me. The left facet of the rack carried seven factors, and because it began to run the antlers swept throughout the bull’s evenly coloured again. It was a lot heavier than I’d envisioned. Path digicam photographs paled as compared as to what the bull seemed like now.
Nearly immediately the large bull was lined-out and on the run. It needed to cross via 20 yards of briars earlier than hitting the open the place I may get a shot. Simply because the bull was about to enter the clearing, I let loose a hyper loud sequence of cow calls. It did not gradual the bull, it didn’t even twitch an ear or flip its head. Shortly, I used to be again within the scope, monitoring the bull because it fled into the open.
The FireDot in my scope glowed clear pink on the bull’s physique as I sped up the monitoring. The prompt the pink dot reached the bull’s brisket, I pulled the set off. The bull dropped. There was no want for a followup shot.
The bullet entered between two ribs on the left facet, punctured the left lung, clipped the decrease backbone —— doing sufficient harm to drop the bull —— then continued passing via the suitable lung and between two ribs on the alternative facet. The Browning Lengthy Vary Professional Hunter 175 grain Sierra Tipped Gameking bullet was by no means recovered. I’ve taken numerous massive animals with the 6.8 Western, however this efficiency on an previous Roosevelt bull, was its most spectacular.
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The Finish
Seconds after I shot, Richard and Brent emerged from the comb. We exchanged hugs and excessive fives. They by no means noticed or heard the bull. They needed to be shut when it lastly flushed from cowl, inside 50 yards.
Strolling as much as the grand bull was a surreal feeling. Having spent a lifetime looking these elk, I knew the magnitude of what we have been taking a look at. That feeling tremendously intensified after I bent down and tried wrapping my hand across the base of the antlers, however couldn’t.
Behind the bull’s left ear was an open, contaminated wound, seemingly a puncture suffered throughout the rut. It was filled with puss and stunk awfully when caping it. One other preventing damage to the highest of the backbone had contaminated practically half the backstraps. The bull was skinny, and carried little or no fats. I’d seen many larger bodied Roosevelt bulls through the years, however not with the antlers that this one carried.
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It was a straightforward hunt, however I’ve been on sufficient arduous ones over the many years and gone dwelling empty, to really respect what had simply transpired. Some seasons I by no means laid eyes on a bull, that’s how difficult they are often to hunt on public land.
Thirty years in the past, Roosevelt didn’t dwell on this lowland habitat. They’d cross via, then return into the hills or cross I-5 and proceed shifting towards the Coast Vary. However immediately, elk thrive right here, and because of the hassle and kindness of two tremendous brothers, I got here away with the largest Roosevelt bull of my life.
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