I guess it all started at the end of july when I drew Peaches Ridge Muzzleloader bull permit. I spent every weekend there after scouting the Taneum which did nothing for me but eliminate places to hunt. I went back to the Naches and started to find Elk with the help of some freinds ... (No not Stam)


Sunday while setting up camp proved the move to the Naches was the right one as we had bulls bugleing and raking trees as close as 100 yards from camp! After a sleepless night we got into elk right out of camp had several bulls worked up and one that charged in between 40 -50 yards but with unstable winds we werent able to close the deal. A mile and a half later and the next drainage over we heard this guy bugleing in his bed accross a big bowl, we went up top and came around with perfect wind now and were able to get within 30 yards. He knew something was not right he got up and ran out but my buddie Marcello was able to stop him at 75 yards and I got an off hand shot that double lunged him. He ran another 80 yards or so down the ridge where he stopped and then tipped over ... totally cool!
It was definatlly worth the 10 year wait!





I gotta thank Marcello and Casey for helping me and Stam I am still waiting for you to come out of retirement the rumor around these parts is your a better hunter than you are a fisherman anyway!
It looks like now if M_ray says lets go hunting you better "Just do it"

HELL OF AS NICE BULL! Just a question here. Why did you sneek to within 30 yds of this? I bow hunt and that is plenty close enough for me to kill with me bow. Just seems really risky(maybe you just like the challenge of getting close) to get that close when its not neccasary with a muzzleloader in hand? Risky meaning he may spook and you won't be able to stop him from troting 3-500 yds before stopping. Again nice bull. Are you going to have it mounted?

Nice bull!

Getting close is fun, and sometimes, depending on the amount of timber, you have to get that close to get a shot. Just because they're within 30-50 yards doesn't mean that you have a clear shot, even in Eastern WA.

I'll be hunting deer and elk next week over there. Can't wait.

Fishmaster, As you can see from the terrain picture it is pretty thick and if you saw where he was bedded it was thicker than where he ended up going down. My goal before this hunt was a mature 6 point and I couldnt see his horns we wanted to get close enough for a peek he was only bugleing about every 4-5 min so we acually made more ground than we expected too. It's hard to get in all the little details I was trying to keep it short and simple. Sorry if that sounds wierd to you but I've taken a Big Muley in his bed at 8 yards and a Whitetail at 15 with the same muzzloader both of which are borderline book bucks. I bow hunted for the first 14 years before I went rifle or muzzloader so maybe I still like the close encounters I dont know all I know is this one worked out. When he ran out and gave us a good look he was right in there where I had set my goal at. If I had not had the opportunity I still wouldnt have second guessed myself cause I would have been really bummed if I shot him before getting a good look and he turned out to be a 1x2.
Thanks for the nice comments BTW and ya I've caped him for mounting it's in the freezer!

Here are a couple more so you can see the terrain.

Now thats a hunt! nice work glad your 10yrs of waiting paid off with such a trophy! hopefully I can down some brown come early November

m_ray
ya I got ya. I love those close incounters also!! The country does look thiiicccckkkkk. Right on that will make a good mount.

BTW I'm leaving in 6 day for my 9 day muley hunt. I hope it turns out like both of our elk hunts. Wil post pics if there are any?

Nice Bull!!!! I hit the woods in the a.m.

Really nice Bull Congrats!!

I have the camper loaded and am headed out for the weekend myself. I hope to find my first elk.

JY

Thanks for the nice comments guy's!

Fishmaster - Good luck to you I look forward to seeing some pics from your hunt. You got a nice bull allready and you know how these things go ride the wave baby ... all the way into shore! chances are you are on a high and good things will happen for you. I too am leaving right after this post heading east again I still have a Muzzle deer tag and a a buddie that drew the raffle elk tag that is in the blues & I am going to help out this next week. Then it's on to Idaho so I plan to down somemore as well should be fun ... godd luck to all!

Nice job! I loved the pics and the story.

That's a fine trophy.

Great job that Bull is a beauty and a real trophy.

I know exactly where you because I hunted it last year during archery. We camped about a 1/2 mile down the road. Saw some nice deer.

Great job.

RVW

Awesome!! That is killer man. Thanks for sharing with us.

Kris

Mray, PM sent to you.

Just a parting shot and once again Thank you for all the nice comments I really appriciate it.
Fishmaster- how did your hunt go? lets see him!

m_ray-

Well the hunt went OK. We started off seeing lots of deer 20-50 in a morning. My buddies dad killed a average 3x3 with eye guards(mulie) My buddy and I both missed nice whitetail bucks. Long story but I will give the short version.

We bedded the 2 bucks down right below a dirt field in grass that was over our heads. We would have never seen them if we hadn't seen them before they bedded. They were 1200 yds away. We crawled on all 4's to 211yds. Were we waited, and waited, and waited for the bastards to get up. It was in the low 70's and we were getting pelted by the sun. I we desided to take a shot at them bedded. Well we both missed.

Then the weather changed. Snow, wind , and rain. The deer just flat out disapeared. We didn't see near the animals the next 2 day. And we were hiking canyons not just glassing. So the 6 of us packed up and headed home to hunt Blacktails.

On a side note for the second year in a row we saw tons of nice fork and horns. Last year we were saying, "oh next year it's going to be good". Most everyone we talked to hadn't seen a legal mule deer. We are hunting in the area of the Columbia complex fire from 2 years ago. Anyone have a idea as to why we are not seeing a mulie bucks? We did see twice as many deer this year as last. Maybe we just need more time for the area to recover.

Fishmaster,
That's too bad I was hoping for a better hunt for you there. You know Sometimes wev'e seen this before and everything changes in the matter of day's and you just go where were they? Or Is there a late hunt there or maybe Indian pressure? It's allways a mystery why there wouldnt be any leagal bucks in an area where you see tons of forked horns the year before. I am going to Idaho Nov.10th thru 20th so I have one more hunt other than late Muzzle deer here in WA (which BTW I don't put too much into) so will post when I get back.

Very Nice. That's not to far from my place. It's good to see nice bulls taken from those who deserve it. Well done.