Coming back to hunt elk where I was born and raised has been a 23+ year process.
I hunted hard for 23 days straight and passed over 30+ bulls in bow range. 6 of those were 350”+
I spotted and bedded this bull that morning. Came off the mountain and grabbed my buddy Clint for the evening hunt. We went back into that drainage and immediately spotted a couple big bulls with cows. Wind was very inconsistent so we ended up at the top of the ridge and no sign of either bull. With only having 45 mins of light left, we worked back around and heard a bugle close by. I look down below and can see his big tops moving our way. We push down to a small pine tree, range him at 57 yds, slightly quartered away with a 20-30mph gusting crosswind… pin settled in front of his rear quarter and watched the arrow drift across his mid section right through his heart and exit the opposite shoulder. 30 seconds later and my long awaited quest was complete.