I Shot the Biggest Roosevelt Elk of My Life on a Drive

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 positive the fluid tripod head might easily swing throughout the 120-degree taking pictures window in entrance of me.

A number of readings from a rangefinder confirmed the farthest shot might come at 348 yards. The directions from my buddy, Richard Kropf, caught with me: “Stroll down the sting of this inexperienced area, hop a little 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 principle path they use.”

From underneath the oak tree, I gazed throughout the 12-acre meadow of knee-high, brown grass and lifeless weeds. Within the distance I might see bushes 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 aspect of the sector stood a 20-acre stand of quick oak bushes and tall briar. To the correct of the sector was the identical type of cowl, nevertheless it was 35 acres in dimension; it was extra densely filled with briars, rose hips, and different brush. That’s the place the bull was bedded. We hoped.

The Bull Returns

Kropf had picked up an enormous bull on path digital camera through the evening. “This one sufficiently small for ya?” he texted, midway into my morning duck hunt. The day earlier than, Kropf and I had been looking Roosevelt elk in one other spot. I informed him then, that whereas I hoped for a department bull, with the season ending in a number of days, I’d be proud of a spike. My spouse and I needed meat within the freezer.

“Is that him?” I texted again. Earlier than Kropf might even reply, I knew it was. On November 7, 2024, Kropf caught the 7×6 Roosevelt bull on path digital camera 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 massive 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 wish to do, I’m prepared,” I texted Kropf. “There’s zero wind and gained’t be till this afternoon, so let’s wait,” he texted again. I’m not as affected person as I needs to be, and the following six hours crawled by.

The Most Useful 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 convey 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 informed me of a herd of bachelor bulls that had been hanging out on this property. What I had envisioned and what I noticed now had 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 simply over 2,200 toes in elevation. Rugged nation blanketed by Douglas fir bushes are the place Roosevelt elk reside, year-round, however typically total 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 state of affairs for elk to thrive and for bulls to develop massive.

After the rut, many bulls drop to the valley ground to recuperate. Right here, water, meals, and personal land imply safety. Except you realize 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 almost 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 really like looking with them. Their household owns and leases a variety of land within the Willamette Valley. And positive sufficient, the massive bull was on one among 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 coated most of that lowland habitat and discovered so much in a brief period of time. Little did I do know that someday 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 had been out and in through 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 ground, however didn’t understand 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 big bulls taken in recent times 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 had been that Richard referenced. My canine, Kona, had really introduced me a shed down that fundamental 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 excellent.

I used to be 200 yards from the brothers, trying right into a meadow on the other aspect of the bushes 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 couple of 50/50 probability of success; there have been a variety 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, a long time, in actual fact. 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 had been transient, and people with reactive instincts stuffed their tags extra persistently than hunters who had to consider what to do.

Three minutes had handed, and nothing. Possibly the bull left the realm through the day, I believed. Or, maybe it crossed the sector I used to be and entered into the bushes to the south of me. If that was the case, it was lower than a mile till freedom within the Douglas fir coated hills. That bull might be miles away by now.

However I stayed optimistic and mentally ready for what might occur subsequent. I don’t know what number of occasions that day I envisioned the bull exiting the comb and getting into the sector. I thought of all of the situations. The bull might slowly slink from cowl and stand nonetheless. It might 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 stated it might. It lumbered its approach via bushes and briar patches. Its head was held excessive. I used to be already monitoring the bull with my scope nevertheless 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 had been too dense to for a very good shot.

All I might 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 short 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 almost sucked the breath out of me. The left aspect of the rack carried seven factors, and because it began to run the antlers swept throughout the bull’s calmly coloured again. It was a lot heavier than I’d envisioned. Path digital camera photos paled as compared as to what the bull seemed like now.

Nearly immediately the massive bull was lined-out and on the run. It needed to go via 20 yards of briars earlier than hitting the open the place I might get a shot. Simply because the bull was about to enter the clearing, I set free a hyper loud collection of cow calls. It didn’t gradual the bull, it didn’t even twitch an ear or flip its head. Rapidly, I used to be again within the scope, monitoring the bull because it fled into the open.

The FireDot in my scope glowed clear purple on the bull’s physique as I sped up the monitoring. The prompt the purple 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 aspect, punctured the left lung, clipped the decrease backbone —— doing sufficient harm to drop the bull —— then continued passing via the correct lung and between two ribs on the other aspect. The Browning Lengthy Vary Professional Hunter 175 grain Sierra Tipped Gameking bullet was by no means recovered. I’ve taken a variety of 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 had been . That feeling enormously 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, possible a puncture suffered through the rut. It was stuffed with puss and stunk awfully when caping it. One other preventing harm to the highest of the backbone had contaminated almost half the backstraps. The bull was skinny, and carried little or no fats. I’d seen many greater bodied Roosevelt bulls over time, however not with the antlers that this one carried.

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It was a simple hunt, however I’ve been on sufficient arduous ones over the a long time and gone house 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 reside on this lowland habitat. They’d go via, then return into the hills or cross I-5 and proceed transferring towards the Coast Vary. However in the present day, elk thrive right here, and because of the hassle and kindness of two high-quality brothers, I got here away with the largest Roosevelt bull of my life.