[SageValleyOutdoors]

My first ever elk, a 7x7, grossing 361" taken with my bow on Oct 10, thanksgiving Monday.
This year is the first year there has been an elk season in the prairie zone that I hunt. I've been watching them and waiting for it for years - and finally, was able to hunt them this year. In early September, a huge old bull had control of the cow herd, and while hunting them, had a great opportunity at a beautiful 320 class 6x6. Unfortunately, I hit him in the shoulder at FIFTEEN yards, got only a couple inches of penetration, I never found him (I later learned that another bowhunter shot him the following week).
Later in September, I learned that another hunter had killed the herd bull (a massive 385" bull) and when I next located the herd of cows, this 7x7 was in control, with several smaller satellite Bulls following the group - including one 320" class 6x6 and a couple other shooter bulls. I chased them for two days, and st one point was able to close the distance to 80 yards fro the big boy - but his cows spooked and took him with them. I had to leave for a vacation with my wife and friends for a week (She should know better than plan a week in the carribean during archery season!), and was worried someone else would shoot "my" bull while I was gone.
Well, after a week in Jamaica (and a close call with hurricane Matthew), we returned home to cold temperatures and SNOW. The very next day, I headed out to the hunting grounds in search of the elk. I found the herd at dusk of the first day, I'd made plans to relocate them the following morning. First light found me on a high hill, glassing the prairie for any sign, and while I didn't locate the herd, I did spot a small group of bulls with one decent sized 5x5. When they disappeared behind some hills about 2 miles away, I thought to myself "I'm almost out of time, and I'd rather get a decent 5x5 bull than nothing". So off I went, after these bullls. One thing I learned this fall, is that a walking elk can cover more ground than a running hunter, so I've learned to cover coulees and low spots quickly, and then to slowly ease over the crest of the hill and glass carefully. Anyway, I crested the hill the bulls had disappeared behind, and NO elk! One more hill stood between me and bald prairie, so I figured they must have bedded on the opposite slope. I circled about 500 yards out to avoid spooking any elk, and when I began glassing, the first thing I saw was a cow elk. "Where'd she come from?"
Easing up a little higher, I saw more and more cows, and finally, saw the big 7x7 bull! I had relocated the herd! As I got a better look, I was able to determine that there were approximately 20 cows in the group, with the herd bull bedded in the middle of them, and there were two sattelite bulls bedded about 10" yards to the west of the main herd. Including the 320 class 6x6 from the week before (to this day, I don't know what happened to the small group of bulls with the decent 5x5 I had originally been targeting that morning).
After surveying the situation, I decided to stalk the 6x6. I figured I had a better chance at sneaking up on him than I did at sneaking up on the bigger bull surrounded by his cows. It was a looong and tiring belly crawl across the almost bald prairie, but after a couple hours, I had managed to close the distance to only 70 yards from the target bull - still beyond my comfortable shooting range, but another 10-20 yards, and I was confident I would have an ethical shot.
Instead, that's when the bull got up to feed... and he wasn't up for more than 10 seconds when the big 7x7 saw him, stood up and CHARGED! The big bull chased the 6x6 over the hill and they both disappeared.
I was SO disappointed. I lay there in the grass feeling sorry for myself, certain that my hunt was over for the day.
But. the big one came walking back over the hill, heading back for his cows. I ranged the trail he was on (45 yards), nocked an arrow, and made a great shot. A little high, but definitely double lunged him! He ran 40 yards and stopped - started wobbling and bedded back down.
For insurance, I snuck up and put another insurance arrow into him, and he was MINE!
So then the real work began... I checked my pockets, went back to the truck and found that I had NO knife. What kind of idiot goes hunting and doesn't bring a knife??? I guess I'm that kind of idiot. So I couldn't Field dress him, which might have made it a lot easier to get him in the truck - as it was, all I had was some rope and a few flimsy ratchet straps. Luckily, I was able to get the truck right to him (thanks to the landowner for previous permission to drive to downed game!)
With the rope and straps, I managed to drag my bull to a small embankment, where I wrestled/pushed/pulled/ratcheted him onto the tailgate - and that was as far as I could get him. I strapped him down, and drove to my camper, which was parked in a landowners yard. Luckily, the rancher was home and willing to loan me a knife, and use the tractor to lift the bull to make for easy gutting.
It was an amazing day. One that I'll never forget, and it led to my taking of a beautiful 7x7 bull with amazing mass. He gross scored 361 P&Y
My only regret (other than not bringing a d@mn knife!) was not taking a bunch of good field pictures after dressing him out and reloading him in the back of the truck. If I can figure out how, I'll follow this up with a couple of pictures of him from that day, before getting him home and in the garage.