A look at the bull I hunted for nine days, through the spotting scope. I found him the day after opening day, and for the next week and a half, I didn't get much sleep....He had quite a bunch of cows he was tending, so I knew it would be almost impossible to lure him away from them by calling. I chose to put all my effort into ambushing him. For the next three days, the wind didn't cooperate, and allow me to get in close, much less pick a good crossing to wait by. Over the years through trial and error, I've found by not pushing a hasty, risky move and take a chance of blowing them out, if you have the time, wait until the conditions are in your favor before getting aggressive. The morning ritual for this bull was coming off the heavy timber in the dark, feeding until daylight, then heading back into the timber for the day. Of course he was following his harem, led by a lead cow that has an IQ higher than mine. Never one time did they leave in the morning and use the same trail.


From about 400 yards on day one. You can see why I didn't get much sleep! I had spotted this bull last year, about two miles from this area. I had some through the spotter pictures of him, and was sure it was the same bull. He had grown a lot....really a lot.

What a toad, public land bull?? if so that makes him even more special. Is that a road I see in the first pic??

Good luck with him

DANG!!!

TEASE!

Keep going! Need the story!

No such thing as a bad day of hunting they say, but sometimes frustration can take a toll. I hunted with the recurve the first three days. I still had been no closer than 125 yards from him, but I knew it would take an extra dose of luck to pull this off with the trad gear, so I took up my friends offer to use his Hoyt. I've got an older Matthews LX that I shot for a few years, but the advances in the newer bows now is pretty amazing. It all came back pretty quick, and with a few tweaks to the sight, I was clustering shots into a 6" circle at 50 yards.

My confidence went up another notch. I was not giving in.

Good stuff.

I haven't slept well since the pics.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I picked the right stand on this morning, and was offered a 44 yard shot. As I saw him approach, I remember saying to myself, "This is going to happen"....amazingly I was very calm during the whole process. That is until after the shot. He went out of view after going about 100 yards, so I sat and waited for half an hour before following him up. The most nerve racking 30 minutes of my life. He didn't go far.

Even after seeing this bull every day for over a week, he ended up being larger than I thought. The length, and depth of his body was hard to describe. As I sat there admiring him, thoughts bittersweet came out....

Terrific bull! You surely earned him. Was wondering when you would get around to putting up a picture...

Amazing bull, Pat!

Couldn't happen to a better guy!

Great bull, great story! Congrats!

Good lord! Congrats!

biggest 3rd point i ever seen, score, my guess 412

Amazing animal.

Congrats.

Congratulations, Pat!!

Congratulations on a super bull! I don't even dream that big. Well done.

Great pics as well.

Good call! You're right in the ballpark! Closer score call than I made all the times I saw him during the hunt.

On my shipping scale the rack and skull weighs over 50 pounds.



Left beam is 56 1/2", right is 55".
Mass, 11 1/8", 8 3/8", 7 6/8", 7 0/8", with only 5/8" difference side to side.

Just WOW

Congrats

Congrats Pat!! Toad of a bull Sir....

I had a PM about half typed out this AM when my phone glitched. I think you just answered my questions!!....grin...

Like I said, DANG! Dang nice! Congrats!

Damn Pat, way to go!

Oooh son! They keep getting bigger! Congrats pat

Incredible bull.

Did you see any grouse?

I could die a happy man with that bull on my wall.

Superb. Cannot congratulate you enough on a fine, fine animal!

That is just a brute. What an incredible animal. Truly a monarch of the mountain taken with bow and arrow by a dedicated, skilled hunter. Congratulations Pat!!!!

Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezus!! Stuff of dreams there! Good on you Pat, thanks for the post and pictures. If that doesn't get a person stirred up it's time to quit.

Pat

Congrats on getting it done once again! What a stud!!! How long are those 3rds?

Oh, MAN!!!

Pat, so pumped for you! Couldn't believe it when you sent the pics! Awesome, awesome job!

That sir, is the stuff that dreams are made of! Congrats on an awesome bull!

Amazing animal, great story/pics and well earned! Just wow...

What a trophy.
Well done.....






Again.

That is an unbelievable bull. Way to go Pat.

Been waiting for this thread for awhile. Way to go, Pat!

jealous! congrats. anyone who stays on an animal like that for week and close the deal, deserves it.

Dang! That is nice!

I'm speechless; the mass is unbelievable! Great work killing the bull of a lifetime!

Fantastic bull Pat.. Congratulations!

Wow, what a bull. A good plan based on experience mixed with lots of patience and what a reward. Congrats and now relax and enjoy the instant replay. Tom.

He has got it all... congrats again Pat !!

Can't wait to see in person

It'll be hard to top that one. But it wouldn't surprise me.

Pat,

Amazing bull! Otherwise, at a loss for words.

WOW!

Great story and a beautiful Bull, again!
Congratulations!

I thought you peaked last year. Way to go!

Thanks!

The third point on his right antler is 24 4/8", left is 19" even. Both royal points are over 22".

Total score on the right antler, including the 2 4/8" cheater is 190". The left antler is a clean six, and scored 185 7/8". 375 7/8" without inside spread.

Awesome! Bull of s lifetime is an understatement. We only whiteness these things in our dreams!

I don't think I can actually grasp the mass on this Rack.

Wow.

Pat has good sized hands, and neither can he.....grin

Very very nice bull. I always enjoy reading your post then go back to dreaming about hunting!

Best time of the year Pat when you post up some pictures - congrats to you on that awesome trophy!!

But now I'll be hoping for a big old muley buck picture to show up in one of your posts.

Good hunting to you!!

CONGRATULATIONS! That bull is a BEAST!

Hell of a Bull. Now kindly post GPS cordinates. Great job

Thanks for sharing the story and pics...what an amazing animal...well done!

Beauty eh?

Great bull and good mass,

More impressive is your patience and game plan to get by his cows. Those lead cows can be frustrating to say the least.


"Good things come to a man who waits"

Big congrats

Congrat's Pat! Amazing bull.

Pat, that is awesome! Congrats!

Lee

Every year it seems the bulls get bigger for you! Amazing! Congrats!

A hunter and his prey. Patience and a plan that come together for success. It would make for a great story if it was any bull. It being such an incredible bull makes it that much better. Congrats.

WOW! Congrats on an absolutely amazing bull.

Congrats

Thank you for sharing it here, what a bull!!!!

Just when I thought nothing Pat did would surprise me. Wow!

Congrats on a keeper.

Great Bull , sounds like you earned it.

MAN !!, that thing is SUPER.. Congrats Shooter that's a dandy.

Pat...another big time congratulations! I'll pass this news along to the big "A"...he will love hearing about it!

What a TOAD! Congrats to you sir.

Holy Crap!

Heck of a bull. One so big he needs no measuring tape! That says it all to me.

OH.......MY.........GOSH!!!!!! Way to go Pat!

That's a Top Ten, ALL-TIME, Pope & Young Typical Elk!

With a borrowed bow!

Unreal...

Words fail me.



P

That is a really nice bull you got there, well earned but man what a trophy....good for you!

Congratulations Pat, As you know that's a heck of a great bull.

A few weeks back, I was thinking about my hunts I have coming up this fall. For some reason you came to mind. I recollected Your elk that you got last year. As I was thinking about that nice bull, I hoped you would get another this year.
Heck, you got one a bit better.

Again congratulations, I think you had a good day.

While scrolling through all the other comments, I was tryig to think of something whitty to say, but all I can come up with is HOLY PHUQING SCHIT thats amazing!

A huge congrats Pat. Run for president, I'd vote for you!

Unbelievable, congratulations!

Wow what a bull - ginormous in all regards! See - it's ok to wear camo!

Thanks for sharing.

If those are gross scores, given what you've put up before about the symmetry, then the net score for a typical should be about 370" before the spread. Given what you've said the spread was (roughly 40"), that's a 410" class bull.

The current P&Y World Record is 412 1/8"

If your scores above are net scores...

Regardless, even after the drying period you just took, and we're all looking at, one of the Top Five (likely Top 3) elk ever taken with a box and it MIGHT (depending upon where it scores against Chuck Adam's 2000 bull of 409 2/8") be the largest archery bull ever taken in Montana.

as long as feller puts on his Wranglers for the trophy shot.....grin

Was this a public land bull??

Congrats again Pat. No idea how I have cell phone service where I'm at...grin....

Wow! Unreal bull...so proud for you. Sincere congrats.

Uff-da!! Congrats Pat!!

Very nice bull...

Kinda funny it's been asked a couple times and not answered, I'll go ahead and say it, no.....

Hummmm,

Why is that funny?

I'm a busy guy, and not chained to my computer.

Private land.

WTF is that supposed to mean?

How many elk have you killed?

Always gotta be a couple "Haters"......GFY

Some idiots must think bulls like that are stupider and easier to kill because of living on "private land". Hell of an accomplishment Pat. I've hunted elk a long time and I can appreciate what you've done. Absolute monster. mtmuley

Man what a bull, huge congrats to you!

Funny, I've looked at this thread a half dozen times and that thought never occurred to me.

How do those sour grapes taste anyway?

Easy fella just a simple question as to if it was killed on public ground or not.
And yes I have killed my share of elk, best is a 400" 7x7 that was taken on public ground.

And no sour grapes here either.

When and where?

Didn"t mean to ruffle your feathers, just saying for a guy to be able to hunt a 410" 415" bull on public ground, this day and age, in flat open country is just about impossible. Again great bull, tremendous self control you have, and no sour grapes. Dude puts his time obviously. Congrats!

And yes, I've killed lotsa elk, all Washington, all public land, DIY, both roosevelts, and rocky mountain, both with archery, muzzleloader, and rifle...

Congratulations, fantastic animal, and a nice write-up, really enjoyed reading it.

Thanks for sharing.

good job Pat.

Bob S. came by to see the pics, and he was mighty impressed.

we visited some about hunting, and the concept/notion that a hunter or hunters may go out into the fields or woods and "happen to stumble upon a fine trophy, and subsequently bag it." surely nothing wrong with that--a trophy is brought to bag, making for some very good hunting...

but as you know from back in our high school days--and though in so many situations it is often not possible--i've always felt that "if one can go out and find the critter that is to be bagged--well ahead of time, and go through the process of watching it, working the scenario out in the mind--until that day when the critter is possibly brought to bag, is a form of hunting in it's purest sense."

many of your hunts take this form, for i remember back in high school how you would lay it all out on paper, working the problem, until you brought your critter to bag...

once again--one tenth inspiration, nine tenths perspiration.

knowing you as i do, i'm sure you have this experience carefully recorded in your journal--down to the very last detail...

great experience!

That's worth repeating.

I always look forward to Pats posts. He is the real deal.
I can only hope that some day he will write an autobiography on his outdoor knowledge and the thousands of hunts that he has been on. Not to mention shooting.
And we have the whole Sinclair gang coming up.
It doesn't get any better than that.
By the way congrats on that mega head bull.

Don't listen to the idiots Pat....

Bunch of whiney bitches....

Can't say I know all members here at 24 HCF, but of those that I do from the last 10 years or so, you are right at the very top of skilled western hunters.

Thanks for being a friend Pat.

Thanks too for the Facebook updates, I really appreciate it.

Top tier pure predator!!!

F them guys! This is the year to have a tag!! Big Bulls hitting the dirt all across the west!!

^^This^^

What a great story and the prize of a LIFETIME.
Congrats Pat on this monster!

David

I hope this bull scores high enough to be the new record, it is such a fine trophy...the mass, the long tines...what an animal.

You boys that are envious of Pat's success need to grow up, so he has some private land to hunt....big deal.

Awesome bull. Congrats, and thanks for sharing

Outstanding all they way around...animal,hunt.story and pictures!
Congrats!

Great bull. Congratulations.

I've killed dozens of elk. My work brings me to Yellowstone Park every week through the summer season. Killing elk and seeing lots of them. I can easily say, I have never seen one that big anywhere...

Absolutely spot on, and I was thinking the same thing. There are elk producing states that don't have a living bull that big within their borders.

Simply put, an amazing animal, and no doubt, Pat had the smarts and dedication to put it all together. Congrats!

Made me think..Ive been on some great elk units and seen some great bulls. I have only seen two bulls that I think were legitimately at or over 400".

Like I already said, incredible bull..That Pat killed it aint much of a surprise..The man is a hunter.Congrats to him.

I was moving cows all last week on the other side of the lake(CMR/BLM aka public...) and only saw maybe half a dozen bulls that big.....

One would think uber bulls like that could only get that big living in private honey holes but I guess not?!



Great bull Pat, what the hell you have a bunch of hi-pro lick tubs scattered around out there?

grin

Awesome hunt!! Awesome bull!! Congratulations!!!

Awesome bull.

Good lord!

Congrats!

Way to go Pat!
I would have given my left one for the one you shot last year - this'd be a double-nutter!

WTF asks where a guy killed an animal? It was right there in the subject line - Montana.

Hey, careful there. I asked Fullfan where he got his, but no reply yet.


Hmmmmm.........

Stunningly beautiful bull and WELL deserved. Congratulations!

Wow. Congrats!

Amazing! Well done and well deserved.

Thanks for your generosity to us all, in sharing your success.

Incredible bull! Well done!

That is a truly amazing bull. Honestly, once-in-a-lifetime is even optimistic!

WOW! That bull has the largest rack I have ever seen. We'll done Sir! I am gonna try to get the trophy picture saved for easy access to show clients and buddies. That is a heck of an accomplishment. Congratulations!

Iffn I shot that bull I'd still be laying next to it jacking off!!!

Congrats!!!
What an awesome challenge and even better story to go with the pictures!!!
It's pretty sweet when all the stars align for ya!!

As said, repeatedly, awesome bull and thanks for sharing. Can you post a picture of last years bull (2014) and this one . . . . for comparison.

I remember last years . . . . . it was a big bull with unique antlers.

Thanks, again.

Congratulations, Pat! What a beautiful prime stud! You continue to humble the rest of us.

Incredible bull and pics. Thanks for posting. A trophy that very few hunters will ever match.

I cringe when I see this public/private land question pushed on someone like scenarshooter because, if you are familiar with the forum, you know he's a respected hunter and valuable contributor. That wouldn't change if it were public, private, or if he killed no bull at all.

The flip side of that though is that I absolutely feel it is a legitimate question that anyone has a right to ask. There are guys here hunting private ranches, some ranches with 80%, 90%, 100% success rates, sometimes guided, and then writing several pages about their big accomplishment while keeping the private land part small or even hidden.

I appreciate it when someone asks that question or when the hunter makes it clear the circumstances.

It may be a legitimate question. Lots of times, it's all in how the question is put forward. The delivery, or rather the follow-up, sucked ass.

Pat,

A little late to the post. I was out myself, albeit chasing MUCH smaller elk. Grin.

Congrats on another world-class trophy animal and thanks once again for the write-up and pictures. Phenomenal effort and awesome execution of a great plan. I'm sure the story does not do the effort justice.

I'm afraid to ask what next!

I've got nothing to hide at all...trust me, this was a fair chase hunt, on a wild elk herd. I sensed a hint from one post, that I took this bull behind a high fence, hence my reaction..

FWIW, I've killed most of my best bucks, bears, and bulls on public land.

Well, I have self appointed my self as the official "checker" and hereby declare that you private message me the GPS coordinates to all the big bucks, bears, and bull elk you have harvested (grin). This is for everyone's sake . . . . and "no", I'm not thinking of myself.

Congrats on an incredible bull. Thank You for sharing it with us.

Simply... awesome..... How do you top that ??? Congrats ...

Amazing bull and story!

Awesome bull and great write up. Congrats on a well laid plan coming together. The fact that it was with a borrowed bow makes it even better. I would be interested to hear about the equipment used. I know you mentioned Hoyt and that it was newer than your LX but I would be interested in the bow, arrows, broadheads and how they performed for you just as much as I would be interested to know a particular gun, bullet, and powder combo if it was shot with a rifle.

One of the bulls that walked past me, a few days before I got the bull I was after. He passed about 100 yards below, following a handful of cows, headed for heavy cover.

I used a Hoyt FAKTOR, 70# 28.5" draw. Carbon Express Maxima, Hunter 350 arrow, and a 100grain Wac-em three blade. The arrow entered his right side behind the last rib, angled through the liver and into the lung cavity. It was buried all the way to the fletching.

You are a strong man Pat...grin....

[quote=scenarshooter]

On my shipping scale the rack and skull weighs over 50 pounds.



Left beam is 56 1/2", right is 55".
Mass, 11 1/8", 8 3/8", 7 6/8", 7 0/8", with only 5/8" difference side to side.

OMG!

Fabulous bull,Pat! Great job. Congrats!

I can't wait to see the rifle bull, and the deer, and the goat, and the bear, etc. Make no mistake, everyone is sitting on the edge of their seat.
Thank for sharing Pat.

I know I should stop looking at this thread as it brings about an unhealthy amount of jealousy, but I can't. I bet your a great guy and I shouldn't hate you, but I'm only human....

A lot of folks have been asking.....

Congratulations Pat

I will be the first to say that I don't know anything about elk but that is a fantastic bull

Thank you for sharing

Impressive.

Congrats again.

dang!! Very nice Very Nice!!!!! What kinda recurve you shooting in the 2014 pic??

That's a Black Widow Graybark takedown, 75# limbs.

I used to shoot the exact same bow, Graybark 75#. Ordered it and picked it up at the shop when they were in Highlandville, MO. They have been in Nixa, MO for a long time now, I stop in from time to time. Surgery on both shoulders and many years later I shoot a 50 lb recurve but hunt mostly with a compound.

For those guys who don't know anything about shooting recurves, 75 pounds is stout, really stout. To shoot it well enough to hunt with takes some muscle. Pretty impressive for a guy who isn't exactly a young buck any more. (I'm bragging on Pat, not myself)

Congratulations again on a world class animal Pat. I'd love to see your trophy room some day. I'll bring my own drool cup.

What a MONSTER ,, 414 --that is fantastic. Congrats my friend once again and now its official

Congrats on a couple of awesome bulls Pat!

What did the bull from the year before score?

386 3/8" gross, 371 4/8 net typical.

So next year's is gonna go what, 428 or so?

Pretty incredible Pat.

"We're gonna need a bigger boat"




P

Amazing....really glad for you, that's an incredible trophy!

Fantastic bull!

I don't know if I could shoot a 75# recurve--my Black Widow is only 56#.

Sheesh.......

Casey