This story starts as so many do, with a call to Huntin’ Fool. I called them to hopefully get a line on a good outfitter and guide for a Wyoming elk hunt, which my group had enough preference points for. I was given the name of Jeremy Frick of Brush Canyon Outfitters for the area we were interested in just north of unit 7. I contacted Jeremy, and he gave me the names of references who had been on his hunt. I then started making the calls. During this process, the hunters told me that although his Wyoming hunts were very good and generally over in a day or two due to rifle hunts squarely in the rut, Jeremy also had great trophy hunts in southern Colorado with 350”+ bulls being very possible. I have friends in Pueblo, Colorado, which is close to Jeremy’s hunting area, so I called Ben Martinez whom I worked with. He told me this area in the east slope of the San Isabel had monster bulls hanging on the private land and in the National Forest. Our group had four preference points in Colorado, which was enough for this tag. Four of the six of us booked with plans for the other two to book the next year if all was good. Landowner vouchers would be an option should the first four want to repeat. We were very excited and would keep collecting in Wyoming for a bit.
I was partnering up and hunting with my best friend and family member, Mike Henderson. Mike and I had a 45-year history of hunting in the Rockies whenever possible for elk, antelope, and mule deer. The first morning was uneventful, but our guide, Mike Landers, assured us all was OK and the evening hunt would be much better. That afternoon, Mike L. gave me instructions on the lay of the land and turned me loose while he and Mike H. headed for somewhat lower country.
It was fairly late when the activity started. Many bulls were bugling, and there was a lot of cow calling. I had positioned myself on high ground but with cover and pines for a rest. As it got later, the herd appeared with about 50 cows and 10 or 12 bulls, which I later determined were satellite bulls. All were in the 250-280” range. Then a bugle and grunting that was seriously a level above the others started coming from the forest and shadows. I immediately named him “The Herdmaster” (a term our group had used for years) and quietly told myself I would probably not get to see him as he would be too smart to expose himself and there seemed to be no reason to come out since none of the bulls were making a move on any cows. I never expected to see a true herdmaster, especially with a rifle in my hands, but as it got darker, out he came from the edge of the pines. I was 300 yards or so up the mountain, but he stepped out broadside and immediately turned and looked straight in my direction. He was super wide, had a lot of points (although some were broken from fighting), had huge fronts, and was huge. He started walking again and did not give me an opportunity for a shot with a solid rest. I was concerned about the broken tips and wanted to get a better look. He separated himself from the herd a bit, quietly easing back into cover. I thought he would clear, giving me a shot, but he stayed hidden until past legal shooting light. The satellites were constantly bugling and sparring. As it got darker, he continued to grunt and join in the sparring as well. The sound reverberating around the hills and forest was incredible. I carefully backed out.
The next morning, there was no sign of the bull or the herd. That evening, they changed position, coming out at dusk into a rolling meadow with scattered pines to spar, bugle, and graze. I got to see the other bulls come out single file in a parade, which was very exciting, but The Herdmaster did not come out until right at dark and then the fighting began in earnest. It sounded like a bunch of major league homerun sluggers slamming their bats against each other. It was a sound I will not forget. I have hunted elk quite a bit and have heard them fight, but this seemed to be extraordinary. I was within 75 yards of some of the bulls but never saw many that were down in a lower roll in the meadow, including The Herdmaster.
When Mike and Mike retrieved me to go back to camp, the elk had moved in close to where I was standing right before they arrived. I motioned for them to be very quiet as I thought some of the elk were only 30 yards or so away. I could smell them and hear them moving around, but the fighting had stopped. We all agreed we should very carefully move in the next morning to try and get The Herdmaster and the best satellite if he was good enough. The question was if we had spooked them when we left and if they would still be there. The size and width of the big bull was a big topic of conversation that evening in camp.
The next morning, we arrived close to where we had left the herd. Mike H. told me he wanted me to take The Herdmaster. We eased in closely to the most open part of the meadow, but in cover, and got ready. The wind was with us, thank goodness. When we had shooting light, we could see a couple of cows in the meadow close by. We started with a few cow calls to see if they were there, and then Mike L. turned loose his best “mature bull from hell” bugle. The Herdmaster replied with his guttural vibrating growls and grunts, stepping out broadside where we could see him well. He turned and looked our way, silhouetted against the morning sky. I took a knee with my Browning .300 WSM, taking a high shoulder shot to hopefully get into the spine and ensure he could not run and get into private land, which we had no access for.
We took pictures and began the work. Mike H was not offered an opportunity from this herd, but he did score the next evening on a good bull from high atop a mesa. It was maybe a 450-yard shot. I will never forget watching the two Mikes jumping up and down and hollering on the mesa rim with the sunset behind them.
My bull scored 343” as he was. With conservative estimates by my taxidermist, Edward Flores of The Flagg Group, and Mike L., who had seen this bull before the fighting damaged so much antler, he could have easily been 382” or so, certainly 375”. He was an 8x8 non-typical with 17-18” fronts and some ivory tips and was 55” wide tip to tip.
Many thanks to Jeff and Huntin’ Fool as well as Mike Landers who set us up well for this success. We went four for four on this hunt on good to great bulls. The next year, the team went five for five on 6x6 bulls ranging from 325” to 350”. Our experiences with Jeremy and his team supervisor and guide Jeff, Mike L., and others have been exceptional.