As a hunting guide, I have been fortunate to be on some amazing elk hunts over the years, but I never got the chance to hunt monster bulls for myself. After receiving the Utah Conservation permit at the Western Hunt Expo in February, I knew I may have a chance at the elusive 400 number. After talking to a few people about the year and size of bulls, I booked with Wade Lemon Hunting.
I called up Kalan and started talking about the year to come. With Utah receiving record snowfall and what seemed like a new storm every other week, I began to wonder if there was too much snow. Once the snow melted and things began to green up, I was getting pumped. I didn’t want this to be like a normal “Gov tag.” As I discussed with Kalan, I wanted to be included in shed horn hunting, summer scouting, and the rut. Running my hunting operation in New Mexico, I knew it was going to be tough to try and find time as our season got rolling.
I headed to Utah in early July to try and look around. Having a few buddies who pointed me in the right direction, I headed to a few glassing spots. Not being from the area, I struggled for a few days trying to locate a mature bull. After sleeping on the mountain, I called up Kalan and he put me in touch with Daniel Carter. I met up with him, and we headed to the mountain. After a short time of glassing, we started turning bulls. We looked over about 20 in one morning, not to mention a few pretty good ones! We headed to some different units and looked over them for the next few days. It was nice to see the country that I could be hunting in the near future.
I had one bull in mind, a giant bull a few friends had told me about. I had been searching for the bull since July, never laying eyes on him. A few days before archery season started, we still had no clue where to start looking for the “Big 6.” Before I left for Utah, I had a conversation with my wife about the meaning of this hunt. It was dedicated to our daughter Reighlyn, aka Rynni. After talking about a few things and all the “signs” we were sent on the “Big 6,” my wife renamed the bull “The Rynni Bull.” From that moment forward, I knew he was the one I wanted to wrap my tag around.
As archery season started, I arrived two days prior to the hunt. After scouting and looking at a few really good bulls, I was finally able to hunt. The first day, we still searched for The Rynni Bull. After a few days of no luck, we headed to a different unit and looked at a very big 6x6. This was a bull Daniel had experience with, and we were able to look at a shed from the prior year. After discussing with Daniel, I decided to pass, even though we knew the bull would be pushing the 400" mark.
After four or five days of hunting and no sign of the bull, we started to wonder if we were looking for a ghost. I headed back to New Mexico as I had clients arriving. I was home for about a week when Daniel called me up and said, “We got him.” I immediately started packing my gear, shot my gun and bow, loaded the truck, and made a call to my grandfather and uncle-in-law, Mike, asking if they would like to go. I picked them up along the way, and we made the nine-hour drive.
Once we arrived, it was dark, so we had to wait until the next morning to be able to go look at the bull. The next morning, Daniel picked us up and we headed out to look at The Rynni Bull for the first time. As we hiked to the knob, all I could think was that Reighlyn was with me the entire time. We made it to the top, and after about 30-40 minutes of glassing, I finally laid eyes on The Rynni Bull for the first time. The country that he was in was very steep and thick, so trying to harvest him with a bow was going to be a challenge.
Weighing the options on what to do today, I decided to play it very safe being that rifle season was just a few days away. For the next few days, I sat waterholes and trails, just hoping that he would be close enough through the thick regrowth that I could harvest him with my bow. After no luck, we found ourselves watching the bull the evening before rifle season. I was able to bring up my good friend to film the hunt for me, and he had arrived the night before. As we sat around the lodge that night, all I could think about was how special this hunt was for so many reasons and that I was going to get to share this hunt with all family and friends. As we went to bed that night, the weather took a turn for the worse. I woke up about every hour to strong winds and hail.
My alarm clock rang at 4 a.m. I woke up and still heard the rain and wind coming down strong. I sent a text to my wife, not sure if she was awake, “Today is the day. It rained all night. I will let you know how it goes. I love you.” To my surprise, she replied, “Good luck. Say your prayers. You know Rynni is with you this morning because it rained all night.” One of Reighlyn’s nicknames was “Stormy” because for her first few birthdays, there were massive rain/ windstorms.
We arrived at the trailhead in the dark with winds that exceeded 25+ mph and rain. We glassed through the blowing rain with no luck. Having visibility only to about 800 yards, my confidence was dwindling fast. We hiked another couple hundred yards up the trail and took cover under a rock ledge and began to glass. After about 45 minutes with no luck, we moved again. The storm became progressively worse as it got later. We got to a spot where we could glass again, and I pulled my binoculars up to my eyes to find the bull standing right in the middle! I whispered to Daniel, “There he is!” At 350 yards, the bull was with three cows, pushing them through the thick regrowth. Not having a lot of time before he vanished into the deep thicket, we got into position. The bull stopped broadside, and Daniel said, “There is your shot!” I fired a round. He said, “You hit him good!” The bull took a few steps and was covered up by trees.
Only being able to see his horns, I asked Lane, who was filming, “Are you on him?”
He replied, “You hit him good! He’s stretched out about to fall.”
After about 45 seconds, the bull toppled over. I looked at Daniel and said, “The hunt is over.” We gave each other a hug and shared a moment of silence on the mountain that will be etched in my mind forever. Daniel made a call to Mitch and some of the crew to tell them we got him and to bring pack frames.
As we walked up to the bull, my grandfather said, “How big is he?” I told him I thought we were all low on our guesses. As the crew got there to help pack the massive bull out, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this was much more than just a hunt, just a bull, or just a tag. The memories and friendships made on the mountain will last a lifetime. All the signs that were given to me during the course of this hunt that started in July all stemmed back to her. I know she was with me, and everyone that was there could feel it too. As we got back to the lodge, we put a tape on The Rynni Bull and the final numbers blew us away. With a 430 3/8" gross green score, we knew this bull was the biggest straight six that any of us would ever put our hands on.
I would like to thank everyone who helped out with this hunt from start to finish! Thank you to the Carter family for all the hospitality and the friendship. Thank you to their crew who helped pack the bull out. It would have been a long day without them. Thank you to Mike, my grandad, and Lane for making the trip with me. And thank you to my wife, Antoinette, for being the most supportive person through this whole experience and letting me pursue my dreams. This hunt was in memory of my little girl, and I felt that every single person felt the same way! Thank you, Reighlyn, for all the signs you sent me!
#radiantlikerynni #rynnibull
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