September 2026
Bagging an Elk Slam: A California Tule Elk Hunt
Hunter: Jacob Dentoni
Species: Tule Elk
Location: California, near the San Luis Reservoir
Method: Rifle, private ranch access
I received word in January of 2025 that I was getting a tag for hunting tule elk back behind the San Luis Reservoir. This tag gained us access to a private ranch at the beginning of the rut. We got to the ranch and immediately started seeing and hearing bulls, but the wind kept the bulls hung up in the draws and on state property.
Finding Bulls Out of the Wind
The third day on the ranch, we got hit with some heavy winds, so I decided to hunt the dried-out lake bottoms where I figured bulls would be tucked out of the wind. My intuition was correct.
A 350-Yard Shot at Last Light
We came up on the main lake bottom to find three bulls bedded together. We got within 350 yards and waited for the bulls to stand up. After about twenty minutes, with only thirty minutes of shooting light left, the shooter bull stood up broadside, giving me a great opportunity. I took the shot, and the bull dropped right where he was standing.
The Second Piece of an Elk Slam
This bull was the second piece of my Elk Slam, which I completed two weeks later with a beautiful Oregon Roosevelt elk.
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