Briant Hemingway, aka one_dryboot here at MonsterMuleys.com, had a general season Utah archery elk tag this year, and produced!

Briant writes, "This year I decided to try archery elk hunting. The last few years I have gone with my friends, helped call in bulls and watched as most of our well thought out plans were not so great after all. Well, as most of you know this year was hot, dry and just not the way I picture elk hunting. At the first of the hunt the elk were comming into water well after dark and didn't move much during light hours. There were a lot of days with very little activity of any kind.

A few weeks into the hunt, I got my first chance to watch a group of elk at a watering hole. There were three spikes and the thought ran through my mind to shoot one because it wound be my first bow kill.

After that, work kept piling up and I couldn't get away to hunt elk. My plan was to have the last week of the hunt off work and just hunt my ace off! Ya, that didn't happen!
The next time I got out was Sept. 11th. We left early and got up to the top just before light. When we turned off our atv's we could hear bulls bugling all around us. We walked down the dirt road getting ready to drop off the top to glass when I could hear a bull raking a tree. I came over the top to find the bull still having its way with the tree, so I snuck down to him. Everytime he would rake, I would move in on him. Then when he was looking around, I stayed low behind the brush just hoping he would continue.

Just as I got into position he started straight away heading for the cows. I cow called and he turned broadside and he pegged me as I tried to draw back. I stood still for just a few seconds, just hoping he wouldn't see me. He turned to look back at the cows and as he did I drew back, put the pin where I thought it should be and let it fly. I heard it hit, then saw the arrow mid way up just behind the shoulder and I knew he wouldn't go far.

He is my first archery bull and now my biggest comming in around 320. I didn't realize how big he was until we put a tape on him. I was in shock because I didn't think he would go over 300. It was a great hunt even though it wasn't great conditions in my mind!"