I rode in to the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness on Stubby yesterday morning about 2 hours before daylight. I tied him up about halfway up a mountain and hiked to the top in the dark. It was just about shooting light when I heard a bull bugling not too far away. I started moving that direction and after a short distance, I saw a spike bull at about 50 yards. Can't shoot spikes though. He moved on so I was able to ease over to the right side of the narrow ridge I was walking on and continue. Just a short distance further and I came to a saddle (dip) in the ridge and I could see several cow elk grazing on the other side. I ranged them at 175 yards. I heard the bull bugle again just below my line of sight so I moved ahead to a small rock outcropping and set my backpack down for a rest. The bull fed up the hill into the open and I took the shot.
He should be a 6x6 but two brow tines were missing.
