elkduds
Well-known member
Sounds like some lessons were learned on this hunt. Good for you and your son..
My son's 2023 Colorado OTC Public Land Bull!
- Thread starter npaden
- Start date
npaden
Well-known member
I don't think I came back around to it in the novel, but I have to get him a GPS app so that he will be able to actually track his grid search. Wandering around in the oak brush for hours is not the same as doing a grid search. If we had mapped it out and walked a true grid I think we would have found him MUCH earlier.
Slm864
Well-known member
Congratulations!! Great bull
Khunter
Well-known member
Great write up and hunt adventure. Congrats!
Do you not use hiking poles for pack outs? Just wondering as in the head/cape photo it occurred to me I would have had hiking poles in hand.
Do you not use hiking poles for pack outs? Just wondering as in the head/cape photo it occurred to me I would have had hiking poles in hand.
npaden
Well-known member
Usually do, but in the hectic chaos that had us throwing stuff in the trailer on Friday they didn't get included. I really hadn't thought about having to pack anything out very far or that they would have been super helpful in the snow.
npaden
Well-known member
Another thing that I didn't circle back to was the bullet exit wound. There wasn't one. I recovered the bullet against the hide on the other side. The entry wound was a bit far back (just a smidge past the middle) but he was quartering a little so the exit would have been a little further forward.
I didn't open him up to investigate the way he was bloated I'm sure it would have been bad but I'm thinking it could have been a combination of guts, liver and maybe even some back lung on the opposite side.
The shot was 300 yards so the 7mm-08 should have had plenty of energy to get through, but if it hit the rumen maybe that slowed it down faster?
Looking at the bullet (140 grain E-tip) it lost it's petals which means it probably hit rib on impact. I would have thought losing the petals would have allowed for better penetration but not sure.
He has the bullet from his first elk that we were able to recover as well. It has the petals more what you would expect. That was a 200 yard shot and hit the shoulder so the meat must have done a better job getting it to mushroom than hitting a rib like I think he did this time.
Bullet from before on top, this year on the bottom.
This makes the 2nd elk he has shot with this gun and bullet and neither have been pass throughs. Both died and were ultimately recovered, but not having an exit sure doesn't help with blood tracking.
Shot placement could have for sure been a little better as it was too far back but we are discussing upgrading to a rifle with a little more punch for him to use for elk.
I didn't open him up to investigate the way he was bloated I'm sure it would have been bad but I'm thinking it could have been a combination of guts, liver and maybe even some back lung on the opposite side.
The shot was 300 yards so the 7mm-08 should have had plenty of energy to get through, but if it hit the rumen maybe that slowed it down faster?
Looking at the bullet (140 grain E-tip) it lost it's petals which means it probably hit rib on impact. I would have thought losing the petals would have allowed for better penetration but not sure.
He has the bullet from his first elk that we were able to recover as well. It has the petals more what you would expect. That was a 200 yard shot and hit the shoulder so the meat must have done a better job getting it to mushroom than hitting a rib like I think he did this time.
Bullet from before on top, this year on the bottom.
This makes the 2nd elk he has shot with this gun and bullet and neither have been pass throughs. Both died and were ultimately recovered, but not having an exit sure doesn't help with blood tracking.
Shot placement could have for sure been a little better as it was too far back but we are discussing upgrading to a rifle with a little more punch for him to use for elk.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Now that's a great hunt.
Mountain Man
Well-known member
Congratulations! This is so great to have this happen after deciding to take the plunge and purchase your land. You are doing exactly what I have long dreamed of but never been able to pull off. That is going to be such a great place to hunt every year!
BradA
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2021
- Messages
- 962
That’s an awesome bull especially for an otc unit congratulations
Mudranger1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2010
- Messages
- 2,855
Great write up and congrats again! Now the real lesson should be about tires as someone else mentioned 
NEWHunter
Well-known member
In many ways I had a similar hunt with my Dad last year. Try not to lose any sleep on the what ifs on the recovery. Focus on the fact that you did your best and had three perfect days with your family living the American dream. Congrats to you both. Memories for a lifetime.
npaden
Well-known member
Checked wife’s phone and son’s phone for some other pictures and thought it would share some of them.
A few pictures of the property taken during the weekend.
Camp for the weekend.
A few pictures of some of the Ponderosa Pines on the property. I put my size 13 shoe in for perspective. I would guess this one is close to 12' in circumference.
This one is dead and has a pretty big burl on it. I have a few large ones that are dead that I need to look into the options on what to do with them.
The bull loaded up in the back of the truck. It was just over 40 degrees on the way home so I thought it would be good for the cool air flow over the cape. I put a bag of ice on it one we got to town.
My wife and son thought I looked like a serial killer by the time I was done cutting and stacking the elk Sunday night and got back to the trailer.
An 8.5+ year old deer jawbone next to an 8.5+ year old elk jawbone. A little bit of size difference.
A few pictures of the property taken during the weekend.
Camp for the weekend.
A few pictures of some of the Ponderosa Pines on the property. I put my size 13 shoe in for perspective. I would guess this one is close to 12' in circumference.
This one is dead and has a pretty big burl on it. I have a few large ones that are dead that I need to look into the options on what to do with them.
The bull loaded up in the back of the truck. It was just over 40 degrees on the way home so I thought it would be good for the cool air flow over the cape. I put a bag of ice on it one we got to town.
My wife and son thought I looked like a serial killer by the time I was done cutting and stacking the elk Sunday night and got back to the trailer.
An 8.5+ year old deer jawbone next to an 8.5+ year old elk jawbone. A little bit of size difference.
Last edited:
CPAjeff
Well-known member
Man, what an absolute adventure! Congrats to all involved on a fantastic bull!
BuzzH
Well-known member
The petals didn't break off, the bullet just didn't expand. The 7-08 doesn't have enough ass behind it to be using etips at that range, fact. I don't care what the box says.
I'd be switching to ballistic tips or accubonds, yesterday.
Keep shooting the combo you are and you're going to lose more elk and be recovering more rotten ones, another fact.
BuzzH
Well-known member
From this past week.
My brother killed a bull in Montana at 388 yards with my 7-08 and 140 accubonds last week.
Recovered the bullet on the point of the off shoulder just under the hide. Shot was slightly quartered, went in tight behind shoulder mid-body, broke ribs on both entry and exit, and angled forward to the point of the off shoulder.
Considering MV of 2850, 388 yards and what that bullet went through, I'd say about perfect. Helps to make a good shot and the bull went about 5 yards.
Yesterday, shot my bull with a 7RM and 140 etips, MV of 3100, distance was 336 yards. Bull went maybe 20 yards hit behind the shoulder on the on-side, bullet was under hide on the off side shoulder.
I'm calling that marginal bullet expansion, enough to get the job done, but glad I had them moving as fast as I did.
I've shot 3 elk, 1 deer, and a moose with the etips. My Dad shot 2 elk with the same rifle. They work no doubt, but not as well as the accubonds from what I've seen.
If I were to move to using them exclusively, I would drop bullet weight and make them move as quick as possible. I flat wouldn't shoot 140 e-tips out of a 7-08unless I never planned to shoot over 200 yards. Still probably wouldn't even then since there's just much better bullets available.
My first hand experience.
My brother killed a bull in Montana at 388 yards with my 7-08 and 140 accubonds last week.
Recovered the bullet on the point of the off shoulder just under the hide. Shot was slightly quartered, went in tight behind shoulder mid-body, broke ribs on both entry and exit, and angled forward to the point of the off shoulder.
Considering MV of 2850, 388 yards and what that bullet went through, I'd say about perfect. Helps to make a good shot and the bull went about 5 yards.
Yesterday, shot my bull with a 7RM and 140 etips, MV of 3100, distance was 336 yards. Bull went maybe 20 yards hit behind the shoulder on the on-side, bullet was under hide on the off side shoulder.
I'm calling that marginal bullet expansion, enough to get the job done, but glad I had them moving as fast as I did.
I've shot 3 elk, 1 deer, and a moose with the etips. My Dad shot 2 elk with the same rifle. They work no doubt, but not as well as the accubonds from what I've seen.
If I were to move to using them exclusively, I would drop bullet weight and make them move as quick as possible. I flat wouldn't shoot 140 e-tips out of a 7-08unless I never planned to shoot over 200 yards. Still probably wouldn't even then since there's just much better bullets available.
My first hand experience.
Outdoorsfl
New member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2023
- Messages
- 11
Congrats on your success, definitely a story that will live forever.
MTLabrador
Well-known member
This is pretty close to my experience as well. I’ve had good results with Barnes TTSX pushed fast in my .300 win mag, but Barnes also open a little bit easier than Etips in my experience. The copper bullets work well when velocities are high enough, but I’d trust a good old fashioned partition, ballistic tip, or even an interlock a lot more in the 7-08 velocity range.From this past week.
My brother killed a bull in Montana at 388 yards with my 7-08 and 140 accubonds last week.
Recovered the bullet on the point of the off shoulder just under the hide. Shot was slightly quartered, went in tight behind shoulder mid-body, broke ribs on both entry and exit, and angled forward to the point of the off shoulder.
Considering MV of 2850, 388 yards and what that bullet went through, I'd say about perfect. Helps to make a good shot and the bull went about 5 yards.
Yesterday, shot my bull with a 7RM and 140 etips, MV of 3100, distance was 336 yards. Bull went maybe 20 yards hit behind the shoulder on the on-side, bullet was under hide on the off side shoulder.
I'm calling that marginal bullet expansion, enough to get the job done, but glad I had them moving as fast as I did.
I've shot 3 elk, 1 deer, and a moose with the etips. My Dad shot 2 elk with the same rifle. They work no doubt, but not as well as the accubonds from what I've seen.
If I were to move to using them exclusively, I would drop bullet weight and make them move as quick as possible. I flat wouldn't shoot 140 e-tips out of a 7-08unless I never planned to shoot over 200 yards. Still probably wouldn't even then since there's just much better bullets available.
My first hand experience.
I finally found some 180 grain .308 Accubonds in stock the other day and I bought a pile of them for my .300. They’re about the ideal combination of penetration and terminal performance and have given me the best results of any bullet I’ve used.
