Wandering Aimlessly
Colorado – Finale
by Phil Burkhouse
As I mentioned last week I had my muzzleloader resting over a large log and I could hear elk hooves rapidly pounding in my direction. The two bulls had made a brief appearance at 150 yards before plunging into the ravine that separated us. They were coming fast, and when and if they reappeared, they should be right in my lap.
The guide, who was still backing away from our position, kept cow calling, and his strategy was working. The lead bull’s head, neck, and chest emerged out of the ravine at a distance from me of 10 yards, and immediately he spotted a blaze orange pumpkin kneeling behind a log. He hit the brakes, and I quickly settled the fiber optic sights on his chest, thumbed back the hammer, and squeezed the trigger. I am a pretty good shot at 10 yards, and the bull made it about 50 yards before toppling over. This was a frontal shot entering between the front legs and going directly into boiler room, i.e., heart-lung area. The second bull was in full retreat heading for the safety of the dark timber. Rick, armed with his flintlock, had no opportunity for a shot at the second bull.