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Second chance lands near-record elk |
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Wednesday, December 07, 2011 07:42 |
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Photo by Steve Hein via The Denver Post
By SCOTT WILLOUGHBY, THE DENVER POST
At first glimpse, Steve Hein knew he was looking at a once-in- a-lifetime elk. The second glimpse was even more remarkable.
Hein hunts the early muzzleloader season in Unit 391 near Evergreen because he believes the rut offers the best opportunity to shoot a big bull. Sept. 15 proved his theory true when a massive bull elk walked into his cross hairs just before sunset. He ranged the animal at 60 yards and set up for a shot from the rain-soaked timber that concealed him from the herd.
From a prone position, Hein took aim at the bull's thick neck and slowly squeezed the trigger, sending the bullet high and spooking the wary herd.
"I was laying on the ground, leaning on a rock, so I felt pretty good about it. But I think I had a flyer," said Hein, 59, from Arvada. "Typically you take a shot, and if you miss, they're gone and you spend the rest of your life crying about how you should have had the biggest bull of my life and blew it. But he didn't run with the cows. Instead, he broke off to the left and ducked right into where I was."
Amazingly, Hein managed to break open his Thompson Bone Collector, pour in some fresh powder and quickly reload before the big bull caught wind of him. The second shot flew true, and the Colorado native bagged the biggest bull of his 45-year hunting career — and the second-biggest ever scored by muzzleloader in Colorado.
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