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Norm's Utah Bull Elk

By Norm DeCastro

When I checked the Utah Division of Wildlife Services website for drawing results in April of 2006, I could not believe my eyes. I had drawn one of the permits I had applied for – either a desert bighorn or a late bull elk tag.

After cross referencing the hunt number with the proclamation, I discovered I had drawn one of two non resident tags for a late bull elk hunt.

Norm's Monster Utah Bull Elk My brother and all his friends were at least as excited as I was, and immediately began making plans for scouting trips. From August on, they teased me with weekly e-mails of their scouting activities, including photos and sometimes movie clips of large bull elk. They also kept me posted on the success of other hunters during the bow, early rifle, and muzzleloader seasons. They were taking some whoppers down there and I began to wonder if there would be any trophy bulls left when my season started.

I traveled to St George two days before the season opener, and we left for our hunting area the next day. We scouted the afternoon before the opener looking for a group of three bulls, one of which was a large 6 X 6 with cheaters off his royal points. I was actually the one who located the group of three bulls at dusk about three miles away. As we were trying to make out antlers in the fading light, my brother radioed us from the other side of the ridge and told us he had a bull spotted that I should look at. We crossed the ridge and set up scopes to look over a pretty nice 6 X 6. He was high and wide but that was all I could tell in the fading light. I was not ready to commit until I could get a better look at his mass.

The next morning we were in position before daylight. As dawn broke, we started glassing, found the bull’s two companions, but could not see the big boy. Finally, Steve Hatch found one large antler sticking out of the mahogany brush. We put the scope on him and knew we had found the big bull. I kept an eye on him until he got up out of his bed and started to feed – he was a great bull. Steve Hatch, Jesse Hatch, and my brother Arnold all judged him to be around 365”. I had a decision to make – my biggest bull to date was around 340, and this was a great bull in anybody’s book. But then three miles away was a big bull with cheaters. I agonized over the decision for about ten minutes, and then I had to make up my mind.

Norm and Brother Arnold with Utah Elk While I was thinking, the others were discussing how we could get down off the rim and make a stalk. Overhearing this conversation, I told the guys I could shoot from where we were. The guys couldn’t get the range on the bull through the brush, but got a reading of 450 yards on that. The shot was at a pretty good downhill angle, so I knew the bullet wouldn’t drop very far. I crawled out on the edge of the rim, laid my pack down, and prepared to take the shot. The bull was up and feeding through the mahogany brush now, and I had the crosshairs on top of his withers waiting for him to clear the brush. He stepped into an opening, and I squeezed off my shot. The bull collapsed as my shot echoed through the canyon and I had my trophy.

A special thanks to my brother Arnold, Jesse and Steve Hatch, Jeremy Perkins, Cody Barber, Ryan Dastrup and Zack Owens for all the help scouting, judging, and packing.