Is the Broadmouth Bull the Next World Record Elk?
OL tracks down the facts behind a mysterious and massive bull that is rumored to be the next world-record. Will the rumors hold up, or was this bull taken from a fenced-in ranch?
Checking my email recently, I found a forwarded note from my good friend Michael Woodard (trips to Woody’s place often spawn topics on my blog, sometimes for all the wrong reasons). The subject line read: “FW: FW: Idaho – elk – new world record.” AdvertisementRelated PhotosSUBMIT YOUR PHOTOSADVERTISEMENTAdvertisement |
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Comments (24)
Like so many others who have posted comments, I don't see this as hunting but more as shopping for a wall decoration at the expense of a captive animal. This is NOT Fair Chase Hunting. What next, OL? Trophy trout from the angling pond down the road? Or maybe just a barrel. This is what gives the art of hunting (and hunters) a bad name in many parts of the country. It's not about the rack or even the meat, for most. It's about the chase. Get it?
Whether someone uses a food plot or a high fence to keep animals on a property its all the same. Both methods could be considered "farming for wildlife". They both have the same goals; heathier and bigger animals. Both keep game centralized and it doesnt take a master guide to find where the animals are going to be.
I say do what you think is right. If you want to wait around with 100 trail cams out naming your game animals on a food plot or sit behind a fence do it.
I personally will do neither and will continue to hunt public property and find the game instead of attracting them.
I will now get off of my soap box.
It seems to me hunters should be more unified and less judging. No matter what your thoughts are on high fence or not everyone should be able to appreciate this animal for what it is. It's not better or worse than your own personal hunting experience. Us hunters have enough people looking down on what we do. We shouldn't look down on each other as well.
B & C I salute you. Shame on you SCI.
High fence and Fair Chase are mutually exclusive terms which shouldn't be uttered with the same breath. My boyhood heros, Jack O'Connor and Alaskan master guide Hal Waugh, must be spinning in their graves. Although, I did find a VERY likely spot to go hunting the other day in north San Diego county. The place is called the San Diego Wild Animal Park and I have the sneaking suspicion I'll have nearly 100% success on some really nice trophies.
I got to rambling and forgot to make my point! High fence can be very sporting depending on the operator and the terrain; certainly as sporting as sitting in a tree. From what I know of this ranch it is as difficult as the hunter wants. The difference between there and public land is the quality of the game you have a chance to see.
I don't hunt high fence; I don't even use a guide except where it is required--Africa, Canada, etc.
I have hunted Africa where much hunting is high fence. Even in the truck it takes hours to drive from fence to fence where the farm is 50,000 to 225,000 acres. The fences keep valuable animals in and, sometimes, predators and poachers out. In Africa I insisted that we hunt on foot, using the truck to get from one area to another. Very sporting, high fence or not.
The 100% success rate is the result of good stocking density and, of course, a guide that knows where the animals are likely to be.
I am very successful--nearly 100%--unguided, for deer, elk and pronghorn on public land because I also know where the animals are likely to be.
A high fence doesn't equal fair chase. Something is not right when the success rate is 100%.
Have to commend Rulon Jones for creating a hunting experience some will never have but there is nothing like hunting in the open space working to find some trail and having that big bull step out of the dark forest and stand in front of you. I would say 5000 acres is a lot to cover and 30,000 acres is even more. If I could afford it I might do it but I don't necessarily need the trophy hunt as I have had one stand in the wild before me, heart thumping, working to control your breathing, squeezing down on the trigger and watching him go over. The guy I took hunting with me was standing there breathless, all he could say was I never knew they were so big. Never even shouldered his gun lol. Okay I should have let him shoot first but it was a limited opportunity and I said to shoot on three, I was concentrating on my shot and didn't even know he hadn't shouldered his rifle. I am sure that hunt equalled this.
Great comments by all of the gentlemen above.
I have one comment for high fence hunting and the phonies that provide it and the jokers that do it.
That, is (Not Hunting),that is (Shopping).
oops anti-hunters lol
What a joke. I am so sick of unfair chase hunting. Every Outdoor Channel BS hunt is just like this and then these "hunters" act excited, like they accomplished something. What crap. I guarantee the pride and joy I felt this spring watching my 11 year old son take his first tom way surpasses whatever emotion these people conjure up. If this is the future of hunting, we have a very bleak future to look forward to. A true trophy is NOT just the size of the animal, but the entire experience, especially when shared with the ones we love. My 9 1/2 inch antelope I shot at 13 yrs of age is still the best trophy i will ever take. When we stop focusing on size alone and return to hunting for the experience and passion we have for this sport, maybe people will stop raising "trophies" to be displayed and paraded about.One couldn't give ant-hunters better ammunition if I tried. This commercialized, bought and paid for type of "hunting" (better characterized as killing) should be shunned and discredited by every true hunter out there.
High fence with guide is worse than just a fence.Not fair chase any way it's looked at.Learn to hunt.Look up definition of hunt.Must fish in a barrel too or hatchery pond.
I'm confused at why you would have to buy a license if it is a high fence operation?
High fences are for shooting, NOT hunting. How much "investigating" was done on this article? Did you turn up how Rulon was investigated for his alleged illegal dumping of elk carcasses? This reads like an advertisement for his high fence hunts, not an objective article. Stop focusing on antler size and focus on quality hunting.
Great Bull and Congrats to the "hunter", wish I could afford such a hunt. My age and worn out body is limiting me to less country each year
But a fence is a fence or a pen is a pen. Diffinately not "fair chase".
When searching for an outfitter for an elk hunt for September 2009, I immediately crossed off anyone who guaranteed any size of a kill, or even that there would be a shot. The silliest was the outfitter that GUARANTEED they could get a "fair chase" elk for my (then) 10 year old daughter!
The 316 5/8, 6x6 bull I took in the Bob Marshall Wilderness with Lake Upsata Outfitters is more of a trophy than this "elk farm" monster. Mine was proof of success on a wilderness hunt where there were no guarantees — other than the outfitter would: supply a good camp with quality animals, work as hard as the hunters were physically able, and that we would be deep in the most pristine wilderness the lower 48 states have to offer. I got what I hoped for — and would have felt cheated to find a canned, elk-farm, hunt when I got there.
I also live next to an elk ranch were hunts are sold for both the horn and the meat. This ranch is nothing like the one Rulon Jones opperates. A skilled marksman could shoot across the entire property, and this is not hunting in my eyes. I too am not a big fan of high fence hunts, but I will ask you this...If you had the means and finances to create such a hunting paradise for others to enjoy and make a good living while having clients hunt inside your fences...whould you do it? I would.
trouble is iit causes friction in the hunting community ,no theres nothing like stalking or calling a true wild bull or turkey,it will never be topped and THATS where the true meaning of trophy lies,a smaller elk deer bear hard fought tough hunt always should mean more ,,Maybe too much emphasis is placed on the antlers !!!!!
Kudos to the bull. Nada to the hunter. Fences are ok for a zoo but not for hunting.
The bull was shot in E Idaho behind a high fence. Nothing I would be proud of no matter how big.
I was raised in Southern Idaho. Watching these guys so called hunt from tree stands and blinds get excited after their kill. We actually hunted. We stalked, walked ridges. Searching for game is my style of hunting, never from a stand or blind. Competing with deer or elk for the kill is the only way to hunt.
Anyone who thinks high fence hunting is fair chase is woefully ignorant. I've hunted next to high fence areas and watched the "hunters" ride around in a jeep as the "guides" pointed out the available elk...what a joke. Sure it's a big rack but the score means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with respect to the normal world. Big money buys big racks (pun intended...), but please don't call it hunting or sporting.
High fence?
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)
When searching for an outfitter for an elk hunt for September 2009, I immediately crossed off anyone who guaranteed any size of a kill, or even that there would be a shot. The silliest was the outfitter that GUARANTEED they could get a "fair chase" elk for my (then) 10 year old daughter!
The 316 5/8, 6x6 bull I took in the Bob Marshall Wilderness with Lake Upsata Outfitters is more of a trophy than this "elk farm" monster. Mine was proof of success on a wilderness hunt where there were no guarantees — other than the outfitter would: supply a good camp with quality animals, work as hard as the hunters were physically able, and that we would be deep in the most pristine wilderness the lower 48 states have to offer. I got what I hoped for — and would have felt cheated to find a canned, elk-farm, hunt when I got there.
trouble is iit causes friction in the hunting community ,no theres nothing like stalking or calling a true wild bull or turkey,it will never be topped and THATS where the true meaning of trophy lies,a smaller elk deer bear hard fought tough hunt always should mean more ,,Maybe too much emphasis is placed on the antlers !!!!!
Anyone who thinks high fence hunting is fair chase is woefully ignorant. I've hunted next to high fence areas and watched the "hunters" ride around in a jeep as the "guides" pointed out the available elk...what a joke. Sure it's a big rack but the score means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING with respect to the normal world. Big money buys big racks (pun intended...), but please don't call it hunting or sporting.
Whether someone uses a food plot or a high fence to keep animals on a property its all the same. Both methods could be considered "farming for wildlife". They both have the same goals; heathier and bigger animals. Both keep game centralized and it doesnt take a master guide to find where the animals are going to be.
I say do what you think is right. If you want to wait around with 100 trail cams out naming your game animals on a food plot or sit behind a fence do it.
I personally will do neither and will continue to hunt public property and find the game instead of attracting them.
I will now get off of my soap box.
I was raised in Southern Idaho. Watching these guys so called hunt from tree stands and blinds get excited after their kill. We actually hunted. We stalked, walked ridges. Searching for game is my style of hunting, never from a stand or blind. Competing with deer or elk for the kill is the only way to hunt.
The bull was shot in E Idaho behind a high fence. Nothing I would be proud of no matter how big.
I also live next to an elk ranch were hunts are sold for both the horn and the meat. This ranch is nothing like the one Rulon Jones opperates. A skilled marksman could shoot across the entire property, and this is not hunting in my eyes. I too am not a big fan of high fence hunts, but I will ask you this...If you had the means and finances to create such a hunting paradise for others to enjoy and make a good living while having clients hunt inside your fences...whould you do it? I would.
High fence with guide is worse than just a fence.Not fair chase any way it's looked at.Learn to hunt.Look up definition of hunt.Must fish in a barrel too or hatchery pond.
Great comments by all of the gentlemen above.
I have one comment for high fence hunting and the phonies that provide it and the jokers that do it.
That, is (Not Hunting),that is (Shopping).
I got to rambling and forgot to make my point! High fence can be very sporting depending on the operator and the terrain; certainly as sporting as sitting in a tree. From what I know of this ranch it is as difficult as the hunter wants. The difference between there and public land is the quality of the game you have a chance to see.
It seems to me hunters should be more unified and less judging. No matter what your thoughts are on high fence or not everyone should be able to appreciate this animal for what it is. It's not better or worse than your own personal hunting experience. Us hunters have enough people looking down on what we do. We shouldn't look down on each other as well.
Kudos to the bull. Nada to the hunter. Fences are ok for a zoo but not for hunting.
Great Bull and Congrats to the "hunter", wish I could afford such a hunt. My age and worn out body is limiting me to less country each year
But a fence is a fence or a pen is a pen. Diffinately not "fair chase".
High fences are for shooting, NOT hunting. How much "investigating" was done on this article? Did you turn up how Rulon was investigated for his alleged illegal dumping of elk carcasses? This reads like an advertisement for his high fence hunts, not an objective article. Stop focusing on antler size and focus on quality hunting.
What a joke. I am so sick of unfair chase hunting. Every Outdoor Channel BS hunt is just like this and then these "hunters" act excited, like they accomplished something. What crap. I guarantee the pride and joy I felt this spring watching my 11 year old son take his first tom way surpasses whatever emotion these people conjure up. If this is the future of hunting, we have a very bleak future to look forward to. A true trophy is NOT just the size of the animal, but the entire experience, especially when shared with the ones we love. My 9 1/2 inch antelope I shot at 13 yrs of age is still the best trophy i will ever take. When we stop focusing on size alone and return to hunting for the experience and passion we have for this sport, maybe people will stop raising "trophies" to be displayed and paraded about.One couldn't give ant-hunters better ammunition if I tried. This commercialized, bought and paid for type of "hunting" (better characterized as killing) should be shunned and discredited by every true hunter out there.
Have to commend Rulon Jones for creating a hunting experience some will never have but there is nothing like hunting in the open space working to find some trail and having that big bull step out of the dark forest and stand in front of you. I would say 5000 acres is a lot to cover and 30,000 acres is even more. If I could afford it I might do it but I don't necessarily need the trophy hunt as I have had one stand in the wild before me, heart thumping, working to control your breathing, squeezing down on the trigger and watching him go over. The guy I took hunting with me was standing there breathless, all he could say was I never knew they were so big. Never even shouldered his gun lol. Okay I should have let him shoot first but it was a limited opportunity and I said to shoot on three, I was concentrating on my shot and didn't even know he hadn't shouldered his rifle. I am sure that hunt equalled this.
A high fence doesn't equal fair chase. Something is not right when the success rate is 100%.
I don't hunt high fence; I don't even use a guide except where it is required--Africa, Canada, etc.
I have hunted Africa where much hunting is high fence. Even in the truck it takes hours to drive from fence to fence where the farm is 50,000 to 225,000 acres. The fences keep valuable animals in and, sometimes, predators and poachers out. In Africa I insisted that we hunt on foot, using the truck to get from one area to another. Very sporting, high fence or not.
The 100% success rate is the result of good stocking density and, of course, a guide that knows where the animals are likely to be.
I am very successful--nearly 100%--unguided, for deer, elk and pronghorn on public land because I also know where the animals are likely to be.
High fence?
I'm confused at why you would have to buy a license if it is a high fence operation?
oops anti-hunters lol
High fence and Fair Chase are mutually exclusive terms which shouldn't be uttered with the same breath. My boyhood heros, Jack O'Connor and Alaskan master guide Hal Waugh, must be spinning in their graves. Although, I did find a VERY likely spot to go hunting the other day in north San Diego county. The place is called the San Diego Wild Animal Park and I have the sneaking suspicion I'll have nearly 100% success on some really nice trophies.
B & C I salute you. Shame on you SCI.
Like so many others who have posted comments, I don't see this as hunting but more as shopping for a wall decoration at the expense of a captive animal. This is NOT Fair Chase Hunting. What next, OL? Trophy trout from the angling pond down the road? Or maybe just a barrel. This is what gives the art of hunting (and hunters) a bad name in many parts of the country. It's not about the rack or even the meat, for most. It's about the chase. Get it?
Post a Comment (200 characters or less)