Opening morning found us at the South end of a stock tank we already scouted out and it had moocho sign (track, scat and rubs). At 05:30 we were all set up. As the sun rose Bill set to bulging and we got 3 or 4 different answers but none ever came into sight. With the sun high in the late morning we all piled back into the truck and decided to take a look around the area. We spotted a couple bulls but they did a vanishing act as quick as we saw them.

Around 15:30 we were back at the same tank we were at in the morning but this time we set up a ground blind about 100 yards North of the tank. It took 3 of my buddies to get me back to the blind. 2 to move the logs and boulders and 1 to pull my wheelchair backwards over the smaller obstacles which were still pretty healthy in size.

All but 1 buddy, Jim, melted into the woods. Jim was watching to the North and East while I kept a visual to the South and West. After a couple hours of sitting silent a bull finally appeared NE of us. I had me a nylon down jacket on and it made noise every time I moved so I just froze into place while Jim watched him. With my eyes turned as far left as they could go motionless I sat wanting to turn and see the Elk, yet afraid if I moved I�d make some noise and he�d see me then spook and run off. The bull finally went behind some trees and I took a chance and moved to see him and raise my rifle. He was a big bodied spike and when he cleared the trees he stopped and offered me a beautiful left sided broadside shot at about 110 yards.

I squeezed the trigger and felt the round go off but he didn�t even flinch. I jacked in another round and again squeezed off another round just behind the left fore leg and about 10 inches above the bottom of his chest. After the second shot he took off running. At about 150 yards he disappeared. As a holder of a CHAMP (Challenged Hunter Access/Mobility Program) permit I passed my rifle over to Jim and he started off in the direction that the bull disappeared in. My other buddies came out of the woods and followed after Jim. Leaving me behind in the blind and my adrenaline pumping full bore I wheeled myself out of the blind that took 3 guys to put me in. After they came up to the bull and confirmed it was dead they remembered to get me out of the blind. As they turned to go back there I was. They said you could see smoke coming off my tires but that goes to show what adrenaline can do.

He was field dressed as the sky was darkening and found that the bull was hit once. The bullet went in between the ribs, punctured the lungs and pierced his heart. The bull stood and ran off dead and didn�t even know it.

After we got him checked at the Main Gate we went back to camp to toast a great successful hunt.