Highelk the bison in WYO are in one of four places. Yellowstone, Teton National Park, National Elk Refuge, and National Forest.

There has been many battles over the hunting of bison as many of you know. For obvious reasons you cannot hunt in Yellowstone and even though it is legal to hunt elk inside Teton the feds dont want bison hunting there. The same applies to the National Elk Refuge.

Therefore you are left with one option if you want to hunt a bison with a bow. That is the National Forest. My guess would be that less that 5% of the bison are on national Forest land at any given time. So this is one heck of an accomplishment in Wyoming.

What Tracy has accomplished is no small feat.

On the third day, Matt and I were heading back to camp to pack up so he could go deer hunting. We had about 300 miles to get to my deer spot around home.

We ran into my buddy with the bison tag. He had shot one, and needed help field dressing.

We finished helping him, and started returning to camp, when I spot a bull about 500 yards away on the next ridge.

In this photo, I am stalking the bull. Really hard to see though. I wish my bud would have grabbed my 12x camera instead of using his cell phone!

Anyway, I closed the distance to around 20 yards and got my shot. I dead centered a rib. I only got half an arrow penetration. I shot one more time quick, and missed low!

The bull then took off. We gave him about 45 minutes before tracking. I had high hopes because we did find bubbles in the blood. I was worried that I got only one lung though.

After 500 yards, I spot the bull feeding in the middle of an aspen patch. I sneak into about 15 yards and got another arrow in him. Rats! I dead centered another rib!

The bull went about 50 yards and bedded. I had no way to get close for another shot, then it got dark. I need to add that the bull got up and went into the thick aspens. I did not want to go after a wounded bison in the dark. I heard some horror stories about rifle hunters getting gored bad by wounded bison.

Great pics!    

We went back right at daylight the next morning and started tracking the bull from where I had last seen him. He went about 200 yards over a ridge. We found him bedded in the vally. We could not tell if he was dead or alive.

I started heading around behind him, when my bud whistled at me. The bull was up! I followed the bull up into the timber. He was hot! Thrashing aspens, rubbing his horns, a breaking aspens like toothpicks. It is amazing what an animal can do on one lung.

I stayed with him, just behind the beast, around 20 yards. I could never get a broadside shot. My heart was pounding hard the whole time. I just hope he doesn't see me or wind me! I may be in big trouble! After 15 minutes of following him, he turns, and I get my shot. Yes, up to the fletch! I get another one in him in under 3 seconds, then I did the hundred yard dash toward a big tree in about 5 seconds! I knew I got him good. I turned around to see him fall. Wow, it's finally over! What a nightmare!

That was great story and pics.  Thanks and congrats!  It isn't what I pictured it would be like.

what a story !!!!!!!! what a hunt !!!!!!!! what a big animal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU TO SHARE THAT WITH US !!!!

I used a 59# one piece Pronghorn, cedar arrows tipped with 160 gr. STOS. Total arrow weight was 640 gr. If I would not have dead centered ribs on the first two shots, he would have not made it overnight. I was really sick about the whole ordeal. I have never in 150 plus animals needed 4 arrows.

 Awsome story!!!!

Rusty

Awww man this is awesome  

Then the work started. What a chore!

Great pics and story, thanks for  sharring>

We did not leave much for the many grizzlies and black bears in the area!

I did have to hire an outfitter to pack all the meat out. It would have spoiled in the time it would have took Matt and I to pack it on our backs over a mile.

That sure does look like a lot of work, a bull elk doesn't look so bad now. Well done      I am on the other side of the mountain range in eastern Idaho and soon plan on putting in for the few coveted tags (I hope it doesn't take too many years).

Enjoying this. Shedrock, is that Lava Creek drainage?

Awesome Congrats.

What an awesome experience! Thanks for sharing and taking us along.      

Dang thats alot of guts there!
Awesome story, country and hunt!

Thx for letting me dream...

The bull did make the Pope & Young minimum, scoring 109 4/8" after the drying period. The skull has been invited for panel measuring, and display at the Pope & Young 50th convention.

Many folks don't care about P&Y, but I thought I would share that.

Thanks for looking.

Very good story and beautiful photo's congrats.