10
community
may24
2011
Don Webb’s Bull Stories: The Wheeler Pond Bull
By Don Webb
Editors Note: During the re-
cent Vernonia Sportsman’s Banquet,
local hunter, fisherman and all-around
nice guy, Don Webb won an award for
his Mule Deer in the Horn Show. Don
was also recognized for his taxidermy
work on a number of the other winners.
Don, who is eighty-four years old, and
I got to talking later and he told me
that he had shot thirty-eight bull elk in
his lifetime. Recently Don began writ-
ing down some of the more interesting
stories, and that got me to thinking—
maybe I should go hear some of these
stories; it might make a good article for
the paper.
Well, I went over to visit with
Don and listen to some of his stories,
and it turns out he has a bunch of them.
And they aren’t just about hunting. He
has some good logging stories, some
firefighting stories (he was the fire chief
in Vernonia for many years), probably
some good fish stories and more. I
thought, there’s enough material to
keep us going for at least a year or two!
So here you go, the first install-
ment in what will be a regular col-
umn—Don Webb’s Bull Stories.
“Back about thirty years ago
elk season was just about to start when
my brother in law Bud got sick and
went into the hospital. I had to go and
help my sister get in her potato crop for
about a week so I missed a few days
of the season. I got home on a Wednes-
day and it snowed about ten inches
that night. I headed out early the next it’s a good time to track a bull. The
morning, drove over Rocky Point. and snow makes a lot of noise as it falls and
through Clear Creek and came out on the you can get up close in this jack fir and
Sunset Highway and never saw a track; brush. I parked at the elk track, put on
with a good tracking snow like this if my rain gear and old red felt hat be-
they were moving I should have seen cause I knew it was going to be wet out
tracks. The snow
there. Grabbed
was still hanging on
my 270 and start-
the trees and the elk
ed down the hill
were holding tight.
on the tracks. I
I thought, maybe I
could tell he was
should run over the
a fair size bull
Wheeler Pond Road
because he would
and check for tracks.
walk around low
I had a good
hanging limbs
foot of snow up there
and brush, and
and one rig ahead of
could see where
me. I went up and
he knocked snow
over the top, and as
off some of the
I got part way down
higher limbs with
the other side I saw
his horns.
some tracks cross-
I was about
ing the road heading
fifteen minutes
down the hill, so
on his track and
I stopped before I
the snow was
ran over the tracks
falling off the
and sure enough
trees making a lot
one had stepped in
of noise. I was
the tire tracks of the
looking down at
rig ahead of me. I
the tracks com-
walked in the tracks
ing around a jack
a little and drove
fir and looked
down to the bot-
up right into the
tom of the hill to
bulls eyes the
Don Webb and his prize winning Mule Deer
see if any more had at the 2011 Vernonia Sportsman’s Banquet. same time he
crossed the road,
looked at me,
didn’t see any so figured that must be a only about six feet away! Now I like to
lone bull. Just what I was looking for.
get close, but this was a little too close
By now the snow was starting for comfort. The bull moved a lot faster
to drop off the trees; when this happens than I did, he blew air at me and took
off and I blew air and took off in the
other direction.
As soon as I got my wits back
together, It only took a few seconds, I
snapped my scope cover and safety off,
but the bull was moving down hill in
thick jack fir. I ran about twenty feet
and into a 150 foot clearing that I didn’t
know was there. I could here the bull
moving in the jack fir and thought that
would be the last I would see of him.
But some times they are not too smart;
this bull would have had it made if he
would have stayed in the jack fir, but
maybe he wondered what it was that
had scared the hell out of him.
He ran out in that small clear-
ing; I pulled up my gun but I couldn’t
see a thing through my scope--my
cover was hanging in front. I pushed it
off and by then the bull had stopped and
was looking at me about one hundred
feet away. I pulled the trigger and put
him down; a nice five point. By rights
that bull should still be running.
Well the hunt is over, and this
time I didn’t mind being alone. It was a
good hunt and I had a lot of luck on my
side.
I rolled the bull over on his
back and shoved snow up on his sides
to hold him, got him gutted and skinned
back. I headed to the pickup, moved it
down the hill so I would have a level
side hill pack, had a bite to eat, grabbed
my pack board and had him out in about
two hours. I was even home in time for
supper.
This was a good hunt. I wish
we had snow like this every year.”
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