MyEagleNews.com // Grant County Hunting Journal 2019 // 5
Ol’ Fighter
Dyson’s first of 12 record book bulls
By Greg Dyson
For the Blue Mountain Eagle
y first book bull will
always hold a dear place
in my heart as “finally I’ve
arrived!” Ha!
Having harvested sev-
eral branch bulls in succession, I began to
have an idea that maybe, just maybe, I could
step up to the next level as a public land bull
elk hunter. I had called up a few bulls over
300 over the last few years, but as these tro-
phy bull elk grow to majestic size, they also
grow smarter, sharper, cautious, fortunate,
etc.
At this point of the season, I had passed on
Contributed photo
seven branch bulls under 30 yards and was Greg Dyson shot this 344 class bull elk on
beginning to have thoughts that maybe I’m public lands in Grant County, his first of 12
not cut out to be a big bull harvester. As they record book bulls.
say, it seems to be pitch dark just before the
est are in many hunters’ eyes the ultimate big
dawn!
The next level transition only appears to be game trophy.
a big step? It truly is! These giants of the for-
Since the very beginning of my elk hunt-
ing days, I was always standing on ready and
sitting on go! Always up for chasing
bulls in the rugged Blue Mountain
Range — the Rocky Mountains
of Eastern Oregon — that I was
never going to catch, then real-
ized hunting a Chevy pickup in
the early morning hours several
times a season was as chal-
lenging as the bull elk
M
I WAS UP ON TOP WAY
BEFORE DAYLIGHT WHEN
A DEEP-THROATED SCREAM
CAME BACK TO ME, ALMOST
CUTTING ME OFF.
Getty Images
apparent when he doubled down. Moving up
the second time put me within a 100 yards of
my bull.
When you first hear a bull elk raking a tree,
it takes a minute to register, but in most cases,
it’s a chance to move up or somehow put the
favor in my hands, a blessing for sure!
It’s the time of morning that dark gives
way to light, I’m 60 yards from a 340 class
seven-by-seven bull elk, He also has seven or
eight cows and calves all around him helping
with safety.
It truly is the greatest feeling to see God’s
creation being elk and naturally as beautiful
as they could be. This is the moment a bow-
hunter continues to practice calling, shooting,
being accountable — this moment that’s upon
me.
I’m close enough that, if I give away my
location, with a quick glance they’d see no elk
in the area. So my go to up until now would
be a chuckle grunt with my tube turned away
from the elk to hopefully make them think
Contributed photo I’m farther than the 60.
A low whine with six quick chuckles
Greg Dyson says he feels as close to his
creator as he can be when hunting.
works like a champ, and after he tore up the
small pine sampling a little more he came to
themselves!
confront the intruder — an uninvited guest
Stepping up to the next level will always who needs to be dealt with.
As he makes his way toward my location,
test who you truly are. But any passion to
become good or great comes with hard work I could hear him popping his teeth, a sign
of being irritated. As he passed behind a tall
and dedication.
This was the end of the third week of the thicket of buck brush, I drew my 93-pound
elk season and I hadn’t put eyes on a book Bowtech Tribute. As he veered to the left and
bull elk yet. A favorite ridge that I frequent down a little gully, he appeared at roughly
usually is good for a whistle and has been 16 paces. Top pin!
As I let out a short and quick cow call,
home to a few herd bulls over the years.
I was up on top way before daylight when he stopped broadside, staring at the double
a deep-throated scream came back to me, pine tree that made for a perfect hiding place
almost cutting me off. I thought, “How rude!” to arrow my first book bull elk, as my 125-
grain Thunderhead exited the back shoulder
Ha!
So using his aggression to my benefit, I cut cutting a perfect triangle through both lungs.
The big, beautiful 344-inch Herd Mas-
the distance between him and me in half and
thought just down the ridge a couple hundred ter only made it 120 yards down the trail
yards that the wind would stay and not be a collapsing for the final time. My first of 12
concern. Because my first bugle was met with record book bulls will always have a soft
place in this ol’ bowhunter’s heart!
such harshness, we may as well.
The closeness to the spirit of good and all
This time out Herd Master seemed to have
closed in. Also being on the north face, the that I feel at these times is priceless! As close
thought crossed my mind he may be close to to my creator as I can be! My first of 12 book
his bedding ground. This seemed even more bulls so far!