Bookcliffs elk hunt

My friend Paul, that I have been hunting with for over 10 years, drew out a premium archery elk tag in the Bookcliffs, Utah.  I offered to help him out along with a few of his family and long time family friends.  I love going out there even though the folks I have hunted with there for the prior 2 years came up empty handed.  Its a 5 hour drive from my house.  The last hour and a half is around 70 miles on a gravel road.  Lots of oil wells out there but the area was preserved for wildlife over 10 years ago and there are a lot of deer, elk, bison, wild horses, bears, cougars, free range cattle and more.  Its awsome what the Utah fish and game department have done there. 
So, I started hunting with Paul on his third day of the hunt and hunted with him three of my five days out there.  The first day it was like the sound of music and wild kingdom coming together.  The elk were bugling everywhere and the big bulls were gathering up their cows for the mating season.  They were also chasing off the less dominant bulls which was a riot to watch.  This is what elk hunting is all about.  I would have had a great time even if Paul had not killed a nice bull.  We hunted long and hard the first two days when Paul's long time family friend offered to go with us mid-day to a place he had heard bulls the evening before.  Well, 5 of us marched in 3.5 miles to this meadow on the top of a mountain.  The elevation is around 8,300 ft at camp.  The bulls were bugling on all sides of us and we heard one that seemed less than a quarter mile away that was making a lot of noise.  Paul decided to move forward.  We waited for hours, hearing bulls come close to where we thought Paul had set up.  Finally, a bull came in to challenge the bull that Paul was after.  The bull came across a canyon and up the hill within 20 yards of Paul's son who hid behind some scrub oak.  I also ducked as fast as I could to the ground only seeing a glimps of the bull.  The bull had no idea we were even there.  It kept to its task, moving on to challenge the other bugling bull.  As Paul heard the new bull closing in, he turned his attention to it, moving down the hill a few yards to get a closer look.  Then, he set up behind a tree and as the bull came closer, he drew back and closed the deal, hitting the bull with his arrow at around 45 yards.  The bull turned and ran back in its tracks but it was too late.  It fell about 50 yards later.  We all helped de-bone the bull for the pack out. What an experience.  I have killed several bull elk with my rifle, but this was the first time I have been with someone who killed a bull with a bow and arrow.  A great hunt that will create great memories and stories for a lifetime.