Record-breaking Bull Elk Hunt made near Camel's Hump Lodge, North Dakota

This magnificent bull is believed to be one of the first offspring of the 47 elk reintroduced into the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in 1985. The animals were transplanted from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. Many of these elk have since left the park to live on National Grasslands and intermingled private lands. After interviews with area ranchers and farmers about fence and crop damage, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department issued 47 permits for a first-time hunt. Thirty licenses were allocated for a resident lottery drawing and 17 were offered to landowners near the park.

Even before receiving my tag, I had heard about a big bull in the area from a neighbor. Being a rancher and farmer, work obligations kept me from scouting as much as I would have liked. I did manage to get out a few times before the season, but it wasn't until the day before the hunt when I located a big eight-point. I was scouting alone from horseback and felt I would have a pretty good chance of finding the bull in the same area on opening day.

Before dawn the next day, I met up with my brother Blaine. I invited him to join me because he is a good hunter and things seem to click when we hunt together. As luck would have it, we arrived at dawn to find the bull grazing his way into a deep ravine to bed down for the day.

As legal shooting time approached we started our stalk on horseback. The strong wind whipping through the brush and grass made it impossible for the bull to hear the sounds of our approach. We were able to slip in on him to within 30 yards.

The bull was still bedded and had no idea I was there. I couldn't bring myself to shoot him in his bed, so as I got ready, I shouted to give him a nudge. To my surprise, the bull didn't simply stand in his bed as I expected; he bolted! A quick swing through with my 7mm Magnum put the first shot into him.

I had to remount my horse and ride fast to get ahead of him. When I circled back to the edge of the ravine, he was directly below me. Quickly bailing off my horse, I shot again. The impact of the bullet seemed to faze him and he bolted again. I got back on my horse and repeated the process. The third shot hit him hard and he went down at the bottom of a steep gully.

When I first reached my bull, not only was I amazed at the dimensions of his rack, but also his massive body size. I conservatively estimated his live weight to be close to 1200 pounds. I have hunted several western states and have taken some nice animals, and I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime trophy. The animal far exceeded my expectations when measured. He scored 449-7/8 and was the new North Dakota state record. Kevin was also awarded the #2 all-time, non-typical American elk in the Boone and Crockett Club's 23rd Big Game Awards for 1995-1997. Currently, the bull occupies the 3rd position in the record book.

The elk can be seen at Great Plains National Bank, located on Main Street in Belfield, ND. Lobby hours are 9 a.m. - 4:30 a.m Monday-Thursday and Friday 9 a.m - 7 p.m.