On the first Saturday of October, after 24 years of applying for a elk coveted tag, a local hunter Stuart McCullough finally experienced the moment he had spent decades preparing for. Hunting on a private ranch within the San Luis Reservoir Unit—an either-sex unit with only five tags issued each year—he set out before sunrise with a group of close friends and family, including his brother Bill McCullough and his son, Zachary McCullough.

The group had scouted several bulls that morning, but most showed signs of a rough rut season. “Three of the other bulls we saw were all broke off from fighting,” he explained. “This one was the only one still in one piece.” 

The mature bull stood 42.5 inches high with an impressive six-by-six rack—“a really good representation of the species,” he said. At an estimated 600–650 pounds on the hoof, the animal was not the largest Roosevelt or Rocky Mountain elk, but a remarkable specimen for the unit.

Using a Savage 110 chambered in .300 Win Mag,Stuart McCullough made a clean shot from 150 yards. By 9 a.m., the hunt was complete. What made the moment special wasn’t just the elk itself, but the people beside him. “Having my son and my brother there was key,” he said, noting that the accessibility of private land allowed them all to participate.

The next day, the group processed the meat at home, saving tenderloins, loins, and hindquarter cuts while grinding the rest for burger. Just one day later, they headed off for another hunt in northeastern California—closing out what he described as a “big year” full of long-awaited success.

Though not the biggest elk out there, the bull carried the character of the rut—dark, chocolate antlers, heavy bases, and a few scars—marking a rewarding end to a 24-year journey.