And along comes a spider – The Spider Bull, that is
Every year it seems, the internet comes alive with rumors of world records and pictures of monster racks. Inevitably, these stories degrade into cries of “Foul!” or they do indeed turn-out to be high-fenced “hunts” or photoshop at its finest. Even if the story proves legit, it must run the gauntlet of thousands of internet warriors criticizing everything from the use of guides, to how much money the person makes, to what kind of camo they were using, etc.
I admit I get sucked into the hype, but rarely the debate. Like slowing down for a car wreck, I like seeing photos of successful hunters holding monstrous antlers. At the same time though, I feel bad that this is what it has come to. Hype and anti-hype; commercialization, product promotion, and ultimately – money.
All that being said, Mossback is claiming that one of their clients, Denny Austad just knocked down a bull in Utah that scores over 500 gross, which blasts away the previous world record. The bull, known as the Spider Bull, is an awesome specimen, and has the keyboard commandos in a frenzy.
An interesting twist occurred over at the King’s Outdoor World Blog where the son of Mr. Austad joined the ongoing discussion, and speculation – about his Dad’s bull:
Was Mossback guides a help in finding this bull, absolutely. Was donating to the State of Utah in a live fund raising auction to get the “Governors tag” a help with flexible dates and long season, not deniable. Does that make it “fair” … I don’t know, it is the system presented, and Dad only seeks the best at this stage in his life, be it wine, hunts, or salmon with green chile cream sauce.
But easy, fenced, come-and-go hunt, … not the case. After the 1st two weeks of straight hunting he came back so tired and he had to rest another 2 weeks before going out again. Also recognize that Dad spent months building the rifle used, his own personal design and unique caliber. He has a passion about all aspects of the hunt and preparation. He fires more practice shots in preparation for a single hunt then most do in a lifetime of hunting. 3 months of “training” and lost 20+ pounds to make sure he could out climb the guides. You should watch him gut and dress an animal (not letting the guides do it cause they don’t get as much meat as he does), all the major organs saved and used for his dog if we can’t eat them. Filleting fish, the same way, never seen his equal on efficiency and minimal waste.
You can visit the King’s Blog on the link, to read the entire story, as well as the son’s full response.
