Some hunts are worth the wait, and this bull from our neighboring state of North Dakota is proof! Travis Hall with Field and Stream reported that after beating less than 1 percent odds to draw a coveted Badlands elk tag, 27-year-old Austin Streifel put in 80 hours of scouting before the season even started. Just two days into his hunt, he had a 360-inch bull standing 200 yards away and decided to let him walk. His wife thought he was nuts, but Austin had a feeling there was something even bigger roaming those hills. Turns out, he was right!
A few days later, while Austin was back at work in Fargo, his buddy spotted an absolute giant in Unit E3 and sent him some pictures. That was all the convincing Austin needed! He hit the road at 1:30 in the morning, met up with his wife and friend, and hiked 2.5 miles into the Badlands before daylight. After a careful stalk, Austin connected on the bull at 508 yards, bringing down a massive, symmetrical 6×6 that green grossed an incredible 394 inches on public state land. Not a bad way to fill a tag you’ve been dreaming about since you were 12!
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