Jason and I were recently interviewed for an article about the World Record Spyder Bull. The article has been released and we are very pleased with how it turned out.

There will always be a lot of controversy surrounding the Spyder Bull and it is amazing that two years later the debate is still raging on!

Check out the article and let us know what you think: http://www.utahstories.com/2010/11/22/utah-hunters-turf-battle/

Well I thought you might enjoy following this story.  Before I get blasted let’s get it out there.  I understand this is a farm raised, pampered deer.  I enjoy looking at and understanding the game I hunt.  I think that we can learn from farmed animals, some of what they do, how they act, and when they rut can help us in the field on the real thing.   Trav is more of a fan of this than I am but there’s a small local farmer that raises Elk, it’s fun to go over there and check them out.  See their antler growth in the late summer, watch them interact, just to see them fairly close is fun!!

So despite the fact that this animal is farmed, fed, watered, and protected it’s still interesting.  They have named this buck Sudden Impact.   They have the first three weeks of pictures on the site, he’s starting to ball up.

Here’s an intro video:

Enjoy!!

Congratulations to Doyle Moss and Denny Austed for Harvesting the New World Record Non-Typical Bull. This bull has been on the minds of hunter’s since it was first spotted last Spring. It has caused several controversial conversations in hunting circles and I doubt this announcement will help that at all. I am interested to hear what everyone thinks. Some people will probably feel that this bull does not deserve to be the World Record Holder. Some Hunters think it is a farm raised bull. I have heard hunters that say this bull should have never been harvested so it could pass on it’s “seed” (With a bull like that I guarantee his “seed” is in cows all over that mountain). Other hunters can’t separate the hunter from the bull and therefore hate the bull. This is your last chance to sound off on the Spider Bull before we find the controversial bull for 2009.

Personally, I am fascinated by the Spider Bull. What a magnificent animal! I have heard comments from people that love Doyle Moss and I have heard comments from people that hate Doyle Moss. I have talked to him and I think he is just like the rest of us, a true Hunting Addict. I hope someday he can guide me on a world record Bull Elk hunt of my own. Then I could sit back and read comments from people that have never met me, but hate me anyway because I shot an Elk they could only dream of shooting.

Leave a comment and let us know how you feel about the new World Record Non-Typical Bull Elk.

We received this picture from one of our readers. It is a picture of an Elk that he saw in Monroe 3 years ago that looks like the Spider Bull. I think this elk definitely has the same antler composition as the Spider Bull, and my vote is that this is in fact the Spider Bull in his younger years. This picture is huge because if this is in fact the Spider Bull than it lays to rest the myth that the Spider Bull is a farm raised bull. Let us know what you think!

Here is the account of how he got this picture:

“I took the photo over 3 years ago on the monroe during a wildfire. It was a “fire use fire” the type of fire you let burn and take its natural course in the enviroment. One day while walking around the fire to gps it we ran into some bulls and then we started taking some pictures. After hearing all the buzz about the spider bull i was looking through some old pics and came across this one and it look to me like it could be the spider bull in his younger days.”

Here is the Spider Bull the day it was shot by Denny Austad:

Thanks for the picture, and thanks for sacrificing so much to fight fires and protect the wilderness that we all love. We want to know what our readers think. Is this in fact the Spider Bull?

I emailed Doyle Moss a little bit earlier today because of all of the controversy surrounding the Spider Bull. I have heard all of the comments about his guides blocking roads, herding the bull and slashing hunter’s tires. I had not heard Doyle’s side of the story, and so I began my search for the truth in the comment section on this post. Instead of looking at different opinions and articles, I went straight to the source. Within a couple of hours after receiving my email, Doyle Moss gave me a call.

I am very objective in everything I do. If I hear something, I am not one to believe it until I hear the whole story. I could not believe some of the stories surrounding this bull, they were so far fetched that I knew something was missing. I wanted to find the truth surrounding the Spider Bull!

My search for the truth began as I read more about what others were saying about Doyle, and his company Mossback Guides & Outfitters. As I read the comments about him I noticed a common theme. Everyone that has met Doyle Moss in person thinks he is a great guy. While I have not met him in person, after talking to him I would have to agree. He answered all of my questions, and I could sense the passion that he has for hunting. I could not believe that he would take the time out of his busy day to call me. That alone lets me know what kind of a guy he is. He is not afraid to stand up when the heat is on and face adversity. I respect men like that, and I applaud him for discussing what happened with me.

We are currently working on putting together a piece to share Doyle’s perspective, it should be ready sometime next week.

Thank you for the time Doyle, good luck on your next hunt!

With the recent Spider Bull going down the question’s about the Governors tag start to come up. I know that the money goes to state wildlife conservation and that is a good thing. I know that the money is closely watched to make sure it is used for that purpose. So in the end I think it is good for the state to auction these off. But on the flip side you have these outfitters that seem to want to do anything they can to secure the guide services for these individuals. I think as guides in this sport that you would want to teach these hunters what is involved in harvesting an animal. I also own a few companies and understand the business side that you need to market your services. Mossback has done a fabulous job in doing so. I have seen several of his videos and they are well done. Every year he finds a one of a kind bull and puts the scouting videos on his web site. From the business side if things I would say brilliant. But on the operation side there are too many unanswered questions that need to be sorted out.

So here is my thought, I think that the state should still do the Governors tag the money is needed. Mossback should keep doing the videos because it brought the state 170 k in revenue. But with that in mind I think the state should counter the Governors tag with twenty “Down in the luck” tags. These would be available to guys that have hunted for 20 years and haven’t been able to get that hunt of a life time. Simply have guys submit a letter telling of their misfortune with credible witnesses and then award 20 tags to the guys with the worst luck and let them have their moment. (I will send the first application in)

So what do you think good solution? What are your thoughts on these tags and what can be done differently?

Let us know.

Here is another picture they are all over the internet now.

It seems like that truck parking in front of the local Honda dealer got a lot of attention.  Here are a few pictures sent to us by a reader, thanks for the pictures, this is one amazing bull that we all want to see more of!

I want to hear everyone’s thoughts on the spider bull. I gotta be honest I was pulling for a hunter that was lucky enough to draw out and had the hunt of his life. Nothing against Mossback they did a fantastic job bringing this bull into the spot light and keeping tabs on it until they could get a shooter on it.

This bull was taken on a governor’s tag. Most states have these they are auctioned off and big outfits will pick them up for large amounts of cash. If you do your job right you then scout out a nice bull make a video and market the hell out of it. If you do your job you will get a nice client that has lots of money looking to purchase their next big hunt. This is what happened with the spider bull. I think it’s great that Denny took this bull, if you watch the Mossback site he takes a record size bull or buck with Mossback every year.

The money raised in the governor’s tag auction goes to wildlife resources. Here is my question. There are a lot of huge animals that are taken every year in states all over with a governor’s tag. But 90% of the hunters that are dedicated and addicted to hunting in that state will never afford that opportunity. Is the governor’s tag worth it? Are you addicted to hunting when you buy your animal? Are guides going to far to provide the next best animal? give us your comments.

Here is a photo of the rack in the truck.

Team Mossback just broke the news that the spider bull has been taken by Denny Austad.  Rumor is that it was on a governors tag two days ago. 

Congrats to team Mossback, they were the ones to first spot this amazing bull elk and they were able to lead Denny in to take this monster of a bull!!  We all look forward to pictures of this bull.

Well Kody tagged out Saturday, he took a nice bull but not the one he was after.  He never saw the infamous spider bull, neither has any other hunter I’ve heard about since the opener.  So that bull is still out there.  While it looked to be a perfect hunt for Cody this bull got massive by being smart and he has holed up since the opener.  I know the Monroe area is a limited entry and the hunt Kody drew was limited but there may still be some hunters able to go after that bull during rifle season, I’ll look into that and find out.  So far that bull has evaded all of the attention and hype, he’s proven how he got so big!! I’d love to see someone take the spider bull but it’s going to be a tough one!! Despite knowing the area he’s in, no hunter has been able to bring him in.  Well congrats to Kody on his bull, he’s estimating it as a 320 class, send us some pictures Kody!!