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Mark Freeman Commentary Scheuneman tags top-notch trophy Standing alone in the hot August evening of Central California with a massive tule elk 60 yards away, Neil Scheuneman had a choice: to take his quest for a world-record tule elk elsewhere, or do the right thing. The elk�s antlers were big, maybe just big enough to be a new bowhunting record for archers who stalk these strange, rare elk that dot California�s tule wetlands. Scheuneman had just shot twice at the elk, but it didn�t go down. Then the 56-year-old Jacksonville bowhunter realized the elk was 59 yards away � almost 20 yards past his self-imposed shooting limit and 10 yards farther than a shot he earlier passed up on a known world-record elk. He could have walked away to hunt another day, and no one would have known. "But I would have known," Scheuneman says. "I felt, since there was a possibility that I may have wounded the animal, I was obligated to shoot until I was out of arrows. And I had only five arrows." So Scheuneman reached down within himself and found the bowhunter�s shot of a lifetime. He fired the cleanest kill-shot possible from an almost impossible distance, dropping the tule elk whose 8-by-8 point antlers were truly big, but not big enough. The antlers of Scheuneman�s elk score unofficially at 306-6/8 points, just under the bowhunters� record of 311-4/8 and close enough for second all-time. Despite the shortfall, Scheuneman is one happy bride�s maid. He lived up to his own hunting ethics, tagged a magnificent tule bull and had the kind of long, clean shot that bowhunters dream of making. That all adds up to be worth more than just second best. "I wanted him to be a world record really bad," Scheuneman says. "But if I had it all to do over again, I wouldn�t change my decision to shoot him. "I wouldn�t trade that shot for a world record," Scheuneman says. "I�m as proud of that as I am of the animal." California Fish and Game officials are equally impressed with Scheuneman, who became just the fourth bowhunter to kill a tule elk at the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area near Fairfield. "That�s quite an accomplishment, really," says Jon Fischer, California�s elk program coordinator. "That country�s very open and it�s tough to get in range and get a good shot. It�s a challenge, and you have to have everything line up just right." California�s tule elk are the rarest of the three elk breeds in the West, now living only in a series of tule wetlands dotting western California. As California�s wetlands began to be drained for crops in the mid-1800s, the tule elk began to disappear quickly, and by 1875, Californians knew only of two remaining tule elk tucked into a corner of the San Joaquin Valley. State lawmakers quickly protected the animals and a lengthy tule-elk rebuilding program began that now manages about 2,500 tule elk in 22 different herds, most of which are on wildlife areas like Grizzly Island. Limited hunting on tule elk is now allowed, and it drew the interest of Scheuneman as a new feather in his large bowhunting cap. Scheuneman, a former real estate developer and current stock trader, paid $25,000 for one of two specialty tags for Grizzly Island, where the herd is only about 150 animals and many of the bulls are so well-known they have nicknames. Rifle hunting on the wildlife area is considered easy because the animals are regularly spotted at long distances. But Scheuneman figured he had to sneak within 40 yards through low grass and mud to get within range. That meant taking five to seven hours at a time, in 90-plus-degree heat and driving Sacramento Delta winds to get within range. Shooting more than 40 yards would make it more likely that he would just wound an elk. So that caused him to miss opportunities at known would-be world records nicknamed Pretty Boy and Louis 2. He even passed on a shot at Truck Wreck, a would-be record bull named because it survived getting hit by a truck last year, at 49 yards early into his August hunt. "As soon as you start stretching your range of ability, you start wounding animals," Scheuneman says. "That�s something I didn�t want to happen." Seven days into his 10-day hunt, after a long and fruitless stalk on Truck Wreck, Scheuneman headed back to his cabin in a truck when he spied a large bull far in the tules. It was one he had never seen before and didn�t have a nickname. Its antlers were huge, close to world-record size, but it was hard to tell. Scheuneman sneaked close to a earthen berm between him and the elk, hoping it would wander over and stand on top for a clean shot. "You can count on them doing that," Scheuneman says. "They stand around looking majestic, like they�re king of the mountain." That�s just what it did, walking onto the berm near a branch that Scheuneman had marked with his electronic range-finder as 40 yards away. So Scheuneman shot once. The elk jumped up and looked at the ground between its hooves. Another arrow flew, with the same result. The bull didn�t run. Scheuneman raised his range-finder, and gasped when it tapped the bull at 59 yards away. He could have walked away. But he feared that he may have wounded the animal. It would be unethical to quit, so he reached back and fired a perfect shot that pierced the animal�s lungs and dropped him almost instantly. It turns out the first two arrows passed cleanly beneath its belly, possibly leading the bull mistakenly to believe he had stepped over a snake. When the animal�s antlers were finally scored unofficially, it turned up short of the new record. But the antlers will find a spot on Scheuneman�s wall with a plaque detailing when, where and how big the bull was. And it might include a nickname as well. "I kind of like �Patience�," Scheuneman says. "I was very patient in hunting him, and he was very patient in letting me have three shots at him. "But my wife," Scheuneman says, "prefers �Three Strikes and You�re Out�." (Staff writer Mark Freeman covers the outdoors for the Mail Tribune. Call him at 776-4470, or e-mail him at: [email protected] ) Outdoor Journal Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. 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