At one point during the first day -- Ball had only booked MossBack for the last five days of his hunt -- the hunters found themselves surrounded by 10 bulls wrapped up in strutting their stuff.

"They were fighting all around us," Ball said. "We were right in the middle and it was the neatest thing I'd ever seen. I'd seen it on videos, but it was different to be there. We had one big bull 10 yards away snorting at us."

Even for a veteran guide like Moss, the action was intense. "We got into some major elk frenzies. Not too many people get to experience things like that. They were fighting and chasing hard, they didn't even know we were around," he said.

After that long, hard first day, Ball wondered if the birthday present was really just an opportunity for Angie to get rid of him and collect his insurance money. Ball even wondered if Moss was in on the scheme.

"They about killed me. I had all kinds of blisters. I told him I didn't think I could handle another day like that. There was probably also something to do with the altitude. We were pretty high and I'm coming from sea level," he said.

Moss and MossBack guide Kalan Lemon grew worried on the drive back to the hotel. "I had no idea how sore his feet were. You could just tell he didn't feel good. He wouldn't even eat dinner that night," Moss said. He promised to make the next day an easier hunt and then promptly broke the promise.

"We didn't take our backpacks or anything. We were just going for a jaunt and we heard some bugling. Doyle said he wanted us to get up to them. We just kept going and going and going until we got to the ones we wanted," Ball said. "After I shot the bull, Doyle and Kalan left for the truck. I was staying there. An hour later they called me and said, 'You won't believe this, but we still aren't to the truck.' "

Amazingly, Ball's feet had quit hurting. Either they were numb or pumping with adrenaline.

DON'T YOU DARE MISS
"I had meant to make it an easy day and we started in the low country, but we could hear those hot bulls bugling, screaming and carrying on," Moss said. "We finally got to them and I heard two bulls going at it. We raced in and I told him to get ready."

It was about 10 a.m. and Ball remembers getting a different kind of look from Moss; something more like, "Don't you dare miss."

Ball didn't even know what he was shooting. He had not even seen the bull's rack. In fact, he was ready to shoot the rival of the bull he eventually would shoot.

"I told Doyle and he told me to take the other bull. I trusted him completely. I never even saw the antlers. If it was anybody else I never would have done it," Ball said.

Ball could see the kill zone, but brush was hiding the animal's head a mere 40 yards away.

Ball pulled the trigger. Moss yelled, "You missed! Shoot again."

"I knew I didn't miss; all I could see in the scope was hair, but he didn't even flinch," Ball said. "So I shot again."

Moss was on the run and Ball, still breathless, watched the other bull dash off down the mountain.

"I saw the other bull and wondered why I hadn't shot him," Ball said. "I couldn't imagine this bull being any bigger."

The bull had traveled about 20 yards after the second shot and Moss was at the animal wondering where his client was.

"Are you going to come look at this thing or what?" Moss inquired.

Ball, reeling from the hike and bull fever, was still struggling at the high elevation.

"I still couldn't breathe and it took me a while to reach him," Ball said. I came around the bush and saw it. It was big."

And just as Ball suspected they would, they found two entry points on the animal.

The trio didn't realize just how big the elk was until they pulled out the measuring tape. "They thought he was about 380 or 390 or something in that area," Ball said. "They measured one side and decided it was going to be a 400 bull."