So How Close did the American 'Osama bin Laden Hunter' Get?

If you ask Gary Faulkner, the self-proclaimed Osama bin Laden Hunter from Greeley, CO who gave up everything to hunt down and kill the world's number one terrorist, he deserves some credit for Osama bin Laden's death.

"I had a major hand and play in this wonderful thing, getting him out of the mountains and down to the valleys... Someone had to get him out of there. That's where I came in," Faulkner told ABC News. "I scared the squirrel out of his hole, he popped his head up and he got capped."

And while he's proud of the U.S. military, he's not ashamed to sing his own praises: "They were handed this opportunity on a platter from myself."

Last June Faulkner, a construction worker, set out on his quest armed with a dagger, some biblical literature, a pistol, night-vision goggles, and a samurai sword. And as crazy as it sounds, CNN says he was relatively close to bin Laden's compound the day the terrorist was killed. Key word, "relatively:"

How far off was Faulkner, whose across-the-world trek still remains shrouded in mystery?

Chitral to Abbottabad is roughly about 300 miles, according to Google Maps technology, indicating about a "7-hour" drive.  Yeah right. To put the distance in perspective, according to Google, the two places are about the same distance as Atlanta, Georgia, to the Florida Panhandle.

Of course, much of the Pakistan route is undriveable because of foothills and mountains. The area is also said to be inhabited by fiercely independent tribes.

Now that his journey is over, Faulkner not only wants a piece of the glory, but he also wants a piece of the $27 million reward placed on bin Laden's head.

In an initial interview with ABC, he wasn't convinced bin Laden was dead. But that seems to have changed now that he's looking for compensation:

"He hadn't been living there for no damn six years," Faulkner said. "I absolutely flushed him out."

He added: "I'm on cloud nine. To know that I actually had a hand in this ... . It was a good marriage of myself, the Pakistani government and our government and now the man has been brought to justice not even a year later."