Day 1 Sunday -
Hunt was officially supposed to start on Monday, but I made sure to arrive early enough on Sunday that we could hunt the evening if possible. Guide looked at my license and said let's go hunting tonight. We hiked into a canyon and sat and waited for a while. After about 40 minutes I heard the first bugle, pretty far out. We worked our way up the canyon and eventually located the bull. He would answer back and was raking the trees etc. but would not come out. Eventually he took his cows and left. Closest we got was about 120 yards. I could see him through my binos into the brush. He looked big, not sure how big, but big enough for me!
Day 2 Monday -
Returned to the same area in the morning. As soon as we got out of the truck we could hear the bulls talking. We worked the ridge tops hearing at least 3-4 different bulls. Got lots of responses, but only got into bow range of 1 bull and I could not even see what he was. (Guide told me he was a small 5x5.) In the afternoon we returned to the same area but approached from the opposite and a few miles away. Our intent was to hike in to the area where we were in the morning. Made it about 300 yards from the trail head and heard our first bugle. I looked down the trail and I could see an elk (cow). We moved into position and with my guide behind me making calls. In no time the bull stepped out and I could see he was a shooter. The bull worked his way up to 25 yards of me (bugling the whole way). I realized I was not in a good position and so I moved a little bit. Then the bull turned the other direction. I adjusted again (rookie mistake, should have stayed put). Well I think he possibly picked up my movement, plus the wind was doing funny things. Regardless of why, he turned around and headed in the opposite direction. We kept hunting and getting on more elk. At one point in the evening my guide had set up his decoy and called in/decoyed 4 different elk in to plain sight/bow range. You could hear elk everywhere, I drew back on a 5x5 at 50 yards but he moved back into the trees before I could shoot. We kept having encounters, some with the same elk and some new elk. At one point we could hear elk fighting back in the opposite direction we were working. In all honestly, I cannot believe how this hunt is going, why haven't I ever done this before? How lucky am I to be here! The night ended with no more shot opportunities but I am stoked.
Day 3 - Tuesday
We returned to the area where we started. This is a public land draw hunt, so I expected to run into other hunters. Well, on this morning we ran into more hunters than elk. It started with some guys following us into the trail head on an ATV and then practically sprinting down the trail we were planning to go on. We decided to go the other way. Still heard some bulls, and got close to one elk but they seemed to disappear. Then we run into a truck that drove in on a road you are not supposed to drive on. We quit early and made plans to hunt elsewhere in the afternoon. That afternoon we went to a different area where we had got into all the elk on Monday. We are hearing and seeing elk but not getting into bow range. We tried to get more aggressive, but that didn't pan out.
Day 4 - Wednesday
The morning was basically a repeat of day 3 in the afternoon. At one point had a bunch of cows run across the road about 75 yards ahead of where we were hiking. Not one bull in the bunch. We walked up to where they crossed, we were thinking there had to be a bull coming. Unfortunately we didn't think through our set up quickly enough. We heard a bugle close! Then I feel the wind at my back and nothing. The bull disappeared. Earlier in the morning we heard bulls bugling at water. On our way out we checked out the water and made a plan to site by the water in the afternoon and in the morning. We got in early and I set up a brush blind for about what looked like a 50 yard shot (from where I thought the elk would come out and hit the water.) I felt pretty confident out to 60 yards, but my farthest bow kill is 20 yards. Throughout the afternoon and evening I could hear the elk. My guide gave out a few calls to and the elk would answer. Toward the end of the evening I heard something walking in from behind me. (Opposite side of what I expected and behind me, why do they always do that?) As I turned my head the bull looked right at me and knew something was up. He stared at me as I had my release hooked to my bow and I was trying to figure out how I could draw and turn to shoot. The bull started to spook when my guide gave a few soft cow calls. (Guide was about 30 yards behind me.) This distracted him just enough for me to draw my bow and turn to aim. I had my range finder, but there was no time for that. I guessed the yardage to be between 30 and 40 yards so I put the gap between my 30-40 pins right behind his shoulder. He was looking right at me when I shot. At first I thought I missed over him, then I though I hit him square in the shoulder blade. I watched him run about 100 yards, and fall over and die! (Shot turned out to be exactly 35 yards.)
At this point I am in disbelief. I never claimed to be all that great of a hunter. This is a great area to hunt, lots of good bulls. But my goal was to kill an elk and I planned to shoot anything that looked good to me. He is a 260'ish bull and I could not be happier. Hunt was with Top Notch Outfitters out of Capitan NM. They did a great job, I would highly recommend them.
Hunt was officially supposed to start on Monday, but I made sure to arrive early enough on Sunday that we could hunt the evening if possible. Guide looked at my license and said let's go hunting tonight. We hiked into a canyon and sat and waited for a while. After about 40 minutes I heard the first bugle, pretty far out. We worked our way up the canyon and eventually located the bull. He would answer back and was raking the trees etc. but would not come out. Eventually he took his cows and left. Closest we got was about 120 yards. I could see him through my binos into the brush. He looked big, not sure how big, but big enough for me!
Day 2 Monday -
Returned to the same area in the morning. As soon as we got out of the truck we could hear the bulls talking. We worked the ridge tops hearing at least 3-4 different bulls. Got lots of responses, but only got into bow range of 1 bull and I could not even see what he was. (Guide told me he was a small 5x5.) In the afternoon we returned to the same area but approached from the opposite and a few miles away. Our intent was to hike in to the area where we were in the morning. Made it about 300 yards from the trail head and heard our first bugle. I looked down the trail and I could see an elk (cow). We moved into position and with my guide behind me making calls. In no time the bull stepped out and I could see he was a shooter. The bull worked his way up to 25 yards of me (bugling the whole way). I realized I was not in a good position and so I moved a little bit. Then the bull turned the other direction. I adjusted again (rookie mistake, should have stayed put). Well I think he possibly picked up my movement, plus the wind was doing funny things. Regardless of why, he turned around and headed in the opposite direction. We kept hunting and getting on more elk. At one point in the evening my guide had set up his decoy and called in/decoyed 4 different elk in to plain sight/bow range. You could hear elk everywhere, I drew back on a 5x5 at 50 yards but he moved back into the trees before I could shoot. We kept having encounters, some with the same elk and some new elk. At one point we could hear elk fighting back in the opposite direction we were working. In all honestly, I cannot believe how this hunt is going, why haven't I ever done this before? How lucky am I to be here! The night ended with no more shot opportunities but I am stoked.
Day 3 - Tuesday
We returned to the area where we started. This is a public land draw hunt, so I expected to run into other hunters. Well, on this morning we ran into more hunters than elk. It started with some guys following us into the trail head on an ATV and then practically sprinting down the trail we were planning to go on. We decided to go the other way. Still heard some bulls, and got close to one elk but they seemed to disappear. Then we run into a truck that drove in on a road you are not supposed to drive on. We quit early and made plans to hunt elsewhere in the afternoon. That afternoon we went to a different area where we had got into all the elk on Monday. We are hearing and seeing elk but not getting into bow range. We tried to get more aggressive, but that didn't pan out.
Day 4 - Wednesday
The morning was basically a repeat of day 3 in the afternoon. At one point had a bunch of cows run across the road about 75 yards ahead of where we were hiking. Not one bull in the bunch. We walked up to where they crossed, we were thinking there had to be a bull coming. Unfortunately we didn't think through our set up quickly enough. We heard a bugle close! Then I feel the wind at my back and nothing. The bull disappeared. Earlier in the morning we heard bulls bugling at water. On our way out we checked out the water and made a plan to site by the water in the afternoon and in the morning. We got in early and I set up a brush blind for about what looked like a 50 yard shot (from where I thought the elk would come out and hit the water.) I felt pretty confident out to 60 yards, but my farthest bow kill is 20 yards. Throughout the afternoon and evening I could hear the elk. My guide gave out a few calls to and the elk would answer. Toward the end of the evening I heard something walking in from behind me. (Opposite side of what I expected and behind me, why do they always do that?) As I turned my head the bull looked right at me and knew something was up. He stared at me as I had my release hooked to my bow and I was trying to figure out how I could draw and turn to shoot. The bull started to spook when my guide gave a few soft cow calls. (Guide was about 30 yards behind me.) This distracted him just enough for me to draw my bow and turn to aim. I had my range finder, but there was no time for that. I guessed the yardage to be between 30 and 40 yards so I put the gap between my 30-40 pins right behind his shoulder. He was looking right at me when I shot. At first I thought I missed over him, then I though I hit him square in the shoulder blade. I watched him run about 100 yards, and fall over and die! (Shot turned out to be exactly 35 yards.)
At this point I am in disbelief. I never claimed to be all that great of a hunter. This is a great area to hunt, lots of good bulls. But my goal was to kill an elk and I planned to shoot anything that looked good to me. He is a 260'ish bull and I could not be happier. Hunt was with Top Notch Outfitters out of Capitan NM. They did a great job, I would highly recommend them.
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