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Topic Archives => Memorable Hunts => Topic started by: beachbowhunter on September 25, 2008, 07:42:00 PM
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Well I just got back from my second attempt at hunting elk. Last year I had the distinct honor and pleasure of hunting with Whip and two of his Wisconsin buddies and it was a blast. This year I went to a different unit in New Mexico with my local hunting buddies where they've have hunted in the past. While last year we did a self-guided hunt, this year I had a guide who knew the area inside and out. In fact, he wasn't a guide but the long time hunting partner of the outfitter in for a "guest appearance". Man, was I lucky to have Randy show me around.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0143.jpg)
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Out of respect for the outfitter and staff who have poured their hearts and souls into scouting and hunting this area for 30 years, I won't provide much detailed information on the location, etc. These guys have EARNED the success they enjoy in units 6A and 6C of New Mexico.
A local landmark.... (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0137.jpg)
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Absolutely stunning. Sounds like the trip was a success, second attempt or not.
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For the last six months I've been struggling with a degenerative hip problem that I've known would someday slow me down. There was no way I was going to give up hunting wapiti so I did the best I could on conditioning all summer and just went for it. I think some of my pals gave the outfitter a heads up because he assigned Randy as my guide and gave the younger, billy-goat guides to the others.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0139.jpg)
The first couple of days we hunted the lower section near camp at about 8,500 feet. There was a large bowl area lined with overgrown logging roads that allowed us relatively easy passage. The first morning we took a mid-altitude road into the bowl and promptly heard multiple bugles coming from the bottom - down wind.
Hearing one on the western ridge at about the same elevation as us, we moved after him. After a few minutes all was silent. We followed a game trail up slope hoping to cut him off. We quickly found very fresh sign and the beautiful scent of a rut-crazed bull. We set up and did some light calling. Twenty yards up the slope above us we heard some crashing and rustling. What we saw were the round heads of some cattle. We then heard some elk cow calls that had a distinctive "Hoochie Momma" sound - too perfect. Must be a hunter... Where was the bull?
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:campfire: :archer:
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After seeing the cattle above us and nothing else, we headed up a game trail that headed off to the western ridge. We'd gotten up about 50 feet when we heard an unbelieveable crashing behind us. I was the middle of three with my friend Dave trailing. I spun around to see a beautiful bull, a 5x5 at least (hard to tell under the conditions) barreling after us trying to take the same trail! He came to within 10 or 15 FEET of Dave before seeing/smelling him and falling off to the right and down the slope we'd come up breaking brush and trees all the way down. WHAT A RUSH! Especially for Dave seeing that this was his first morning ever elk hunting!
The bull WAS up there and either caught our scent or busted a hunter making the cow calls. Can't tell.
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Up the valley we found a nice and apparently active wallow. We set up a tree stand and I spent the firt two evenings sitting it. No elk came to visit but I heard loads of bugeling lower in the valley down wind of me. Not a good location for an evening hunt given the wind conditions...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0140.jpg)
I wanted to go up higher..
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Hey dude! Been waiting for this tale to unfold. Sounds great so far. Keep it coming.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Looking forward to this as well even though I know how it ends.
Chris
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Keep it coming Beach...........
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Looks and sounds good!
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Go Beachie! I believe, I believe!!! :campfire:
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Thanks guys. Chris, I didn't do anywhere NEAR the photojournalistic job you guys did up in Idaho. Your pics are superb. I found it a little difficult to take a decent picture while breathing like a freight train :D
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been there done that got the T shirt, brother! The air's pretty thin for us flatlanders at 9600 feet, and a 40 degree slope!
The last time I was out there a guy in camp with me climbed up to "the top" on a bull he had bedded that morning. On his way uphill, the bull was headed down- right on top of them! He literally was in the trail the bull was using. As he was bugling his rear end off coming downhill like a freight train to the water that was 1000 feet below, my campmate loaded an arrow, drew, released, and two things happened: the arrow went UNDER the belly of the bull and stuck right next to his "business" in the dirt, and the shooter fell backwards and he and his bow rolled downhill about 75 feet, rear end over tea-kettle!!!
It was about a 370 bull. He still sends me emails about his nightmares, 6 years later.
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I was talking with my guide as we were walking and he lives in Farmington which is about a mile high. He says, "what's the elevation at your house?" I say it varies beteen 8 and 16. He asks "800 ot 1600?" Nope, 8 to 16 ft above sea level... "It's gonna be a long week for you..." :biglaugh:
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Impatiently waiting for the rest of the story!!! :campfire:
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Ok then...
We devised a plan to hunt our way to the top of the Santa Fe Wilderness up from our camp. We would drive to a trail head well before light and hike 2.5 miles up a rough trail to approach an area my guide knew contained "parks" or open meadows. These were not the very large parks shown on the topos, but smaller parks located between some very steep drainages.
The first morning we make it up to the lower park at just after light. We walked across the small park to a strip of aspens and pines only to have two elk cows run right in front of us. Something spooked them as we had the wind and they wouldn't have run to us if they'd seen us. We quickly hid and waited to see if a bull was after them. Nope.
We heard bugles from at least 3 bulls going off in the larger upper park within a few hundred yards in each direction. Wow, this was encouraging. From the sounds, it appeared that they were working thier way up the steep upper section to the top of the ridge. We chose to follow after the closest, most vocal bull.
Plenty of scrapes on the way up...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0146.jpg)
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We followed the bull up the steep slope towards the top. We kept within in what sounded to be about 100 yards of his bugles. We made several set ups but nothing would draw him to us. We were finding that the bulls were keeping track of each other but were not interested in fighting and cow calls just ran them off (???).
We did this for several days with the same results. We had bulls absolutely screaming their heads off within 70 yards that wouldn't even come in when we got between them and their cows. They just weren't ready, probably due to the continued warm weather. They shut down for the day at about 10 am.
We found elk nirvana at the top of the ridge at about 10,000 feet. Dark timber, moss covered ground, tall grass and awesome wallows.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0150.jpg)
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0152.jpg)
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The second to last day, we headed down to the parks at the end of the day to see if the bulls would come down to where they started. Waiting untill dark sitting on a log here...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0156.jpg)
...all was silent.
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I love when it gets silent, the calm before the storm... beautiful place too.
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Beautiful place and nice looking bow.
When are we going to see it sitting on an elk?
Chris
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Good looking country that mate, keep at it please!
AK.
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Last Day. We decided to head back up to the parks where we'd consistently found bulls the prior few days, and give it one more shot. By now both of us had our mountain legs and lungs working and we got up there a little earlier. The only problem was that we didn't hear a single bugle. After waiting a few minutes we made the decision to press on up to the top. But before we made it accross the lower meadow, Randy says "let's just check the big park before we head up". So we angle back through the lower park and quietly go through the aspen island to check it out. Almost immediately we spot a single, silent bull in the park about 300 yards distant, slowly feeding.
We sneak about 100 yards closer inside the tree line, moving whenever he puts his head down. I make it to a small pine tree (just to the left of the last photo above.) Randy gets pinned down in the open as the bull picks up his head. He freezes and waits until the feeds again and slides in behind me.
Sometimes you need luck for it to come together and I definitiely fall into this category. Magically, the bull continues to feed toward us and with a wide open park to choose from, he comes right to us. We suspect that he was interested in the movement he might have picked up as Randy crossed the open area.
He walks into the small open cove of park land you see in the last picture above from right to left. I stand as still as possible with my bow perpendicular to the ground and hiding my face, pressure on the string.
He walks past the pine tree, and stops 15 yards away and looks directly at us for several LONG seconds. We had a good wind coming downhill and it was still early and for some reason he didn't bust us. As he turned away giving me his broadside, I drew and watched as an orange lazer darted from my fingers and buried into his heart.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0174.jpg)
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0159.jpg)
entrance
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The bull sprang forward, cut through the aspen island on the far side, ran up hill and fell ten seconds later in sight about 80 yards from our position. Ecstatic is the closest word to describe how I felt at that moment. No wounded animal, no tense blood trail and (you reading this Joe?), no insane slope to contend with during butchering!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0162.jpg)
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMGP4712.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMGP4713.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/IMG_0167.jpg)
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Equipment:
60" Zipper Extreme, 58@27, Carbon Express Rebel Hunters, 100 grain brass insert and 150 grain Stinger 4 blade (620 grains total). The Stinger worked great, only the bleeder was damaged and it fully penetrated.
The bull was a nice broken off 5 x 1. Now he's being made into steaks, burger, italian sausage and, a New Mexico favorite, carne adovada!
Thanks for reading my story. I still can't believe that is all worked out as it did.
Norb
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Thanks for the adventure Norb. Great shot on a nice bull. Congrats. :thumbsup:
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Way to go Norb :thumbsup:
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Great story and even better ending. I thought you were going to head home empty handed. Congratulations Norb!
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Norb... Now that's a hunt!!! Way to go buddy!
Looks like that outfit was more than adequate.
You're a first rate photog and story teller too.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :campfire: :clapper:
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Thanks, that's high praise coming from you Charlie! Believe me, I thought I was coming home empty handed too...
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Very good pictures and story, way to go!
Thanks for sharing
Mike
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Way to go, Norb and hunting hard till the last minute pays off again, in spades!!!!!
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Congrats :thumbsup:
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Alright Norb...Perfect shot :thumbsup: You really worked for that one. I was starting to sweat on your last day approach...Doc
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Great hunt and story, it makes it so exciting when it all falls in place. Congrad's :thumbsup:
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Awesome pictures Norb.
I bet you couldn't wipe that smile off your face for days. Those are a cool set of antlers as well.
Great job and great shot placement. Couldn't put it in there any better.
Chris
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Norb,
You said he was a 5x1. Just a damaged antler bud or did he look like his head had been injured.
The other side looked a little atypical as well. Really dark looking antlers.
Chris
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Nor-BERT! Been wainting 3 days to sell those pictures. GREAT JOB!
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Congrats on a fine bull!! :thumbsup:
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:clapper: :clapper:
David
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:thumbsup: :clapper:
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Congratulations Norb! I am still waiting to here from Leo and see how his hunt went. Joseph
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What a beautiful bull, in a beautiful part of the world! That quiver is nice, too!
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Congrats on a great Bull,thanks for sharing your story and pictures.Terry
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Way to go Norb...nice shootin bud. Congrats to you!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Very nice, thank you for sharing
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Thanks guys.
Chris, he is a typical 5 x 5. The main beam was broken after the first brow tine. It was all healed up so it must have happened early in the year. All of the bulls there had dark antlers due to the pine sap. I'll put up a pic of the rack. I will have some more pics from Randy later that should be interesting.
Joseph, I emailed pics to Leo a few days ago and haven't heard back...looks like he's elk hunting. Did you see that toad of an antelope he shot??? Phenominal.
Ben, the quiver is something that Zipper has been doing for a long time. They take a cut off of the riser block and shape it into a quiver to match perfectly. Super light as well....
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Right on Beachy, :bigsmyl: In January @ the Tejon ranch
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congrats on a great bull! great story thanks for sharing! :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
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There's going to be some carne adovada with your name on it!!! Guaranteed to put a spring in your step :scared:
Do YOU have some news for us on the hunting front????????
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Good hunt,good shootin,good pics,ya done it all up right!! Congrats!! :clapper: :clapper:
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excellent Job!! Man that would be dream come true. Broken antler and all. Way to go!!
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Congrats. Thanks for sharing.
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Way to go Norb!
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Wow, That coffee lasted a while... LOL Congrats Norb!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Hunt.
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You must still be pumped up from this hunt. Congrats.
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Congratulations Norb! Outstanding hunt and an excellent tale of perseverance, a bit of luck, and sealing the deal on a one-shot opportunity. A big tip of my hat to you and your guide.
- Dave
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Hi Dave, nice to hear from you. I owe it all to you....for getting me started with Zipper bows! :D
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Norb -
Great tale and pictures, sure enjoyed them both and we're sure proud of you and your success!!
Sure sorry to hear about your ailment. You have to be one of us "old guys" before you're allowed to start letting the aches and pains hold you back from doing what you enjoy . . . and you sure ain't there yet.
Gary
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Great job! Enjoyed this story and pics!
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Hey Pops great to hear from you! Did CK go elk hunting in CO? Thought I saw him mention it somewhere. Best regards to you and the family.
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Great story! Gotta ask carne adovada??
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Carne adovada = coarsly chopped meat (usually pork) marinated and cooked in a frightening amount of New Mexico red chiles :eek:
Mine will be shipped tomorrow!
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Congratulations Norb! Excellent pictures and a great story. :clapper:
Hope some of you’re mojo stayed whit the Horn combo hunter. :pray:
Aun Egil
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Just got some better pics. Chris this should show the rack better....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/beachbowhunter/NM%20Elk%202008/018_18.jpg)
Aun, I'm looking forward to your thread from Africa with game taken with the Combohunter!
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Great story Norb! Congrats!
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Congrats Norb!!!...thanks for sharing!
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Nice job. I hunted unit 6 when it was an easy draw and wasn't divided (A,B,C etc.) I listed it as a 2nd choice this year but still didn't get drawn. Carne adovada is excelllent especially when made the old way.
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Norb,
Great story !!! CONGRADS that is super.Nice pics too !!
Tom
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Nice hunt & great story - congratulations!
I love elk hunting with trad bows...
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Great job! Got to your email before reading the story, so I spoiled the ending for myself, but nice job! :thumbsup: Nothing better than last day success.
Looks like great looking country too. :cool: