KaibabHunter

Thanks guys for all the comments, help and support. Not once did this post go negative and I'm very appreciative of too. The guys who spared time to help look thanks to you to. Looks like I have a DIY euro mount to work on now. He was a hard fought trophy! Lesson's learned: When you think you've looked everywhere there's something you missed so look again. Don't be afraid to ask for help, you'd be suprised who wants to jump in your truck and go! There's a lot of good guys out there. I offered all guys $ to help and they all turned it down and came out anyway! Another good story came from my new buddy mike yesterday. His friend has been holding out for something big since opening day passing on bulls I think many of us would shoot. In appreciation for their help I gave them some info on the area I hunted and they were planning to hunt a couple sweet spots today. On my way out yesterday, mike texted me saying that his friend had a bull down - a spike. He said the spike had an arrow in him in a bad less lethal spot and he was hurtin so he took him out. Thanks again and thanks to OZ31P for posting the pics. I think I can finally put this post to bed. I hope more of you do play by play hunts for us at home. Best of luck to the rest of you! If anybody gets in a tough spot ask for help on cw.com - I had at least 5 offer or try to come up!

Nicely done. Congrats on a great bull!

.30 miles from the shot, .27 from last blood. Still can't believe we walked right by him so many times. If anybody can post pics send me a phone # and I'll text a pic of the rack.

Good Gawd! That's one heck of a bull- congrats! Need a story...

Holy smokes what a roller coaster hunt!!! I just found and tagged my bull! Unfortunately the meat is gone which kills me but he has been located and tagged. Based on the evidence I had all the way till last night I thought my bull had been found and tagged by another hunter. I forgot my gps at camp so I didn't get to mark him to see how far he was from last blood but from what I can guess I think he's around 300 yards from it. What a shame cause I hammered the exact area he died as did my dad and 5 other helpful guys who gave about an hour of their time to help off and on. He died in a depression almost completely surrounded by deadfall and thick brush. Amazing that after all that we probably walked past him 10-15 times and never once smelled or saw him. The animals have had at him a little but it appears my shot was lower than I thought missing the lungs but maybe clipped the heart and/or all those arteries in there - all in all a good shot I think. Wish it had gotten the lungs then this probably wouldn't have happened. Initially we were parking off the highway or walking in from camp to look. There's a road (the one the truck I thought likely tagged him came out of) south of the highway about a quarter mile that I parked on in the same spot 4 different times when I was looking by myself. I'll gps it but the bull appears to be just 150-200 yards from that spot. Unbelievable we never came across him. I was in that same area till dark last night - no smell! The guy I met up here, mike, had parked on that road this afternoon to check out a tank that I told him about that's not on the map and does not have road acces-good tank. On his way out he smelled him and found him and left me a voice mail. A huge thanks to mike! I tagged him and will be in first thing to get the rack and leave the other part of the tag with the carcass - don't plan on field photos due to his poor condition. He turned out to b a real nice 5x5 but has a little star to a 6th on his left. "tough hunt" -- what an understatement!

I wanted to say thanks to all who helped me out. CW.com members have helped through the entire process of this hunt: scouting, tactics, shooting, tracking and morale support. Nobody plans to lose an animal. I can't explain how or why everything happened but I put in a lot of effort to figure it out and come to a reasonable conclusion of what happened. Some may think he's still out there but I believe that some one else found and tagged my bull. I won't restate all the details but that's what I believe happened. I've talked with at least 2 other guys that had it happen to them too. I do know that some unlucky things out of my control did happen that if that wouldn't have my bull woulda died 30 yards from the highway ie him running towards the highway and bedding he coulda been spooked by traffic, the rest of the herd running down the fencline and him getting up to go with em, clogging his holes when he bedded killing the bloodtrail and so on. It was fun posting the play by play and very useful to me to help figure things out by asking u guys question while hunting from "should I switch spots?" to "what kind of hit do think it is?" I recommend that those of u with upcoming hunts and a phone that can do it, try it on ur hunt. I know I'd like to see how ur hunts progress day by day, successful or not, while I'm stuck at home/work! Thanks again and best of luck.

No rack or body parts in the area. Looks like the animals had at the gut pile and that's it. I really think that was my bulls bed. Looking at the sign he was bleeding from 2 holes and the blood was just like the blood he was spewin at the shot - real thick and dark. This wasn't bubbly/frothy blood that would be a good sign it was a differnt elk. The stomach contents were cold so I think it was gutted yesterday. The tracks Lead straight towards last blood. And here's a thought: yesterday morning a truck came out of the only road that goes that way while we were lookin. My dad saw em and tried to catch up to them at the gate, they saw him and didn't stick around to talk. Truck had a camper shell so couldn't tell if they had an elk in the back. I really wanted that bull but if they did tag him at least he didn't go to waste. That truck would also eliminate the need to track the herd that came through the same spot in the morning but I'm gonna anyway. Once that's done I think I've exhausted all possibilities and done all I can do. That was the only group of crows in the area and I straight saturated the area in the 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile area and dipped out to a mile inmatmleast 2 spots.

I found him! But not really...I circled way out this time at first light and stayed low so the thermals would bring his scent my way. I see a couple crows jump off the ground and head that way. Get close and hear what sounds like a bee hive. Look around and see a stomach lining withe contents spilling out. Look a little more and find his death bed. He looks like he just exploded with blood. The stomach is the only thing here. No organs, hide, bones or rack. There is one set of fresh tracks heading down into the canyon but u don't just walk away without ur stomach right? There is a very big and very fresh pile of bear poo near the stomach-would he drag that elk down the hill? Also no roads really close and it doesn't look like hunters found him and took him out-there's no sign of a work area and they woulda left something behind of the elk or theirs. .99 miles from last blood. I back tracked him a bit and it heads towards last blood. So I found where he most definitely died but where's my bull??? The rack or something should b Latin around here. May have to back and get my gun since a bear that took a dump bigger than my 10x42 binos is in here too.

Well I went out for another hour with the blood light and a propane lantern I picked up at clints well today. Didn't find any new blood. I did back track the herd from this morning which is much easier with a lantern. I'm hoping if it was him maybe I'd find blood back where he was or maybe my bull was with them dead whereever they were hanging. Lost it after about 500 yards but did get a good sense of their direction. I've checked that area but it's nearing the fringe of my outside border. One thing I forgot to mention is that after the shot a bunch of elk and a couple bulls were hanging in theta he went and I heard 2-3 weird sounds that sounded more like cattle moos but there's no cattle in the area. A bull I killed a long time ago coughed pikes and groaned while he died-I know cause I watched from 20 yards. Anyway the last guy to help, mike, said was probably his death groans and thinks he should be in that area but maybe deeper in as their voice can carry long distances. What do u think?

Excellent job! Glad he didn't go far for ya. It's a sinking feeling when u don't find em right away. Great bull!

I just got back to camp from gridding, circling and generally wander the area south of last blood purposefully walking through the nasty stuff tryin to find him buried in there somewhere. No luck. I was gonna plan to follow this mornings bulls tracks tomorrow hoping that if it is him and he's sick I'll find him dead hopefully. Met another great guy who offered to help and used to guide now just helps friends. He wanted to see the last blood. I showed him that and the big blood and he believes he's down somewhere. Just pure luck to find him though. He pointed out that the last big blood looked like he laid down and plugged up at least 1 hole. He pointed that all the blood after was on needles, bark and oak leaves which fell off his body after he plugged it - makes sense. He said he's never seen an animal loose that much blood and not be found. He also doesnt think this mornings bull is him- im still 50/50. He said he would come and walk the area on his own time to give it a go which is very cool. He also lent me his blood light to try that route. I'm gonna eat (only had Copenhagen and rockstar for nourishment today) then head back up to try the light out. That's 7 people now that have helped me work the area off and on today which is also cool. All have seen the blood and all believe 100% he's down it's just a matter of finding him.

Edited: if anybody that has offered or thinks they can swing by to help just pm me please for my location. I posted my location in the general forum without thinking (tired, wore out and beyond frustrated). Apolgies if that affected anyone - I know specifics are a no-no. Not tryin to scew anyone up just tryin like he'll to find my bull.

I did finally find that he crossed the highway and headed in the general area of the bull and cows I saw this morning. Let me ask u this: based on everything I've explained is there any chance that was my bull alive this morning about 9?

Thanks guys. The problem with the last Blood is that it stops at at the highway fenceline. 15 yards down the herd crosses the fence and Crosses The highway. It's tough to pick up the tracks On the other side. A couple tracks head down the fencline and a couple head up. There's somany fresh tracks around it's ridiculous. On the other side of the highway a herd of about 8 elk including a bull that I don't think was mine crossed in the exact same Spot so now I have bunch more fresh tracks to deal with. I don't think it was my bull cause he looked healthy and I think had a bigger rack. There's a tank within a mile I'm gonna Check that way too after I go back to the blood fir The 4th or 5 th time.

No luck and it's gettin hot fast! Not sure if he crossed 260 or not. There wouldn't happen to be any cw.com Members in the area that might B able to help out would there?

I waited 2 1/4 hours before startin the trail. Decent but not great blood then after about 60 yards I find the fletching end of my arrow covered in blood. Within 20 yards find a big puddle of blood but it's thick and dark not frothy like lung blood. The blood is obviously coming out the entry and exit wound. I find 3 more big puddles in the next 25 yards. At the last one it looks like the rest of the herd came down the fence quick and he followed. After all that blood I only found 2 small specks and then nothin??? My flashlight died about then so I backed out to the truck wich was actually about .18 miles away. Not far but not sure how my gps screwed that up. My dad came back from phx to help at about 10:30. He wanted to look at it so I took him over. With my good flahlifht dead we didn't really have good enough lighting to keep tryin. He circled out a bit while I looked for the next blood. I told him we need to wait for daylight before we screw it all up. We had already been in there too long IMO. Anybody tell me what kind of blood/wound I'm workin with? And how the heck can it just hemorage and spurt 4 time then just stop? I swear I center punched his lungs if not heart shot but it happened so quick maybe not. Of couse he ran to the highway fenceline-hope to god he didn't cross or gets tagged by somebody else in the morning. We think he's between the road to camp and last blood. When he joined up with the herd it made it much tougher. Hope to find him first thing...

Sep 15 evening: if u like the play by play I think your gonna like this one! (I'm posting from my iPhone when I can get service) So I dropped my dad of earlier today in Pine so he could head to phx for a couple days to visit family. I went back to the exact same spot we were at this morning washed up sprayed down and headed out about noon. Not even a 100 yards from the truck I hear a bugle. The winds all swirly so I just keep heading to a heavily used trail I found this morning. In this spot u can't walk 20 yards without cutting a fresh track! I make my way over setup my cow decoy and settle in for the afternoon. Every 1/2 hour or so I hear the same high pitched bull bugle. At about 5 the thermals start shifting in my favor so I break down and start on hi general direction thinking he will probably feed downhill since this morning they were all heading uphill to bed. I get near the top and find a a thick and nasty steep draw. There are at least 4 fresh heavily used trails comng in and out of it - the bedding area! I start thinking this where I'll be in the morning when I hear the same bull bugle and another one farther down. In start sprayin some cow in heat love juice cause the wind is wrong for the bull down low.I let out a bugle and no response. Still not sure how call shy these elk are in decide still hunt back to the truck. After awhile the high pitched bull bugles and he's under a 1/4 mile! Having not called in a single elk yet i decide to runnto him. I run a couple hundre yards and he bugles - still1/4 mile out. I tAke off again he bugles a quarter mile out. DAng he's obviously moving away from me. We do it again 1 more time somi really take off. His next bugle is above me 200 yards - finally caught up! I start sneekin in glassin ahead and see nothin. Finallyi catch movement but the bull sounds farther up. I hear cow calls and think please don't be another hunter. I keep goin and almost run into a spike feeding at 70 yards on my left. He turns and feeds away - I keep going. Then I spot a rack - a small 6 pt and I get ready. The spike gets a little nervous making the bull nervous and they move away from me. I catch movement on my right about 40 yards - a cow feeding. The bull has been buglin off and on this whole time! I figure he'll follow the cows so I inch up to a shooting lane just to her left. As I get there and not quit in place big body shows up just Left of the shooting lane - it's a bull and bigger than the other 6 pt. I range him at 43 yards! I inch left to get in the lane - he turns and looks my way-I freeze. He looks back at the cow and let's out a chuckle. I inch left-still not in position. He steps forward out of the lane - take my last step left. He does an about face back into the lane and stops broadside fAcing left. As he did this I drew. I settle in the 40 yard pin just a tad high just left of the crease and touch off! It all tookmabout 2 seconds but I'm positive I watched my arrow disappear 1/2 way up and in the crease! He bolts and I'm cow call. The shot was at 6:45 pm with about 20 minutes of light left. I mark where I stood and where hee was. I'm absolutely pumped! I shed my gear and scan form blood and my arrow- nothing....nothing then a speck! I mark it and try to stay calm. 10 minutes later I find my arrow broken 12'inches above the broadhead a d covered in blood! 2'feet away the blood get a lot better! I go back to my gear and start makin calls and texts. I decide to give him an hour. Then I hear elk down the wAy he went. I decide to give him 2 hours. I check my gps thinking my truck should be close as I thought I crossed the road I drove in on. To my surprise the gps says the truck is 174 ft away!!! I decide not to Ginger for fear of spooking him if he's still not down. I lost my last bull in 2006 and do not want that to happen again. I'm sitting here in the dark 174 ft from my truck waiting for the second hour to pass before starting the trail. Btw the bull is probably about a 300 +\- 6 pt. He was definitely runnin this herd and I'm beyond happy to have out smarted the biggest bull of the group! Look at the time - time to start that blood trail! Hopefully picturesmsoon to follow!

Good luck Stanley! It has been tough but I found some buglin bulls this morning all the way up to 9:30. Once we located we literally ran to them and got in the comfort zone. Little bit of locator bugles, minimal cow calls just to cover the noise we were makin and tree rakin seemed to work well. Headin back in now solo after droppin my dad off. There is still hope! I'll see what the rest of today turns up.

Sep 15 morning: well I guess 7 days of straight hard hunting (3 days deer/bear, 4 elk) caught up to me- slept thru the dang alarm! So instead of making it to our new spot Before 1st light we loaded op camp drove about 6 miles picked a random road and headed in. Immediately found tons of fresh tracks. After gettin a little ways from the truck I let out a locator bugle and had 2 bulls answer! The chase was on and we closed to the last 150 yards but the thermals were shifting and they moved out- no visual. Heard 3 bulls total and 1 had a small herd. We didn't get into the trees until 7 and heard our last bugle at 9:30. Now it's startin to feel like an elk hunt!

Sep 14 evening: well we stayed in the same area and sat the tank from noon till dark. 2 couse does came in and last light and I mean last light an elk showed up at 100 yards. There was only one spot at 27 yards that he would have to cross for me to have a shot-anything past 35 yards was too dark. Well he was movin to it but stopped and must have winded us cause he wheeled and took off. I really appreciate everyones comments about stickin to the tank. I'm pretty sure at some I could get an arrow in the air if I did. But I have to drop my dad off in Pine after the morning hunt. We're gonna shift to new country just to try and show him what an AZ archery bull tag can be like. Figured this area could use a day or 2's rest anyway. We're the only ones in here wich is nice but a buddy with the same tag was having similar results as me shifted and says their buglin mornings and evenings.

Sep 14 morning: well because the elk we know about shifted somewhat we decided t glass again from or normal and only good glass point in the area. Glassed up our 7 bulls again close to ther usual morning area. Our hill doesn't give a great view south or east so but I was determined to try and turn Something up. Located 2 cows a long ways off and that's it. Our bull that was buglin near camp sounded off 1 time finally at about 8:40 suns up and starting to blaze already. We move towards him and when we're close let out a locater bugle hoping form 1 more response with no luck. We're still hunting a bit thru the pinyonsmbut it feels a little pointless so I think we'll bAck out. We did find their tracks and it looks like a small heard - could b my herd bull for all we know. So here's my dilemma: I've found a few elk in an area but not a lot of cows to go around or come into heat to kick this rut off. I'll kick myself if I don't sit that tank at least 1 more time but I'm ready for a change in scenery and hopefully more elk to go after. I scouted a spot farther north but is the same type of terrain the 7-9th And located a few small herds with a couple decent bulls. I have to pull out on the 20th. Should I move and hope for better action? I know I can find elk in a couple other spots. I don't think it would b any worse but it could b better. Heading back to the truck now - look forward to ur thoughts.

Even though I'm tempted to sit the tank 1st thing I think we'll glass cause it sounds like some new elk may b coming into the area --- or better yet chase bugles hopefully!

Evening Sep 13th: well it got a little better tonight! Even though there hasn't been much if any sign on the tanks Chompy inspired me to give it a try. we decided to sit a tank in the middle of a 3 spot triangle where we've been glassin bulls with the hope they'd come in or at least b nearby to make a move on. Around 6 my dad was gettin ansy and wanted to still hunt - he's not used to sittin without movin for hours. I told him well move out at 6:30. At 6:15 I said screw it let's go. As I'm putting on my pack I freeze cause there's a wicked double beamed non typical standing at the gate 66 yards awAy- we were busted. So we set back up and here a couple bugles not far away. The 7 bulls we glassed this morning showed up. 3 spikes and a rag cross the fence and water - I pass. I think my dad is tellin me there's a big bull at water that came in from the other side. I sneak up the berm and it's just the little guys. 150 yards out with light fading fast and exposed on the berm I see the 2 bigger bulls of the group comin in. I have them At 52 yards but pass on the shot cause I wouldn't see where my arrow hit. I back off the berm and we wait 30 minutes to let them clear out. On the way back near camp a new bull is buglin and still is now. Maybe we can actually start chasin bugles in the morning! U can bet we'll b sittin that tank again too. My big bull still needs to take his cows to water.

Well I'll try to give a play by play of my hunt from here out: still no bugles but I did glass up 7 bulls feeding towards bed about 1.5 miles. Spikes, rags, sm 5 pt and sm 6 pt. 10 minutes later glassed up my big bull with his 3 cows and put them to bed. Guess him in the 330-340 class - biggest bull on this spot. 30 minutes later something spooks em and the start our way kinda from almost2 miles out. Lose em and pick em up again 3/4 mile out. Looks like their gonna push across the backside of the next ridge over. So I take off runnin to cut em off leaving my dad on the hill to watch em and give hand signals. Get in the general area in about 15-20 minutes. Wind is wrong but could work depending on where they're at. Still hunt through the pontine and set up a couple times given out some lost cow calls hoping I can entice em in. No luck. Couldn't glass my pops up on the hill and he lost memos the hand signals didn't work. Made my way back nice and slow. Pops said they calmed down and he thinks they bedded within a couple hundred yards of where I saw them when I took off but we can't glass em up. From the looks of it I was probably 2-300 yards from em and they didn't spook. There's a tank they hit after dark 2 days ago and after pushin his cows at a trot 1.5 milsnwe figure they may get thirsty today. We'll b near they tAnk hoping for him or the other bulls to come by. Slowly but surely starting to put a game plan together.

Sorry 6A South. I sure hope it gets better.