srfrost45

Here is the Story and pics So the story starts out a few months ago as I talked to TC about the grand opening of the new shop. I made mention to him that I had never seen an elk in person. After he was done being shocked he said he would have to have me come up around the shop and they (TC and Dustin) would see if they could show me some elk. I had been to the shop a few times to pick up a Coues mount for my dad and for a bow (best price in town by the way). So I picked up a tag and made the trip from the Valley to Holbrook. We got to the Taxidermy shop and we went out for an afternoon hunt. We saw a few tracks but nothing too fresh. The next day we met at the shop again to go out in the morning. We glassed and walked a bit but couldn’t find any fresh sign. We had some heavy wind and some rain so our chances were pretty slim as we figured the elk were bedding down. We headed in for lunch and pretty much had no luck in the afternoon either. Saturday we got to the shop and headed out. When we got to our spot, Dustin cut some fresh tracks as TC and the others went to cut sign the other direction. We were on what looked like a cow track based on the size. After tracking for a max of 15 minutes, Dustin motioned to me and there was a Bull Elk no more than 75 yards in front of us. He was quartering away and soon gave me a broadside shot. I put the cross hairs of my 300 WSM right on his front shoulder. I was sighted in for 200 yards so my first shot went high and was a clean miss. The elk didn’t spook and stayed there and after a quick adjustment I put the 180 grain Barnes Triple shock right on his shoulder. He took off out into the open plains and could not put any weight on the front right leg. He bedded down and we stayed back to not push him thinking he would expire. Shortly after he got up and headed of. We followed the blood trail and didn’t think it would take long for him to go down as we were seeing good dark red foamy blood that let us know we got at least one lung. As we came over a hill and down the other side to a shallow ravine I lost the blood trail. There was a canyon and we didn’t think there was any way the Elk could make it down the ravine with only three good legs. Dustin worked his tracking skills and picked up the blood trail again and sure enough he had made it down the ravine. The tracking was easy as there had been recent rain and the creek/river bed left great tracks. We could see that the Elk was dragging its leg that took the shot. As we continued walking I saw that look on Dustin’s face again and saw some antlers in the thickets and reeds. I grabbed Dustin’s gun as I had used my 3 rounds (rookie mistake to not bring more rounds with these tough animals) hitting him twice in the shoulder. I took aim and put one right behind the front shoulder. He reared back a little and stumbled. It was a good shot, he went down right there and after a short time he was down. When we finally got close to him I was ecstatic. He was still in full velvet and Dustin and TC estimate him at 2.5-3 years old. He has some really good and thick bases with a cheater on his right side. I was thrilled and extremely happy and thankful for Dustin and TC’s help. They are definitely the real deal. I can’t wait to see what this thing looks like on my wall. Thanks again Dustin and TC for a trip I will never forget

I have 5 male and 2 female purebred AKC/OFA Chocolate Lab puppies for sale. They are 8 weeks old and have their dew claws removed and their first shots. I own both parents and have them on site. My dogs love bird hunting and make great family pets. We put an add on AZ Central advertising $500/male & $600/female. We are getting some calls but I want to let you all know that if anyone for this forum wants I will get sell them for $400. I need to sell them because we are expecting a third child.

I agree whole heartedly. I got a cat with Donny and Jim april of last year. One of the best hunts I have been on.

Hey everyone. I just got a call from a freind of mine who is a guide. Today they treed 4 Bears. The first was a Sow with a cub. The next was a BIG boar of 300+ lbs and the final was a 300+ lbs Sow. For those of you who know about Bear hunting that is a good size for this time of year. He said they were workng a new area and they saw tracks all over the place. If anyone is interested shoot me a PM or look up Donny Randall & Sins Guide Service. This guy is amazing and his hounds are even better.

As stated in previous posts looks like a lion. Ear slits, black tips on ears, and slope of forehead.

I guess those animals cant smell or see. I surprised they got that close with the smoking and the lack of camouflage. I didnt know Tommy Hilfiger was the brand of choice for hunting. From what I saw those french should stick to making toast and fries. No wonder we had to rescue their butts twice. I have to admit that I am jealous that they got to do that hunt.

I like to use buttermilk it cuts the gamey taste a little better for me. What kind of milk do you use? 1%,2% or whole?

I use the jalepeno and cream cheese recipe as well. It is a crowd pleaser. For something different try using artichoke hearts instead of the jalepeno.

Glad to hear your kids were able to go. I cant wait for my boys to be old enough. We had a group of 8 and we all limited out in 45 mins. It was a good time. We tried a new spot and it was great but the birds were small compared to last year. My Choc lab had a blast and did great and caught some birds out of mid air after being winged. I sure do like to see him work. He kept bringing everyones birds back to me. I only had to get out of my chair a few times! Great day.

That night was the best nights sleep I had in a while. I was sore for 3 days. It was worth it!

I just went Lion hunting in April. I shot mine becasue we had a guy call us and let us know he just had a sighting. Thats all we needed and the dogs did the rest. If you have a trail cam and the lions are passing by there Iwould give a guide a call and I bet the dogs could find the scent pretty easily. Lions do travel alot. I have to walk 25 miles to get mine but its worth it, especially if you have some good bucks or doe population in the area tht you dont want to lose. If you need a number for some guys that have been lion hunting for 30+ years shoot me a PM.

This is great meat. I had minemade into Italian Sausage (we eat alot of pasta), Brats, Summer Sauage, and beef sticks. All of these are great. Just think about what you like to eat and have it processed so you xan use it in the same way. My wife had never tried any wild game and she was freaked out by the mountian Lion meat but after she tried it she loves it. My little kids love it as well. The best is the brats in my opinion. If you dont like and need to get rid of it I can take it off your hands.

Hey everyone. I have been reading the forums on this website for a while but I just started big game hunting. I am looking for any tips any of you might have for a beginner. I have done lots fo bird hunting and in April I got a Mountian Lion. I got a tag for 36B for the Nov25-Dec1 hunt. Any words of advice would be appreciated. I attached some pics of my Mountain Lion for your viewiong pleasure.

Well the couple from Prescott took a male cause they liked his darker color. Just to keep everyone up to date we have 3 males and 2 females left.

Hey everyone. We have a couple people stopping by today to look at our last two females. One couple is coming from Prescott. We only have 4 males and as of right now 2 females but the females might be gone by the end of the day. Dont miss an opportunity to get yourself or kids a great hunting companion!

Hey guys. I have been reading these forums for a while and I finally decided to join. Check out some of the pics of my first Tom I took with Donny Randall and Jim Bedlion in late April of this year. They have a great group of dogs. I went on this hunt with my dad and we had a blast. We got this Tom just east of Williams. I shot it with my Sig P250 40 cal. While tracking the Tom we spooked a Black Bear and I almost soiled my pants because the bear came charging out and ran right in front of us. It happened so fast that I didn't even have time to draw my pistol just in case. Hope you all enjoy the pics!

Just got on and saw your reply. I will give him a shout tomorrow. Thanks for the info.

Thanks for the invite Vegas! I have to check with my work boss and my home boss to see if i can get some time off. I will keep you posted.

I am starting to discover the realitty of your statement. I might hit you up for a loan before seasons over. lol. I definately dont want to step on anyones toes and dont expect them to give me all the info they have worked hard to acquire. Not to worried about the area. I used to work as a Border Patrol Agent so I know what to look for and am fluent in Spanish. Having said that I appreciate the heads up it can get crazy when you come across a group of southerners. I look forward to the challenge and appreciate your help.

This will be my first attempt at Coues. I plan on using a 300 Weatherby Mag with a 4.5x16x44. I love to glass and am looking at getting a set of 10x42 binos.

Hey guys and gals. Just wanted to give you an update that we sold another makle so we have 4 males and 2 females left. We are only asking $400 for these fully papered dogs. Give me a call so I can give you directions to my place.

They truley are Rock Stars. Not only do they know their stuff and give it their all they are the nicest guys. Do you know Donny personally? That day we walked about 20-25 miles and I was exhausted. Never slept so good in my life. I was riding the high from the kill for at least a month. I am getting a full body mount done by Chris Favour at Mount-N-View in Flagstaff. I cant wait to get it done. I will definately be back to hunt with those guys again.

Hey DB thanks for looking out for us new guys. I should have known it was my bro-in-law but I didnt know what name he went by in the forum. Thanks again.

Thanks for your thoughts. Good luck to you on oll of your upcoming hunts.

Thanks for the hints TJ. I have looked at some of the other topics and there is tons of info. It almost seems like a daunting task to even know where to start. I appreciate your response and look forward to getting the book you mentioned. Sounds like a great read. When I get some time i will pst the whole stopry on the Lion hunt.