My NM Ek Season

[DubTee]

I was asked to help out a landowner in NM, actually the guy lives in Mesa and owns some beautiful property in the Zuni Mountains. He had some guys hunting, asked me to help them and also help him during muzzleloader season, part of our agreement is I got a bow tag from him, so I got to hunt elk this year after all. The first guy came in for early archery season, elk were really concentrated on the ranch in the days leading up to the hunt (plenty of water), but a huge rain storm came in the day before and it seemed to scatter the elk out, there was standing water everywhere now. The first few days were slow, chased a few distant bugles, finally when we parked the truck on the third morning we could hear several bulls sounding off in a ditch. After following a chuckler for a 1/2 mile or so, we did a set up and I started cow calling, the chuckler seemed to ignore us and continue off, but another good sounding bull lit up above us. After a brief standoff, I started moving away from the bull trying to sound like a small group of cows and calves, the bull couldn't take it, he came in perfectly, 27 yard shot, the hunter hit him a bit back and after backing out all day, we came in later that day and found him. A perfect 6x6, I taped him right at 340.

 

 

It was now second archery season, I had a buddy who bought a tag coming in, I was to be hunting along side of him. My plan was to call for him in the mornings, maybe we'd split up in the evenings. He did tell me if I'm calling and I happen to be able to shoot a bull, to go ahead, he didn't have to tell me twice. The first morning we went out and after a brief walk, the bulls were lighting up again below us. The wind wasn't cooperating much, so my plan was to follow the elk, once they came out of the ditch and we got the wind right, I would start my calling. Well, the plan came together, the elk were getting up the hill, I started my calling. A small 5x5 satellite immediately came running in silent, darn near ran over my buddy who was about 80 yards in front of me. The bigger sounding bull was still going off, and we could tell he was coming. The bigger bull came in pushing a cow along with another smaller bull. The elk went by my buddy out of range, came by me at 20 yards and I couldn't get the bull to stop because he was in mid-bugle when he entered my lane. They went past me into some thick stuff, ended up turning around and coming right back at me. The cow got to about 5 yards before she knew something was up, the bull was behind her, bugling, glunking, and carrying on. I knew he was going to be close when he entered my one and only shooting lane, I drew and told myself even if he is moving a bit, tuck it forward and take the shot. He entered at about 15 yards, he was moving so I put it on his shoulder and let it go, my arrow went right through him, but I wasn't sure where the hit was. The bull stopped about 30 yards away, I don't think he was quite sure what happened either, after standing there for a minute or two, he ran up the hill, but I could tell he was hurting pretty bad. I followed him up the hill, watched him lay down and expire, my shot ended up hitting him perfect. A solid 6x6, scores right at 300. My buddy ended up missing a 300 bull on the second to last morning, passed many smaller bulls.

 

 

After a brief break for 10 days, I was back in NM for the landowner's muzzleloader hunt. We got into elk right away on his hunt, we saw 10 different little bulls before legal shooting light. It was quiet until about 15 minutes after first shooting light, then the hillside lit up. There must have been 7 different bulls going, I just tried to pick the biggest sounding one that the wind would allow us to go after. We stayed silent, just trying to get looks at the bulls. We heard only one growly bugle, and when the wind stabilized we got above him and started our stalk. The bulls were still bugling very good, I found the herd, and when we got to about 100 yards of them, all I could see were satellites walking around the herd, and they were causing all the racket. After watching them for a minute or two, I spotted the herd bull in the thick stuff, I set the landowner up in the only shooting lane we had and told him to watch the lane, I would tell him when the big bull is coming. We set up, the bull was just moving around checking cows, but he was headed to our lane. When he entered it, I cow called, and the bull stopped hard quartering away and looked at us, the landowner let him have it, I saw the bull pile up in the aspen grove. The bull ended up being a 7x7, with his G6's broke on each side. Bull taped out at 330, weak fronts, but incredible top ends, probably missing 10 inches or so.

 

 

Well with the landowner tagged out in three hours, I headed back to AZ until the final rifle hunter showed up on the 9th of Oct. A lot changed in those 6 days. The bulls completely shut up, many had left the herds as well. The first morning we got into elk, but nothing big. A herd came down to a meadow the first evening, there was a decent bull in the group, but the hunter just couldn't see through his scope, I could see the bull easily through my swaro's, I believe his cheaper scope cost him a good bull. The next couple of days were very slow, a lot of still hunting, very little elk activity. On the fourth morning we came across a decent bull, I told him he was a 6x probably mid 200's, he told me there was no doubt he was shooting. When the bull fed out behind a pine, I cow called, and he folded him up with the 300 win mag. Bull ended up being a 6x5 (never grew his G2 on one side), a satellite for this area, but under the tough conditions a fine bull, and most importantly the hunter's biggest and he was very happy, and that's all that matters.

 

 

All in all, a good year, lots of elk hunting, some good success, a little time off and then it's off to the midwest for rutting easterns with a bow, can't wait!

[jakehaffey]

Good bulls! Congrats!

[cramerhunts]

Sounds like a couple of great seasons. Thanks for taking the time to write up the stories and post the pictures for us. Some pretty good bulls hit the dirt, I really like the mass on the ml bull.

[RAM]

Great story and great photos. I was wandering how you would do this year, wow some great bulls for sure.

 

Congrats again, it sounds like it was a great time.

 

-Ryan

[bonecollector]

Congrats on all the success making them bulls hit the dirt!

[Coues Archer]

Nice elks. Those are some nice suckers. Great job on some great elks.