Late Archery Bull ELK (4%)

[HD55]

Late Archery Bull Elk: A Bull Named GASH

 

Friday 11/11/11 was a unique date and the beginning to a very special hunt. In the spring I found myself standing outside of my undergraduate biochemistry class, placing call after call to AZ Game and Fish Draw HOTLINE, after a receiving several texts saying results were out. After who knows how many calls, I found out that I had been drawn for 1 of 25 bull elk tags in the Nov Archery hunt. I was happier than I ever thought I could be. (LITTLE DID I KNOW!!!) Half a year later I found myself trying so hard to focus on studying for the final in my graduate level biochemistry class, because of the opportunity that awaited me on the other side of that test. After I bubbled in the answer to last question on my scantron, I ran down, turned in my test and ran out the door to my car. I packed all the camping gear in my truck and headed up the hill to try and meet my cousin to hunt the evening of opening day. As I got going on the I-17 I was meet with a discouraging roadway sign that read “accident up ahead,” while hopeful that everyone was ok, it was looking even more hopeless that hunting this evening was going to happen. After I passed what appeared to have been a lettuce truck crash with lettuce heads and lettuce boxes strewn about everywhere I received a call from my cousin saying he was glassing a canyon, with a good tank. Approximately 40 minutes, I receive another call from him telling me that he was watching two herds of Elk with several spikes, a two pointer, a two by spike and a three pointer water at that tank. I was excited that he had found elk, and even more importantly bulls, but bummed because I knew there was no way I would make it in time.

 

I arrived in camp that night, after dark. My cousin had to go home and couldn’t hunt the morning with us, but would be back in the afternoon. So my girlfriend and I set up camp with our tent in the only spot not covered in snow, while temperatures continued to plummet and wind speed continued to pick up. In the morning my girlfriend and I climbed a snow-covered mountain, shivering, we anxiously awaited the sun. With the light, we glassed the canyon and hillsides of which were also covered in snow…no elk. Shortly after we decided that we were too high and needed to go to a lower elevation. (I think our decision was partially influenced by the fact that we hadn’t seen any elk and partially because we wanted to get out of the snow). We went to lower elevation and soon found out we were correct, being confirmed by very fresh elk tracks and sign everywhere. We parked the quads and decided to follow the tracks through the dense Pinions and Junipers. As we were getting our gear ready, my girlfriend tapped me on the shoulder and I raised my head, only to meet the eyes of a cow elk walking out from behind a juniper less then 15 yds away. She was just as startled as me and took off, as did the Rag horn behind the tree to the left of her. I made a circle trying to cut them off but figured they were long gone. We then followed the heavy tracks we had originally seen for a few miles before we decided that we would be better off getting up on a hillside to glass this thick area and try and see where they were headed. Once on the hill we found out just how thick this area was, as we didn't see anything.

We headed back to camp, where we meet my cousin, we made some lunch and headed out to set up our blind on the tank he had seen the bulls the night before. We set up, brushed in and sprayed down our blind and then left. We came back around 2 pm and sat the tank in the blind until there was no more shooting light the only thing that came in, to water, was a crow. We headed back to camp and made dinner and went to bed.

After another freezing night we woke up in the morning to the sound of my cousin, who decided to sleep outside next to the fire, trying to get into the tent because it was raining. Tired, cold and not looking forward to being out in the rain, we broke a cardinal rule of hunting, and slept in through the early morning hunt. When we decided to go out around 10 am it was still raining and rather cold but we packed some lunch and decided to go glass that canyon my cousin had seen elk in on Friday.

 

When we got there we glassed for about 40 minutes before my girlfriend spotted a fox that curled up under a tree in the sun 85 yards away, down in the canyon. So I drew back, let one fling and I missed him by a few inches! He ran away and about 15 minutes later another larger fox came the same way, as the first but did not stop long enough for me to get a shot. I informed my cousin shortly after that the fox was the first animal I have ever shot my bow at. After this we directed our attention back to elk.

 

On a distant hilltop we saw a big metal tank and decided we would check it out and glass the next canyon over. We got to the tank and started glassing the thick canyon and within 5 minutes my eagle-eyed cousin says, “there’s an elk” to which I responded, “is it a bull or a cow?” He tells me he doesn’t know yet because all he can see are its legs. As he begins to orient me as to where this elk is, he suddenly informs me with excitement like I have never heard “dude it’s a big bull!” I responded “seriously?” not because I didn’t believe him, but because I was in disbelief that this could really possibly be my time. I was now looking through my binos exactly where he told me the bull was. I don’t see anything until a couple of large, what I thought were tree branches, move and I realize just how big this guy is.

 

He is a mile away bedded down on the opposite canyon wall, about 20 yards from the top of the ridge and half way in. We set my girlfriend up with the tripod and binos and tell her to keep an eye on him and to not lose him (no pressure haha). Then we take off to the other side of the canyon, to go find the bedded beast.

 

We hike quietly along the top of the plateau of the about 60 yards from the ridge, all the way out to the tip, in order to get good wind. We then start slowly working our way back to him along the ridge, moving about 20 yards at a time, and then peaking over the edge, every so often checking in with my girlfriend to find out the status of our bull. Each time she informs us that he is still laying there. At one point my cousin turns around and tells me that it was the perfect scenario. It was at that point in which I realized I was about to get my first shot at a bull elk. The next time my cousin peaks over the edge he is looking about 20 yards up the canyon until he realizes that the bull is directly below us about 19 yrds from the top of the ridge facing with his rear to us.

 

He retreats back and we whisper/mouth the plan less than 25 yards from the bedded beast. He tells me the next time he puts his head down to close the 5 yard gap between us and the ridge, and when I get there, to shot him between the shoulder blades to the left or right of the spin, due to the direction the bull was facing and the steep downward angle of the shot. I pray to God asking him to steady my hand, and guide my arrow home with good shot placement to make a quick clean kill. The bull turns his head and I being to make my move.

 

I take two silent steps crouched down and he looks back. I freeze and try not to make eye contact with the beast. After several minutes the bull turns his head back forward and I take another step. He looks to the other side but not completely backwards and I crouch down even further as I can no longer hold this standing crouch position and wait for him to look away. Again after what seemed like and eternity he looks away and I take the last step forward and then one to the left, behind a small bush, to use for cover as I draw back. While I begin drawing all 75 lbs the beast looks all the way back as I reach full draw, and I am forced to stand behind the bush at full draw for several minutes. Finally, the bull looks half forward, leaving just one eye on the bush I am behind. My cousin who is still 5 yards back can only see his antlers and is under the impression that the bull is standing and ready to run, so he is whispering at a barely audible level “shoot! shoot him! shoot!” 1000 things are running though my mind, anchor point, take your time, don’t watch your arrow, is this really about to happen, wow he is beautiful, but despite the pressure from behind to shoot and the noisy mind, I still felt calm and decided it was now or never.

 

I stuck my right foot, which was behind me, out like a feeler, searching for the rock I know is in front of me, so that I can lean out from behind the bush. Still at full draw I find the rock and begin to lean out, I keep leaning and leaning and leaning just a little bit further to make sure that I completely clear all the little branches. At this point, I am in one of the most interesting shooting stances my cousin says he has ever seen. I place my 20/30 pin high on his 4th rib imagining the arrow coming out on the opposite shoulder. I don’t even remember pulling the trigger of my release, but the next thing I know, through my peep sight, I watch the the bull leap out of his bed with the momentum of my arrow and rage broadhead. My cousin immediately runs up, in time to see the elk’s only and final bound before he falls into a tree less then 5 yards from where he was bedded. We started going crazy and radioing to my girlfriend, “did you see that!! Did you see that!!” A rush of emotion, excitement and joy overwhelm me, as I cannot believe what just happened. I just killed my first bull elk at 19 yards. We went down and claimed this beautiful 6x6. We also discovered it appeared as though he had been in a fight earlier in the season judging by the gash on his neck (that’s how he got his name). I lay my hands on his rack, with the unreal feeling that he was mine. My girlfriend drives over, finds us, and runs up to me with tremendous excitement.

I know that my success is only by the Grace of God, but I also want to give special thanks to my Cousin Ted Babbitt IV, who introduced me to hunting and has guided me in all of my hunts since. I also want to thank my girlfriend Elizabeth Lindahl for keeping an eye on my bull and walking us into him so precisely and also my dad for lending me all his camping gear.

[Mathews]

Right on man! Ive got a late tag aswell, but have yet to get a shot < 80 yards. Hopefully I'll have a success story to share after this weekend

[Pine Donkey]

Great bull. Thanks for doing such a detailed post.

[outlaw357derf]

Congratulations!Awesome job! Can totally relate to how you felt with class and going on a hunt at the same time, I am experiencing the same thing in Eng Comp 121 and I have the late rifle bull in 27 that starts next week. Great Story and Great Pics 4%er

[standman]

Awesome bull! Congrats! Definitely a tough hunt.

 

Brian

[Couzer]

Nice job!

[Bisbee]

Nice story telling. I read it to my family, we felt like we were there.

You are getting us rifle elk hunters all pumped for our hunt next week!

So. How did you do on your test?

[AZwest16]

Solid Job! Nothing like flinging your first arrow. Something you will never forget.

[200"mulie]

long read but well worth it. Nice bull

[mcelkhunter]

Nice Elk. Congratulations.

[SunDevil]

great bull. that is a tremendous accomplishment. congrats!

[bowhuntaz1]

Congrats on a stud of an elk.

[BABBITT_BOYZ]

Like I told you before Ben Im proud to be apart of this story! Awesome stalk, awesome shot, AWESOME bull... Its always great when a well executed plan ends in victory! Maybe one day I will get one that big lol

[HD55]

I didnt do too bad on it!! I am glad you enjoyed my story I sure enjoyed living it.

 

Nice story telling. I read it to my family, we felt like we were there.

You are getting us rifle elk hunters all pumped for our hunt next week!

So. How did you do on your test?

[HD55]

I am glad you were a part to Ted. Anyone would be so lucky to have you as their guide. Couldn't have done it without you!

 

P.S. In my opinion leading countless hunters to trophies pretty much count as your trophies also.

 

Like I told you before Ben Im proud to be apart of this story! Awesome stalk, awesome shot, AWESOME bull... Its always great when a well executed plan ends in victory! Maybe one day I will get one that big lol