family member with a 6A November muzzleloader tag

[S Davis]

I have a family member that has asked for my help with a 6A muzzleloader elk tag for the mid-November season and I have to admit, I'm a little bit concerned. I've explored an appreciable amount of 6A over the years and I have helped a few youngsters during the October youth hunt. I've also had a couple of other occasions to help friends with Early 6A archery tags.My dilemma though is I have never been in 6A during November, and for that matter, it has been a couple of years since I've been in 6A at all.

 

In the past I have spent an extensive amount of time West of Newman Park and Willard Springs exits all the way over into the East side of Oak Creek Canyon. I've also spent a lot of time along both sides of the 239 between I17 and Lake Mary's road. I half a dozen years ago or so in support of a friend's archery tag, I spent quite a bit of time in the rattlesnake quiet area. That, ladies and gentlemen, would be my total level of experience in unit 6A.

 

I've been trying to do some research and my concern is that all of my geographical knowledge of unit 6A may be North of where the elk are likely to be found in November?

 

The tag holder I'm helping has limited hunting experience, but is very athletic and not likely to be interested in driving around the plethora of roads available in 6A. I.E., we're going to go back in deep somewhere, I'm just not sure where yet. Oh, and if we get lucky this will be his first elk.

 

On a related note, I have a decent amount of available time to scout in advance of the season and would gladly welcome any suggestions of cool areas that I might go explore. Exploring new country is pretty much just 7 1/2 pounds short of a hunting trip. (The weight of a rifle).

[azelkhunter69]

We have shot a few bulls during that hunt and I can tell you, a lot of where they are depends on the weather. If it is fairly "normal", ie 50's-60's during the day and 30's at night, I have found them right where I would during archery season. If it gets cold and snows, they will bail and go lower. This was the case in 2011. 11 inches of snow the week before the hunt. Hardly saw any tracks the first morning, and the ones we did see were going lower. Went down lower and there were elk all over. My wife shot a 6x5 the 2nd morning in a transition area between pines and junipers.

[AverageJoe]

I-17 to Stoneman lake road. Turn right. Turn right again at the stop sign and head towards Apache Maid. Have fun!

[PRDATR]

Sounds like you know the unit fairly well so it's no secret that every corner of it holds elk. Just go hunt it. When he gets one down post it up and if you need help packing it out a few will volunteer.

[hunter01]

PM sent.

[S Davis]

Many thanks to all those that replied and PM'd. Following azelkhunter69's vein of thought, I hit the forest for two days as soon as the stick throwers had exited the woods. My intent was to explore some lower elevations and get educated on some new geography, just in case winter shows up early and moves the elk out of the areas that are familiar to me.

 

I found pretty close to zero elk sign down in the broken juniper country where my day started, though I did accidentally bust a bachelor group of 5 whitetail bucks that were all pretty respectable. Unfortunately, they didn't stay around long enough for me to fish the camera out of my backpack and get any pics. I stayed on the move for the better part of five hours hiking, glassing and notating glassing spots on my GPS as I steadily moved up to higher elevations.

 

Early afternoon while glassing and chomping on a meager lunch I spotted "where is Waldo" napping under a juniper tree about 500 yards out. Waldo was a cute little 2x3 whitetail and after shooting a few pics off the tripod, he left me truly inspired to take a nap too.

 

Mid-afternoon my journey continued and I slowly gained altitude moving up through the scrub junipers. by 4 pm I had moved into the transition zone and was starting to see a meager amount of elk sign (first of the day). Around 4:30 I had a bull bugle in front of me and two others answered. Finally found some elk!

 

All of the action seemed to be directly downwind from my location, so I right angled in an attempt to skirt and flank what I assumed where elk getting up from their bedding area and heading out to feed. The skirt maneuver worked as they didn’t spook, but the flank maneuver didn't. I either over shot the bedding area on my downwind sweep, or they got up and moved directly up wind while I was trying to execute my attempt at keeping my scent trail from blowing into the bedding area.

 

Hoping for a pic of either of the bulls now moving up wind directly in front of me and regularly trading territorial verbal barbs, I was trying to move as quickly as I could but I kept bumping into baby bulls and cows. After a half hour of chasing the two talkative bulls I gave up because it was clear they were "out walking me" while I was attempting to skirt all of the slackers in the group.

 

I checked the map for the most direct route to a road and started in that direction. My dilemma though was I had apparently slipped into a pretty sizeable heard of elk and I was now spending all my time trying to not scare the crap out of small bulls and cows moving out to feed. This entailed a lot of standing around behind trees waiting for elk to pass.

 

Along the way I stumbled onto a watering hole I hadn’t noticed on the map. I stopped and watched the watering hole for about a half an hour as a number of elk stopped for a drink as they were headed out for the evening. Including pics of the best bull I actually saw on day one, though I did see probably 8-10 branch antlered bulls.

 

Finally made it out to a road about sunset and I’m forever grateful for the young couple that stopped and offered me a ride back to my car. I really didn’t need to walk the additional 6 or so miles back to where I had parked.

 

Day 2 I explored a different area where I have found elk in years past. I saw 1 rag horn bull and minimal sign. Go figure. I have spent pretty much my entire life trying to figure out where to find animals and still find that I am frequently wrong in my guesstimates.

 

A couple of parting thoughts. As long as I have been exploring 6A people have been telling me to go to Apache Maid. I accordingly always go somewhere else because I figured the Apache Maid area must be overrun with people. Am I missing something?

 

I was plenty happy to have found as many elk as I did on my scouting trip, but I was a bit disappointed in the size of the bulls I saw. Maybe the ones I didn’t catch up with were better, but the ones I did see were all low 200’s at best. Of course it won’t matter that much in November. Any of them would look good in the freezer!

 

Lastly I was a bit surprised by how concentrated the elk were in one area. I hiked about 15-20 miles and the vast majority of the ground I covered was pretty much free of any elk sign. I would have thought the archery season and the rut would have spread the elk out quite a bit, but that apparently wasn’t the case. Oh well, I found elk and have a new area to hunt in November!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Elkaddict]

Looks like you have a plan! Good luck!

[6ANut]

As stated above weather is everything for these late hunts. I can't tell you the last time I wasn't in 6a for a late elk hunt. Shoot me a Pm with any questions you might have but with all the areas that you have mentioned mostly all hold elk.

 

There are elk all over Apache Maid and I feel lots of hunters hunt that area because it is more wide open than most areas in 6a. You can get up on Apache Maid mtn and glass in a 360 radius and see elk in every direction some days.

[Brow tine]

I'll be on the same hunt took the whole hunt off if u get one down and need help I'll pm u my number if I get mine down I will be glad to help out I'll pm u my number. Good luck

[CouseforLife]

I have had that late Muzzleloader tag several times over the past 15 years. It is very dependant on the weather. If its dry and warm you can hunt water. That happened to me twice in all the tags I have had, 5 total. All the rest were wet and it made the hunt more difficult but not impossible. If it snows up top they will dive off into canyons and work lower. Good luck, sounds like you have already gotten some good advice. You may also have problems with people scouting for their rifle bull hunts. Almost every year I had some knucklehead ruin a stalk or walk up on my tank at 5pm. Never did understand that.

[azelkhunter69]

How did you guys make out on your hunt?