Another successful trip to New Mexico

[littlemac]

I have been to NM on 6 elk hunts.

Our first trip was a hangover hunt from the 2002 season in February 2003.  We got a rag horn 5X5, my buddy shot.  Since he mostly eats out he gave me the meat and that meant unless I saw a real nice elk I most likely wouldn't take one.  As it turned out the big elk I saw mostly had broken up head gear from the battles of the year.

We went back for the 2003 season in October and I got my first branched bull a nice 6X6 and the subsequent years have yielded five more bulls.  I've been fortunate to enjoy elk meat from the freezer pretty much since that October '03 hunt.

This year would maybe be the best trip of all.  I got my brother to commit to going and by buddy got his brother as well.

We got to New Mexico on Thursday the 30th of September with the hunt to open on the 1st of October, the earliest rifle hunt.  Got to our digs that afternoon and went down and shot the guns to make sure we were set.

First morning out my buddy got a shot at a nice bull, missed unfortunately on a difficult and long downhill shot that also had to be made quickly.

My morning yielded a lot of listening to bulls bugling in the distance but no sightings.  Everyone had seen something that morning even if just a cow but not me.

For the afternoon we decided on where each of us would go.  I planted my brother in a favorite spot and headed up the hill about a mile to a spot I had shot my bull last season.  I was working a hillside when I heard a shot below me.  Five minutes later my brother radioed he had a good shot but wasn't sure if he had a hit on a 6X6, unfortunately he was pinned down by a herd now that included a 7X7, a couple of 6X6's and some rag horns and miscellaneous cows.  He wanted me to get down there.

At the same time I heard a couple of shots, followed by the crackle of the radio.  I ignored it as I had bugling bulls all around me.  The radio crackled again and I replied.  My buddies brother had an elk down and needed help.  WTF, the *censored* had left his vehicle and only had two rounds, seems he left his jacket and pack because he didn't expect to need them.  He now found himself about 1500 yards from the truck and with a wounded elk.

I figured he was nearly a mile above me, I'm at 9,500 feet and he was around 10,500 and a long walk away.  I'm in the middle of bulls on the first night of my hunt and now I'm on a rescue mission, it was 6:15.  I made my way up the mountain and came out on a cut he had described only about 75 yards from where he watched the bull.  Three of us were shooting 340 Weatherby's and had sighted in all with the same lot of ammunition.  I gave him a couple of rounds and sent him down to finish the elk while I now held a flashlight.  We got it done, but what a cluster.  Good news was he was done and out of the woods.  My buddy has hunted a lot with me but this was only his brothers second elk hunt and last with me.

Turned out my brother missed his elk, we looked all over the place for blood or hair and followed up by hiking the hillside the next morning.  No sign of a hit.

The next day my buddy took a nice 7X6 in the evening.  Again, I still haven't seen a bull.

The third morning we were out early and again had bulls in the area bugling but no sighting and never got on one.  That afternoon I went back up where we had been in the morning and set my brother up in a clearing that had great sign and an active wallow.  I went higher and deeper in the woods and figured to set up in a clearing that had water and a wallow as well.

I hadn't gotten too far into the area I wanted to set up in and the bulls once again started bugling.  I had several that were responding to each other and I chose not to call at all.  I was working toward one that sounded like a good bull, but felt that another that was below me was closing in my direction.  I was nearing the clearing I wanted to hunt and the one that was closing let out a big whistle and guttural bugle.  I just set there behind a small pine, looking where it sounded as though he was heading.

Into an opening he stepped.  Not sure who was more surprised, him or me, I raised the 340, took a breath, exhaled a bit and squeezed the trigger as I held on his left shoulder.  With the crack of the gun he bolted and went right, wobbling a bit as he went.  He dropped about 20 yards against a small pine.

I didn't have a lot of time to decide to shot but he looked like a nice bull for the area of New Mexico I hunt up around Eagle Nest.  I'm very happy with my decision he is a 6 X 5.  My meat will be here tomorrow from the processor along with my European mount.

I'll be back there again next year, it just seems like a honey hole to me.  My luck there has been too damn good to not go back, now I'm five for my last five trips.

Here's the only decent pic I have, my brother was too excited to hold the damned camera still I guess.

[littlemac]

One more pic, not in focus though. 

[WSU]

Nice!  Lets see some pics of the rest of the bulls.

[bucklucky]

Nice bull!

[Widgeondeke]

That must be a hell of a honey hole. 5 for 5 plus friends & family getting bulls. 
Meat is good.

Never mind the wire you may see under your truck, its just the GPS tracking device I borrowed from the FBI.    

[littlemac]

I'm waiting on some pics of my buddy and his brother's bulls, both at dark and I didn't get any in the daylight as I was out in the woods.

Here's my first one from 2003, 6X6.

I'm missing a muzzleloader 5X5, may have it on another computer.

2005 was another 6X5 with barely a 6.

2006 was a raghorn 5X5.

[Annette]

Nice Bull!! You're right, thats to good not to hunt again and you might think about buying some retirement property in NM for the future!

[littlemac]

Here's my buddy's brother's bull, 5X5.  Still waiting on a pic of the 7X6.

[PacificNWhunter]

Great job!

[littlemac]

Nice Bull!! You're right, thats to good not to hunt again and you might think about buying some retirement property in NM for the future!

My buddy did just that.  Bought a nice piece, not enough to hunt but close enough to where we hunt.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Great looking animals!

[elkspert]

Are these landowner tags or are you just that lucky to draw that tag every year?

[littlemac]

They are landowner tags.  I haven't drawn much although we put in.

We were guided on the first property but now are DIY.

[bowhunterforever]

Nice bulls Congrats guys

[littlemac]

Here's my buddy's bull, finally got his pics.