collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: My New Mexico elk hunt (previously known as big bull down)  (Read 92557 times)

Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #15 on: September 22, 2007, 11:16:28 AM »
We left 3am Wednesday morning.  I made it to about Kirkls house when I realized I left my hunting boots on the front porch.  I flipped a quick u turn and drove by Slenks house, a "short cut" back home.  Then it was on.  We got into Boise about 9 in the morning, and after great thought, decided to pick up yet another pair of boots at Cabelas.  I've never been there before, but didn't have time to really look around.  I cashed in some points I had built up on the cabelas card and came out with a fresh pair of "free" mountain hunters.  the drive was on.  We got 12 mpg pulling the trailer, so every 12 miles, I thought there goes another 3 bucks.  We made it down to Salt lake before the first mishap.  In 7 lanes of traffic on the freeway, I blew a truck tire.  Apparantly I ran over some roadkill and managed to shove a vertebra through one of my 10 ply tires.  I took an extra spare, but wanted that for in the woods.  We found a Les schwab, but of course the didn't have a tire.  There as a Les Schwab in Provo and they did, so thats where we headed.  That cost us a bucnh of time, but after that it was over the Wasatch mountains and into the Utah desert.  We made it 900 miles then right before dark made camp next to a Railroad track out in the desert.  We were up at 5 and back on the road.  We made it to arches National park right at sunrise.  Beautiful country.  There are some really neat rock formations in that part of the country, but for the record, the Utards can keep most of that country.  It just doesn't stack up to our country. 




 Anyway, I never did find my tag, so we had to be to Albequrque by  5 pm as it was Friday.  We made it at 330 pm.  Nothing like being downtown pulling a trailer in Rush traffic.  That took forever as their computers were down and a bunch of folks never got their Antelope tags. Th line was out the door and down the block.  It made me think of our WDFW. We were back on the road, and with another 800 miles under our belt, we pulled into my hunt unit.
« Last Edit: September 22, 2007, 11:38:33 AM by boneaddict »

Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #16 on: September 22, 2007, 12:00:56 PM »
Speaking of antelope tags, I wish I had one in my pocket.  I'm not much at judgeing them, but we saw a couple I would have loved to ave shot.  Idabooner got to see his first Antelope, so that was cool.

Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #17 on: September 22, 2007, 12:02:58 PM »
here is another...


Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #18 on: September 22, 2007, 12:05:14 PM »
This one was on the Northeastern side of my unitso you can see the mountains in the background.

Offline Alchase

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Apr 2007
  • Posts: 19873
  • Location: Tinker AFB, OK
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #19 on: September 22, 2007, 12:39:50 PM »
Awesome pics and adventure Bone, the pics by the campfire are priceless.
Only 2 defining forces sacrificed themselves for you:
The American Soldier and Jesus Christ. One died for your freedom, the other for your soul.

My rock,
He trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle.
Psalm 144.1

Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #20 on: September 22, 2007, 02:06:48 PM »
It was dark when we pulled in.  We were near a river and there were lots of bugs and frogs and I couldn't hear a blasted thing.  We headed up the mountain and came out on top of a ridge. the sky was gorgeous.  It was a good spot to stop for the evening.  We grabbed our bedrolls and got ready to nab some sleep.  I grabbed the bugled and ripped one.  Instant answer back. He was a long ways away.  I kept at it, and he was on his way.  Booner was laying in his sleeping bag and I was kneeling beside him when I brought him screaming in.  He winded us right at the edge of the mag light.  Then I went to sleep after monitoring an awesome meteor shower.  I awoke in the night to a set of antlers over my head.  I didn't have m glasses on, but could still see bone.  I managed to slip my eyes on, and about that time booner rolled over and the bull slipped off into the woods.   The next morning, I unhooked the trailer and headed up the road for a scouting mission to find a better camping spot.  At 7500 feet, I found the perfect spot.  There was a logging road here.  I worked my wa a couple hundred yards down it and let a bugle rip.  Instant scream back about 100 yeards down the hill.  I beat t back down to the truck and picked u the trailer and Idabooner so that we could claim our spot.  I was thinking about Jackelope at this point.  I know he wanted big bull pics, but I didn't want to educate my quarry. 
      It didn't take long and our camp was up.  Since we had th trailer, I brought the big wall tent I had picked up this summer.  Hotel Kikendall was born.  Booner and I then hit the road and began driving some of the outskirts of our unit.  Straight up the road from camp a couple Javelina ran across the road.  I tried to nab a picture of them, but only woods showed up.  It was beautiful there.  The monsoons were over and everything looked like out spring.  Flowers were blooming that we see in April and May.  There were huge pines, oak, and juniper at 8000-9000 feet.  Afer scouring the unit, we determined that we were in the right area.  More my kind of hunting country.  Remember there was a hunt going on at the same time we were scouting.

There is a Javelina in this pic somewhere, but you can get an idea of what it was like.

 

Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #21 on: September 22, 2007, 02:11:41 PM »
I chose the steep heavier timbered country over the more open mesas.  I was more familiar with the big pines and fir than the open Junipe stuff.  I was listening to and talking to about 7 different bulls when I took these pics.  I had bulls below me and above me.  I had three days to scout.  the bad thing was the bulls were prime and hot now.  they were in the part of the rut where they were challenging each other and gathering cows.  This is the best time to be elk calling.  A warden stopped by and talked for an houror so, and he said the second season was nocking them dead.  We saw several nice bulls going down the road.  There were 10 in front of the taxidermy shop in the small town that we went to to get gas.


Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #22 on: September 22, 2007, 02:27:43 PM »
So I get back to camp from scouting and "my elk" is talking.  About that time some other guys way down the ridge start bugling.  I'm ashamed to admit this, but I didn't want them to screw up "our bull".  I grabbed the call bearmanric made for me and hit the trail, camera sitting in the front seat of my truck.  I had no intention of calling this guy in.  I gave a couple blows, and here he comes.  I'm standing behind a tree in a white t-shirt and levis.  the next thing I know, this 8x9 370 bull steps out at 20 yards.  I guess that saved his life for the night.  I slipped out and he continued his maddog bugling.  This brought another bull down the ridge, and as night fell we had two bulls screaming at each other, one about 50 yards on one side of camp and one on the other.  We finally went to bed, and I layed there listening to them scream insults at each other and ripping up trees.  Here is one of the rubs we woke up to in the morn.


note the tent in the background....

Offline huntingnut

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Aug 2007
  • Posts: 732
  • Location: Yakima
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #23 on: September 22, 2007, 02:51:57 PM »
That sounds pretty exciting. I can't wait to get into archery hunting during the rut. I pass on archery elk this to do one last modern hunt with my dad. Trying to get him into archery. Sounds like everything feel into place once you got there. Congrats.

Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #24 on: September 22, 2007, 03:18:08 PM »
Its insanely fun huntingnut.

I patterned bulls for the next couple days.  each day the bulls grew more and more quiet.  The day before the hunt started, I figured my bull out.  I had him walk by screaming within 20 yards of me with his 10 cows.  I made it back to camp feeling pretty confident.  I was really nervous when we crawled into the tent.  That night the camp bull was back and was literally standing in fron of our wall tent bugling at us.  i chose to go after "my bull" and headed up the mountain.  All was quiet with NO bugles.  I climbed the 1000 feet up to 9,000 as fast as I could.  I was in position right at light, and on que, here he comes.  His head was low and he was in the lead.  Just as the day before, he turned to rub a tree and I released on him with the Sapphire Hawk longbow.  I told booner that I would use it for the first three days and the compound for the last three.  He adjusted his shoulder just as I released, and I hit the should blade.  This can be devistating.  The large two bladed head split the blade and got into one lung.  The bull charged ahead bout 30 yards then went down, got up and started thrashing things.  He went down again, then tried to get up.  I had one shot at him and I took it.  I put an arrow through his jugular.  That was enough.  He bled out.  From there the work began.  As I was cutting him up, another two bulls and cows came through the saddle I was in.  Then about 20 minutes later, two more came through with their cows.  One was a bit bigger than mine.  Oh well....next year.

Slenk

  • Guest
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #25 on: September 22, 2007, 03:27:59 PM »
Congrats
Awsome story and pictures.
Nothing like a hunt like that to get the blood moveing .
Slenk

Offline jackelope

  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (+27)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49015
  • Location: Duvall, WA
  • Groups: jackelope
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #26 on: September 22, 2007, 03:29:57 PM »
great work doug, glad it all worked out well for you.
:fire.:

" In today's instant gratification society, more and more pressure revolves around success and the measurement of one's prowess as a hunter by inches on a score chart or field photos produced on social media. Don't fall into the trap. Hunting is-and always will be- about the hunt, the adventure, the views, and time spent with close friends and family. " Ryan Hatfield

My posts, opinions and statements do not represent those of this forum

Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #27 on: September 22, 2007, 03:39:18 PM »
Thanks everyone....now some antler pics.




Offline boneaddict

  • Site Sponsor
  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49687
  • Location: Selah, Washington
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #28 on: September 22, 2007, 03:44:54 PM »
I caped him out.  I had to laugh that I was thinking about doing a lifesize mount.  The bees and flies were horrible.  I'm not sure If I will mount him or not.  I really don't have the money or the room, but I suppose that has never stopped me before.

Offline jackelope

  • Administrator
  • Trade Count: (+27)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2007
  • Posts: 49015
  • Location: Duvall, WA
  • Groups: jackelope
Re: Big Bull down
« Reply #29 on: September 22, 2007, 03:46:27 PM »
great looking bull, awesome scenery, good times.
:fire.:

" In today's instant gratification society, more and more pressure revolves around success and the measurement of one's prowess as a hunter by inches on a score chart or field photos produced on social media. Don't fall into the trap. Hunting is-and always will be- about the hunt, the adventure, the views, and time spent with close friends and family. " Ryan Hatfield

My posts, opinions and statements do not represent those of this forum

 


* Advertisement

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal