BuzzH
Well-known member
Just got back yesterday from a great trip to AZ to hunt elk again.
The last time I got to actually hunt elk in AZ was in 2011, even though I drew a tag in 2012. I donated my 2012 elk tag to Hunt of a Lifetime.
I drove down and set up my camp and scouted for 3 days prior to the opener. Once again, I was reminded that there simply are NOT elk behind every tree in Arizona, even though many seem to think that's the case. In the 9 days I spent hunting and scouting, I saw a total of 47 bulls, 26 of those on the same day. The weather was warm which had elk movement limited to a couple hours before and after sunrise/sunset. Plus, they were almost always in the shade, not moving in the evening unless there was shade, and moving into the shade fairly quickly once the sun hit them in the morning.
I also was reminded that AZ has some pretty rugged elk country, maybe not as "remote" as some areas in other States, but areas where killing a bull makes retrieval difficult. Like any other place, the bulls typically find refuge and security in such areas.
Typical places where bulls like to hide:
Was kind of surprised to bump into 2 good herds of these guys while prowling around looking for elk. Got within 5 yards of them both times and they always make me laugh. They are quite vocal and interesting to watch them feed along and just do their thing.
Also saw a lot of song birds, raptors, game birds...just a lot of bird life down there compared to other places I typically hunt elk.
Hunted hard the first 3 days of the season, passing on some bulls, and really wasn't seeing a ton of elk. On the morning of day 4, I had a conference call that I couldn't miss, so went to a place I found that offered good glassing and also cell reception. I spotted 2 bulls, and one in particular that I liked the looks of. One was busted up very badly, missing half a main beam on the left side, plus about half of his points on the other. The other looked pretty good from what I could see of him as he moved in and out of the brush.
The last time I got to actually hunt elk in AZ was in 2011, even though I drew a tag in 2012. I donated my 2012 elk tag to Hunt of a Lifetime.
I drove down and set up my camp and scouted for 3 days prior to the opener. Once again, I was reminded that there simply are NOT elk behind every tree in Arizona, even though many seem to think that's the case. In the 9 days I spent hunting and scouting, I saw a total of 47 bulls, 26 of those on the same day. The weather was warm which had elk movement limited to a couple hours before and after sunrise/sunset. Plus, they were almost always in the shade, not moving in the evening unless there was shade, and moving into the shade fairly quickly once the sun hit them in the morning.
I also was reminded that AZ has some pretty rugged elk country, maybe not as "remote" as some areas in other States, but areas where killing a bull makes retrieval difficult. Like any other place, the bulls typically find refuge and security in such areas.
Typical places where bulls like to hide:
Was kind of surprised to bump into 2 good herds of these guys while prowling around looking for elk. Got within 5 yards of them both times and they always make me laugh. They are quite vocal and interesting to watch them feed along and just do their thing.
Also saw a lot of song birds, raptors, game birds...just a lot of bird life down there compared to other places I typically hunt elk.
Hunted hard the first 3 days of the season, passing on some bulls, and really wasn't seeing a ton of elk. On the morning of day 4, I had a conference call that I couldn't miss, so went to a place I found that offered good glassing and also cell reception. I spotted 2 bulls, and one in particular that I liked the looks of. One was busted up very badly, missing half a main beam on the left side, plus about half of his points on the other. The other looked pretty good from what I could see of him as he moved in and out of the brush.
