Arizona Elk - God, I love this place!
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Makes me proud to say I'm related to that very Theodore Roosevelt. My aunt married his great, great, great, great, (however many greats) grandson. I try to hunt the land he left for us as much as I can and to respect it. Seems like sometimes I pick up more garbage then I hunt...especially hiking back to the truck in the middle of the day.
Sounds like you've found quite a spot Randy. I have a feeling that will be the "main command post" for your elk hunting quests each morning! I'll be reading along as usual!
Sounds like you've found quite a spot Randy. I have a feeling that will be the "main command post" for your elk hunting quests each morning! I'll be reading along as usual!
Just one lonely cow tonight. Strange to see her all alone thus time of year. Though we didn't find a big bull, I am very pleased with the palaces I found today. Bulls have been there recently. I just need to be there when they come back.
Getting up super early tomorrow. Walking in way before sun up, and closing the distance on any bugles we might hear.
Will post some of todays pics if I have time tomorrow.
Getting up super early tomorrow. Walking in way before sun up, and closing the distance on any bugles we might hear.
Will post some of todays pics if I have time tomorrow.
rutdog
New member
Good luck to ya Fin, the updates on every hunt you do keeps us all coming back for more. Great job!
So close this morning. Pekin was tearing it up when we parked the truck about an hour before sunrise. Headed toward him in the dark. I could tell he was close to the boundary. By the time the sun came up and we had filming light, he had moved back down in the canyon to private. He had continued to scream and yell all morning. They are just over a ridge that I guess is 600 yards away. I see some guys below on the private, working toward the location. All I need is for them to bump Pekin and his cows, and he wil be in our arena.
I hope he keeps making so much noise. Glad to sit and wait for him. What else would I do? Go eat breakfast? I came here to shoot an elk. Food can wait.
I hope he keeps making so much noise. Glad to sit and wait for him. What else would I do? Go eat breakfast? I came here to shoot an elk. Food can wait.
That didn't take long. Rapid fire coming from below and none of it seems to be hitting the mark. Awaiting to see if that pushes them this way. Ready on the left. Ready on the right. Ready to the fore.
Come on over Pekin, we will make this easy on you.
Come on over Pekin, we will make this easy on you.
Dang. The elk were almost straight east of us. Hunters came from northeast of the elk. If the elk head SW, straight away from danger, they funnel up a side canyon right on front of us and on public. Welk, they went SE, a little further into private. That was close to being the break we needed.
Off to find some new places that might hold elk and deter hunters.
Off to find some new places that might hold elk and deter hunters.
Monteman11
Member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2011
- Messages
- 192
Keep at them, the more pressure on private the more "new" potentials pushed to public. I always find it funny how those on private never really leave private even after they push stuff off of it.
gman82001
Member
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2011
- Messages
- 357
Good Luck randy werein the hills today with a great tag in my pocket passed on my first ever bull elk thismorning really big 4 passed on cows before never a bull though but still have 44 1/2 days to hunt so didn't think twice... Pretty cool to get within 80 yds and just watch him though
jones39
Member
Hope you are packing that bull out!
fishing4sanity
Well-known member
No updates??? Does that mean you're packing out a bull or you had to go on a DQ run? Hoping it's the bull.
I might come to regret this, but called in and passed a 5X5 this evening. Saw him down in a deep bottom with about an hour to film. Decided to give a few cow calls and see what his response would be.
He turned and ;looked up the hill. Then, a few tentative steps our direction to try get a bearing on our position. A few more calls and he stepped into an opening. I ranged him at 590 yards. Not that I would shoot that far, but was interested in just how far he was.
After a few whining calls, he could take it no more. Up the ridge he started,. I lost sight of him pretty quickly, as it was steep and littered with lots of juniper and a few scattered pinions. I would call occasionally to give him a heading.
The wind started blowing uphill, so I moved further west, knowing he would probably go above us from his eastern approach, hoping to get our wind. Figured he would lock into the original location.
After about 20 minutes he emerged at about 140 yards, almost on top of our original location. Amazing how they can lock in on a spot from such a long distance. I called one loud blast to stop him as he drifted downhill, looking for those cows he knew were on this hillside.
He stopped. His head was partially obscured by a tree, with his body fully open to my crosshairs. I had the bipod out, the Howa loaded and ready, with the crosshairs right on his chest. I had stated I would shoot a cow before I would shoot a young bull.
After some footage, I let him move off without any further calls. I do not feel the need to kill a young bull, just to have an episode.
Always fun to call one in. Even after shooting my share of bulls, I still get super excited when a bull is spotted. Hope I never lose that feeling, even when it is a young bull I probably don;t plan to shoot.
So, might regret that, but such is the way it works for our show. Going to give it the best possible effort in the morning. I really hope that those bulls are out again in the morning and give us a chance without getting out of our hunting area before daylight. Gonna move in as close as possible in the dark in hopes they will be within our reach when filming light is good.
He turned and ;looked up the hill. Then, a few tentative steps our direction to try get a bearing on our position. A few more calls and he stepped into an opening. I ranged him at 590 yards. Not that I would shoot that far, but was interested in just how far he was.
After a few whining calls, he could take it no more. Up the ridge he started,. I lost sight of him pretty quickly, as it was steep and littered with lots of juniper and a few scattered pinions. I would call occasionally to give him a heading.
The wind started blowing uphill, so I moved further west, knowing he would probably go above us from his eastern approach, hoping to get our wind. Figured he would lock into the original location.
After about 20 minutes he emerged at about 140 yards, almost on top of our original location. Amazing how they can lock in on a spot from such a long distance. I called one loud blast to stop him as he drifted downhill, looking for those cows he knew were on this hillside.
He stopped. His head was partially obscured by a tree, with his body fully open to my crosshairs. I had the bipod out, the Howa loaded and ready, with the crosshairs right on his chest. I had stated I would shoot a cow before I would shoot a young bull.
After some footage, I let him move off without any further calls. I do not feel the need to kill a young bull, just to have an episode.
Always fun to call one in. Even after shooting my share of bulls, I still get super excited when a bull is spotted. Hope I never lose that feeling, even when it is a young bull I probably don;t plan to shoot.
So, might regret that, but such is the way it works for our show. Going to give it the best possible effort in the morning. I really hope that those bulls are out again in the morning and give us a chance without getting out of our hunting area before daylight. Gonna move in as close as possible in the dark in hopes they will be within our reach when filming light is good.
jones39
Member
Too bad! Good luck in the morning!
wingman1
New member
Fin I'm starting to take a liking to your MO, cows before small bulls. That's been my take for along time. I see a 360 bull in your immediate future. Best of luck
Elk hunting can be so funny at times. Walk into the morning spot will before daylight. The elk were already onto private, but I figured I would join the chorus to let them know they are welcome over here on the public. Only one bull really getting with the program. Not sure what happened to the other bulls, but they were silent.
Almost like yesterday, I hear a truck bouncing down the road below. The elk shut up. I hear some talking and noise on the private.
Fifteen minutes later, a shot rings out, followed by a loud smack. Another boom, smack. Then some hooting and yelling. Whoever was the trigger operator this morning was more talented than the guy yesterday.
I couldn't help but laugh as the guide drove the truck to the bull while the three hunters cheered excitedly. If ever there was the sound of happiness, it was those guys reliving the events of the last half hour. Good for them. They loaded the bull in, whole. The the hunters jump in with the guide and of they go.
I laughed at the luck of it all. When I hunt these boundaries, I expect to see such events, so I am not dampened at all by the good fortune of some lucky hunter who probably had the morning of his hunting dreams. Now is time to locate a new morning location. I have about twelve hours to get that done.
Almost like yesterday, I hear a truck bouncing down the road below. The elk shut up. I hear some talking and noise on the private.
Fifteen minutes later, a shot rings out, followed by a loud smack. Another boom, smack. Then some hooting and yelling. Whoever was the trigger operator this morning was more talented than the guy yesterday.
I couldn't help but laugh as the guide drove the truck to the bull while the three hunters cheered excitedly. If ever there was the sound of happiness, it was those guys reliving the events of the last half hour. Good for them. They loaded the bull in, whole. The the hunters jump in with the guide and of they go.
I laughed at the luck of it all. When I hunt these boundaries, I expect to see such events, so I am not dampened at all by the good fortune of some lucky hunter who probably had the morning of his hunting dreams. Now is time to locate a new morning location. I have about twelve hours to get that done.
stillkickin
Well-known member
Hope it wasn't a young 5 x 5 that they loaded up.
wingman1
New member
How much time do you have to get it done?
Two more days after today. Season is open until the 9th, but we have schedules for cameras and other hunts, so I seldom get to hunt an entire season. Plus, and most importantly, I promised Mrs. Fin she could go see her parents in Vegas when I got home. Given my level of absence, missing that could be costly to the future of my marriage.
Think we found a new morning place. About twenty square miles of state land below us. Left the truck at 2:30 and now set up at 4:00. A knob out in the middle of a huge expanse of broken PJ country. Doubt anyone else willl walk in here. Packing one put will be a chore, but what else would I be doing for that next 24 hours?
Most the glassing will be to the south and southwest, which makes it better for morning. And, if we bail off to chase them, filming light will be against us in the evening and for us on the morning. Had to come check it out in the daylight, which is why we are here now. Used the GPS to mark the tail, so we can easily find it in the dark of early morning.
Will give a report when we get out after dark.
One more raghorn tonight. Didn't even bother to go after him. Too late and he was a ways off. Feel really good about the new morning spot. Guess tomorrow will tell. Takes a while to get in there. Will be very surprised to see other hunters.
Gonna be a long day, so hitting the rack now. Hope to have a good report tomorrow.
Gonna be a long day, so hitting the rack now. Hope to have a good report tomorrow.
