ElkHntinMD'S AZ ELK

[Delw]

Here is the pics from ElkHntinMD,

 

[ElkHntinMD]

Well people here's my story! Thanks Delw for posting the pics! And thanks to everyone else for the congrats! I'm not puter literate so it would have taken me a week to figure out how to post the pics Anyway, I packed up my truck and drove to AZ on the chance/hope I would tag any Bull with my bow (except a spike). I just didn't want to shoot a spike!! I believe in letting them at least get a branch antler in their lifetime before someone bust them! This was my first Archery elk hunt (only my second elk hunt) And I was going Solo! Well, the first day I arrived in AZ I received a call from my wife that my dad was in pretty bad shape (cancer inoperable) and that I probably needed to come right home! She was going to fly out that night and help me drive back! Well, we decided to wait until the next day when he saw the doctor! I did, and he got better! He didn't want me to come home because he Knows it took me awhile to draw the tag and that I have always wanted to archery elk hunt!
This hunt was extremely tough!! Unit 16a is a big area with only around 80 elk in it. Most of the cows hang out in the mohave park in hualapi mtns. There is also a private community inside the park and the people feed the elk! Actually break hay bails in the yard for them! Additionally, the comunity is very shaded so the cows are just living high on the hog there! It's my understanding the cows really don't leave the park unless the bulls drive them out! Well, without them being in the rut that didn't happen!! I hunted hard for 5 Days and never saw an elk! This area I was hunting had elk tracks right on the road walking to and from a spring, that I didn't know was there until some friends (the other 2 archers) pointed it out to me! Anyway, I noticed when I came back through this area daily there around 11:00 am there was elk track in my quad tracks! So me being whitetail minded, I had taken my Loggy Bayou treestand out with me, just in case I found a good water source or trail to sit! Well after the 5th day and not even seeing an elk I decided to place my treestand about 47 feet up in a big pine right on the road! I got in there the morning after I set the stand, climbed up and got situated! About 8:30 I spotted an elk on a ridge about 600 yds or more away! I grabbed my binos (wind was blowing about 30 mph!!) and I looked him over the best I could! The pine was swaying pretty good! He was a nice bull! Had what looked to be a nice rack on on side and a club on the other. I was just glad to actually see a bull in the area! I sat until about 2:30 that day then climbed down and hunted another area that evening to no avail. Next morning went back to the stand just at light climbed up, got situated and decided to call I was using the primos Hootchie Mama call! I blew it a couple times and listened, nothing. Waited about 15-20 min blew it 4 or 5 more times nothing, waited again around 15-20 min blew the call twice and a Bull started thrashing a mud type hole/wallo (sp) about 200 yards behind me! He was going nuts in that mud hole! When he stopped thrashing I would blow the call 2 or 3 times. I wasn't sure if he was hearing the call but, it seemed as though when he was stopped and I blew the call he would thrash the mud. Well, we kept going back and forth for around 10-15 min then the tharashing stopped. I blew the call a couple more times nothing! I figured I beeter look behind my stand. There he was just standing there 70 yards behind me on a sight incline in the pines, he was just looking in my direction! My heart almost stopped!! A bull Elk at 70 yards! Thats when the praying started!!!!!!!! I just wanted this dude to keep walking in my direction. He was continuing toward me but, extremely cautious! He would only take a couple of steps at a time and stop and look for that cow. It seemed as though he was going to turn and walk off a few times. And because of a branch I would have had no shot opportunity He was a 26 yards at my backside off my left shoulder just standing and looking!! I could hear my heart beating sitting in that stand. On top of that my scent was blowing his way! I wasn't sure if he would wind me. From that 26 yard spot he stepped right out on the shoulder of the road and stopped again!! I'm telling you he only had to walk about 10 more yards to give me a perfect broadside shot! But, it seemed an eternity before he continued that 10 yards on the road shoulder to give me the shot! Well, if I'd had a week heart I probably would have had a heart attack and fallen out of that treestand, my heart was pumping so fast and hard I really wondered if I was going to last!! Folks I never looked at this dudes rack after I first seen he was a bull! I learned that whitetail hunting years ago! I thought he was like a 250 bull! Anyway, he continued on and stopped at 17 yards. There was a small bush blocking his vitals when he stopped. I usually take all my shots from my stand standing. I didn't dare from the time I saw him to stand. So i had to take the shot sitting to my left. As soon as he twitched I yanked the bow back for the shot. I literally looked down and bent to the left so my bottom limb of my bow wouldn't hit the stand. I don't know how I even thought about that, but, if I hadn't I would have hit my stand. Anyway as I drew he kind of canted his head in my direction and stopped broadside at 16 yards perfectly in my small shooting lane! The shaft was gone instantly!! Perfect double lung but no pass through!!!!! Thats alot of elk to shoot through going down through them like that! I shoot a Hoyt Intec bow at 75 pounds with a 25 1/2" 2018 shaft tipped with a 100 gr. Thunderhead!! I did bury the shaft to the nock though. He just lifted his head a little on impact canted his rack turned around somewhat slowly and trotted off. I heard a loud crash and his breathing within 6 seconds. He only went around 70 yards before crashing face first in that big manzanita bush!!!!! I waited about twenty minutes (Couldn't wait any longer!!!!!!) and got down to track him. I fllowed the blood and tracks to that bush. I looked in the bush... nothing I went around the bush on the back side ... nothing Went down in the direction I thought he was traving to the road ...nothing!!! I went back to my stand, picked up the trail again, led me right back to that bush, I looked at the bush again... nothing I stepped into the bush and I couldn't believe what I was seeing!!!! It was a site when I saw him I will never in my lifetime forget!! Ground shrinkage was definately no problem!!! My first thought was that, this is at least a 320 bull!!!! Which I never dreamed in a million years I would ever get a crack at!! People I just wanted to take a branch antlered bull with my bow!! A bull like I shot wasn't even in my thoughts. Unit 16a does have some good bulls in it but, they are very few!! well, I tried to keep this as short as possible! Sorry if I got a little long winded. But, I felt that seeing how Del posted the pics I owed it to those of you who like to read and hear stories about our hunts. I didn't feel like writing this just got alot on my mind, But, I'm glad I did. I hope you all that take the time to read it get some enjoyment out of the details of my hunt of a lifetime!!!!!! I can't wait to get drawn for the great state of AZ again!!! Oh by the way, The other 2 archers I met in the area, and their friends were absolutely the greatest of Americans!! We all became great friends and we all will be hunting together again soon! Either chasing whitetails here with me in MD or chasing mulies in AZ with the Bow of course!! Thank all of you for responding about my dad and to all those that give me the best advice about the area that they could!!!!!!!!

ElkHntinMD