toprut
Member
Where the action was.
New Mexico Archery Elk
- Thread starter toprut
- Start date
toprut
Member
Finally someone to talk to.
toprut
Member
I'm in the hot zone. Looking back across the canyon toward camp.
toprut
Member
Heavy action at the tank.
toprut
Member
Permanent water seeping out of the mountain, not on any map I've ever seen, and in a spot fairly difficult to get to. Like I found some gold! This was on the day I killed my bull and I never needed to sit on it.
toprut
Member
The story behind the kill deserves more than I'm willing to type out on my phone after a couple of beers. So i'll save the good stuff until I get home tomorrow. It was a fun pack out!
mtmander
Active member
congrats
Speeddmn
Active member
Congrats! Looks to be a great bull!
ashersdad
Well-known member
Congratulations!! Can't wait to see more pictures and get the rest of the story. Travel safe.
toprut
Member
I got home early Friday evening and spent all day Saturday unpacking, taking care of meat and catching up with the family. And of course last night it was fresh elk on the grill. Wow is that good!
The hunt Tuesday morning started extra early for me and I was up and on the road at 4 AM. The prior two days I had spent hunting a seperate area close to my basecamp location and had spent Monday night there. Although I heard and saw bulls close to base, it was clear that the other area where I had setup spike camp had more action. My plan was to spend as much time there as I could until the end of the hunt. It was a 50 minute drive by truck to where I dumped out the 4 wheeler and then another 6 miles and probably 40 minute ride to my starting spot. It was somewhere around 5:45 AM before I had backpack on and bow in hand.
I started my hike in. It really wasn't a bad route to where I liked to start - a ridgetop with a decent view across the canyon and from there good routes to the action in 3 seperate directions. The way in is down a canyon and then mostly up with just over 300 feet in elevation gain. Total distance was about a mile. Just enough to get a good sweat started.
I arrived at my "rock" prior to shooting light and I don't even think I had taken my pack off when I heard a bugle no more than 120 yards to my right. There was a perfect little saddle down the hill from me and I knew that if the bull was bedded where he had bugled from that the terrain was setup great for a call in. The wind was light but from a consistent direction and was completely in my favor. The bull bugled again a couple of minutes later. He hadn't moved.
I had at least 15 minutes left before good shooting light. I was strangely calm while waiting for the sun to come up. I remember taking off my pack, having a seat and drinking about half a litre of water while I sat and waited. Every few minutes the bull would bugle and it was almost like background noise to me as I struggled to see across the canyon with my binoculars. At some point I snapped out of it and realized it was time to go. I had a bull on top of me bugling, it was now plenty light enough to shoot, and I hadn't even put my release on yet. Get it together man!
I slowly started down hill into the little saddle. I only had about 30 yards to go and at that point I pulled out my open reed cow call to say hello. I'm not sure why I chose the open reed as I normally use a diaphram 95% of the time. I hit a few notes and immediately got a big bad bugle in response. At about 45 degrees to my left I spot a big ponderosa pine maybe 40 feet away that looked to be in an ideal spot for a shot. I promptly make my way to it.
Having at this point put my open reed call back in my pocket, I hit a couple of cow calls with the diaphram. He bugles immediately, and this time he's considerably closer to me. This bull is coming. Now my heart starts pounding - and my head is trying to talk myself into remaining measured and calm. My feet are set and I'm ready.
From my right to left, I spot the bull pass at about 60 yards through the trees and then disappear behind a pile of rocks that helps form the little saddle I was in. Holy smokes! That was the big 5 point from the other morning! There was no mistaking him. Huge curling fronts, thirds that looked like they were 15 inches plus, and the kind of giant whale tail that only a big five can have. When he had his head back his beam tips looked like they would almost touch the ground below his mid-belly. Just an awesome 5.
A minute passes and I hadn't heard or seen him. I was a little concerned he was circling behind to catch wind and at that realization I let out a couple of more cow calls in a panic. No bugle, but I can then start to hear the sound of hoofs hitting the ground as he starts to move again. I spot him on my left. Here he comes.
I felt like setup was perfect and I had plenty of brush to conceal me as he approached. At 35 yards I draw my bow as he walks steady toward me at an angle. I scan ahead and find plenty of open lanes to shoot through and the first wide open lane is directly in front of me at 25 yards. He's quartering to me at about the worse imaginable angle for a shot so I'm going to need to get him past me for a good look. He hits the wide open spot in front of me at 25 yards. Adrenaline rolling.
He stops! Why did he stop?! The bull is now at around 25 yards, his head, neck and most of his chest behind a juniper, with a completely clear view of his front right shoulder and everything behind it. I'm at full draw. The stare down is on.
My mind is racing and I just keep thinking I need him to take a few more steps past that juniper and I will have a clear shot behind the shoulder. About 30 seconds in (or was it 10? who knows), things are getting tense. I can see a good portion of his right chest partially obscured by a few twigs of the juniper and it's at this moment I remember listenting to a podcast where Corey J proclaims the extreme effectiveness of the frontal shot in certain circumstances. I start to question, should I try a frontal here?
I start measuring up - can I get an arrow through those few twigs? I wanted to believe I could but my mind just kept saying no. Just wait. Just wait. Neither of us have moved a muscle. Jeez - I reasoned, if I could just take one little baby step to my left - or heck - even just lean over that way - I might be clear for that frontal. Should I try it? No, no. He'll see you move and it'll all be over. Just wait. He only needs to take a step or two.
And then, he wheels around and trots back to where he came from. I let down my draw and I watch that massive whale tail and beams disappear over the rise. I've hunted all my life and I think that may be the most disappointed I've ever been in an outcome. I felt like it was over and that I had him. And what a special and unique bull - not from a record book perspective - but just the rarity of really big 5 points. After a couple of minutes of standing there numb, staring in his direction, I hear him bugle once again. I presume he went back and picked up his cows and off they went up the ridge directly way from me. Adios.
The hunt Tuesday morning started extra early for me and I was up and on the road at 4 AM. The prior two days I had spent hunting a seperate area close to my basecamp location and had spent Monday night there. Although I heard and saw bulls close to base, it was clear that the other area where I had setup spike camp had more action. My plan was to spend as much time there as I could until the end of the hunt. It was a 50 minute drive by truck to where I dumped out the 4 wheeler and then another 6 miles and probably 40 minute ride to my starting spot. It was somewhere around 5:45 AM before I had backpack on and bow in hand.
I started my hike in. It really wasn't a bad route to where I liked to start - a ridgetop with a decent view across the canyon and from there good routes to the action in 3 seperate directions. The way in is down a canyon and then mostly up with just over 300 feet in elevation gain. Total distance was about a mile. Just enough to get a good sweat started.
I arrived at my "rock" prior to shooting light and I don't even think I had taken my pack off when I heard a bugle no more than 120 yards to my right. There was a perfect little saddle down the hill from me and I knew that if the bull was bedded where he had bugled from that the terrain was setup great for a call in. The wind was light but from a consistent direction and was completely in my favor. The bull bugled again a couple of minutes later. He hadn't moved.
I had at least 15 minutes left before good shooting light. I was strangely calm while waiting for the sun to come up. I remember taking off my pack, having a seat and drinking about half a litre of water while I sat and waited. Every few minutes the bull would bugle and it was almost like background noise to me as I struggled to see across the canyon with my binoculars. At some point I snapped out of it and realized it was time to go. I had a bull on top of me bugling, it was now plenty light enough to shoot, and I hadn't even put my release on yet. Get it together man!
I slowly started down hill into the little saddle. I only had about 30 yards to go and at that point I pulled out my open reed cow call to say hello. I'm not sure why I chose the open reed as I normally use a diaphram 95% of the time. I hit a few notes and immediately got a big bad bugle in response. At about 45 degrees to my left I spot a big ponderosa pine maybe 40 feet away that looked to be in an ideal spot for a shot. I promptly make my way to it.
Having at this point put my open reed call back in my pocket, I hit a couple of cow calls with the diaphram. He bugles immediately, and this time he's considerably closer to me. This bull is coming. Now my heart starts pounding - and my head is trying to talk myself into remaining measured and calm. My feet are set and I'm ready.
From my right to left, I spot the bull pass at about 60 yards through the trees and then disappear behind a pile of rocks that helps form the little saddle I was in. Holy smokes! That was the big 5 point from the other morning! There was no mistaking him. Huge curling fronts, thirds that looked like they were 15 inches plus, and the kind of giant whale tail that only a big five can have. When he had his head back his beam tips looked like they would almost touch the ground below his mid-belly. Just an awesome 5.
A minute passes and I hadn't heard or seen him. I was a little concerned he was circling behind to catch wind and at that realization I let out a couple of more cow calls in a panic. No bugle, but I can then start to hear the sound of hoofs hitting the ground as he starts to move again. I spot him on my left. Here he comes.
I felt like setup was perfect and I had plenty of brush to conceal me as he approached. At 35 yards I draw my bow as he walks steady toward me at an angle. I scan ahead and find plenty of open lanes to shoot through and the first wide open lane is directly in front of me at 25 yards. He's quartering to me at about the worse imaginable angle for a shot so I'm going to need to get him past me for a good look. He hits the wide open spot in front of me at 25 yards. Adrenaline rolling.
He stops! Why did he stop?! The bull is now at around 25 yards, his head, neck and most of his chest behind a juniper, with a completely clear view of his front right shoulder and everything behind it. I'm at full draw. The stare down is on.
My mind is racing and I just keep thinking I need him to take a few more steps past that juniper and I will have a clear shot behind the shoulder. About 30 seconds in (or was it 10? who knows), things are getting tense. I can see a good portion of his right chest partially obscured by a few twigs of the juniper and it's at this moment I remember listenting to a podcast where Corey J proclaims the extreme effectiveness of the frontal shot in certain circumstances. I start to question, should I try a frontal here?
I start measuring up - can I get an arrow through those few twigs? I wanted to believe I could but my mind just kept saying no. Just wait. Just wait. Neither of us have moved a muscle. Jeez - I reasoned, if I could just take one little baby step to my left - or heck - even just lean over that way - I might be clear for that frontal. Should I try it? No, no. He'll see you move and it'll all be over. Just wait. He only needs to take a step or two.
And then, he wheels around and trots back to where he came from. I let down my draw and I watch that massive whale tail and beams disappear over the rise. I've hunted all my life and I think that may be the most disappointed I've ever been in an outcome. I felt like it was over and that I had him. And what a special and unique bull - not from a record book perspective - but just the rarity of really big 5 points. After a couple of minutes of standing there numb, staring in his direction, I hear him bugle once again. I presume he went back and picked up his cows and off they went up the ridge directly way from me. Adios.
toprut
Member
The rest of the morning hunt I think I just kind of wandered around the mountain questioning things. What should I have done differently? Could I have gotten an arrow past those couple of twigs? Why didn't I stand by that other tree instead of the one I chose? I just felt sick.
I did manage to stumble upon a real find later in the morning - the seep that I had posted a picture of earlier. It was getting A LOT of traffic and there were some big rubs in it's proximity. I proceeded to construct a makeshift blind out of dead logs and branches and that activity seemed to take my mind off the mornings events. "I'll be back", I thought optimistically.
While I was wandering the mountain that morning, I could sporadically hear a bull bugling at the opposite end of the ridge. It was about a mile down I estimated. "Maybe I'll start on that end this afternoon" I decided as I headed back to spike camp in defeat.
I did manage to stumble upon a real find later in the morning - the seep that I had posted a picture of earlier. It was getting A LOT of traffic and there were some big rubs in it's proximity. I proceeded to construct a makeshift blind out of dead logs and branches and that activity seemed to take my mind off the mornings events. "I'll be back", I thought optimistically.
While I was wandering the mountain that morning, I could sporadically hear a bull bugling at the opposite end of the ridge. It was about a mile down I estimated. "Maybe I'll start on that end this afternoon" I decided as I headed back to spike camp in defeat.
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toprut
Member
I headed in for the afternoon hunt at about 3:30 as I recall and the sun was blazing when not covered by clouds. Gosh was it hot. I considered making my way all the way down into the opposite canyon to sit the seep that evening but for some reason I decided not to. I made my way down the ridge to an awesome glassing location that I had located the first morning of the hunt. From there I was hoping to hear the bull from the morning and I knew I could get a great fix on him from that location.
I arrived at the spot to find it completely open to the sun and the clouds not helping. Not willing to sit in that oven, I basically spent the first hour loitering around in the shade of nearby brush and sporadically popping out to have a look with the binoculars. At about 5:30, I heard the bull bugle across the canyon.
The bull was across the canyon somewhere beyond the far left of this picture.
I arrived at the spot to find it completely open to the sun and the clouds not helping. Not willing to sit in that oven, I basically spent the first hour loitering around in the shade of nearby brush and sporadically popping out to have a look with the binoculars. At about 5:30, I heard the bull bugle across the canyon.
The bull was across the canyon somewhere beyond the far left of this picture.
toprut
Member
For the next 30 minutes or so I'd hear the bull bugle every so often. Finally I spotted a couple of cows in his direction with the binoculars. I could tell the bull was moving some and it was obvious that if I just sat there a little longer I should be able to spot him. I decided to get a look before venturing down and across the canyon. It was only about 300 vertical feet down and up but parts of it were really steep and rocky.
A few minutes later, I spot him. After studying him for a couple of minutes I decide it's time to make a move. Off I go in his direction.
It took me maybe 30 minutes to get over there and I ended up on a nice little spur ridge that extended out from the little cone shaped mountain he was standing on. The bull was still bugling and didn't seem to be moving much. He was probably up 100 feet vertically from my position and 250 yards dead ahead. He had a great little vantage point of my spur ridge and I sensed he was in no hurry to leave it. I eased forward maybe another 50 yards without making any calls and settled in front of a nice big tree. At this point it's probably about 6:15 I'm guessing.
Finally I decide I need to try make something happen and give my first series of cow calls. He responds immediately. I then stay quiet for at least 5 minutes before calling again. He responds again, from roughly the same spot, and I'm thinking this bull may be tough to get coming in my direction. And I know he's got a couple cows up there with him.
After a couple more volleys of my cow call/his bugle over the next 10 minutes I decide to challenge him. So I pull out my bugle tube and give a cow call. The bull responds and I immediately scream back at him. He, in turn, bugles back and punctuates with a chuckle. It feels like that agitated him.
We play this game a couple more times in the next few minutes and each time I bugle at him he seems irritated. But he still really has not moved at all. Seems like a stalemate.
And then out of the blue another bull bugles from what sounds like right next to him. There are now 2 bulls standing up there! I'm not really sure where the second bull came from but over the next few minutes he bugles probably 7 or 8 times. Each time he seems to be getting further away from my position while the original bull holds his ground.
Now it really feels like he's camped out and not going anywhere. I can feel the evening slipping away. I look over and see a big stick laying on the ground and pick it up. I turn around and start raking the tree I'm standing in front of and get an immedaite reaction via bugle from up the hill. Then another one right behind it. He really does seem PO'ed!
A couple minutes pass and I give him the cow call and challenge bugle again. I rake for a second time and get another response. Somethings gotta give. I cow call and this time his bugle is clearly closer to me. Finally something is happening! Is he on his way? Without any prompt for me he bugles again after a few moments and now he sounds like he's well inside 100 and closing. It's on again.
The spur ridge I am standing on is fairly open and I can see quite a ways across it. To my left is a little gentle depression that is the start of a little drainage the runs down the hill behind me. He should be coming right down the shoot, from my left to right once again.
I look up and see him coming. He's at 70ish yards and closing on a steady walk. I clip my release on the D loop and try to calm myself into focus. He's coming right at me. At 30 yards he slips behind some trees and I pull back. He then proceeded to bugle one last time right in my face as he approached. I'm trying to hold it together!
At about 20 yards I start realizing I have an angle problem again as he is headed dead at me. If he continues at his current angle he'll pass me broadside at literally feet away I remember thinking. Frontal I immediately decide - if there is any time for a frontal it is now.
At the time I commit to that idea, he's now inside 20 and still coming. But he's got his head down completely covering up his chest! I remember actually thinking for a split second "Do I shoot this thing right between the eyes?". Of course that ridiculous idea immediately vaporized once I regained rational thought.
From about 20 yards in I was at full draw, looking through the peep, staring down the business end of a bull elk coming right at me with his head covering the spot I wanted to shoot. I did the only thing you could and just waited. With each step I remember thinking that he looks taller and taller and at one point I'd a swore he had 60 inch main beams! He's inside 15, 13, 12...!
At about 10 yards he finally lifts his head some. I let the arrow go and it hits him just off center of the chest slightly toward his right side.
The orange flagging tape in this pic is where I was standing. I hung my hat on a limb of about where he was when I shot if you are able to make it out.
A few minutes later, I spot him. After studying him for a couple of minutes I decide it's time to make a move. Off I go in his direction.
It took me maybe 30 minutes to get over there and I ended up on a nice little spur ridge that extended out from the little cone shaped mountain he was standing on. The bull was still bugling and didn't seem to be moving much. He was probably up 100 feet vertically from my position and 250 yards dead ahead. He had a great little vantage point of my spur ridge and I sensed he was in no hurry to leave it. I eased forward maybe another 50 yards without making any calls and settled in front of a nice big tree. At this point it's probably about 6:15 I'm guessing.
Finally I decide I need to try make something happen and give my first series of cow calls. He responds immediately. I then stay quiet for at least 5 minutes before calling again. He responds again, from roughly the same spot, and I'm thinking this bull may be tough to get coming in my direction. And I know he's got a couple cows up there with him.
After a couple more volleys of my cow call/his bugle over the next 10 minutes I decide to challenge him. So I pull out my bugle tube and give a cow call. The bull responds and I immediately scream back at him. He, in turn, bugles back and punctuates with a chuckle. It feels like that agitated him.
We play this game a couple more times in the next few minutes and each time I bugle at him he seems irritated. But he still really has not moved at all. Seems like a stalemate.
And then out of the blue another bull bugles from what sounds like right next to him. There are now 2 bulls standing up there! I'm not really sure where the second bull came from but over the next few minutes he bugles probably 7 or 8 times. Each time he seems to be getting further away from my position while the original bull holds his ground.
Now it really feels like he's camped out and not going anywhere. I can feel the evening slipping away. I look over and see a big stick laying on the ground and pick it up. I turn around and start raking the tree I'm standing in front of and get an immedaite reaction via bugle from up the hill. Then another one right behind it. He really does seem PO'ed!
A couple minutes pass and I give him the cow call and challenge bugle again. I rake for a second time and get another response. Somethings gotta give. I cow call and this time his bugle is clearly closer to me. Finally something is happening! Is he on his way? Without any prompt for me he bugles again after a few moments and now he sounds like he's well inside 100 and closing. It's on again.
The spur ridge I am standing on is fairly open and I can see quite a ways across it. To my left is a little gentle depression that is the start of a little drainage the runs down the hill behind me. He should be coming right down the shoot, from my left to right once again.
I look up and see him coming. He's at 70ish yards and closing on a steady walk. I clip my release on the D loop and try to calm myself into focus. He's coming right at me. At 30 yards he slips behind some trees and I pull back. He then proceeded to bugle one last time right in my face as he approached. I'm trying to hold it together!
At about 20 yards I start realizing I have an angle problem again as he is headed dead at me. If he continues at his current angle he'll pass me broadside at literally feet away I remember thinking. Frontal I immediately decide - if there is any time for a frontal it is now.
At the time I commit to that idea, he's now inside 20 and still coming. But he's got his head down completely covering up his chest! I remember actually thinking for a split second "Do I shoot this thing right between the eyes?". Of course that ridiculous idea immediately vaporized once I regained rational thought.
From about 20 yards in I was at full draw, looking through the peep, staring down the business end of a bull elk coming right at me with his head covering the spot I wanted to shoot. I did the only thing you could and just waited. With each step I remember thinking that he looks taller and taller and at one point I'd a swore he had 60 inch main beams! He's inside 15, 13, 12...!
At about 10 yards he finally lifts his head some. I let the arrow go and it hits him just off center of the chest slightly toward his right side.
The orange flagging tape in this pic is where I was standing. I hung my hat on a limb of about where he was when I shot if you are able to make it out.
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toprut
Member
Then it was chaos! The bull came thundering past me at about twelve feet as near as I could measure. He was kicking up dirt, rocks were flying and I could see with the naked eye that he was already bleeding a lot as he roared past. The arrow looked to get a lot of penetration and it looked like maybe 8 inches of it was left sticking out.
As he ran out of site, I immediately started to think about it getting dark on me. It was somewhere near 6:45 PM at the time of the shot. I took my pack off and started digging for my orange tape to mark the tree where I shot from. While doing that, I heard a couple of coughs and a crash in the direction he disappeared. This was all within 2 minutes of the shot.
I knew what I had heard, and I think I felt like he was probably down, but I was still cautious. I had no problem finding blood in my immediate proximity and eased over a little ridge to find my entire arrow laying there in one piece. You could see huge divots in the dirt where each hoof was hitting the ground as he poured out of there. So much so that you could look ahead as much as 50 yards and see every step.
I came up over another little rise, and after a few seconds processing what was in front of me I spotted an antler tip sticking up from behind a rock. He was down! He hadn't gone more than 100 yards.
As he ran out of site, I immediately started to think about it getting dark on me. It was somewhere near 6:45 PM at the time of the shot. I took my pack off and started digging for my orange tape to mark the tree where I shot from. While doing that, I heard a couple of coughs and a crash in the direction he disappeared. This was all within 2 minutes of the shot.
I knew what I had heard, and I think I felt like he was probably down, but I was still cautious. I had no problem finding blood in my immediate proximity and eased over a little ridge to find my entire arrow laying there in one piece. You could see huge divots in the dirt where each hoof was hitting the ground as he poured out of there. So much so that you could look ahead as much as 50 yards and see every step.
I came up over another little rise, and after a few seconds processing what was in front of me I spotted an antler tip sticking up from behind a rock. He was down! He hadn't gone more than 100 yards.
toprut
Member
What a feeling!
My Unit 15 bull:
My Unit 15 bull:
dcopas78
Well-known member
Nice! I can't wait to get to New Mexico.
