New Mexico Elk Success!

[Valley1320]

For the second year in a row I drew a NM elk tag. This year I pulled a tag that i knew had potential to produce a big bull. I did a ton of research and broke down the unit on onX like normal I also was able to make a couple contacts with guys who had hunted the unit before with success. I scouted for 4+ days. I saw elk everyday and made some new friends who helped me with the info they had learned during early previous seasons. 2 days before the season I really got into the elk. Early opening morning I slipped in on a bull that was still bugling, but when the sun came up he was no where to be found. That evening I made a perfect long stalk on a big bull only to come over the ridge and discover that he was a 6x1. He had been perfect broadside the whole time I had watched him. He had a weird thick single point on his right side. I decided to pass because I knew there were big bulls in the unit/area. The 2nd morning saw me put another long stalk on a small herd of 6 elk with a decent shooter bull. The wind switched when the elk only needed to come 40 more yards. Obviously the elk blew out of the area. The next 1.5 days weren't very eventful. I saw elk everyday but nothing to go after. I was beginning to get frustrated with myself for passing the mature bull on the 1st day of a 5 day season. On the morning of day #4 I went to a glassing knob that I had glassed from a few times before and not seen any elk but a i was encouraged to go there by a friend that had hunted the unit during a previous season. Early that morning on the hike in I started to get a sever pain in my lower back. I was pretty confident I had a kidney stone (based on a past experience 10yrs ago in college). 2 different times otw to my location I had to stop and lay down because the pain was so severe. I drank as much water as i could and sucked it up, but i was really close to going back to the tent to just lay down. I got to my glassing knob about 6:30 and laid down letting my body relax. I decided to sit on the back side of the knob where all the glassing would would be of the mountains/hills that were closer, but this was the area I had heard the bull bugle previously. Around 7am i glassed a hillside about 500 yards away and saw something gold behind a tree. I really didn't think it was an elk until I saw one of the big branches in the tree shift and realized that it wasn't a branch but a very large antler. Adrenaline took over. I snuck down the knob to an old dead tree where i made a 384yd shot. I practice at that distance all the time, but shooting a bull you've been dreaming about your whole life is alot different then plinking a steel 6" plate. The bull dropped, but honestly I made a poor shot. I hiked up to the bull and realized he was everything I was hoping for when I drew this unit. He is a 5x6, but basically he's a big 5x5 with an 8" kicker off his g4. He has big whaletails that I absolutely love. In total I drove 3560 miles. Hiked 50+ miles (I really don't know exactly). Spent 9 days on the mountain. Glassed more hours then i can count. Saw 40+ elk. DIY Public Land Solo. Im now 2-2 on my elk hunts. The hard work paid off in a big way! I don't think my smile will go away for years!


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Nice bull!!!!