stickbuck
Active member
This is going to be an amazing experience and I still pinch myself not knowing if this is real. As the days pass by, this dream is quickly becoming a reality. So just before the New Mexico deadline, my buddy talked me into putting in for deer, elk, and Barbary sheep in the state of New Mexico. I have grown up hunting my entire life in the state of Washington and have never hunted out of state so this was a huge step for me. I have been building preference points in Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona, but never actually applied to hunt another state until this year. I have been somewhat reluctant due to the commitment it would require, not just going on the trip, but being able to afford it and at the same time leaving my family for two plus weeks. It took some encouragement from my buddy Mike, but I did it. I decided that since I was going to put in for the draw that I would also put my wife Katie in for deer and elk. Figured that it might lessen the amount of grief that I would get from her. Well, it actually worked until she logged into our credit card to pay some bills. It took a day or two for her to get over the initial shock. I told her that it was would be fine since our draw odds were super low and that the money would be refunded if we didn't get drawn. Fast forward to the end of April when the New Mexico draws came out. It was just before 6am and I quickly logged into her account and both deer and elk showed red. Shoot! I was really hoping she would draw. Next, I logged into my account and of course all three species showed red. I was definitely bummed, but the thought of $2800 returning to our credit card wasn’t going to hurt my feelings.
Fast forward to June 4th. This is when the story turns in a totally unexpected direction. Just before 6:30pm, my wife Katie is sitting in the living room opening the mail while I was in the kitchen. She said something about me receiving an envelope from the New Mexico Department of Fish and Wildlife. I told her that it was probably just some sort of junk mail or a receipt documenting our refund since we were not successful in the draw. I told her she could toss it or shred it like she normally does and she quickly asked if I cared if she opened up. Of course I was okay with it so she did. Katie calmly asked me to come into the living room and appeared to be holding something. I asked her what it was and she said that it was a carcass tag for bull elk. No way I told her! How is that even possible because I logged into the website and it even showed red. I quickly called my buddy Mike to explain this new predicament and he is beside himself too. I log into the department’s website and now it shows my elk permit as green. How did this even happen? I still have no idea and just like others have said, who cares! Time to get prepping and e-scouting.
From everything Mike told me prior to submitting my application, unit 12 2nd archery would be an amazing hunt. Not a super high density elk unit, but it was an extremely good unit when it comes to producing giant bulls. One thing that Unit 12 definitely doesn’t lack is genetics. I quickly started pouring over websites and social media and was completely overwhelmed by the pictures of bulls I was seeing. 370’s?!? 350’s?!? Even bulls scoring north of 400!!! Having never killed a bull bigger than a 5x5 raghorn (bull pictured below), I knew this would be a special experience. To top it off, my 74 year old father is going to join me on the hunt. My dad introduced me to hunting at a very young age and I have been obsessed with the outdoors ever since. Being able to share this hunt with him will really give me an opportunity to thank him for everything he has taught me over the years. I know that will make the experience one that we will enjoy together and something we will never forget. Now, with just a couple weeks until the 9/15 opener, I am quickly starting to feel the pressure building. It will be a 1,400 mile drive from my home in Bothell, WA. We will be leaving on the morning of September 12th and should arrive in the unit near Quemado on the evening of the 13th. One day of scouting will hopefully help us figure out the most active water holes and some good glassing points to sit. Still on cloud nine and I can’t believe that I am getting to go on a hunt in a state that I have always dreamt about. Thank you all for reading this. I will post pics and videos throughout the trip. Looking forward to an incredible time in the elk woods! -Matt
Fast forward to June 4th. This is when the story turns in a totally unexpected direction. Just before 6:30pm, my wife Katie is sitting in the living room opening the mail while I was in the kitchen. She said something about me receiving an envelope from the New Mexico Department of Fish and Wildlife. I told her that it was probably just some sort of junk mail or a receipt documenting our refund since we were not successful in the draw. I told her she could toss it or shred it like she normally does and she quickly asked if I cared if she opened up. Of course I was okay with it so she did. Katie calmly asked me to come into the living room and appeared to be holding something. I asked her what it was and she said that it was a carcass tag for bull elk. No way I told her! How is that even possible because I logged into the website and it even showed red. I quickly called my buddy Mike to explain this new predicament and he is beside himself too. I log into the department’s website and now it shows my elk permit as green. How did this even happen? I still have no idea and just like others have said, who cares! Time to get prepping and e-scouting.
From everything Mike told me prior to submitting my application, unit 12 2nd archery would be an amazing hunt. Not a super high density elk unit, but it was an extremely good unit when it comes to producing giant bulls. One thing that Unit 12 definitely doesn’t lack is genetics. I quickly started pouring over websites and social media and was completely overwhelmed by the pictures of bulls I was seeing. 370’s?!? 350’s?!? Even bulls scoring north of 400!!! Having never killed a bull bigger than a 5x5 raghorn (bull pictured below), I knew this would be a special experience. To top it off, my 74 year old father is going to join me on the hunt. My dad introduced me to hunting at a very young age and I have been obsessed with the outdoors ever since. Being able to share this hunt with him will really give me an opportunity to thank him for everything he has taught me over the years. I know that will make the experience one that we will enjoy together and something we will never forget. Now, with just a couple weeks until the 9/15 opener, I am quickly starting to feel the pressure building. It will be a 1,400 mile drive from my home in Bothell, WA. We will be leaving on the morning of September 12th and should arrive in the unit near Quemado on the evening of the 13th. One day of scouting will hopefully help us figure out the most active water holes and some good glassing points to sit. Still on cloud nine and I can’t believe that I am getting to go on a hunt in a state that I have always dreamt about. Thank you all for reading this. I will post pics and videos throughout the trip. Looking forward to an incredible time in the elk woods! -Matt
