Anaconda
Very Active Member
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- 1,443
I got to AZ Wednesday afternoon, a day and a half before the hunt, and checked out a few easy to get to places that afternoon. Found some sign, but didn't see any elk. Thursday morning, I headed out way before dawn to scout my ?A list? spot, 12 miles down a rocky, bumpy 4 wheel drive trail plus a 1 mile hike.
I was running late, and about 7am I stopped to stretch my legs, stepped off the road a few feet and there were about a 100 elk looking at me. Biggest herd I have ever seen.
Opening day I headed back to ?the spot?, and saw 3 bulls in my head lights.
I didn't see any elk that morning, but I found the perfect ambush spot. I headed back to the truck and drove a few miles to the place I had seen the big herd, and passed on a decent 5X5.
That afternoon, I headed back to the ambush spot, getting there about 4pm. I immediately started seeing elk, in fact it took me a ? hour to walk the last 100 yards because cows and spikes were walking up and down the trail every minuet.
I found a rock where I could see the approach, and had a perfect, 80 yards wide open shooting lane in front of me.
In the next half hour, 30 elk must have walked past me, cows, spikes, 4X4s, they were all around me.
I actually set my gun down and got out my camera when I saw some bigger antlers bobbing above the brush coming down the trail, so I picked up the gun and waited for him to step out in the open.
I double lunged him with a Barns 250, and all heck broke loose, all the elk started running right at me, passing on both sides as close as a few feet. Then my bulls started running up the hill at me, I couldn't believe he was still on his feet, but then he staggered and keeled over about half way to my spot. I set the gun down and picked up the camera and got a photo of the elk that had just assed by me.
I reloaded and walked down to the bull and he was still kicking, so I gave him one more.
I took a few photos and started skinning him, and then I realized I was exhausted from hiking all day. It wasn?t a long pack out, but It would take me most of the night in my condition, so I gutted him and propped him open to cool, and drove out.
I called a friend, and he agreed to give me a hand, so we headed back in the next morning and finished the job.
My bull, a decent 5X5
The pack out, last load
With signs like this, ya gotta love Arizona
Recovered one of the 250 gr barns, still weighed over 248
I was running late, and about 7am I stopped to stretch my legs, stepped off the road a few feet and there were about a 100 elk looking at me. Biggest herd I have ever seen.
Opening day I headed back to ?the spot?, and saw 3 bulls in my head lights.
I didn't see any elk that morning, but I found the perfect ambush spot. I headed back to the truck and drove a few miles to the place I had seen the big herd, and passed on a decent 5X5.
That afternoon, I headed back to the ambush spot, getting there about 4pm. I immediately started seeing elk, in fact it took me a ? hour to walk the last 100 yards because cows and spikes were walking up and down the trail every minuet.
I found a rock where I could see the approach, and had a perfect, 80 yards wide open shooting lane in front of me.
In the next half hour, 30 elk must have walked past me, cows, spikes, 4X4s, they were all around me.
I actually set my gun down and got out my camera when I saw some bigger antlers bobbing above the brush coming down the trail, so I picked up the gun and waited for him to step out in the open.
I double lunged him with a Barns 250, and all heck broke loose, all the elk started running right at me, passing on both sides as close as a few feet. Then my bulls started running up the hill at me, I couldn't believe he was still on his feet, but then he staggered and keeled over about half way to my spot. I set the gun down and picked up the camera and got a photo of the elk that had just assed by me.
I reloaded and walked down to the bull and he was still kicking, so I gave him one more.
I took a few photos and started skinning him, and then I realized I was exhausted from hiking all day. It wasn?t a long pack out, but It would take me most of the night in my condition, so I gutted him and propped him open to cool, and drove out.
I called a friend, and he agreed to give me a hand, so we headed back in the next morning and finished the job.
My bull, a decent 5X5
The pack out, last load
With signs like this, ya gotta love Arizona
Recovered one of the 250 gr barns, still weighed over 248
