caelkhnter
Very Active Member
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Well I just got back from helping my buddy and his dad on a Az. Unit 10 early rifle hunt. What a great hunt. Before we get to the results you need to know some of the importatnt details. First my buddy's dad has been trying to get his tag for years and years. He was one of the six people with the max points. Unfortunately over the years his health has deteriorated. He has a serious cardiac condition that limits his walking ability. That is compounded with his serious diabetic condition. And he is 73 years old! So getting an elk was going to be a challenge even with the early tag.
We had set our goal at getting a 350 type bull. This is a special unit and a special hunt. Even with the physical restrictions we had to deal with we felt we could achieve this goal.
Well the first day was disappointing as the bulls were not calling or responding to any calls, and we did not get near any big bulls. On Saturday the morning was more of the same,but the evening hunt was better because we got on a bull that was responsive, but we ran out of light. It looked to be the quality we were looking for.
Sunday morning found us in the area where we had seen the good bull the night before. We had to walk about a mile into a draw, which was the limit of what we thought(more on that later) we could push my buddy's dad. We got into position and the bull presented itself at about 100 yards. He took the shot using the make shift tripod gun rest we made up because he could not kneel or lay on the ground in a shooting position. Well he missed and was none to happy about that. That afternoon things were quiet but we kept our spirits up.
Sunday evening we spotted a herd that looked to have a 350 type lead bull. Problem was it was more than a mile away. We decided to give it a try and boy was that a difficult stalk. My buddy's dad was pushed to the abosolute limit. At one point it was clear he wanted to give up. Worst part was we did not have enough light to let him rest up much,we had to keep moving. With encouragement and prodding we got to within shooting distance just as the light was running out. He took a 250 yard shot and hit the bull.
We later determined that we had walked almost 2 miles to get that bull. It was roughed scored at camp at 366, which includes a 9 inch loss due to the fifth point on the left side being partially broken off.
I have some pictures but do not know how to post. If anyone else can I will eamil them to you for posting.
We had set our goal at getting a 350 type bull. This is a special unit and a special hunt. Even with the physical restrictions we had to deal with we felt we could achieve this goal.
Well the first day was disappointing as the bulls were not calling or responding to any calls, and we did not get near any big bulls. On Saturday the morning was more of the same,but the evening hunt was better because we got on a bull that was responsive, but we ran out of light. It looked to be the quality we were looking for.
Sunday morning found us in the area where we had seen the good bull the night before. We had to walk about a mile into a draw, which was the limit of what we thought(more on that later) we could push my buddy's dad. We got into position and the bull presented itself at about 100 yards. He took the shot using the make shift tripod gun rest we made up because he could not kneel or lay on the ground in a shooting position. Well he missed and was none to happy about that. That afternoon things were quiet but we kept our spirits up.
Sunday evening we spotted a herd that looked to have a 350 type lead bull. Problem was it was more than a mile away. We decided to give it a try and boy was that a difficult stalk. My buddy's dad was pushed to the abosolute limit. At one point it was clear he wanted to give up. Worst part was we did not have enough light to let him rest up much,we had to keep moving. With encouragement and prodding we got to within shooting distance just as the light was running out. He took a 250 yard shot and hit the bull.
We later determined that we had walked almost 2 miles to get that bull. It was roughed scored at camp at 366, which includes a 9 inch loss due to the fifth point on the left side being partially broken off.
I have some pictures but do not know how to post. If anyone else can I will eamil them to you for posting.
