WildernessHTR
Member
- Messages
- 9
Well I just returned from a short scouting / bear hunt trip in the Gila and here is an update for all of those lucky enough to be holing a tag.
With not drawing an elk tag I figured now would be a good time to set up some cameras and see what going on in the Gila, to better prepare myself for when I do actually have a tag. I guess I can't complain as my dad and wife both drew 16A 1st rifle hunts.
My Dad and I left Las Cruces at about 5 pm on Friday and planned on camping at the trailhead and packing into the wilderness to set up game cameras and possibly kill a bear.
On the way in we went through some rain in the Winston area that had all of the arroyos running and washed a lot or dirt & rock onto the road which made the going a bit slower than expected. At about 9pm on the edge of Cooney prairie we saw a herd of 15-20 elk with at least one bull that was a 5x5 or 6x6 and 1-2 spikes. It was difficult to see him after they ran off the road into the dark.
About a mile later we had 5 more bulls run in front of us. All of which were 280-330 bulls. It was tough to see but it looked like they were all still in velvet.
We finally arrived to our destination about 9:30 pm and set up camp. At about 11:30 a nasty thunderstorm rolled through and had us convinced that either one of us or the horses were going to get fried by lighting.
I woke up about 6 am and went out to check on the horses and as soon as I stepped out of the tent a cow barked at me. I looked out into the flat to see about 5-6 cows grazing and watching me. I watched them for a while and noticed another group of 4 cows off to the left. After a few minutes another cow appeared with a hard horned 320 class 6x6 hot on her tail. He had his nose down and not a care in the world except that cow. I then tried a few bugles and cow calls to see if he would respond, but he didn't even raise his head.
We packed up and headed into the wilderness. My dad rode and lead our pack horse and I hiked. We planned on staying the night somewhere along the trail but it turned out we cover a lot more country in less time than expected and ended up coming out that afternoon. We covered just over 20 miles (20.4 to be exact) and hit about 4 water tanks that I like to hunt and set up cameras on 3 of them. To my amazement, one tank that always holds water (even in 2011 & 2012 when it was very dry) was just a mud hole with no standing water; however the grass was tall and green as it can be. We got rained twice more Saturday and made it back to the truck at about 5 pm soaked and tired.
On our way home we saw a group of cows/calves and spikes just East of Poverty Creek. Then further down the road just North of Winston, we saw another group of about 30-40 head with at least 4 spikes in it.
We got rained on again in the Winston area and it looked like all of the surrounding areas we also getting good moisture.
It looks like the 1st hunt guys could still have a little luck on water holes between rain storms, as all of the tanks I saw had good sign. We didn't see a single bear, but got to enjoy a weekend in the hills with my Dad.
Rut update: Although the one bull was chasing a cow I did not see any fresh rubs or hear any bugles, which leads me to believe that one cow just came into estrus early.
Good luck to all who will be out there in the next 2 months. Whenever you're feeling down or don't want to hike any further, remember you might not have that tag next year.
God Bless & happy hunting.
With not drawing an elk tag I figured now would be a good time to set up some cameras and see what going on in the Gila, to better prepare myself for when I do actually have a tag. I guess I can't complain as my dad and wife both drew 16A 1st rifle hunts.
My Dad and I left Las Cruces at about 5 pm on Friday and planned on camping at the trailhead and packing into the wilderness to set up game cameras and possibly kill a bear.
On the way in we went through some rain in the Winston area that had all of the arroyos running and washed a lot or dirt & rock onto the road which made the going a bit slower than expected. At about 9pm on the edge of Cooney prairie we saw a herd of 15-20 elk with at least one bull that was a 5x5 or 6x6 and 1-2 spikes. It was difficult to see him after they ran off the road into the dark.
About a mile later we had 5 more bulls run in front of us. All of which were 280-330 bulls. It was tough to see but it looked like they were all still in velvet.
We finally arrived to our destination about 9:30 pm and set up camp. At about 11:30 a nasty thunderstorm rolled through and had us convinced that either one of us or the horses were going to get fried by lighting.
I woke up about 6 am and went out to check on the horses and as soon as I stepped out of the tent a cow barked at me. I looked out into the flat to see about 5-6 cows grazing and watching me. I watched them for a while and noticed another group of 4 cows off to the left. After a few minutes another cow appeared with a hard horned 320 class 6x6 hot on her tail. He had his nose down and not a care in the world except that cow. I then tried a few bugles and cow calls to see if he would respond, but he didn't even raise his head.
We packed up and headed into the wilderness. My dad rode and lead our pack horse and I hiked. We planned on staying the night somewhere along the trail but it turned out we cover a lot more country in less time than expected and ended up coming out that afternoon. We covered just over 20 miles (20.4 to be exact) and hit about 4 water tanks that I like to hunt and set up cameras on 3 of them. To my amazement, one tank that always holds water (even in 2011 & 2012 when it was very dry) was just a mud hole with no standing water; however the grass was tall and green as it can be. We got rained twice more Saturday and made it back to the truck at about 5 pm soaked and tired.
On our way home we saw a group of cows/calves and spikes just East of Poverty Creek. Then further down the road just North of Winston, we saw another group of about 30-40 head with at least 4 spikes in it.
We got rained on again in the Winston area and it looked like all of the surrounding areas we also getting good moisture.
It looks like the 1st hunt guys could still have a little luck on water holes between rain storms, as all of the tanks I saw had good sign. We didn't see a single bear, but got to enjoy a weekend in the hills with my Dad.
Rut update: Although the one bull was chasing a cow I did not see any fresh rubs or hear any bugles, which leads me to believe that one cow just came into estrus early.
Good luck to all who will be out there in the next 2 months. Whenever you're feeling down or don't want to hike any further, remember you might not have that tag next year.
God Bless & happy hunting.
