Good Luck Archery Elk Hunters

So I head out tomorrow to Arizona to help my nephew with his first ever archery Bull Elk hunt in 6a. Friday morning cannot come soon enough.


Good luck to all who have been lucky enough to draw an Arizona Archery Bull tag!

caelkhnter - curious how you guys did. I have a tag and we left after 3 days due to no rut and heat. Headed back this Sat for the remainder of the season. Hunted it last year with a buddy as well who killed a bull.

Well it turned out to be much different than we expected. As far as the Rut, the only morning we heard any significant calling was the first Saturday of the season. Otherwise calling was limited to a few over the course of the remainder of the season. Nothing consistent or sustained.

In addition, the forest had not received any significant rain in the month before the season, so it was rice crispies, snap, crackle and pop everywhere you stepped. Made it impossible to spot and stalk, as the elk always saw us before we saw them.

We did have a couple of opportunities but my nephew passed, hoping he would have a better opportunity. I probably am to blame for that. Over the years he has asked why I have such a low success rate. I have told him it is not for lack of opportunities, it is just that you can never shoot a big one if you shoot the first small one that comes along. So no harvest for my nephew this hunt.

Anyway, we enjoyed the hunt. Always do, spending time with him, being out in the woods, my church, is always a rewarding time.