SDBugler
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 1,159
I just got back from my rifle hunt in 16B. It was a tough hunt (solo backpack hunt) but had a GREAT time. I was able to scout the week before the season and located a nice 7x8 360 class bull and watched him both Wed & Thurs nights before the opener. However, Friday night a pack of wolves came in and actually killed one of the cows out of the heard right in their bedding area and that was the end of seeing that herd.
I did find a nice 300 class 6x6 bull dead. If anyone shot this bull in one of the archery seasons, send me a PM with the approximate location and I will give you the GPS coordiantes of where I hung the rack up in a tree.
On Tuesday of the hunt I had one of those memorable days when the elk really cooperate. I was in bugling bulls all day and it was a blast going from one bull/herd to the next. However, I was so far in and in such a nasty area that I told myself that I would only shoot a 350+ bull back in there. I passed on several 300 class bulls that day. Many of them at less than 30 yards.
Going into the final day, I told myself If I didn't shoot anything by 9:30, that I would head back to my camp and pack up and hike out early. If I hit the road by early afternoon I could drive the 24 hours home straight through and make it home in time to see my two sons' last cross country meet.
Well that plan didn't work out as I heard this bull make a VERY faint grunt off in the distance at about 9:10 and ended up shooting him at 9:20. It took the rest of the day Wednesday and all day Thursday to pack him out.
I had a great time on this hunt and ran into several great people from NM both in the field and at the trailhead. I have yet to run into any rude or inconsiderate people on my hunts in NM. Also, I commend the NMG&F for their great management of the game populations. Every hunt our family has been on in NM we have seen trophy class animals. NM has a great thing going.
I did find a nice 300 class 6x6 bull dead. If anyone shot this bull in one of the archery seasons, send me a PM with the approximate location and I will give you the GPS coordiantes of where I hung the rack up in a tree.
On Tuesday of the hunt I had one of those memorable days when the elk really cooperate. I was in bugling bulls all day and it was a blast going from one bull/herd to the next. However, I was so far in and in such a nasty area that I told myself that I would only shoot a 350+ bull back in there. I passed on several 300 class bulls that day. Many of them at less than 30 yards.
Going into the final day, I told myself If I didn't shoot anything by 9:30, that I would head back to my camp and pack up and hike out early. If I hit the road by early afternoon I could drive the 24 hours home straight through and make it home in time to see my two sons' last cross country meet.
Well that plan didn't work out as I heard this bull make a VERY faint grunt off in the distance at about 9:10 and ended up shooting him at 9:20. It took the rest of the day Wednesday and all day Thursday to pack him out.
I had a great time on this hunt and ran into several great people from NM both in the field and at the trailhead. I have yet to run into any rude or inconsiderate people on my hunts in NM. Also, I commend the NMG&F for their great management of the game populations. Every hunt our family has been on in NM we have seen trophy class animals. NM has a great thing going.
