JakeH
Long Time Member
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Figured I would share my buddy and I's Arizona elk hunt from this year.
The area I hunt is super thick and relatively flat, so glassing is not an option, I missed the first couple days of the hunt and my buddy wasn't going to make it out until several days later.
The first day I was in there after setting up camp I decided to go check the water holes I knew about figuring with all the moisture we had received this year that they would be full. I was mistaken because every pond I knew about was bone dry.
There had been some recent storms hit the area so I decided to drive around the to see if I could find any tracks, not far into my drive I cut a large bull track with a lone cow. I geared up and started tracking. After 5 miles I never did catch up to the bull and cow, but did get a good idea of where the elk were hanging out.
The next morning was uneventful, no bugling, I had went to a different area where I've seen elk in the past and was not cutting any fresh track after a 7 mile morning hike.
I decided to head back to the area I was cutting sign in the day before for the evening hunt.
My plan was to make another large loop through the area and see if I could narrow down where the elk was hanging out, the plan was to also check a small slot canyon that I had found years ago that would collect water in the rocks and see if it had water.
Before I made it to the water catch I actually walked onto a small bull. He made me about the same time I seen him and no shot was presented. I did find that there was water in the little slot canyon and the elk seemed to be drinking from it. I was also cutting a lot of track in the area but no bugling was herd.
The next morning again was slow, no bugling and no elk spotted, I decided to build a small blind over looking the water I had found the night before and would sit it for the evening hunt. Nothing was seen or herd for the day but i was still cutting lots of track.
For the next morning i decided to check a large sage flat that the elk seemed to like. I got in there well before daylight and after calling i thought i herd a bull bugle back. I worked in a little closer and tried again, after a couple minutes I herd a bull chuckle. And a little while latter a bugle. This was good, now i just had to work my way into position before it got light and try and call him in.
I got into position to where i was a couple hundred yards away and started calling, the bull immediately answered and headed my way. He came in to where i was looking straight into the horizon and rising sun, I only caught a few brief glances at his antlers coming through the trees and could really only make out that he had a good 4, 5, 6. He was definitely a shooter for me.
I had wanted him to come in and work his way to my right side, this would give me the best shooting lanes as I had huddled next to a tree and would also make the bright rising sun not an issue But as usually happens he worked to my left and came in hot, before i knew it he was within 20 yards right on the other side of the tree with no shot. He immediately kinda busted as there was no cow in the area, I called as he did and thought he had left the area but as i worked around the tree i could see his antler tips sticking above the trees about 50 yards away. I drew back my bow and side stepped out to where i had a clear shot. It took a second to figure out how he was standing as i was staring straight into the bright horizon line. But i finally made him out and sent one on its way. I knew i had hit him but was unsure of how well as i could not see my arrow impact and was unsure of the yardage.
I went and checked for blood and found my arrow and what was probably the best blood trail I have ever seen. Here are a few pictures to illustrate this.
I trailed the blood for about 400 yards until he had gotten out of the flat and into the thick trees. Even with the amazing blood trail the fact he had made it so far made me nervous so i decided to back out for a few hours and make sure he had plenty of time to die.
Once the bull made it into the trees I found a bloody bed only 80 yards in. The bull was still bleeding really well, after another short distance i found another bed, and then another, but they was starting too look more tore up, I think he was tearing the ground up with his foot and getting the dirt loosened up and then putting the wound right into it to try and stop the bleeding, I found 3 or 4 beds like this in a very short distance.
I nocked an arrow and continued on slowly watching ahead in case the bull was still alive even though I didn't see how he could be with as much blood as he had lost.
I finally spotted the bull dead up ahead.
Turned out my shot was low and the arrow had got an artery in his leg about where his leg and chest come together. That is why he had lost so much blood, I found my broadhead lodged in one of the joints in his leg where the shoulder connects to the leg, I was quite lucky and am very grateful I recovered this bull.
I had finally killed a good bull, this was my first 6x6 and my largest bull to date. He was a fighter and had some broken points i hadn't seen in all the excitement of calling him in, but i didn't care. I set him up for pictures and proceeded to getting him quartered out and packed out. Which is quite the job when you are by yourself lol.
This ended up being one of the shortest hunts I've ever had, I'm usually sticking it out to the final days. My wife was sure happy about that lol.
I did stick around for a few more days. My buddy Jt showed up two days after i killed my bull and the plan was the same as when i hunted. Try and get one talking in the morning and sit the water at night. It was a pretty uneventful couple of days the elk were not talking at all. But on the 3rd evening he had a bull come into the water right at dark and he was able to put an arrow in him. He thought he might of hit him low and back a little so he backed out and we decided to go look for him first thing in the morning as the last thing you want to do is bump a wounded bull.
The next morning we got on the trail and immediately found blood, with signs of a gut shot. We proceed very slowly and after about 300 yards spotted the bull bedded about 20 yards sway watching us. JT quickly put another arrow into the bull and he ran off, this shot was perfect and we herd the bull start to death moan about 100 yards away through the trees. We waited about 20 minutes and went and found the bull.
Jt also killed his first 6x6 and his largest bull to date.
All in all it was a really fun hunt, my bull would have been about 315 unbroken, and Jt's bull was just over 300.
The one thing I learned is make sure you give them plenty of time to die or at least get sick enough they don't want to move, we both got very luck the we recovered our bulls and the outcome could have ended differently had we pushed them to soon.
Jake H.
The area I hunt is super thick and relatively flat, so glassing is not an option, I missed the first couple days of the hunt and my buddy wasn't going to make it out until several days later.
The first day I was in there after setting up camp I decided to go check the water holes I knew about figuring with all the moisture we had received this year that they would be full. I was mistaken because every pond I knew about was bone dry.
There had been some recent storms hit the area so I decided to drive around the to see if I could find any tracks, not far into my drive I cut a large bull track with a lone cow. I geared up and started tracking. After 5 miles I never did catch up to the bull and cow, but did get a good idea of where the elk were hanging out.
The next morning was uneventful, no bugling, I had went to a different area where I've seen elk in the past and was not cutting any fresh track after a 7 mile morning hike.
I decided to head back to the area I was cutting sign in the day before for the evening hunt.
My plan was to make another large loop through the area and see if I could narrow down where the elk was hanging out, the plan was to also check a small slot canyon that I had found years ago that would collect water in the rocks and see if it had water.
Before I made it to the water catch I actually walked onto a small bull. He made me about the same time I seen him and no shot was presented. I did find that there was water in the little slot canyon and the elk seemed to be drinking from it. I was also cutting a lot of track in the area but no bugling was herd.
The next morning again was slow, no bugling and no elk spotted, I decided to build a small blind over looking the water I had found the night before and would sit it for the evening hunt. Nothing was seen or herd for the day but i was still cutting lots of track.
For the next morning i decided to check a large sage flat that the elk seemed to like. I got in there well before daylight and after calling i thought i herd a bull bugle back. I worked in a little closer and tried again, after a couple minutes I herd a bull chuckle. And a little while latter a bugle. This was good, now i just had to work my way into position before it got light and try and call him in.
I got into position to where i was a couple hundred yards away and started calling, the bull immediately answered and headed my way. He came in to where i was looking straight into the horizon and rising sun, I only caught a few brief glances at his antlers coming through the trees and could really only make out that he had a good 4, 5, 6. He was definitely a shooter for me.
I had wanted him to come in and work his way to my right side, this would give me the best shooting lanes as I had huddled next to a tree and would also make the bright rising sun not an issue But as usually happens he worked to my left and came in hot, before i knew it he was within 20 yards right on the other side of the tree with no shot. He immediately kinda busted as there was no cow in the area, I called as he did and thought he had left the area but as i worked around the tree i could see his antler tips sticking above the trees about 50 yards away. I drew back my bow and side stepped out to where i had a clear shot. It took a second to figure out how he was standing as i was staring straight into the bright horizon line. But i finally made him out and sent one on its way. I knew i had hit him but was unsure of how well as i could not see my arrow impact and was unsure of the yardage.
I went and checked for blood and found my arrow and what was probably the best blood trail I have ever seen. Here are a few pictures to illustrate this.
I trailed the blood for about 400 yards until he had gotten out of the flat and into the thick trees. Even with the amazing blood trail the fact he had made it so far made me nervous so i decided to back out for a few hours and make sure he had plenty of time to die.
Once the bull made it into the trees I found a bloody bed only 80 yards in. The bull was still bleeding really well, after another short distance i found another bed, and then another, but they was starting too look more tore up, I think he was tearing the ground up with his foot and getting the dirt loosened up and then putting the wound right into it to try and stop the bleeding, I found 3 or 4 beds like this in a very short distance.
I nocked an arrow and continued on slowly watching ahead in case the bull was still alive even though I didn't see how he could be with as much blood as he had lost.
I finally spotted the bull dead up ahead.
Turned out my shot was low and the arrow had got an artery in his leg about where his leg and chest come together. That is why he had lost so much blood, I found my broadhead lodged in one of the joints in his leg where the shoulder connects to the leg, I was quite lucky and am very grateful I recovered this bull.
I had finally killed a good bull, this was my first 6x6 and my largest bull to date. He was a fighter and had some broken points i hadn't seen in all the excitement of calling him in, but i didn't care. I set him up for pictures and proceeded to getting him quartered out and packed out. Which is quite the job when you are by yourself lol.
This ended up being one of the shortest hunts I've ever had, I'm usually sticking it out to the final days. My wife was sure happy about that lol.
I did stick around for a few more days. My buddy Jt showed up two days after i killed my bull and the plan was the same as when i hunted. Try and get one talking in the morning and sit the water at night. It was a pretty uneventful couple of days the elk were not talking at all. But on the 3rd evening he had a bull come into the water right at dark and he was able to put an arrow in him. He thought he might of hit him low and back a little so he backed out and we decided to go look for him first thing in the morning as the last thing you want to do is bump a wounded bull.
The next morning we got on the trail and immediately found blood, with signs of a gut shot. We proceed very slowly and after about 300 yards spotted the bull bedded about 20 yards sway watching us. JT quickly put another arrow into the bull and he ran off, this shot was perfect and we herd the bull start to death moan about 100 yards away through the trees. We waited about 20 minutes and went and found the bull.
Jt also killed his first 6x6 and his largest bull to date.
All in all it was a really fun hunt, my bull would have been about 315 unbroken, and Jt's bull was just over 300.
The one thing I learned is make sure you give them plenty of time to die or at least get sick enough they don't want to move, we both got very luck the we recovered our bulls and the outcome could have ended differently had we pushed them to soon.
Jake H.
