ixsolracxi
Active Member
- Messages
- 596
Took my nephew on his 1st elk hunt after Christmas in 16D...we had two days to get an elk and were hopeful we would see some...my daughter had the same hunt the month before and had two opportunities but it didn't work out...we got to 16D right at sunup saturday morning...we hit a few roads and were heading into long canyon when we discovered we had a flat tire...this flat occupied the remainder of the hunt because the fellas at the tire shop put on a lugnut that the tire iron could not grip and eventually stripped...we got the truck back to the bursum road and made camp and tried to break the lugnut...we had no luck...even had a kind rancher lady bring us some air...no luck, the air didn't hold and the fix-a-flat didn't work...luckily we had reception so my gf's dad was able to contact a friend who would be there first thing sunday morning...woke up the next day, made breakfast and no friend...called about 11am and he was just outside of Belen...so, we decided to go for a hike...we went the same route my nephew and i had taken the previous evening...about 5 ridges north of camp my gf's dad wanted to head back...i said Matt and I would go up and over the ridge to our west while he was going to go low...Matt and I got onto the ridge and began to go down along the west side...we stopped several times and i would glass the slope west of us...this was a small slope which had a larger snow covered ridge to the west of it...we were near the bottom when i asked my nephew "you have those new binocs around your neck and have yet to use them" I said "lets glass that snowy slope, look toward the bottoms of the trees and brush and look for elk"...i started glassing and immediately found two cows bedded, then three feeding to the right and two the the left...i told Matt "let's get to that small hill (the one between our ridge and the snowy one with elk) and you will have a shot about 300 yards...we were about 550-600 at the time...we got to the bottom and up to the small hill...the bedded cows and the ones feeding to the right of them did not offer a clear shot however the two to the left did...i told my nephew where to aim...i look through my binocs and nothing, i asked him if he was going to shoot...finally he said im ready and the 7mm-08 rang...MISS...i told him to put another round in and shoot...BANG...miss...there were easily 20-30 elk in the herd but we really saw 9 (two others that were bedded high)...the herd was moving in a NW direction so we headed west to cut them off...i saw two stop and told Matt to get to my right, pointed the elk and told him to chamber a round...he does, the 7mm rang again but this time the cow goes down...the one with her takes off to join the herd...our elk was still alive trying to get up but rolled down the hillside...we ran up to the cow and Matt finishes her with a shot to the neck...we call Charley on the radio and let him know the good news...our gear was with him and he was in camp so we headed back to get it to begin quartering the elk...long story short, we end up with a bad brake drum and a dead battery...we heard this as we were about a quarter mile from the elk...we are told to get back to the main road because the friend is going to follow us to town to get break fluid and had to leave the elk...there was nothing in Datil or Magdalena so we limp to Socorro...my sister ()Matt's mother) comes to pick up to two of us...i charge my phone and begin calling a few people to come back and help us get her out the next morning...i end up with Matt (14), Adrian (14) and my sister who really can't help...we leave Albuquerque at 5am driving on snowpack from Socorro to where we need to begin hiking...by noon we are headed back to town with 4 quarters, head, and backstraps...this was a trip for the memory, never to be forgotten with good people...with all the trouble we had we were still able to get an elk the way i like to hunt, while hiking...i don't like road hunting...i introduced two young people to hunting this year, both getting their first kills (my 11 year old daughter killed an antelope) and i am hoping to help two more next year...i hope the pics upload properly...sorry for the long winded post (it could have been longer, lol)...
Carlos
Matthew with his elk
Matthew and Adrian (he killed his first elk in 52 in November and helped us pack this one out)
Matthew and myself
Carlos
Matthew with his elk
Matthew and Adrian (he killed his first elk in 52 in November and helped us pack this one out)
Matthew and myself
