Thanksgiving is Payson
- Thread starter Gator
- Start date
fortheloveofit
Member
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- 89
Did you draw 23 late we hunted that unit last year for my dads tag great hunt lots of Bulls
Gator
Long Time Member
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- 18,131
Wow you guys will be putting some time in there, there is 3 of us also that drew that I know.
Hoping for a good year.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
Hoping for a good year.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
MEANTTOBBUCK
Active Member
- Messages
- 464
Great Gator. I glad you drew. I wish I could help you out like you did us a few years back but you know that unit better than me. Let me know how you do.
I may be there for Thanksgiving. I have the late Kaibab tag this year and the 22N elk hunt that starts the day after Thanksgiving. So it all depends on if I find a nice buck before then or not.
This will be the first year that I haven't been with family for Thanksgiving, its going to be weird but happy this is the reason I'm not going to be there!
This will be the first year that I haven't been with family for Thanksgiving, its going to be weird but happy this is the reason I'm not going to be there!
Gator
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 18,131
Hope you find a good buck and show up in 22N.
Thanks Tikka I will be looking for a good one.
This weekend it all about the SD trip for a week.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
Thanks Tikka I will be looking for a good one.
This weekend it all about the SD trip for a week.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
MEANTTOBBUCK
Active Member
- Messages
- 464
Good luck Joel!
MEANTTOBBUCK
Active Member
- Messages
- 464
Go get em Gator!!
Captain_coues
Very Active Member
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- 1,451
How did it go?
Gator
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 18,131
We did 2 out of 3 bulls, The night it snowed about 3-4" I had a a eye problem crop up and had to pull out. MISSED the best day of the hunt with brown animals on a white background, But my eye was more important then another elk.
Cornea rejection isn't a fun deal.
Got some good specialist working on saving it so I guess time will tell.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
Cornea rejection isn't a fun deal.
Got some good specialist working on saving it so I guess time will tell.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
chap_dog48
Active Member
- Messages
- 150
Let me tell you about a guy named GATOR!
Many of you have come to know Gator from his many posts on here about hunting and what not but that does not give the whole picture of this man. Gator and I go way back to when we were coaching on Rival wrestling teams starting in the 90's. He and I became hunting friends through sites like this. Well several years ago he mentioned to me about hunting in Arizona, and particularly for ELK. I was interested but had no starting point. Gator calls me up and gave me the unit and info for that draw and low and behold we drew after a few years. From there Gator then went on to tell me where to go in the unit. He even loaned me his 15x Swarovski Binos to help in scouting and then the hunt (who does that right) Well Gator does. Ended up killing a elk on that hunt and was super thankful for all his help and direction.
So now we are in 2016 and my dad and I draw tags again along with Gator. I am stoked to go along with him and my Dad and I even took my 12 year old Daughter along. We showed up to elk camp 2016 got thing ready Gator pulled in and we were off looking for elk, and then again on Thanksgiving. Didn't see many bulls in the area. There are forest service people and a lumber company doing a timber cut and they just got done doing a healthy forest undergrowth cut in burn in the area that seemed to throw the patterns of elk all a miss. We did see some smaller bulls, spikes and a 3x rag horn but that was really it. Gator had a plan to get the 3x rag horn for my Dad day one so that was the plan.
Opening day my Dad missed that 3x raghorn and it just ate him up. He has never killed and elk so he was bummed but Gator chalked it up to a miss and said we will find more.
Day 2 we did see some bigger bulls a large 5x and a bigger 4x. Tried to put Gator and my Dad on them as my daughter and I used the glass from a mile off but the bulls never came out. Also that morning Gator being the one of the nicest guys I know meets up with another MM member and loans out his 15 Swarovski Binos to the friend of a friend of a friend he had never met. Who does that, well Gator does. They did see some smaller bulls but nothing they wanted but tipped us off that some other elk may be moving in due the pressure on the flats.
Day Three Gator has us back in same place as opening morning and we are stoked since the info of the other MM members may work for us. Well we hiked in at 5:30 am go to our spot and right away my Daughter AKA MY GUIDE and I had elk in front of us. 1 minute later a bull stepped out a 4x and I looked at my daughter and she said, " SHOOT THE SUCKER!" Well first shot rang true and he walked about 10 steps wobbled and my guide said, "hit him again Dad!" down he went. My Dad and Gator had elk all around them that morning but no window of opportunity to see if they were bulls. We all carried the meat out and got to truck even though I wanted to bring in the quad, Gator and my Dad must be cut from the same cloth cause they refused to stop and 2 miles later we got the truck. Both those guys are Salty.
Later that night we decided to check out if more elk were moving into the flats and wouldn't you know it we are glassing from the truck and here comes this bull walking right out of the thicket. It was Gator turn but he looked over at my Dad and said. You take him. I was blown away that Gator allowed my Dad to shoot that bull. Gator truly is a man of character. He allowed my Dad who is in his upper 60's to do something he had never done. What a great character of a man Gator is.
That night it started to snow and we know Gator was primed to kill a big bull, but as he mentioned his eye problems began. We did go out and look around but didn't see much since it was still snowing. Gator decided I call the hunt and head home. I was bummed knowing we had all the right conditions to hunt but we had to go. I will post pics later since I am now heading over to give Gator some meat and again thank him for being the type of man most of us want to be. A true Friend and Hunter.
Kurt
Many of you have come to know Gator from his many posts on here about hunting and what not but that does not give the whole picture of this man. Gator and I go way back to when we were coaching on Rival wrestling teams starting in the 90's. He and I became hunting friends through sites like this. Well several years ago he mentioned to me about hunting in Arizona, and particularly for ELK. I was interested but had no starting point. Gator calls me up and gave me the unit and info for that draw and low and behold we drew after a few years. From there Gator then went on to tell me where to go in the unit. He even loaned me his 15x Swarovski Binos to help in scouting and then the hunt (who does that right) Well Gator does. Ended up killing a elk on that hunt and was super thankful for all his help and direction.
So now we are in 2016 and my dad and I draw tags again along with Gator. I am stoked to go along with him and my Dad and I even took my 12 year old Daughter along. We showed up to elk camp 2016 got thing ready Gator pulled in and we were off looking for elk, and then again on Thanksgiving. Didn't see many bulls in the area. There are forest service people and a lumber company doing a timber cut and they just got done doing a healthy forest undergrowth cut in burn in the area that seemed to throw the patterns of elk all a miss. We did see some smaller bulls, spikes and a 3x rag horn but that was really it. Gator had a plan to get the 3x rag horn for my Dad day one so that was the plan.
Opening day my Dad missed that 3x raghorn and it just ate him up. He has never killed and elk so he was bummed but Gator chalked it up to a miss and said we will find more.
Day 2 we did see some bigger bulls a large 5x and a bigger 4x. Tried to put Gator and my Dad on them as my daughter and I used the glass from a mile off but the bulls never came out. Also that morning Gator being the one of the nicest guys I know meets up with another MM member and loans out his 15 Swarovski Binos to the friend of a friend of a friend he had never met. Who does that, well Gator does. They did see some smaller bulls but nothing they wanted but tipped us off that some other elk may be moving in due the pressure on the flats.
Day Three Gator has us back in same place as opening morning and we are stoked since the info of the other MM members may work for us. Well we hiked in at 5:30 am go to our spot and right away my Daughter AKA MY GUIDE and I had elk in front of us. 1 minute later a bull stepped out a 4x and I looked at my daughter and she said, " SHOOT THE SUCKER!" Well first shot rang true and he walked about 10 steps wobbled and my guide said, "hit him again Dad!" down he went. My Dad and Gator had elk all around them that morning but no window of opportunity to see if they were bulls. We all carried the meat out and got to truck even though I wanted to bring in the quad, Gator and my Dad must be cut from the same cloth cause they refused to stop and 2 miles later we got the truck. Both those guys are Salty.
Later that night we decided to check out if more elk were moving into the flats and wouldn't you know it we are glassing from the truck and here comes this bull walking right out of the thicket. It was Gator turn but he looked over at my Dad and said. You take him. I was blown away that Gator allowed my Dad to shoot that bull. Gator truly is a man of character. He allowed my Dad who is in his upper 60's to do something he had never done. What a great character of a man Gator is.
That night it started to snow and we know Gator was primed to kill a big bull, but as he mentioned his eye problems began. We did go out and look around but didn't see much since it was still snowing. Gator decided I call the hunt and head home. I was bummed knowing we had all the right conditions to hunt but we had to go. I will post pics later since I am now heading over to give Gator some meat and again thank him for being the type of man most of us want to be. A true Friend and Hunter.
Kurt
chap_dog48
Active Member
- Messages
- 150
LAST EDITED ON Dec-09-16 AT 11:33PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Dec-09-16 AT 11:27?PM (MST)
Here is my guide. Even packed out the head and both backstraps. Best guide out there. Enjoy
Here is my guide. Even packed out the head and both backstraps. Best guide out there. Enjoy
Gator
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 18,131
She is a tough cookie, No give up in her.
Kurt and family are great to be around and hunt with, couldn't ask for a better group to hunt with that for sure.
Can't wait for us to draw again.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
Kurt and family are great to be around and hunt with, couldn't ask for a better group to hunt with that for sure.
Can't wait for us to draw again.
"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
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