Wapitiwilly
Very Active Member
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This journey begin in early Spring of 2019. When the draw results came out in Arizona I found out that I had drawn a premium archery elk tag. The only concern was so had one of my sons. His unit was 150 miles from mine. Realizing at 61 years old that I probably was not going to draw at tag again of this caliber. I made a decision to hire an outfitter for the 1st time in the continental United States.
After a tremendous amount of research I decided to hire A3. Probably the best decision I have ever made regarding hunting.
Because of the quality of the tag and the great moisture year I set my bar at 370+. Realizing this was going to be difficult but possibly. During the summer months Blake (A3 guide) send me tons of pictures of bulls in that range.
We arrived in Arizona on September 11th to scout prior to the hunt.
Rutting activity was slow early but gained momentum as the days went by. On September 14th we returned to the truck and trailer to find that someone had stolen on of our UTV's. It was a 2017 Honda Pioneer 1000. After reporting the police and expecting to never find it we received a call the next day with good news. The Honda had been found, beat to #####, but we had it back.
Around the 23rd of September the bulls were rutting nonstop. Every morning and evening we were up close and personal with great bulls.
It was becoming really hard to not shoot one of the mid-range bulls (350+)
Finally on September 26th (day 14)we passed on two bulls that were on the bubble.
Blake had us chase a bugle up a ridge. Once on the ridge a cow stepped out at 45+ yards and we could see the bull in the pines following her. He finally stepped partially into a clearing only showing his front shoulder and about 10" behind. I knew this was going to be my only chance. Somehow I was able to stay calm and make the shot. One of my sons was standing by my side and I believe he helped me to relax and make a good shot.
I cannot express the respect and appreciation that I have for Blake and A3. Those guys are a class act and I hope to be hunting with them again soon.
This bull is a straight 6X6. To put it into perspective the swords are 28 1/2"
Amazing hunt, amazing bull and yes I did find "The" Elk of my dreams.
After a tremendous amount of research I decided to hire A3. Probably the best decision I have ever made regarding hunting.
Because of the quality of the tag and the great moisture year I set my bar at 370+. Realizing this was going to be difficult but possibly. During the summer months Blake (A3 guide) send me tons of pictures of bulls in that range.
We arrived in Arizona on September 11th to scout prior to the hunt.
Rutting activity was slow early but gained momentum as the days went by. On September 14th we returned to the truck and trailer to find that someone had stolen on of our UTV's. It was a 2017 Honda Pioneer 1000. After reporting the police and expecting to never find it we received a call the next day with good news. The Honda had been found, beat to #####, but we had it back.
Around the 23rd of September the bulls were rutting nonstop. Every morning and evening we were up close and personal with great bulls.
It was becoming really hard to not shoot one of the mid-range bulls (350+)
Finally on September 26th (day 14)we passed on two bulls that were on the bubble.
Blake had us chase a bugle up a ridge. Once on the ridge a cow stepped out at 45+ yards and we could see the bull in the pines following her. He finally stepped partially into a clearing only showing his front shoulder and about 10" behind. I knew this was going to be my only chance. Somehow I was able to stay calm and make the shot. One of my sons was standing by my side and I believe he helped me to relax and make a good shot.
I cannot express the respect and appreciation that I have for Blake and A3. Those guys are a class act and I hope to be hunting with them again soon.
This bull is a straight 6X6. To put it into perspective the swords are 28 1/2"
Amazing hunt, amazing bull and yes I did find "The" Elk of my dreams.
![IMG_3416[1].JPG](/xf/data/xfmg/thumbnail/40/40160-16db8fef6e9d7c5d58bc0c366bc76886.jpg?1700189220)
