Ever take him again?

[elkduds]

400 yds w a "sorta sighted in scope," from wallyworld? Not just luck operating there.

Did you keep hunting after the packout? How did that go?

 

[Newtosavage]

400 yds w a "sorta sighted in scope," from wallyworld? Not just luck operating there.

Did you keep hunting after the packout? How did that go?

Yea, he was a good hunting buddy and he stuck with me everywhere I went for the next 3 1/2 days, including going out 2 hrs before sunrise on the 14 deg. morning and following me through snow-covered blowdowns to a remote saddle I wanted to sit on one evening and hiking out through those blowdowns in the dark. The final day he followed me on a 6.5 mile loop that covered 2800 vertical ft. So I have no complaints. He didn't have to do all that after he tagged out.

 

[Newtosavage]

That's before it's processed, and actually it's 20lbs. Afterwards he could have given you the entire elk.

Good to know, but we both took the quarters home to our local processors.

 

[Dexter Grayson]

I would definitely take the guy hunting again. Sounds like he did right by you taking him.

 

[HookUp]

Solo is where its at. Unless you like a tag along, which sounds like you do.

 

[Newtosavage]

Solo is where its at. Unless you like a tag along, which sounds like you do.

I suppose I do. Someone to chat with and especially someone to help this surgically repaired back haul meat out if it ever comes to that. LOL

If my wife would go with me, she would be the only hunting partner I'd ever have.

 

[Newtosavage]

Pretty much everyone has this experience on their very first day of hunting elk on crowded public land, right?

I thought so. LOL

 

[AKBorn]

Sounds like quite a bit of luck involved, to connect on a 400 yard shot with a rifle/scope combo that was "sorta sighted in" a couple days before. Did he have a decent idea of point of impact/bullet drop at 400 yards, or was it a lucky guess?

 

[Ross]

Congrats to your friend but my answer is no I want someone who is prepared and dialed in and has practiced with a weapon that is sighted in properly next time he may not be so lucky on the shot. Luck is a great thing

 

[5MilesBack]

View attachment 81088

Good way to get shot at with those antlers sticking up like that.

 

[Newtosavage]

Good way to get shot at with those antlers sticking up like that.

That's how he wanted them. LOL

 

[Newtosavage]

Sounds like quite a bit of luck involved, to connect on a 400 yard shot with a rifle/scope combo that was "sorta sighted in" a couple days before. Did he have a decent idea of point of impact/bullet drop at 400 yards, or was it a lucky guess?

No guessing. He read the box. LOL

 

[Thomas11]

No guessing. He read the box. LOL

this whole thread is pretty funny! But I do think it has some underlying truths like above. Sometimes we really overthink things. I know I do! And then we change our decisions based off that and screw it up. I analyze everything but I know ppl like this that take a very simplistic approach and don’t over complicate it and are highly successful

 

[Fridaythe13th]

He!! Yes he is lucky. That trumps planning any day. Maybe you should get a 15% tip for being a good guide. Lol.

 

[PowellSixO]

I feel your pain. I finally drew an early archery bull hunt in AZ (few years ago). You guys know how hard that can be in Arizona. I spent 35 days scouting my unit, shooting my bow every single day for months before the hunt, and everything in between getting ready for the hunt. I friend of mine also drew the hunt. He rolls into my camp the day before the hunt, cracks his bow case that has dust all over it. He can shoot d!ck at 20 or 30 yards, but can hit the 40 yard target for some reason (first time shooting his bow all year). He asks me what water hole he should sit. I give him my honest opinion, and off he goes opening morning. Well that evening he comes back with a bull. He went to the water hole I told him to sit, put his blind 40 yards from it, and smoked a bull right through the heart. I hunt the entire hunt, and when I think I can't go another minute on day 14, my one and only opportunity presents itself, and I make a great looking shot. Well after tracking the bull for 6+ miles, and the entire next day, we never recovered it. Sh!t happens. Lol. To make it worse, the next year he draws a PREMIUM (usually takes residents 17-18 points to draw) archery bull tag in AZ AGAIN, and shoots a slammer bull on the second day just wondering around in a new area he never scouted. Haha. Some people have all the luck.

 

[Riles1050]

I've had a similar experience at two different occasions.
First, this guy didn't have any camping equipment which I supplied, only had three bullets with him so he used my gun after he hit his animal once and missed twice to finish him off. After he harvested a nice 4 point buck he didn't have a knife or understanding of how to break down an animal. Which I understand if you've never done it before, so i took the time to show him and help pack it out. Fast forward several years, he is my best hunting buddy. He has acquired all necessary equipment and is now obsessed with scouting and finding new spots and shares all his information with me. He is hooked. We've now had many more amazing experiences and harvests together.

Second, similar experience as far as preparation except this guy complained about everything, still managed to get him on a deer to harvest. He tried to not pack out all the meat, then found out later he threw away his portion. Lets just say I don't talk to him anymore and will never hunt with him again. Seems like your buddy is more in line with my first experience staying and hunting hard with you the remainder of the trip.

Moral of the story. I don't fault beginners for not having an understanding of what they are getting into. It really is a crazy, wild, challenging, foreign experience for most. Especially if they have had little to zero exposure to western hunting. I judge them based on how they react after I have given them the exposure.

Take new guys into the woods. The future of hunting rely's on it, in my opinion.

 

[Newtosavage]

this whole thread is pretty funny! But I do think it has some underlying truths like above. Sometimes we really overthink things. I know I do! And then we change our decisions based off that and screw it up. I analyze everything but I know ppl like this that take a very simplistic approach and don’t over complicate it and are highly successful

I'm glad you see it that way. It was meant to be funny because we have probably all hunted with "that guy" at one time or another. I still chuckle and shake my head about it. Especially when I see all the FB pictures and posts from the hunt. I'm happy as heck for him in reality.

But that was one of my take-aways from this hunt. Seriously. He even said it himself. We were sitting in the tent after we had packed down his bull and there I was studying my OnX maps on my iPad for the afternoon's hunt. He's like dude, your problem has always been that you're too smart and you study too much. LOL I didn't say anything but I was thinking "well that's why you and I are sitting right here and we just packed out your bull on opening day..."

He's probably right to some degree though. But then again like I said early on, a big part of the enjoyment and satisfaction of these trips to me is the preparation, and it's much more satisfying when a well made plan actually produces. In this case, it did produce, but for him instead of me. That's where the luck comes in.

 

[Newtosavage]

I feel your pain. I finally drew an early archery bull hunt in AZ (few years ago). You guys know how hard that can be in Arizona. I spent 35 days scouting my unit, shooting my bow every single day for months before the hunt, and everything in between getting ready for the hunt. I friend of mine also drew the hunt. He rolls into my camp the day before the hunt, cracks his bow case that has dust all over it. He can shoot d!ck at 20 or 30 yards, but can hit the 40 yard target for some reason (first time shooting his bow all year). He asks me what water hole he should sit. I give him my honest opinion, and off he goes opening morning. Well that evening he comes back with a bull. He went to the water hole I told him to sit, put his blind 40 yards from it, and smoked a bull right through the heart. I hunt the entire hunt, and when I think I can't go another minute on day 14, my one and only opportunity presents itself, and I make a great looking shot. Well after tracking the bull for 6+ miles, and the entire next day, we never recovered it. Sh!t happens. Lol. To make it worse, the next year he draws a PREMIUM (usually takes residents 17-18 points to draw) archery bull tag in AZ AGAIN, and shoots a slammer bull on the second day just wondering around in a new area he never scouted. Haha. Some people have all the luck.

Indeed. The funny thing is he spent the entire ride up telling me how unlucky he always is. After a couple hours, I'm like dude, go play that record somewhere else. You have 100 reasons why you are a lucky guy and I can start naming them anytime. It was only when the taxidermist told him that was a very good bull for the area, and that he would never take him hunting again, did he begin to admit he got lucky. LOL