Netherman's 2024 Western Hunt Recap

[Netherman]

Gonna keep posting these until someone tells me to stop. I'm building up quite a file now that I plan to give the kids one day. Probably not until they're at least out of high school so they don't know all the mistakes dear old dad has made over the years.

2024
Big time tag this year. I drew a NM archery elk tag just outside the Gila that my friend will be tagging along for. After that I’ll be headed to CO for a first rifle elk hunt where my friend and brother both have tags. I should have had enough points to draw as well, but the 5 day season had me worried about getting three tags filled. So I’ll just be “guiding” my brother on that one.

NM Archery Elk

Day 0/1

Packed and got rolling after work. It was a 24+ hour drive and it sucked as bad as it sounds. Leaving in the evening was nice as we hit Chicago at a non-busy time. The 2-5am period was as awful as expected and then the following evening was equally rough. Hopefully we’ll be able to leave a bit earlier for the CO trip. After an eternity in a truck, we arrived with two full days to scout. That’s going to be new for us and hopefully worth the vacation days.

Day 2

Up dark and early we headed to the glassing point I had e-scouted. As usual I underestimated the steepness. As we switchbacked our way up to the bench we bumped a group of mule deer bucks in the gray light. Up on top we got our first real look at the state of NM. It was some cool looking country with lots of new growth as the area had a significant burn in the last 5 years. We heard a few bugles early in the lower elevations, but not a ton of talking and it all petered out before the sun was fully over the hillside. At least we know they exist…

The rest of the morning had us melting in the sun-up high where there was only 2-4’ new growth gamble oak. We wrapped around the mountain side glassing and occasionally throwing out a location bugle. They either weren’t there, weren’t talking, or liking my calls. About two miles in we got to a sweet overlook and got our first response a mile down a canyon. Marking the spot, we continued our hike into the OnX spring. It did exist but didn’t have much flowing out of it. Certainly not enough to support a heard of elk. We took a break and ate a snack and discussed whether we’d continue to the deeper spring or wrap back to the truck and go into a different part of the unit. With the heat we assumed we’d get the best talking in the morning and this spot had elk, but maybe limited due to the water situation.

As we were getting set to leave, we spotted a funny looking woodchuck where the piped spring exited. Upon further review it was a black bear cub (the tiniest one you’d ever seen). Knowing that momma wouldn’t be far behind we pulled the handguns out and began telling the cub it was time to leave. After a moment of curiosity, the cub realized what was going on and turned around. I spotted mom over a rise covering the cubs retreat before joining it. She was tiny as well. I’d guess her at 70lb and made me re-think pulling the gun as I probably would have been fine with a pocketknife or nothing at all.

The hike back to the truck was uneventful beyond two elk sheds we found. The heat was soul sucking and I don’t blame any elk that didn’t move or respond midday. Back at the truck we drove to another part of the unit with more “tanks” and did a little evening listening without a peep. Hoping for better luck in the morning…

Lessons Learned: The bears seem tiny, maybe due to limited water. Both were a cinnamon red color that I’ve heard is more common in dryer areas (better blending?). Water is the source of life and packing in doesn’t seem feasible unless you bring your water with you.

Questions: What is the best/optimal scouting plan for elk? We tried to position ourselves high to glass and hear early and then hiked into likely areas looking for sign. Not sure there’s much better, but I’m always interested in increasing my efficiency.

 

[Netherman]

Day 3

Hiking in the darkness again. We found two decomposed whitetail sheds and my friend literally stepped on a big elk shed. Seems like we’re finding the wintering grounds… We got to our planned listening and glassing point ahead of schedule, so we sat down. As we dried our sweat, we got cold and began adding layers (funny how you can be cold when the highs are in the 80s). As the black turned gray we realized we didn’t have near the glassing opportunity that dr. google had predicted. We did a location bugle with no response and then began working our way down a long ridge that fell to a water tank. The area looked “elky” or at least closer to the areas we have found elk in MT or CO with big darker pines and a cooler feeling in the bottom. We saw some weeks old rubs (bright, but needles were brown, and sap was hardened). When we got to the tank, we realized why the locals call them “dirt tanks” as it was dry and full of dirt.

Not loving the lack of water or bugles we decided our best opening day option would be to go after the late morning bugle in the way back canyon. Looking at the map it looked like we could get in there quicker from a different road. So we packed up and took another long drive across the unit. On the way out we bumped into a local who had the adjacent unit first season. He said they quit talking three days ago which really threw our minds for a loop. “Should we stay here, should we go where we were heard some closer to the road the first morning?”. After the internal and external back and forth we decided to stick with the deep canyon plan. No water ruled out the current spot, and the transitioning elk early morning made the first morning spot feel like a gamble. The canyon bugle seemed like it was bedded so at least one elk was spending time in that area.

Lessons Learned: N/A

Questions: How do more experienced hunters scout and assess areas? Seems like food, bedding, and water are the things to look for with focus on the limiting factor (water in our case).

 

[Netherman]

Day 4

Opening morning had us up in the cool dark again. We were closer to the canyon but had a steep ridge to climb to get into it. We went up a drain as it had the most spacing of topo lines. On our way up we found a lot of bear shit and what were presumably bear beds in thick patches. “at least it was dark, bears are black, and we were in a vertical cut with rock walls on either side…”. Further up the canyon we heard something moving up above and spotted a set of yellow eyes on the lip above us. We shined our headlights at the eyes, and they crouched out of sight. After a minute or two of loud talking and shining I with they eyes popping up and down, I flipped my headlamp to turbo spot and that seemed to do the trick. The next escalation would have been us climbing up the next climbable spot and sorting out who owned this ridge. I’d much rather deal with a predator following me on my terms than his. It does make you wonder how often it happens without you realizing.

Up on top of the ridge with only the occasional glance over our shoulder we continued towards the canyon we’d heard the bugle and the spring below. We had a few unanswered location bugles up and down the canyon in the dark. Then, as daylight began to crack we dropped into the bottom to work towards an ONx spring and likely bedding area. As we got closer to the spring we heard a bugle. Creeping up towards the spring we made it to a clearing 100 yards from the spring. Not sure if we could get closer, we dropped back into the thicker stuff and made a few cow calls, then I snuck up closer to the edge. We had a spike walk down and check us out, but the rest of the herd seemed to be moving away based on the decreasing bugle volume. After the spike rejoined his herd we crept up and found the water. It was magical bucket that created its own water and overflowed into a mini dirt tank/wallow. This “miracle” is why there were animals around.

Not sure whether to follow them or not, we decided to sit the water for a bit. We kicked out two flat spots in some gamble oak on the hillside above the bucket. 30 yards from the water and with a few lanes out to 60 it felt like a good spot. We didn’t have to wait long. 30-40 minutes later, we heard a bull bugling and it was getting closer. Not 10 minutes later we saw the first cow, then another, and another. The bull was screaming so loud you could feel the air pressure hit your chest. Bugles, chuckles, and glunks. We were getting a show. He didn’t have long tines, but he had a lot of them. They all worked in towards the water with the bull bringing up the rear. The bull got to 65 in the open. Then as he got to 55 the first cow made it to the water and jumped out of her skin. Did she hit our ground scent? Did my friend move? (no way they saw me…).

The bull was in the open slightly quartering towards, but I was blocked by two trees and not sure if I could make a move without blowing the cows. The were all nervous but starting to work back towards the water. The bull didn’t move an inch. In what felt like 30 minutes but was probably only 2 a rock fell on our slope and the cows had had enough. One by one they trotted to the opposite hillside and began moving away. The bull was still in the same spot. I just needed him to take a step forward or back. Instead, he turned 90 and walked away directing behind the two trees in my way. At 75 he got into a pocket of trees, crossed another lane at 90, then up the hill after the cows and out of my life.

Bummer. After working thru the “why didn’t you shoots” we decided to sit the water and see what else comes in. 2-3 hours without seeing anything we debated going up after the bull and heard from earlier but decided to stick it out. Hopefully a bull might slip away for a drink/wallow or have a whole herd show up to start their evening. Sitting water sucked. It was boring, hot, and even worse nothing happened. The longer we sat the more I felt committed to staying there. As hot as it was every animal on the mountain would need water.

At 5pm we heard the rumble of a side by side. “huh, there must be a road up there on the ridge”. It got louder and louder until it turned the corner and we saw it. They drove down and checked their camera on the water without seeing us, so I walked down to talk to them. As I walked up the passenger started filming me or taking a picture. That’s weird… Before I can say something, the passenger asks if I’m “the guide”. I told him nope “we’re just a couple Michigan boys trying to figure out this elk thing”. The driver told me this was “his ranch” to which I responded “I thought this was national forest”. Backtracking he clarified “it is. This is my grazing allotment”. He told his client (seemingly nice and overly excitable guy from Texas) that we were here first, and they’d go somewhere else. They then proceeded to drive up the ridge the elk had went to bed. Intentional or coincidental it didn’t drive confidence in our spot.

As we discussed our options the wind was getting squirrely. I wouldn’t set a treestand without the wind in my favor so making a move was “the move”. Where to go though. Do we try and move on the herd from earlier or move lower to a natural water hole we had seen on our way in? With the scarcity of water, we decided starting there made the most sense. Down at the water, we started looking for a spot to get set up. As we circled the rocky hole holding the water we bumped into a string of cow elk who were just as surprised to see us as we were them. Above us, we heard a bull bugling. Presuming that he was regathering his cows and was close we decided to cow call and bugle in hopes that he thought another bull was stealing his cows. He responded but didn’t close any distance. He seemed “stuck” like he was holding up the cows and was waiting for this last cow. I hand the bugle to my buddy and start trying to creep in on him while my buddy tries to keep him talking. They wind had been wonky all evening and after one bad swirl it seemed to be over. A few minutes later a disappearing bugle over the ridge confirmed it.

With daylight fading and a storm approaching we began our trek back to the truck. It got dark quick and the rain wasn’t far behind. We sloshed our way up the drainage, over the ridge, and began our descent down the same drain we went up in the morning. It was real sketchy when wet as anything rock was now a slip and slide. A few waterfalls we were able to climb up in the morning became a “ride down” situation. Not sure we’d be able to go up and over in the morning or get an elk out even if we could, we decided to drive back around to the other side tomorrow.

Lessons Learned: Spend more time checking the wind particularly when sitting water. I think the coolness of the spring was causing some thermal pull and that’s what spooked the cows. Sitting water isn’t for me. It’s boring, hot, and probably effective.

Questions: Is that “guide” allowed to drive around NF land? Seems like no, but maybe he’d just make an argument that he was “checking his cattle”. It hurt watching those guys drive right in after the sucky time we had getting in there. “Pay to play” in full effect. Dude got easier draw odds and easier access.

Classic should I stay or should I go. Should we have sat the water or given the elk a bit of time to bed then went in after them? In hindsight going after them would have been better, but I’ve not sat water or had a camera on any to understand how they are used midday.