NM Elk Write Up 2021
- Thread starter ShakeDown
- Start date
Day 1 - Sat 9/18
I drove straight through from the Denver area after getting out of work at noon on Friday the 17th to arrive at the unit around 10pm. The boys had been there since the day before opening and had found a few good bulls. Rut was on!
Sunrise day 1 finds me staring at a young 310”-ish 6x at 60yds, standing broadside to my brother. First day pass.
Evening finds us driving to an area we had scouted a very large bull. A bull that had my youngest brother’s 364” bull in ‘19 beat by 20+ inches. On the way there we spot a herd of 30+ cows we know must have a bull. My brother and I bail and set up downwind. Several cow calls later and a few bugles/ raking and a very nice 340” bull is 80yds from the shooter. His self imposed max is 60yds.
Unfortunately another group of hunters sees the herd and they blow out upwind. Our ruckus has lit up the ridge behind us and we start chasing bugles. We head up the ridge and set up - a few sequences later a spike and a nice 6x in the 315-320 class come side hill into about 65. I hand sign to my brother, “bull, 65yds” he signs back, “small” I look again… shrug my shoulders and tell him to look again. He looks 5 yds left of the spike and sees the bigger bull. He decides not to shoot. Second first day pass. We press on up the ridge and get into a screaming match with two smaller 300ish bulls. Both were a pass. We call in the two hunters that blew out the large bull… sneak back down the ridge, bugle once more and disappear forever.
I drove straight through from the Denver area after getting out of work at noon on Friday the 17th to arrive at the unit around 10pm. The boys had been there since the day before opening and had found a few good bulls. Rut was on!
Sunrise day 1 finds me staring at a young 310”-ish 6x at 60yds, standing broadside to my brother. First day pass.
Evening finds us driving to an area we had scouted a very large bull. A bull that had my youngest brother’s 364” bull in ‘19 beat by 20+ inches. On the way there we spot a herd of 30+ cows we know must have a bull. My brother and I bail and set up downwind. Several cow calls later and a few bugles/ raking and a very nice 340” bull is 80yds from the shooter. His self imposed max is 60yds.
Unfortunately another group of hunters sees the herd and they blow out upwind. Our ruckus has lit up the ridge behind us and we start chasing bugles. We head up the ridge and set up - a few sequences later a spike and a nice 6x in the 315-320 class come side hill into about 65. I hand sign to my brother, “bull, 65yds” he signs back, “small” I look again… shrug my shoulders and tell him to look again. He looks 5 yds left of the spike and sees the bigger bull. He decides not to shoot. Second first day pass. We press on up the ridge and get into a screaming match with two smaller 300ish bulls. Both were a pass. We call in the two hunters that blew out the large bull… sneak back down the ridge, bugle once more and disappear forever.
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Day 2 - Sun 9/19
New area we had previously scouted. Got into them again at sunrise. First bull sounded good but could not get him to turn and leave his cows. 2-3 other bulls start going off and we change tactics. Bull #6 comes into about 45. My brother draws, stops him, and let’s down. Day 2 pass. Another 300ish bull. Walking back to the truck we get into another herd, but don’t see or hear the herd bull. My youngest brother has to head back to work today. Down to 4 in camp.
Evening hunt was slow till the last 15 min of shooting. We call in a spike we nickname Doofy. Doofy comes ON A STRING from about 200 yds, right to our group. We are behind no cover at all.
We continue on and right before dark, my brother tells me to let er rip. I blast a challenge into a pretty big canyon and it immediately turns on. At least 6 bulls start screaming at us. We save this spot and back out.
Day 3 - Mon 9/20
Today the second oldest brother has to head back home, so we hunt close to base camp. Spot a nice bull with 4 cows before shooting. We follow the herd up the ridge and determine their bedding area. Shooter brother and I head in around 10am. We locate the cows and stalk in to about 50yds, but cannot see the bull. An hour later the elk feed over a saddle and we never find the bull. We head back. Three left in camp.
New area we had previously scouted. Got into them again at sunrise. First bull sounded good but could not get him to turn and leave his cows. 2-3 other bulls start going off and we change tactics. Bull #6 comes into about 45. My brother draws, stops him, and let’s down. Day 2 pass. Another 300ish bull. Walking back to the truck we get into another herd, but don’t see or hear the herd bull. My youngest brother has to head back to work today. Down to 4 in camp.
Evening hunt was slow till the last 15 min of shooting. We call in a spike we nickname Doofy. Doofy comes ON A STRING from about 200 yds, right to our group. We are behind no cover at all.
We continue on and right before dark, my brother tells me to let er rip. I blast a challenge into a pretty big canyon and it immediately turns on. At least 6 bulls start screaming at us. We save this spot and back out.
Day 3 - Mon 9/20
Today the second oldest brother has to head back home, so we hunt close to base camp. Spot a nice bull with 4 cows before shooting. We follow the herd up the ridge and determine their bedding area. Shooter brother and I head in around 10am. We locate the cows and stalk in to about 50yds, but cannot see the bull. An hour later the elk feed over a saddle and we never find the bull. We head back. Three left in camp.
Day 4 - Tues 9/21
This morning we head back to the land of Doofy, this time on the side of the canyon we heard all of those bugles on day 2. We park the truck and before we even have our packs strapped we hear 3 bulls. Then 2 more. Then another 3-4. We lose track of the number of bulls. We get the wind right and head into a frenzy. The first bull we locate responds with a bugle every time I cow call. Every. Time. But we can see his cows pulling him through the trees away. This bull is a definite shooter. We get about 75 before he heads out of our lives forever.
On to the next!
We head into the fray and play cat and mouse with another 3-4 bulls before the thermals get wacky. We back out.
Evening has us closer to camp and in a brand new location. We are heading up to one of the largest peaks in the area. No one goes up there… right? About 600ft up the mountain I hear an answer. No one else hears the bull… but they sure give me chit when I say we need to go to the peak. Up we go. 1,400ft total elevation gain and we catch up to 5 bulls. They come from 300yds to 100 in about 45 seconds after a few flirtatious cow calls. My brother is just about ready to shoot anything… but with no great shot they get the pass. Two spikes two 300s and one bigger with size undetermined. We hike back down the mountain in the dark.
This morning we head back to the land of Doofy, this time on the side of the canyon we heard all of those bugles on day 2. We park the truck and before we even have our packs strapped we hear 3 bulls. Then 2 more. Then another 3-4. We lose track of the number of bulls. We get the wind right and head into a frenzy. The first bull we locate responds with a bugle every time I cow call. Every. Time. But we can see his cows pulling him through the trees away. This bull is a definite shooter. We get about 75 before he heads out of our lives forever.
On to the next!
We head into the fray and play cat and mouse with another 3-4 bulls before the thermals get wacky. We back out.
Evening has us closer to camp and in a brand new location. We are heading up to one of the largest peaks in the area. No one goes up there… right? About 600ft up the mountain I hear an answer. No one else hears the bull… but they sure give me chit when I say we need to go to the peak. Up we go. 1,400ft total elevation gain and we catch up to 5 bulls. They come from 300yds to 100 in about 45 seconds after a few flirtatious cow calls. My brother is just about ready to shoot anything… but with no great shot they get the pass. Two spikes two 300s and one bigger with size undetermined. We hike back down the mountain in the dark.
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Day 5 - Wed 9/22
Moral is at an all time low. Everywhere we go, we are in elk… Yet no shot. At this point we have covered 60+ miles and have been up each day before 4am, with 4-6 hrs of sleep a night. I have never been a part of a hunt with so many bulls, with no shots taken. With three days left to hunt several of the bulls passed the first few days are looking awfully good. We head back to Doofyland.
Walking in before dark my brother turns to his buddy and says with a straight face, “Bro, any chance you can step on a few more pine cones?”… this small comment nearly starts a fist fight. Chris replies with “Mother f*@&er! You just don’t notice how many you step on! Sorry ass!”
Forever the instigator I chime in, “Chris I walk really silent, huh.”
Chris replies, “Yeah bro you’re a good hunter, unlike this sorry ass. Wait, what is that??”
I pull up my bins and see a really wide 340+ bull watching us from about 65. Leaving the shooter we back out out of eyesight and let out a few soft cow sounds. The bull and his cows busts.
On to the next!
Two bulls have started up with the sun, so we cross a few ridges and get into position. We get ahead of the first group but wind must have swirled because they are in Arkansas before we can blink. We head up the ridge. We are a few hundred yards from where we called in Doofy. Two bulls are up the slope, sounding angry. I let off a few bugles to further stir them up and we hear another bull coming up from below us. I hand sign to my brother, “Two bulls, ahead, 1 bull to the North. Head S” at this point Chris notices our hand signals, “Wtf bro you guys have hand signs!” This is the first time Chris has hunted with us and he is an ex marine... obviously should have taught him the hand signals.
Meanwhile all three bulls around us are coming unglued.
We set up.
Chris spots the bull to the N coming in… “Pretty nice bull.” I get glass on him at about 50 and he is good on the right but busted on the left. I sign to my brother to focus on the bull to the S we can now see working through the timber downhill, coming to break the right side of the bull to the N. I see my brother draw. At about 50 the shot breaks and I hear a hit. I see the bull pull up his L rear and I know my brother didn’t stop him. Hit is back. I stop him at about 85 and my brothers second arrow goes into a Ponderosa Pine. My brother charges up the hill and this time I stop my brother - we have to give this bull time.
2 1/2 hours later we have tracked the bull 1.1 miles. The blood has gotten progressively better to the point we are following hoof prints of blood. Chris again shows his worth… spotting a tine and hide through a tiny opening in a dense jack pine thicket. We sit down and decide to wait.
About a half hour later, after the bull had not turned and the wind was steady - my brother decides to stalk in and close the deal.
He sneaks in and puts one in the boiler room at 30 and that is all she wrote.
New Mexico is good to us once again!
Moral is at an all time low. Everywhere we go, we are in elk… Yet no shot. At this point we have covered 60+ miles and have been up each day before 4am, with 4-6 hrs of sleep a night. I have never been a part of a hunt with so many bulls, with no shots taken. With three days left to hunt several of the bulls passed the first few days are looking awfully good. We head back to Doofyland.
Walking in before dark my brother turns to his buddy and says with a straight face, “Bro, any chance you can step on a few more pine cones?”… this small comment nearly starts a fist fight. Chris replies with “Mother f*@&er! You just don’t notice how many you step on! Sorry ass!”
Forever the instigator I chime in, “Chris I walk really silent, huh.”
Chris replies, “Yeah bro you’re a good hunter, unlike this sorry ass. Wait, what is that??”
I pull up my bins and see a really wide 340+ bull watching us from about 65. Leaving the shooter we back out out of eyesight and let out a few soft cow sounds. The bull and his cows busts.
On to the next!
Two bulls have started up with the sun, so we cross a few ridges and get into position. We get ahead of the first group but wind must have swirled because they are in Arkansas before we can blink. We head up the ridge. We are a few hundred yards from where we called in Doofy. Two bulls are up the slope, sounding angry. I let off a few bugles to further stir them up and we hear another bull coming up from below us. I hand sign to my brother, “Two bulls, ahead, 1 bull to the North. Head S” at this point Chris notices our hand signals, “Wtf bro you guys have hand signs!” This is the first time Chris has hunted with us and he is an ex marine... obviously should have taught him the hand signals.
Meanwhile all three bulls around us are coming unglued.
We set up.
Chris spots the bull to the N coming in… “Pretty nice bull.” I get glass on him at about 50 and he is good on the right but busted on the left. I sign to my brother to focus on the bull to the S we can now see working through the timber downhill, coming to break the right side of the bull to the N. I see my brother draw. At about 50 the shot breaks and I hear a hit. I see the bull pull up his L rear and I know my brother didn’t stop him. Hit is back. I stop him at about 85 and my brothers second arrow goes into a Ponderosa Pine. My brother charges up the hill and this time I stop my brother - we have to give this bull time.
2 1/2 hours later we have tracked the bull 1.1 miles. The blood has gotten progressively better to the point we are following hoof prints of blood. Chris again shows his worth… spotting a tine and hide through a tiny opening in a dense jack pine thicket. We sit down and decide to wait.
About a half hour later, after the bull had not turned and the wind was steady - my brother decides to stalk in and close the deal.
He sneaks in and puts one in the boiler room at 30 and that is all she wrote.
New Mexico is good to us once again!
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Blacktailaddiction
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2020
- Messages
- 115
Congratulations sounded like a fun hunt with family. And a nice bull too nice job!
mavinwa2
WKR
OH to draw NM elk archery tag again oneday.....
before I get too senior!
nice write up, beauty of a NM bull.
before I get too senior!
nice write up, beauty of a NM bull.
Fallfreak
Lil-Rokslider
Nice bull. Thanks for sharing the pic and story.
deerhunt1988
WKR
You forgot to mention the unit!
Just kidding. Ya'll were in 'em thick! Congrats.
Just kidding. Ya'll were in 'em thick! Congrats.
trophyhill
WKR
Great bull indeed! Kudos
npm352
WKR
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2018
- Messages
- 491
Dang....sweet bull
Fingershooter23
WKR
- Joined
- Oct 5, 2021
- Messages
- 417
Nice writeup. Way to stick with that bull and get a second arrow in him. Congrats to you both.
brettpsu
Lil-Rokslider
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2012
- Messages
- 138
Nice! Congrats
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