This past Friday I wrapped up my first archery hunt which was also my first elk hunt. For the "TLDR" folks I didn't harvest an elk but did see elk every day. They just weren't talking so the hunt was almost all spot and stalk. It was also very rainy and wet and water everywhere so sitting water was out as well.
For the long version, if it wasn't for the last hour of my hunt, the whole thing would have been a disaster. More on the last hour later. Since tone, can't be interpreted via text, none of this post should be considered complaining. Trust that I stayed positive the entire time and just laughed off events as they happened.
To begin, my guide told me he had a buddy out there hunting who had permission to camp on private land but still needed to talk to him for the details. Later I was sent a pin via OnX and told what vehicle he had to identify the right place. I used the "driving directions" option in OnX and started my 10 hour drive to NM. It was late and rainy in the mountains, with about 40 minutes left, my phone brought me to a private entry with a do not trespass sign. There were not any closed gates but the entry was clearly marked. I recalled the conversation the guide had about staying on private land but that was never confirmed. I tried to call the guide and text before entering but got no answer due to him not having signal in camp. I rechecked the directions and verified there wasn't another way to that spot and decided it was correct and continued in. The drive was 10 miles in through muddy two track roads and when I reached the end, I saw a house and some campers. Since I was "suppose to be there", I drove around shining my flash light looking for the guides truck. When I couldn't find it, I got nervous and drove a way a bit and canceled the directions in my phone, then relaunched them from the OnX app the same way I did before. This time, for unknown reasons, it mapped me to a different place that was almost 2 hours from where I was. I was now officially in the wrong spot and very much trespassing by accident. The drive was ten miles back out and it was almost a straight shot. When I reached a closed and locked gate, I thought how the hell did I get lost? There were no turns and I opened no gates. Thats when two trucks flicked on their lights and I saw the two men with guns in their hands wanting to know who the hell I was and what the hell I was doing there. They had closed the gate to lock me in. Thankfully, I didn't get shot and they gave me a chance to show my contract and text messages and pin to explain that I was lost and they let me get on going down the road. The correct place was still almost two hours away and when I get there, it's 12:30 in the morning, cold and pouring rain. Everyone had gone to sleep. I see the guides truck but did not know which of the three campers there were his and I wasn't going to start knocking on doors so I slept that first night in my truck. Needless to say, the trip was off to an interesting start.
On the first morning, we hiked up a peak that had a bunch of dead fall in it. We saw some deer but that was about it. That evening, we went to a different spot and saw lots of elk sign near a meadow and decided to wait around to see if anything came along. We got rained on pretty good but once the rain let up, 3 younger cows came out and one of them came within 20 yards. As the sun went down, we headed back to the side by side and at last light we saw 2 adult cows and a bull across the meadow at about 200 yards. The bull looked like it had been shot in the ass. We let out a few cow calls that stopped the bull but he quickly disappeared into the woods.
On the second morning, we hiked up a different ridge and saw a bull on the adjacent ridge, some 1500 yards away. It was a real slow morning for us but the outfitter had split off from me and my guide and walked along a different ridge where he shot at a good 6x6 but unfortunately he missed. We never did see this bull again but the outfitter said he was a great bull.
On the third day, the am was slow but on the pm we walked the same ridge the outfitter saw the 6x6 the previous day. We saw two bulls, one a 4x4 and one a 5x5 at about 60 yards. As soon as we saw them, they already had us pegged. My guide and myself were looking at the 4x4 and the outfitter was watching the 5x5 but neither of us immediately realized we were looking at different bulls and there were two there. I was trying to convince myself to shoot the 4x4 when I saw the 5x5 and he was a shooter for me all day long. While I had a clear shot on the 4x4 the 5x5 was behind some timber and I patiently waited until I had a better shot. As soon as the 5x5 stepped out, I drew my bow back and they buggered out of there. Maybe I pulled it back to fast, or maybe I should have waited to pull it back. Should of, could of, would of.
On the fourth am, we saw 3 bulls on the same ridge at about 120 yards. Then for the pm, we saw two of those same bulls at 75 yards. My outfitter highly encouraged a shot but at 75 yards through thick and messy timber, I never really believed in the shot and would have preferred to try to get closer. But in his defense, we were pegged the moment we saw them so I am not sure that was possible. I let it fly at 75 yards and stuck it in a tree about 2 inches over its back. So close.
The fifth day was slow. We sat a tree on this same ridge we keep seeing bulls thinking maybe one will cruise by us and we did have one run off from behind some foliage. We never saw him though. That evening we tried an entirely different spot to try to give this one a rest.
This was suppose to be the end of the hunt but I decided to extend for as long as the outfitter had available so I extended for 3 more days. The sixth and seventh day were sort of more of the same. Lots of hiking, spot and stalk, more rain, more jumping bulls we never saw, etc.
We did hear one bugle on the sixth pm and then more bugling on the seventh am. They must have moved off after that because that particular area was quiet again after that.
For the long version, if it wasn't for the last hour of my hunt, the whole thing would have been a disaster. More on the last hour later. Since tone, can't be interpreted via text, none of this post should be considered complaining. Trust that I stayed positive the entire time and just laughed off events as they happened.
To begin, my guide told me he had a buddy out there hunting who had permission to camp on private land but still needed to talk to him for the details. Later I was sent a pin via OnX and told what vehicle he had to identify the right place. I used the "driving directions" option in OnX and started my 10 hour drive to NM. It was late and rainy in the mountains, with about 40 minutes left, my phone brought me to a private entry with a do not trespass sign. There were not any closed gates but the entry was clearly marked. I recalled the conversation the guide had about staying on private land but that was never confirmed. I tried to call the guide and text before entering but got no answer due to him not having signal in camp. I rechecked the directions and verified there wasn't another way to that spot and decided it was correct and continued in. The drive was 10 miles in through muddy two track roads and when I reached the end, I saw a house and some campers. Since I was "suppose to be there", I drove around shining my flash light looking for the guides truck. When I couldn't find it, I got nervous and drove a way a bit and canceled the directions in my phone, then relaunched them from the OnX app the same way I did before. This time, for unknown reasons, it mapped me to a different place that was almost 2 hours from where I was. I was now officially in the wrong spot and very much trespassing by accident. The drive was ten miles back out and it was almost a straight shot. When I reached a closed and locked gate, I thought how the hell did I get lost? There were no turns and I opened no gates. Thats when two trucks flicked on their lights and I saw the two men with guns in their hands wanting to know who the hell I was and what the hell I was doing there. They had closed the gate to lock me in. Thankfully, I didn't get shot and they gave me a chance to show my contract and text messages and pin to explain that I was lost and they let me get on going down the road. The correct place was still almost two hours away and when I get there, it's 12:30 in the morning, cold and pouring rain. Everyone had gone to sleep. I see the guides truck but did not know which of the three campers there were his and I wasn't going to start knocking on doors so I slept that first night in my truck. Needless to say, the trip was off to an interesting start.
On the first morning, we hiked up a peak that had a bunch of dead fall in it. We saw some deer but that was about it. That evening, we went to a different spot and saw lots of elk sign near a meadow and decided to wait around to see if anything came along. We got rained on pretty good but once the rain let up, 3 younger cows came out and one of them came within 20 yards. As the sun went down, we headed back to the side by side and at last light we saw 2 adult cows and a bull across the meadow at about 200 yards. The bull looked like it had been shot in the ass. We let out a few cow calls that stopped the bull but he quickly disappeared into the woods.
On the second morning, we hiked up a different ridge and saw a bull on the adjacent ridge, some 1500 yards away. It was a real slow morning for us but the outfitter had split off from me and my guide and walked along a different ridge where he shot at a good 6x6 but unfortunately he missed. We never did see this bull again but the outfitter said he was a great bull.
On the third day, the am was slow but on the pm we walked the same ridge the outfitter saw the 6x6 the previous day. We saw two bulls, one a 4x4 and one a 5x5 at about 60 yards. As soon as we saw them, they already had us pegged. My guide and myself were looking at the 4x4 and the outfitter was watching the 5x5 but neither of us immediately realized we were looking at different bulls and there were two there. I was trying to convince myself to shoot the 4x4 when I saw the 5x5 and he was a shooter for me all day long. While I had a clear shot on the 4x4 the 5x5 was behind some timber and I patiently waited until I had a better shot. As soon as the 5x5 stepped out, I drew my bow back and they buggered out of there. Maybe I pulled it back to fast, or maybe I should have waited to pull it back. Should of, could of, would of.
On the fourth am, we saw 3 bulls on the same ridge at about 120 yards. Then for the pm, we saw two of those same bulls at 75 yards. My outfitter highly encouraged a shot but at 75 yards through thick and messy timber, I never really believed in the shot and would have preferred to try to get closer. But in his defense, we were pegged the moment we saw them so I am not sure that was possible. I let it fly at 75 yards and stuck it in a tree about 2 inches over its back. So close.
The fifth day was slow. We sat a tree on this same ridge we keep seeing bulls thinking maybe one will cruise by us and we did have one run off from behind some foliage. We never saw him though. That evening we tried an entirely different spot to try to give this one a rest.
This was suppose to be the end of the hunt but I decided to extend for as long as the outfitter had available so I extended for 3 more days. The sixth and seventh day were sort of more of the same. Lots of hiking, spot and stalk, more rain, more jumping bulls we never saw, etc.
We did hear one bugle on the sixth pm and then more bugling on the seventh am. They must have moved off after that because that particular area was quiet again after that.
