Well It Happened. Drew an AZ Elk Tag.
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Matt
Active Member
Get in shape and stay hydrated. You need to drink a lot more water out west.
Booze will be more effective. I’d stay away from it for the first few days if not the entire trip.
My last elk hunt was in a moderately pressured unit. Bulls would bugle early and then shut up. We started listening and working towards them a couple hours before daylight. Try to be close when the sun comes up and strike. If you waited for daylight, you would never hear them enough to get close.
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Booze will be more effective. I’d stay away from it for the first few days if not the entire trip.
My last elk hunt was in a moderately pressured unit. Bulls would bugle early and then shut up. We started listening and working towards them a couple hours before daylight. Try to be close when the sun comes up and strike. If you waited for daylight, you would never hear them enough to get close.
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Been listening to a few podcasts and a lot of the resonates with me in comparison to how we turkey hunt. I'm very aggressive when it comes to turkeys. I want to be in their wheel house and pissing them off the first time they open their mouth at the crack of dawn. With elk however ill have to pay a lot more attention to thermals. I'm positive there will still be a sharp learning curve around setups, approach, and elk vocalisations.
The biggest things I need to learn IMO is how to realize a bugle is an elk and not another hunter, what a good represenative species is for the area, and what the normal densities are. This way I can figure out if I'm wasting time chasing a sparse population, if a 260-300 is a pipedream, and not waste time setting up on another hunter and instead using that knowledge of his existence to my advantage.
In my experience you will know when it’s an elk bugling.
We say any elk is a good elk in an OTC unit. My first elk hunt, I had a cow and calf in spear range on day one. Passed them up thinking I’d kill a bull. I didn’t see another elk until 2 weeks later.
If it’s a draw unit, I’d shoot anything that looks like a decent bull. If they are everywhere I might pass a rag horn. But I wouldn’t be guessing a score to make a decision on a decent racked bull. Most of my elk hunts I end up with 1 good chance to an kill elk. Sometime I blew it and a couple times I didn’t. I’ll pass white tails but passing elk is a different thing.
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We say any elk is a good elk in an OTC unit. My first elk hunt, I had a cow and calf in spear range on day one. Passed them up thinking I’d kill a bull. I didn’t see another elk until 2 weeks later.
If it’s a draw unit, I’d shoot anything that looks like a decent bull. If they are everywhere I might pass a rag horn. But I wouldn’t be guessing a score to make a decision on a decent racked bull. Most of my elk hunts I end up with 1 good chance to an kill elk. Sometime I blew it and a couple times I didn’t. I’ll pass white tails but passing elk is a different thing.
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It's a draw hunt likely in 6a which covers 1140 sq miles mostly in Coconino National Forrest. Ranges from flat graslands and juniper flats to gently rolling and canyoned expanses of ponderosa pine. The unit has a 700 tag limit for the 2 week early archery of which only 10% in non-resident. From my reading certain areas get hammered on the weekends by residents but the place clears out during the week and by week 2 you're hard pressed to find a resident. Reported 30% success rate. From what I've read on the online forum chatter a 250 bull is very likely if you put in the work, and 260-300 is not unrealistic but anything over that is a hope and a prayer.
The average that I see guys pulling out if there is about like this.
6a is the big unit in the middle.
triple_duece
Ragin Cajun.
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You got this. Your going w local pros. This is on its way to being epic. You come back empty handed and I will make sure it’s super epic lol. I’m jealous for sure as elk is on my bucket list.
Thunderflight
Dignitary Member
I have never put a tape on the one bull I’ve killed. I can say he was smaller than what you posted.
I can also say he came in bugling and pissing himself which nearly caused me to piss myself. Launching an arrow at 30yards was extremely exciting and I never once thought about his score or passing.
That looks like beautiful county. That’s also a very good success rate. Somebody should score
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I can also say he came in bugling and pissing himself which nearly caused me to piss myself. Launching an arrow at 30yards was extremely exciting and I never once thought about his score or passing.
That looks like beautiful county. That’s also a very good success rate. Somebody should score
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Yeah, I wasn’t going to post this, but some reader might get some use some day.
https://www.elk101.com/features/shot-placement-feature/
Every critter is different and shot placement is a critical step in the taking of any game. So this is a little info on shot placement on an elk. Very similar to a whitetail...with much larger bones!
https://www.elk101.com/features/shot-placement-feature/
Every critter is different and shot placement is a critical step in the taking of any game. So this is a little info on shot placement on an elk. Very similar to a whitetail...with much larger bones!
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Was talking to Milo a couple days ago about arrow selection. The ones I shoot now are light for whitetail hunting. I want to build something close to 500gr. With some Easton FMJ 5mm 300s and a 125 head I can get in the 490 grain range. Running a KE calculator it reports 91 ft lbs of KE which according to Easton is enough for any big game animal on the planet. Going to couple that with a slick trick Wicked trick long as they fly good out to 70.
I ain’t even gonna try and act like I know what you’re taking about. I get it in simple terms, heavy go slow but hit hard...
I also know I wouldn’t want to be throwing the rages I use at them. Much bigger boned critter here and penetration is needed, not an area rage is known for. I’d also want a fixed blade because a lot can happen in 7 yards, let alone 70!
You taking that Strother?
I also know I wouldn’t want to be throwing the rages I use at them. Much bigger boned critter here and penetration is needed, not an area rage is known for. I’d also want a fixed blade because a lot can happen in 7 yards, let alone 70! You taking that Strother?
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I ain’t even gonna try and act like I know what you’re taking about. I get it in simple terms, heavy go slow but hit hard...
You taking that Strother?
Yeah the Strother. Debated on going with 70 lb limbs as it has 60s on there now and is shooting at 62lbs. From most of my reading though it seems to be a 50/50 split on guys that chase them with 60 or 70 pound bows. Lots of guys like 60 because elk are notorious for peeking around or through cover before exposing themselves so you may have to hold it back a while. The drawback to that is a larger ark at further distances. With temps in the high 60s during the day finding them quickly becomes imperative, so a heavy arrow with a good fixed head that will hopefully give you both an entry and exit is key. 70 yards to those Western hunters is a normal limit. Jim's brother and friends out there regularry practice out to 100 to make 70 feel like a chip shot.
Bigcountry40
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I’ve been on 6 or 7 elk hunts. One of those I was just caller and pack mule so I’m far from an expert.
I did have elk in bow range each hunt and I’ve killed one bull and 1 calf.
They are a big target but it only takes one step for them to put your arrow out of the kill zone. I would never consider shooting one at 70 yards. I killed my bull at 28. I killed my calf at 5 yards. It would have to be a perfect calm bull for me to shoot 40.
What has been most common was to have an elk charge in and not be drawn back. If that happens, it is tough to draw without being busted. I would keep the draw weight comfortable. If you shoot 60 pounds, keep it. Be prepare to draw back when the elk is out of range and hold it for however long it may take for them to give you a shot in range.
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I did have elk in bow range each hunt and I’ve killed one bull and 1 calf.
They are a big target but it only takes one step for them to put your arrow out of the kill zone. I would never consider shooting one at 70 yards. I killed my bull at 28. I killed my calf at 5 yards. It would have to be a perfect calm bull for me to shoot 40.
What has been most common was to have an elk charge in and not be drawn back. If that happens, it is tough to draw without being busted. I would keep the draw weight comfortable. If you shoot 60 pounds, keep it. Be prepare to draw back when the elk is out of range and hold it for however long it may take for them to give you a shot in range.
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I don't care if there are Elk in this canyon or not. I'm hunting his bitch..Might even pack in a sixer of watermelon wine-coolers. Never know, might get lucky.
