Arizona Elk Journal.
- Thread starter Jackalope
- Start date
Awesome stuff so far Joe. I miss the sights and sound of elk country. Get down wind and you can smell the bulls when you get close
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One thing that I've noticed here is how much people respect the land. In all the waking that I've done, I've seen just two pieces of discarded trash. Not one single beer can, deer piss bottle, scent wick nothing. Nothing. Even the people who come up from Phoenix on the weekend to camp and escape the heat never leave once scrap of trash in their camp sites. There are also some cattle scattered around as the forest service rents ranchers a strict grazing allotment. Could you imagine if they put cattle on paint creek or some other piece of public ground.
I just finished watching this hunt thinking of you. Sharing it as inspiration perhaps, but regardless, I can only imagine how grueling it can be at times for you, but persistence did pay off for a couple of these guys on their hunt and I can hope that it does the same for you.
Go get'em and thanks for keeping us in the loop!
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TripleA88
*Supporting Member*
And you talked about moving to florida? Any other year man and id fly out and be there with you, too much going on right now. Kill something!
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Well yeah, drunk dirty Indians excluded. They were down in pason and said the Walmart was full of drunk Indians
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Another slow day. Except for a newborn beef cow calf that thought the F-350 with a quad in the back was its momma. I couldn't get that damn calf to leave the truck. Chased it arounf the truck hitting in in the ass with my hat about 6 revolutions. Momma over there losing her shit. I would try to drive off and it would run with the truck. I thought for sure momma was gonna ram the truck or come after me. Sucker was born last night, was still wobbly and had its cord hanging down. Momma eventually said screw it and left with the herd. I chase the calf off and it went the wrong way. I shut the truck off so they could locate each other.
Did hear a bugle at last light that was a long ways off.
Today was up at 3:50. Out of camp at 4:45 and up on a mesa at 5:30. After eating lunch i t ook a nap for an hour at 11. Then hunted a water catchment until dark. Rolled back in camp at 8:30 and grabbed a bite to eat. Hitting the back here in a minute at 9:30 to catch 6 hours sleep. OnX says i only covered 7 miles today.
Forgot the facemask in the truck after lunch. Luckily every pine here is marred by forest fires of years gone by so face camo is easy to find.
Around 4 the wind starts to swirl real bad as the air cools and mixes with the warm thermals coming off the heated earth. It'll do that until after the sun sets with only 30 minutes of light left. So if you're stationary you gotta have a plan. I borrowed a trick from ole fred bear tonight.
Did hear a bugle at last light that was a long ways off.
Today was up at 3:50. Out of camp at 4:45 and up on a mesa at 5:30. After eating lunch i t ook a nap for an hour at 11. Then hunted a water catchment until dark. Rolled back in camp at 8:30 and grabbed a bite to eat. Hitting the back here in a minute at 9:30 to catch 6 hours sleep. OnX says i only covered 7 miles today.
Forgot the facemask in the truck after lunch. Luckily every pine here is marred by forest fires of years gone by so face camo is easy to find.
Around 4 the wind starts to swirl real bad as the air cools and mixes with the warm thermals coming off the heated earth. It'll do that until after the sun sets with only 30 minutes of light left. So if you're stationary you gotta have a plan. I borrowed a trick from ole fred bear tonight.
I didn't even recognize you in that picture, Joe. Scruffy beard and no fancy blue pants...dang.
Good luck today!
Good luck today!
Thunderflight
Dignitary Member
NWOHhunter
Junior Member
Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
teenbowhunter
Junior Member
Be sure to take a few shots if you have a target with you. Make sure nothing has shaken loose for when an elk does give you a shot!
Thunderflight
Dignitary Member
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Spent yesterday scouting a new spot in an area off limits to motorized vehicles. Got in here this morning and the bulls were screaming. From what i could tell about 6 of them. I worked in on one bull and he went back to the back of the herd about 10 feet before ckearing some brush to give me a 40 yard shot.
I could hear another bull bugeling to my right and almost downwind. Fresh clothes and smoked up this morning. I was already in the danger zone so instead of hauling ass back out i went for it and pushed ahead. I could tell the angle they were on and i stalked up to position and ranged a couple trees. A small clearing in the scrub oaks, alligator juniper and ponderosa pines. The lead cow stepped in the opening and I i ranged her at 58. The bull wasn't far behind. When he hit the opening i cow called and he stopped. I shot and lost the arrow in the rays of sun and shadows. It sounded like it sliced right in. The bull wheeled and ran making a semi circle about 50 yards out and i lost sight of him. Hard to keep track with cows, calves and shit just exploding out.
Been looking for 2 hours within 200 yards of the shot in the direction he went and haven't found blood or my arrow. The ground is dark dirt, one needles and some rocks so blood is hard to spot.
Wanting to find first blood to confirm a hit then wait for him to expire i sat all my gear and bow down while i looked. I heard a pop and looked up to see a bull and a cow walking by at 15 yards. No clue i was there. The angel on my shoulder says you did the right thing trying to confirm the hit first. The devil says you idiot you should have had your bow and smoked that bull.
If i missed that bull it may have been him circling back through trying to round up his cows.
How i could have missed if i did is beyond me. 60 is a chip shot as i can regularly stack them in a coffee can at 100. The lane looked clean and he stood there until i heard the sound of slicing meat. The bulls have gone down in the canyon to bed. I just sat down to regroup and then keep looking.
I could hear another bull bugeling to my right and almost downwind. Fresh clothes and smoked up this morning. I was already in the danger zone so instead of hauling ass back out i went for it and pushed ahead. I could tell the angle they were on and i stalked up to position and ranged a couple trees. A small clearing in the scrub oaks, alligator juniper and ponderosa pines. The lead cow stepped in the opening and I i ranged her at 58. The bull wasn't far behind. When he hit the opening i cow called and he stopped. I shot and lost the arrow in the rays of sun and shadows. It sounded like it sliced right in. The bull wheeled and ran making a semi circle about 50 yards out and i lost sight of him. Hard to keep track with cows, calves and shit just exploding out.
Been looking for 2 hours within 200 yards of the shot in the direction he went and haven't found blood or my arrow. The ground is dark dirt, one needles and some rocks so blood is hard to spot.
Wanting to find first blood to confirm a hit then wait for him to expire i sat all my gear and bow down while i looked. I heard a pop and looked up to see a bull and a cow walking by at 15 yards. No clue i was there. The angel on my shoulder says you did the right thing trying to confirm the hit first. The devil says you idiot you should have had your bow and smoked that bull.
If i missed that bull it may have been him circling back through trying to round up his cows.
How i could have missed if i did is beyond me. 60 is a chip shot as i can regularly stack them in a coffee can at 100. The lane looked clean and he stood there until i heard the sound of slicing meat. The bulls have gone down in the canyon to bed. I just sat down to regroup and then keep looking.
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