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Camp Hank 2021

hank4elk

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 8, 2015
Messages
8,530
Location
SW NM
So this will be quick,cause I'm old & tired...lol.
Just sent my good friend Jeff on his way yesterday, back to WI with a giant Yeti cooler full of frozen packaged cow elk. He brought me tons of WI garden/kitchen goodies ,fish & WT.Yum.
My side is sore from laughing,buthering to John Prine and stories. 4days , with my best friend.

My back is sore from mornings of bent over stalks.

I could fill pages with the hunts I had here on this little 140ac place this year. Hell, just one of the stalks.
The other 4 LO hunters will or did or could tell their own stories.
1 bow friend with everyday elk & no closer than 100...,spent T-day with him & his wife
My friend Jimmy was pretty sick to go home after the bulls he saw that 1st morning, but they just left too early. 3,all good ones.
But I understand. He's older than me, and logs, owns a mill & runs it and does FS contract fire work....now there is a story. He was drawn in the 1st modern elk hunts in NM,78'. Filled a tag.... I've seen his 397 bow bull.

Ephraim told that story for his bro.
The single file late morning,open ground stalk to that herd Jeff took that big cow from, was epict.
Could be a comedy. 2 old dudes............

I could have filled my tag the 3rd day. Draw tag. Could have gone anywhere in this huge unit I live in. The elk are here.
Jeff figures there were 120 elk in the valley that last morning all tolled. Most, on this one little place.


The work I have done with the water & such is paying off. A lot of elk in this area. There was a herd of antelope here that morning for Jeff to watch @ sunrise too. Lucked out on the rain during a drought this year and there is knee deep grass in places. Dry, but it's winter feed. Short grass prairie,maybe 40ac of PJ's. Open ground,early morning hunting. They are here all night. Right outside the window.

Life is good in Pie Town & on the Rockin' Double J.



Sorry for the font screw up but I'm too tired to care.....LOL
 
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Congrats Hank on the success buddy! Sounds like all your hard work is paying off very well.
Side note- I cut the tritip from my NM bull last year and have to say it was excellent on the oak pit! Ever tried one?
 
Congrats Hank on the success buddy! Sounds like all your hard work is paying off very well.
Side note- I cut the tritip from my NM bull last year and have to say it was excellent on the oak pit! Ever tried one?
Yes. My only problem there is no good oak here ,like there. But pinion smoke is pretty good...and there is no there,here.....LOL Backstarp Santa Maria BBQ ala NM is pretty good too.
 
Yes. My only problem there is no good oak here ,like there. But pinion smoke is pretty good...and there is no there,here.....LOL Backstarp Santa Maria BBQ ala NM is pretty good too.

We brought a pit and oak last year on our trip to NM. People were amazed at it!
Might have to make a detour next NM trip and drop off some Red oak!😁
 
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We brought a pit and oak last year on our trip to NM. People were amazed at it!
Might have to make a detour next NM trip and drop off some Red oak!😁
I can't remember seeing many since I left the Central Coast,real adjustable grill pits. Man I had some good portable barrel models. I just use an old fire ring and a stake grill now.
 
Sounds like you had a great time! I sure hope Ro didn't get ignored too much...
Poor Rio. He has not touched kibble in a few days and has bones strewn about the yard. Been a busy boy trying to hide them from yotes. He understands he can't go out early during hunts and usually is content on my bed...LOL
 
1400mi & 21 hrs was the text with a pic of a foot of snow the next morning from Jeff. He did an end run around that storm .....those folks in 6 states. We thanked our lucky stars.

I woke up to an inch of snow and a quiet house, inside, Fri.

Got a solo coyote singing outside this morning. Rio is sound asleep on the couch. Nice fire going. Freezer is full. Waiting to watch another sunrise.
Recollecting time. On life in general.
50 years of hunting across the west. The things I have seen in 66 years. The folks I have met. The wildlife encounters. Where I am at this time of life and how did I end up here.

HT. 10 or 12 yrs on here? Met some of you in person,BF included. Some of the best people I have met in many years.....just from HT.
I got to help at least 6 with local draw tags this year, I lost count. Just tips. No locations or names mentioned, unless they did in their ?'s.
And several filled their tags and thanked me. 1st elk hunts for some. 1st trips to NM.
I finally paid for a meal the other day @ the Pie-O-Neer. Sarah said the $ that elk hunter left for me is about used up...she laughed. 2 months of meals,pies.
An HT guy.

I have not had to pack an elk in 8 years? Not more than a quarter mi from my truck with draw tags on public either. Solo.
Filled 6 now here @ home. Have the gutless method with the winch on the truck bed down to a science,solo.
I still hunt solo.

But man, what elk camps and friends I had around me this season.

And I thank my lucky stars!


Damn Rio,he smells like elk now.
 
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