azfisherman
New member
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2009
- Messages
- 11
Well, I was able to get picked in New Mexico this year and looked forward to a great hunt. It turned out to be one of the hardest and longest hunts I have ever had to do. I researched results from this unit and they were very good. I spoke with a few other hunters who had done the same so I expected good things. I got several suggestions from fellow members this year and I took them all into consideration during this hunt. I spent several days in the top of the unit and saw a few elk but no calling was occurring.Saw lots of campers and hunters. I then spent 8 days in several canyons and mountains in the middle of the unit where they started calling on Wednesday the 8th after a small rain. They continued to call , but just before light and just at dark. Not much at night. I spoke with everyone I saw and little was going on for anyone. It was not easy. I had a couple of close calls first thing in the am, after figuring out their habits but was always detected as the wind continued to change directions, at the wrong times. I had several chances to shoot at cow elk, but was committed to not doing that unless it was the last day. Finally on day 12 I decided I wasn't going to win this battle with the wind and the small amount of bulls that were calling but not responding to anything sent to them other than acknowledgement of my calls. By 615 a.m. everything basically stopped. The elk were not bunched up and always in very small groups, making for a run rather than fight response. So when things aren't working change is needed. I hear that from the boss all the time when results aren't what are needed. Find a new way. So I put it to the test. I decided to get out of the high country and try the low. We had seen elk on the side of the road in the early am on the way up 12 days ago and I decided to try the sage brush and junipers. Do you know what the sage brush does to your allergies? So there was this nasty water hole a few miles in on an old road that had lots of elk sign and NO Cattle . Did I mention the entire national forest is a cattle grazing field? Anyways the first night I sat on this water hole in a small blind I owned had elk come in but never gave me a shot because it was 5 minutes before dark and I chose a bad spot for a blind. After waiting almost an hour and making barking noises, etc, I finally got the elk to leave the field next to the water so I could leave. I came back an hour later , in the absolute darkest night I can remember and moved my stand to the other side of the water hole and closer. My blind is so small I had to practice sitting on the ground to shoot and that is all the room I had, leaving the main opening half open to do it.
At 3am I couldn't sleep as I heard no less than 6 bulls screaming constantly ,so I snook into my blind and tried to cat nap until day light. Unfortunately this water hole had 5 horses and a new born. The lead horse wasn't allowing any elk in and I watched her for over an hour in the dark running anything that came near the hole off.I was actually a little intimidated by this horse and made sure she never saw me in the blind.She must have smelt me a couple of times as she displayed a dislike and aggression in my direction each time. When daylight came they left but so did any elk trying to drink. Come to find out there is only 2 holes in about a 5 mile area and this one was almost dry. It really needed to rain and it was over 80 degrees in the day time so the elk would be thirsty. On the night before the final day of the season I got a break. Elk again were coming in for water , but a different group than the night before. This group walked right past my old blind spot and into the water hole, all the cows walked over to my side and I drew back waiting for the small 5 pointer to follow them. He didn't . I couldn't hold back for ever and had to let down with the cows only 20 yards away. I only had a small opening and couldn't see without moving where he had gone. The bull had basically laid down as soon as he got to the water on the other side of the waterhole, One of the cow elk walked past my wind line and smelt me and went running back full blast to the other side with everyone
following her. I thought it was all over. The bull followed. The cow elk held up for just a minute a little way out and then my break happened. The bull didn't listen to his mates. He came back to get a drink, as he hadn't drank yet, just cooled off with the bath in the nasty water.He took a second to drink and his cows were continuing away now and I knew he would be gone in a flash. He didn't give me a perfect shot but I knew I had to take it or leave it. At 42 yards my Muzzy flew perfectly. Practice does matter. I don't even remember the event but when that arrow landed , he actually fell over and had to get back up. He ran about 30 yards and laid down. He eventually got back up and went about another 60 yards and expired. No mountains to drag him up or down, drove the truck right to him and spent that next four hours in lantern light doing what I could to bring him home to Az. It wasn't a trophy in size but it was and always will be to me , as never before did so much work and long hours go into the quest for success.
AzFisherman
At 3am I couldn't sleep as I heard no less than 6 bulls screaming constantly ,so I snook into my blind and tried to cat nap until day light. Unfortunately this water hole had 5 horses and a new born. The lead horse wasn't allowing any elk in and I watched her for over an hour in the dark running anything that came near the hole off.I was actually a little intimidated by this horse and made sure she never saw me in the blind.She must have smelt me a couple of times as she displayed a dislike and aggression in my direction each time. When daylight came they left but so did any elk trying to drink. Come to find out there is only 2 holes in about a 5 mile area and this one was almost dry. It really needed to rain and it was over 80 degrees in the day time so the elk would be thirsty. On the night before the final day of the season I got a break. Elk again were coming in for water , but a different group than the night before. This group walked right past my old blind spot and into the water hole, all the cows walked over to my side and I drew back waiting for the small 5 pointer to follow them. He didn't . I couldn't hold back for ever and had to let down with the cows only 20 yards away. I only had a small opening and couldn't see without moving where he had gone. The bull had basically laid down as soon as he got to the water on the other side of the waterhole, One of the cow elk walked past my wind line and smelt me and went running back full blast to the other side with everyone
following her. I thought it was all over. The bull followed. The cow elk held up for just a minute a little way out and then my break happened. The bull didn't listen to his mates. He came back to get a drink, as he hadn't drank yet, just cooled off with the bath in the nasty water.He took a second to drink and his cows were continuing away now and I knew he would be gone in a flash. He didn't give me a perfect shot but I knew I had to take it or leave it. At 42 yards my Muzzy flew perfectly. Practice does matter. I don't even remember the event but when that arrow landed , he actually fell over and had to get back up. He ran about 30 yards and laid down. He eventually got back up and went about another 60 yards and expired. No mountains to drag him up or down, drove the truck right to him and spent that next four hours in lantern light doing what I could to bring him home to Az. It wasn't a trophy in size but it was and always will be to me , as never before did so much work and long hours go into the quest for success.
AzFisherman
