David658
Well-known member
Folks think the 6B first hunt is a gimme. Best hunter I have known struck out there two years ago.
David
NM
NM 6B Valles Caldera Early Archery Elk Hunt
- Thread starter wsking
- Start date
David
NM
wsking
Active member
I will go ahead and save many of you the long read and let you know that there will be no pictures of a dead elk and massive antlers at the end of this post (and no Matt Rinella hasn’t finally gotten to me). I was unsuccessful in harvesting a bull in the Valles Caldera this past fall. I spent many days chasing elk in one of the most amazing places that I have ever been, taking only the lessons learned and memories for my efforts.
Before giving a day by day rundown, I’ll go ahead and say that if any of you are ever lucky enough to draw a tag in this amazing unit, I am happy to help. Please feel free to shoot me a message out here and I’ll share everything except what I’ve promised to keep under my hat.
To provide context to the hunt, I had a first archery season bull tag which ran from Sept 1-14. Joining me on my trip were my dad, his best friend, and my hunting buddy from church. I can't thank these guys enough for everything they did to try and help me find success in NM last fall. We stayed at a cabin roughly 15 minutes from the entrance to the Valles Caldera. Because of work obligations, I wasn’t able to arrive at the Caldera until mid-day on the 2nd and had to leave the morning of the 14th. The weather was extremely hot and dry until around the 12th of September.
Here’s the daily breakdown:
Saturday, September 2:
Arrived at the Valles Caldera around mid-day. There had been some kind of medical emergency in the park and I wasn’t able to get my mandatory orientation until later in the afternoon which meant the remaining hours I had on Saturday turned into a scout day. Made it to the border of the no hunt zone area and saw a group of cows and a few bulls come out (they stayed in the no hunt zone). A very mature 6x7 that was bugling and going nuts came within 100 yards. Went back to the cabin excited for the hunts ahead.
Sunday, September 3:
The morning of the first hunt, we got to the first location I had marked on my map and hiked in early to find a tent not far from where I hoped to hunt. So we changed course slightly and right around first light we bumped two 6x6 bulls. They stopped and looked back at 100 yards but we couldn’t get any closer and they eventually ran off. We heard some soft bugles ahead and hiked in that direction. Eventually we got to the other side of the area I was hoping to hunt that morning and we were hearing bugles close by. We spotted a group of cows getting pushed by a bull. They were running as they passed nearby (around 150 yards) and there were a few spikes in the group followed by a 5x5 bull. We decided to stop and glass to turn up any other bulls and as we were setting up, a small 6x6 ran right through our setup and nearly ran into us. I made a quick cow call and he stopped at 10 yards but as I went to grab my bow, he bolted. After 2 hours of daylight most of the action dried up. We went on a hike to explore the area and bumped a bedded 6x6 but that was the last elk of the day. We set up on a water hole that evening and saw a large group of turkeys, but no elk or bugles.
Monday, September 4:
Our second day, we decided to try a new area in the morning but it was totally devoid of any animals or fresh sign. We decided to hike back out and pick a new area for the evening. As we drove around, we ran into the National Park Service ranger that was in charge of assisting hunters while in the Valles Caldera. He gave us a few tips and spots that might be useful so we made plans based on that advice for the evening. We went to one of the locations he recommended but no elk or bugles. It was extremely windy.
Tuesday, September 5:
My dad’s friend had to be back at work, so we said goodbye to him as we headed out for day 3 of the hunt. We tried another new spot that morning, what we believed to be a travel corridor, and ran into a small raghorn as we got close to the location. We got set up and roughly 30 minutes later a nice 6x6 bull walked out. He was at 75 yards which was just over my comfort zone of 60 yards. I nocked an arrow and tried to get into range but he continued on. Later that morning we saw a large group of cows with a small bull run through the area. Eventually, we continued on and decided to hike and slowly work to a water hole on the map (that turned out to be totally dry). As we hiked, my buddy spotted a bedded 5x5. I got to within 50 yards but eventually decided to pass on him. I felt like I would rather keep hunting than go ahead and take him at that time. We hunted the same travel corridor in the evening without any luck.
Wednesday, September 6:
The morning of the 6th, we tried yet another new spot. We debated going back to a few places we had seen elk and good sign but wanted to keep covering ground. Unfortunately, we got a later start on the 6th and didn’t get to hiking until right around first light. On our way in we started to hear bugles in the area we were hiking towards. When we arrived, we saw a nice 6x6 with roughly 8 cows and a few satellite bulls that were pestering them. I worked in their direction but didn’t feel like I had a great approach because of the wind, so I waited to see where they were headed without putting too much pressure on them. Eventually they worked their way up and over a ridge and we continued hiking. We saw lots of fresh sign in the area, the most we had seen so far, but the elk had already worked towards bedding. We continued walking the rest of the morning to get to a certain spot I wanted to see on the map but that area had much less sign than what we had hiked through that morning. On the way out, we bumped a nice 7x7 that was bedded in the area with lots of sign during the early afternoon. No elk sightings the rest of the day.
Before giving a day by day rundown, I’ll go ahead and say that if any of you are ever lucky enough to draw a tag in this amazing unit, I am happy to help. Please feel free to shoot me a message out here and I’ll share everything except what I’ve promised to keep under my hat.
To provide context to the hunt, I had a first archery season bull tag which ran from Sept 1-14. Joining me on my trip were my dad, his best friend, and my hunting buddy from church. I can't thank these guys enough for everything they did to try and help me find success in NM last fall. We stayed at a cabin roughly 15 minutes from the entrance to the Valles Caldera. Because of work obligations, I wasn’t able to arrive at the Caldera until mid-day on the 2nd and had to leave the morning of the 14th. The weather was extremely hot and dry until around the 12th of September.
Here’s the daily breakdown:
Saturday, September 2:
Arrived at the Valles Caldera around mid-day. There had been some kind of medical emergency in the park and I wasn’t able to get my mandatory orientation until later in the afternoon which meant the remaining hours I had on Saturday turned into a scout day. Made it to the border of the no hunt zone area and saw a group of cows and a few bulls come out (they stayed in the no hunt zone). A very mature 6x7 that was bugling and going nuts came within 100 yards. Went back to the cabin excited for the hunts ahead.
Sunday, September 3:
The morning of the first hunt, we got to the first location I had marked on my map and hiked in early to find a tent not far from where I hoped to hunt. So we changed course slightly and right around first light we bumped two 6x6 bulls. They stopped and looked back at 100 yards but we couldn’t get any closer and they eventually ran off. We heard some soft bugles ahead and hiked in that direction. Eventually we got to the other side of the area I was hoping to hunt that morning and we were hearing bugles close by. We spotted a group of cows getting pushed by a bull. They were running as they passed nearby (around 150 yards) and there were a few spikes in the group followed by a 5x5 bull. We decided to stop and glass to turn up any other bulls and as we were setting up, a small 6x6 ran right through our setup and nearly ran into us. I made a quick cow call and he stopped at 10 yards but as I went to grab my bow, he bolted. After 2 hours of daylight most of the action dried up. We went on a hike to explore the area and bumped a bedded 6x6 but that was the last elk of the day. We set up on a water hole that evening and saw a large group of turkeys, but no elk or bugles.
Monday, September 4:
Our second day, we decided to try a new area in the morning but it was totally devoid of any animals or fresh sign. We decided to hike back out and pick a new area for the evening. As we drove around, we ran into the National Park Service ranger that was in charge of assisting hunters while in the Valles Caldera. He gave us a few tips and spots that might be useful so we made plans based on that advice for the evening. We went to one of the locations he recommended but no elk or bugles. It was extremely windy.
Tuesday, September 5:
My dad’s friend had to be back at work, so we said goodbye to him as we headed out for day 3 of the hunt. We tried another new spot that morning, what we believed to be a travel corridor, and ran into a small raghorn as we got close to the location. We got set up and roughly 30 minutes later a nice 6x6 bull walked out. He was at 75 yards which was just over my comfort zone of 60 yards. I nocked an arrow and tried to get into range but he continued on. Later that morning we saw a large group of cows with a small bull run through the area. Eventually, we continued on and decided to hike and slowly work to a water hole on the map (that turned out to be totally dry). As we hiked, my buddy spotted a bedded 5x5. I got to within 50 yards but eventually decided to pass on him. I felt like I would rather keep hunting than go ahead and take him at that time. We hunted the same travel corridor in the evening without any luck.
Wednesday, September 6:
The morning of the 6th, we tried yet another new spot. We debated going back to a few places we had seen elk and good sign but wanted to keep covering ground. Unfortunately, we got a later start on the 6th and didn’t get to hiking until right around first light. On our way in we started to hear bugles in the area we were hiking towards. When we arrived, we saw a nice 6x6 with roughly 8 cows and a few satellite bulls that were pestering them. I worked in their direction but didn’t feel like I had a great approach because of the wind, so I waited to see where they were headed without putting too much pressure on them. Eventually they worked their way up and over a ridge and we continued hiking. We saw lots of fresh sign in the area, the most we had seen so far, but the elk had already worked towards bedding. We continued walking the rest of the morning to get to a certain spot I wanted to see on the map but that area had much less sign than what we had hiked through that morning. On the way out, we bumped a nice 7x7 that was bedded in the area with lots of sign during the early afternoon. No elk sightings the rest of the day.
wsking
Active member
Thursday, September 7:
On the morning of the 7th, my buddy from church had to leave to get back to a work event that he had near Lubbock. It was just me and my dad the rest of the way. The days of the 7th and 8th are two that I have replayed often in my mind since returning from New Mexico. We decided to get a real early start and revisit the area with all the sign from the previous day. As we hiked in, there were bugles coming from every direction. We were there earlier and the elk were also much more vocal than previous days. As we got in the zone of where the bugles were coming from, we had to make a decision on which bugle to follow. There was one that had a little more "growl" than the rest and I took the lead as we headed in that direction. As we got to the area that the bugles were coming from, I could see a group of 3 cows on an open east facing slope. I slowly worked my way closer to them and as I reached the tree line, I saw the 7x7 that we bumped from the previous day. He was fired up and yelling every few minutes. He started pushing his cows up towards a ridge as he bugled. The wind was perfect for me so I slowly started stalking him. I was able to cut the distance from 100 down to 80, then 65, then 50 as I knocked an arrow. Every time I thought I would have a shot, he would turn or take a few steps or be covered up by brush and I would have to readjust my position. There were multiple times when I could have and should have taken a shot. To this day, I am still disappointed that I did not let an arrow fly. I was more concerned about what could go wrong instead of having the confidence to believe in my training and take a shot. I continued stalking him, staying within roughly 50 yards for what felt like forever and eventually as we crested the ridge, the wind changed as it went over and went directly to his cows. They spotted me and took off with the bull in tow. I tried going after them but it was useless at the rate they were traveling. I met back up with my dad to talk about the stalk and regroup when we heard another bugle and we took off in that direction. We worked along an old logging road (there are hundreds of them out in the Valles Caldera) and couldn’t see the source of the bugles. We decided to split up and glass to see if we could turn the bull up. I went around a corner on the logging road and quickly spotted some cows feeding ahead of me, below the road. I worked to get closer and see how many there were and if they had a bull with them. Eventually I started seeing more and more cows work their way out of the trees and up the slope. Then I started hearing very loud bugles. More cows and spikes/raghorns came up out of the trees (around 20 elk total) but I doubted that any of them were the source of the bugles. Finally a monster 8x8 (my dad says he had more but I know that I counted at least 8 on both sides) worked his way out of the trees. My dad called him Methuselah because he looked so old and big. As I saw him, I started to try and close the distance towards the spot where his cows were crossing the logging road (I was about 150 yards from where they were crossing to start). The wind setup was good again and I thought I might get a chance to cut them off but they must have spotted/heard me and took off running over the ridge when I was around 100 yards. This was another great encounter but not the heart-pounder like earlier that same morning with the 7x7. Both groups of elk we saw that morning took off in the same general direction and after a quick break we decided to head that direction to see if we could locate bedding. We eventually came upon a spot that was loaded with elk and all during mid-day we could hear bugles coming from the thick timbered area they were bedded in. Eventually we decided to work down to a water hole that we thought they might come to mid-day. On the way there, we came across a huge wallow below their bedding. The wind situation was tough at the wallow with the wind blowing our scent up towards the elk. We tried to stay on one side of the slope so that if the elk came in on the other side, we wouldn’t be detected. A few hours into the sit on the wallow, a really nice 6x6 started working his way down but came on the same side we were set up on and turned around (he was around 120 yards out when he left). We sat the wallow a while longer and decided to work back to the spot we had the encounters earlier that morning. Unfortunately, we didn’t see or hear an elk the rest of the evening.
Friday, September 8:
The next morning, we decided to return to the same location that we came to call the “Land of the Giants” from the previous day. As we hiked in, there was much less bugling than the day before but still some calls here and there. Just as we were getting close to the same elevation as the day before, I turned the corner and almost ran into a group of cows. I froze and had the closest cow probably within 20 yards. As I looked around I could see this was a bigger group and picked out a few small bulls and eventually saw the large 7x7 from the day before. He had gone from 3 cows the previous day to roughly 15 cows that he was pushing. He was in the back and his cows were feeding from right to left in front of me. It was hardly first light and the thermals were still pushing down the mountain. As the cows continued to the left and down, I knew they would eventually catch my scent. I was stuck where I was though and didn’t think I could get back out without being seen. The large bull worked closer and I readied myself. As he got to 65 yards and I went to pull back my bow, one of his cows got me and the whole group took off. This was not a soft bump, they took off screaming up the ridge and never looked back. I’m still unsure how I got so close and stayed there for that long without being detected. As they left, we worked back to the spot we saw the 8x8 yesterday because we figured the 7x7 had been on a solid pattern (almost the same exact spot 3 days in a row) and that he might be in the same location. As we got close to the spot we saw Methuselah the day before, I saw a couple cows and decided to drop my pack and had my dad hang back as I went ahead. I was on a logging road and the cows were just below. I worked over closer to the edge and peeked down to see if there were more elk working up. I quickly spotted the 8x8 (Methuselah) from the day before. He was still a couple hundred yards away down the mountain and pushing a large group of cows (my guess was at around 25-30). I decided to stay back closer to the mountain and try to work my way closer to where it looked like they would cross the logging road. I crawled and scooted as close as I could to a spot where I had just a little bit of cover and my rangefinder said the distance was 60 yards but the decline was extremely steep. Many cows worked past me and I was undetected by any of them. The wind was great for this encounter with the thermals switching and now coming up the mountain to where I was positioned. As the bull got closer, I worked closer to the edge to prepare for the shot. I got my arrow set up and as I waited, I got more nervous about the angle of the shot I would have to take. I saw another spot where I figured I would be around 50 yards away from the trail they were going up and with less slope. It was not far to get there but as I moved, I spooked a cow and Methuselah went around the corner, never to be seen again. Looking back, I certainly wish that I would have stayed at the first place that I was set up. I got nervous from my lack of experience with shots of that steep of an angle and tried to improve the shooting situation. Honestly, if I had ever gotten up in a tree stand and practiced shooting from that type of angle, I think that would have prepared me well for that situation. After these encounters, I needed to take a brain break mid-day from all of the morning adrenaline. I took a great nap on the side of the mountain as I thought back on the morning hunt. I had two great opportunities at amazing bulls but wasn’t able to close the deal. We decided to return to the wallow that we discovered the day before but had no luck and did not see any bulls the rest of the evening.
Saturday, September 9 & Sunday, September 10:
Both of these days we returned to the “Land of the Giants” area where we had seen the 7x7 and 8x8 in previous days. We found another wallow up high on top of a ridge and bumped a few decent bulls early both days but did not have any true encounters like the 7th and 8th. I think that we hunted this area too hard and pressured some of the elk we were seeing into a different area. By this time, we had pinpointed multiple bedding locations but tried to not bump them out so that they would stay in the area. As the days passed and the end of the hunt was drawing near, we decided that we would slowly start working through bedding areas.
On the morning of the 7th, my buddy from church had to leave to get back to a work event that he had near Lubbock. It was just me and my dad the rest of the way. The days of the 7th and 8th are two that I have replayed often in my mind since returning from New Mexico. We decided to get a real early start and revisit the area with all the sign from the previous day. As we hiked in, there were bugles coming from every direction. We were there earlier and the elk were also much more vocal than previous days. As we got in the zone of where the bugles were coming from, we had to make a decision on which bugle to follow. There was one that had a little more "growl" than the rest and I took the lead as we headed in that direction. As we got to the area that the bugles were coming from, I could see a group of 3 cows on an open east facing slope. I slowly worked my way closer to them and as I reached the tree line, I saw the 7x7 that we bumped from the previous day. He was fired up and yelling every few minutes. He started pushing his cows up towards a ridge as he bugled. The wind was perfect for me so I slowly started stalking him. I was able to cut the distance from 100 down to 80, then 65, then 50 as I knocked an arrow. Every time I thought I would have a shot, he would turn or take a few steps or be covered up by brush and I would have to readjust my position. There were multiple times when I could have and should have taken a shot. To this day, I am still disappointed that I did not let an arrow fly. I was more concerned about what could go wrong instead of having the confidence to believe in my training and take a shot. I continued stalking him, staying within roughly 50 yards for what felt like forever and eventually as we crested the ridge, the wind changed as it went over and went directly to his cows. They spotted me and took off with the bull in tow. I tried going after them but it was useless at the rate they were traveling. I met back up with my dad to talk about the stalk and regroup when we heard another bugle and we took off in that direction. We worked along an old logging road (there are hundreds of them out in the Valles Caldera) and couldn’t see the source of the bugles. We decided to split up and glass to see if we could turn the bull up. I went around a corner on the logging road and quickly spotted some cows feeding ahead of me, below the road. I worked to get closer and see how many there were and if they had a bull with them. Eventually I started seeing more and more cows work their way out of the trees and up the slope. Then I started hearing very loud bugles. More cows and spikes/raghorns came up out of the trees (around 20 elk total) but I doubted that any of them were the source of the bugles. Finally a monster 8x8 (my dad says he had more but I know that I counted at least 8 on both sides) worked his way out of the trees. My dad called him Methuselah because he looked so old and big. As I saw him, I started to try and close the distance towards the spot where his cows were crossing the logging road (I was about 150 yards from where they were crossing to start). The wind setup was good again and I thought I might get a chance to cut them off but they must have spotted/heard me and took off running over the ridge when I was around 100 yards. This was another great encounter but not the heart-pounder like earlier that same morning with the 7x7. Both groups of elk we saw that morning took off in the same general direction and after a quick break we decided to head that direction to see if we could locate bedding. We eventually came upon a spot that was loaded with elk and all during mid-day we could hear bugles coming from the thick timbered area they were bedded in. Eventually we decided to work down to a water hole that we thought they might come to mid-day. On the way there, we came across a huge wallow below their bedding. The wind situation was tough at the wallow with the wind blowing our scent up towards the elk. We tried to stay on one side of the slope so that if the elk came in on the other side, we wouldn’t be detected. A few hours into the sit on the wallow, a really nice 6x6 started working his way down but came on the same side we were set up on and turned around (he was around 120 yards out when he left). We sat the wallow a while longer and decided to work back to the spot we had the encounters earlier that morning. Unfortunately, we didn’t see or hear an elk the rest of the evening.
Friday, September 8:
The next morning, we decided to return to the same location that we came to call the “Land of the Giants” from the previous day. As we hiked in, there was much less bugling than the day before but still some calls here and there. Just as we were getting close to the same elevation as the day before, I turned the corner and almost ran into a group of cows. I froze and had the closest cow probably within 20 yards. As I looked around I could see this was a bigger group and picked out a few small bulls and eventually saw the large 7x7 from the day before. He had gone from 3 cows the previous day to roughly 15 cows that he was pushing. He was in the back and his cows were feeding from right to left in front of me. It was hardly first light and the thermals were still pushing down the mountain. As the cows continued to the left and down, I knew they would eventually catch my scent. I was stuck where I was though and didn’t think I could get back out without being seen. The large bull worked closer and I readied myself. As he got to 65 yards and I went to pull back my bow, one of his cows got me and the whole group took off. This was not a soft bump, they took off screaming up the ridge and never looked back. I’m still unsure how I got so close and stayed there for that long without being detected. As they left, we worked back to the spot we saw the 8x8 yesterday because we figured the 7x7 had been on a solid pattern (almost the same exact spot 3 days in a row) and that he might be in the same location. As we got close to the spot we saw Methuselah the day before, I saw a couple cows and decided to drop my pack and had my dad hang back as I went ahead. I was on a logging road and the cows were just below. I worked over closer to the edge and peeked down to see if there were more elk working up. I quickly spotted the 8x8 (Methuselah) from the day before. He was still a couple hundred yards away down the mountain and pushing a large group of cows (my guess was at around 25-30). I decided to stay back closer to the mountain and try to work my way closer to where it looked like they would cross the logging road. I crawled and scooted as close as I could to a spot where I had just a little bit of cover and my rangefinder said the distance was 60 yards but the decline was extremely steep. Many cows worked past me and I was undetected by any of them. The wind was great for this encounter with the thermals switching and now coming up the mountain to where I was positioned. As the bull got closer, I worked closer to the edge to prepare for the shot. I got my arrow set up and as I waited, I got more nervous about the angle of the shot I would have to take. I saw another spot where I figured I would be around 50 yards away from the trail they were going up and with less slope. It was not far to get there but as I moved, I spooked a cow and Methuselah went around the corner, never to be seen again. Looking back, I certainly wish that I would have stayed at the first place that I was set up. I got nervous from my lack of experience with shots of that steep of an angle and tried to improve the shooting situation. Honestly, if I had ever gotten up in a tree stand and practiced shooting from that type of angle, I think that would have prepared me well for that situation. After these encounters, I needed to take a brain break mid-day from all of the morning adrenaline. I took a great nap on the side of the mountain as I thought back on the morning hunt. I had two great opportunities at amazing bulls but wasn’t able to close the deal. We decided to return to the wallow that we discovered the day before but had no luck and did not see any bulls the rest of the evening.
Saturday, September 9 & Sunday, September 10:
Both of these days we returned to the “Land of the Giants” area where we had seen the 7x7 and 8x8 in previous days. We found another wallow up high on top of a ridge and bumped a few decent bulls early both days but did not have any true encounters like the 7th and 8th. I think that we hunted this area too hard and pressured some of the elk we were seeing into a different area. By this time, we had pinpointed multiple bedding locations but tried to not bump them out so that they would stay in the area. As the days passed and the end of the hunt was drawing near, we decided that we would slowly start working through bedding areas.
wsking
Active member
Monday, September 11:
This would be the last day my dad and I would hunt together. He had received word from his work that he had an important meeting that he would need to get back to on Wednesday and he would be traveling home Tuesday. We again returned to the same general area that we had been hunting since Wednesday. Looking back, I can see the mistake of over-pressuring this spot but we saw bulls every day and the allure of the encounters we had there kept me coming back. Working through that same area, we encountered a few cows that weren’t yet with a bull. Eventually one of the cows fed to within 30 yards but there were no bulls around following them. We heard a few distant bugles but nothing close enough to make a play on. We had decided to work through their bedding and see if we could get in a stalk or two in the timber. When we got to their bedding that we had located, some bedded bulls were letting out bugles. We pinpointed a bull and I made a stalk in his general direction with a good wind set-up. As I slowly worked closer, I could make out some cows that were standing. The bull was trying to round up his group of roughly 10 females. The cows would move around and a few had spotted me but didn’t bolt. Eventually I saw antlers coming through the aspen trees. It was a solid 6x6 and he was following his cows working in my direction. There was an opening that the cows had come through at roughly 60 so I was set up and ready to go as he approached it. As I drew back to shoot, one of the cows spotted my movement and let out a noise but didn’t run off. Another cow heard this and stepped back blocking my shot at the bull. Eventually she moved forward just enough for me to let an arrow fly but the bull also moved back and my arrow didn’t connect. They stuck around for just a few moments as I tried to nock another arrow but the lead cow had enough and they took off downhill. We went and investigated the area for quite some time just to double check and make sure there was no blood and confirmed the miss. We had one other encounter with a smaller, solo bull we bumped later in the day but was not able to get a shot opportunity.
Tuesday, September 12:
My dad and I got up on Tuesday to travel into Albuquerque. He had to get back home for his meeting but I decided to rent a car and hunt a couple more days as the weather appeared to be shifting to rain and cooler temps. Earlier this summer, I was able to get in touch with a guy in GoHunt's comment section who had a second archery tag for the same unit. He was already in NM helping a friend in a nearby unit and arrived early to scout the Valles Caldera after his friend tagged out. We met up at the ranger station to talk and exchange info as I was getting ready to head out for the afternoon hunt. I revisited a location that I had hunted previously (Sept. 4) and had some bugles that I pursued but eventually the rain picked up pretty good and it was coming down too hard to effectively hunt. Talked with the guy with the second archery tag and he said that he and his buddy would join me on the hunt the next afternoon.
Wednesday, September 13:
This was my last day to hunt as I had to travel back on the 14th. I got up early and decided to go back one last time near the “Land of the Giants.” I hiked through many bugles in the dark as I worked my way to the area. There was heavy cloud coverage that morning and it looked like it could begin to pour at any moment. Despite the cooler weather and impending rain, the elk were even higher than they had been most of the last week. They were already working towards their bedding at first light. I decided to pursue and kept hiking as they were still very vocal. Once I got to their bedding area, I went in aggressively with calls and raking. I had nothing to lose and was hoping maybe a small bull or cow would come and check me out. I had a raghorn bull come in to 90 but that was my closest encounter. I then decided to keep hiking because I didn’t feel like there were as many elk in that particular bedding area as there was earlier in the hunt. I eventually worked my way up to the highest elevations I had been the entire time I was in the Caldera. The elk were extremely high but bugling quite a bit as the rain started. This seemed to get some of the elk back on their feet as I located a few groups up and moving. I found a couple groups to try and put a stalk on but the rain picked up and eventually I found myself in a lightning and thunderstorm at 10,000 feet. I found a lone tree to sit out the storm through. I had agreed to meet up with the second archery tag holder and his friend after lunch so I hiked back out once the rain started to subside. Because of how the rules at the Valles Caldera work (limited backcountry access), I had to drive back out to pick them up at the ranger station and they joined me for the afternoon hunt as we set out to an area that I had not been to yet. As we set out on the afternoon hunt, we quickly spotted a group with a couple bulls and headed that direction. It started to rain but we kept following and eventually found the group located on a ridge. The two guys helping me stayed back to call and make some noise to try and draw a bull in. They did a great job and we had the attention of a bull but he wouldn't move very far in our direction. We grouped back up and as we were talking a satellite bull came through the area bugling so they started calling again. A smaller 6x6 came right in towards where I was set up, eventually to 55 yards, but was facing directly at me the entire time and I never had a shot. We headed towards a water hole as light faded and had a few bugles that were working closer but we never saw the source of them. Hiking out we got poured on as my hunt at the Valles Caldera ended.
Thursday, September 14:
Loaded up and headed home.
All in all, this hunt was an amazing experience. The more that time has gone by, the more fondly I think back on it. I believe that I got everything that I could have hoped for except the success of getting an elk. The stories, lessons, and memories from this hunt will be ones that I hold on to forever. Altogether I hiked over 110 miles over 11 days and got to see some of God's most amazing country.
Lessons Learned:
Alright, I think that’s all my typing fingers have left in the tank.
I’ll attach a few pictures from the trip below that my buddy took (he’s a photographer) and also a song that I like to remember the trip by.
Flatland Cavalry - Mountain Song
View attachment 314415
This would be the last day my dad and I would hunt together. He had received word from his work that he had an important meeting that he would need to get back to on Wednesday and he would be traveling home Tuesday. We again returned to the same general area that we had been hunting since Wednesday. Looking back, I can see the mistake of over-pressuring this spot but we saw bulls every day and the allure of the encounters we had there kept me coming back. Working through that same area, we encountered a few cows that weren’t yet with a bull. Eventually one of the cows fed to within 30 yards but there were no bulls around following them. We heard a few distant bugles but nothing close enough to make a play on. We had decided to work through their bedding and see if we could get in a stalk or two in the timber. When we got to their bedding that we had located, some bedded bulls were letting out bugles. We pinpointed a bull and I made a stalk in his general direction with a good wind set-up. As I slowly worked closer, I could make out some cows that were standing. The bull was trying to round up his group of roughly 10 females. The cows would move around and a few had spotted me but didn’t bolt. Eventually I saw antlers coming through the aspen trees. It was a solid 6x6 and he was following his cows working in my direction. There was an opening that the cows had come through at roughly 60 so I was set up and ready to go as he approached it. As I drew back to shoot, one of the cows spotted my movement and let out a noise but didn’t run off. Another cow heard this and stepped back blocking my shot at the bull. Eventually she moved forward just enough for me to let an arrow fly but the bull also moved back and my arrow didn’t connect. They stuck around for just a few moments as I tried to nock another arrow but the lead cow had enough and they took off downhill. We went and investigated the area for quite some time just to double check and make sure there was no blood and confirmed the miss. We had one other encounter with a smaller, solo bull we bumped later in the day but was not able to get a shot opportunity.
Tuesday, September 12:
My dad and I got up on Tuesday to travel into Albuquerque. He had to get back home for his meeting but I decided to rent a car and hunt a couple more days as the weather appeared to be shifting to rain and cooler temps. Earlier this summer, I was able to get in touch with a guy in GoHunt's comment section who had a second archery tag for the same unit. He was already in NM helping a friend in a nearby unit and arrived early to scout the Valles Caldera after his friend tagged out. We met up at the ranger station to talk and exchange info as I was getting ready to head out for the afternoon hunt. I revisited a location that I had hunted previously (Sept. 4) and had some bugles that I pursued but eventually the rain picked up pretty good and it was coming down too hard to effectively hunt. Talked with the guy with the second archery tag and he said that he and his buddy would join me on the hunt the next afternoon.
Wednesday, September 13:
This was my last day to hunt as I had to travel back on the 14th. I got up early and decided to go back one last time near the “Land of the Giants.” I hiked through many bugles in the dark as I worked my way to the area. There was heavy cloud coverage that morning and it looked like it could begin to pour at any moment. Despite the cooler weather and impending rain, the elk were even higher than they had been most of the last week. They were already working towards their bedding at first light. I decided to pursue and kept hiking as they were still very vocal. Once I got to their bedding area, I went in aggressively with calls and raking. I had nothing to lose and was hoping maybe a small bull or cow would come and check me out. I had a raghorn bull come in to 90 but that was my closest encounter. I then decided to keep hiking because I didn’t feel like there were as many elk in that particular bedding area as there was earlier in the hunt. I eventually worked my way up to the highest elevations I had been the entire time I was in the Caldera. The elk were extremely high but bugling quite a bit as the rain started. This seemed to get some of the elk back on their feet as I located a few groups up and moving. I found a couple groups to try and put a stalk on but the rain picked up and eventually I found myself in a lightning and thunderstorm at 10,000 feet. I found a lone tree to sit out the storm through. I had agreed to meet up with the second archery tag holder and his friend after lunch so I hiked back out once the rain started to subside. Because of how the rules at the Valles Caldera work (limited backcountry access), I had to drive back out to pick them up at the ranger station and they joined me for the afternoon hunt as we set out to an area that I had not been to yet. As we set out on the afternoon hunt, we quickly spotted a group with a couple bulls and headed that direction. It started to rain but we kept following and eventually found the group located on a ridge. The two guys helping me stayed back to call and make some noise to try and draw a bull in. They did a great job and we had the attention of a bull but he wouldn't move very far in our direction. We grouped back up and as we were talking a satellite bull came through the area bugling so they started calling again. A smaller 6x6 came right in towards where I was set up, eventually to 55 yards, but was facing directly at me the entire time and I never had a shot. We headed towards a water hole as light faded and had a few bugles that were working closer but we never saw the source of them. Hiking out we got poured on as my hunt at the Valles Caldera ended.
Thursday, September 14:
Loaded up and headed home.
All in all, this hunt was an amazing experience. The more that time has gone by, the more fondly I think back on it. I believe that I got everything that I could have hoped for except the success of getting an elk. The stories, lessons, and memories from this hunt will be ones that I hold on to forever. Altogether I hiked over 110 miles over 11 days and got to see some of God's most amazing country.
Lessons Learned:
- Don’t waste your scouting trip - I wish that I had explored a variety of locations on my scouting trip that I took instead of keying in on an area. The place I visited during the summer was great and had some bulls but I wish that I had been more familiar with the entire unit.
- Practice for ALL situations - One thing that I wish I could change is shooting in similar terrain prior to the hunt. Doing a TAC event or even going into the national forest while I was in the mountains this summer and shooting at extreme angles would have served me well. Also I did not practice much in terms of simulating a stalk and trying to shoot without needing to go back to my rangefinder. I would have practiced that more as I prepared.
- Don’t pressure one area too heavily - This is something that I know well from whitetail hunting but I ignored on this hunt. I kept seeing huge bulls in similar locations multiple days in a row and put too much pressure on them. I should have mixed it up more than I did.
- Aggressive > Conservative - As I already mentioned, there were multiple times I should have let an arrow fly. Even the shot that I eventually let go was probably not as good of an opportunity as some of the early ones that I had.
- Set up near bedding in the evening during the heat - Hunting pre-rut when temperatures were so hot, I wish that I had stayed really high in elevation near the bedding areas in the evenings to try and maybe get a shot on elk leaving their bedding. I mostly hunted areas where I had seen the elk in the mornings but they were not coming out early enough to be feeding in those locations in the evenings. There was almost no evening action whatsoever until the last couple days of the hunt.
- Camp in the Preserve - If I could do it over again, I would camp in the Valles Caldera instead of hiking in and out to the truck and traveling to the cabin each night. I think it would have saved my legs some and also helped with getting on elk late in the evening as hiking out wouldn’t have factored in as much to my thinking.
- Good Archery Binos - The Sig Zulu 6 binoculars were great for archery glass. I could use them one handed while holding my bow and get a good idea of the elk around me. That is the best piece of gear I utilized on the trip.
Alright, I think that’s all my typing fingers have left in the tank.
I’ll attach a few pictures from the trip below that my buddy took (he’s a photographer) and also a song that I like to remember the trip by.
Flatland Cavalry - Mountain Song
View attachment 314415
hogcarpy
Well-known member
Awesome right up. Thanks for sharing
millerstone
New member
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2022
- Messages
- 2
Thanks for sharing! Sounds like an awesome experience.
perma
Well-known member
Great follow-up and great pictures. Thanks for sharing.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Enjoyed the share...that was a good effort.
BradA
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2021
- Messages
- 1,157
Great pictures, what did you shoot them with?
wsking
Active member
Yeah, he did a great job.
Here is what my buddy said:
"I shot them on a mixture of digital/film: Canon 5d Mark IV (digital), Nikon F3 (35mm film), and a Mamiya 645 (120 film)"
rebelmdb
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2012
- Messages
- 135
Great write up. Sometimes being unsuccessful in the actual kill ends up being a more successful hunt.
