Calif. Hunter
Active member
Here are some pictures from my trip to New Mexico, finally. Jorge, Moe and Axel had been there for a few days hunting deer, but in a different unit. So Moe and I went scouting the day before season opened. It was fairly cold, but not bad if you kept moving.
We saw a few elk, including a herd on this hill. There were 3 bulls that were 6x6 or better and one 5x5 and a 4x4. Too bad my little disposable camera didn't have a zoom.
Jorge won the draw and Axel took second - I drew the "You're screwed" slip from the hat. We had found a good waterhole that was being used, so Jorge and Axel walked in to set up on it before daylight. Just as it became light enough to shoot, Jorge saw 2 bulls coming in. One was a huge 6x6, that he whispered to Axel to shoot. (Jorge has shot several 6x6s and a really big 7x7, so he wanted his nephew to get the big bull.) Axel wouldn't shoot (he said it was because the elk was behind a tree.) Jorge's elk saw or smelled them and was about to bolt, so Jorge nailed him with a 340 gr Powerbelt bullet from his Knight muzzleloader at about 30 yards. The elk ran about 25 yards to the top of the hill above the waterhole and dropped. Axel took a shot right ater Jorge, but missed. The bull ran off about 75 yards and stopped, looking back like he was waiting for his buddy. Axel had a chance to reload and shoot again, and missed again.
Can you say, "Bull Fever?"
I didn't take a shot the whole trip, and passed up a shot on a pair of nice bulls because I wasn't comfortable taking a 150 yard shot with my new muzzleloader. Now I kick myself, after seeing how well it does shoot at that range! Maybe next year... but at least we saw lots of pretty sunrises and sunsets, between storms.


We saw a few elk, including a herd on this hill. There were 3 bulls that were 6x6 or better and one 5x5 and a 4x4. Too bad my little disposable camera didn't have a zoom.

Jorge won the draw and Axel took second - I drew the "You're screwed" slip from the hat. We had found a good waterhole that was being used, so Jorge and Axel walked in to set up on it before daylight. Just as it became light enough to shoot, Jorge saw 2 bulls coming in. One was a huge 6x6, that he whispered to Axel to shoot. (Jorge has shot several 6x6s and a really big 7x7, so he wanted his nephew to get the big bull.) Axel wouldn't shoot (he said it was because the elk was behind a tree.) Jorge's elk saw or smelled them and was about to bolt, so Jorge nailed him with a 340 gr Powerbelt bullet from his Knight muzzleloader at about 30 yards. The elk ran about 25 yards to the top of the hill above the waterhole and dropped. Axel took a shot right ater Jorge, but missed. The bull ran off about 75 yards and stopped, looking back like he was waiting for his buddy. Axel had a chance to reload and shoot again, and missed again.


I didn't take a shot the whole trip, and passed up a shot on a pair of nice bulls because I wasn't comfortable taking a 150 yard shot with my new muzzleloader. Now I kick myself, after seeing how well it does shoot at that range! Maybe next year... but at least we saw lots of pretty sunrises and sunsets, between storms.
