8x8 for 71 year old man

[az4life]

Okay
Here it is, a once in a lifetime medical miracle and big game story rolled into one. This story is from a friend of a friend of a friend... and I WILL try to get more details this weekend.

A hunting buddy of mine had an OJT injury and has been going to therapy for several months. He learned this week that the guy doing his therapy had a story about his father.

The story is his father (71 yrs old) was elk hunting in AZ and had a back injury in a minor fall. He came back to the city and a couple days later the Dr.s did a procedure on a pinched or damaged vertibrae in his back.
They drew off fluid? and they injected a stabilizer for the vertibrae. He went home and the next day he woke up feeling like he was 40 yrs old. (that's good???)
He felt so good he took off back to the woods and eventually found a HUGE

8x8 Bull which he shot and killed. Apparently the G&F officers were summoned to look the animal over. They estimated it at over 1200 pounds.

This is where it gets really strange. For some reason, they would not let him move it?!?!? I have heard that it had something to do with being a different Genus of Elk?? Rocky mountain as ooposed to normal AZ Wapiti ? Say what??? Anyone out there have a clue on this?

If any part of this story is true, it is a good one! Congrats to the Hunter and the DR.s.

If I get more info I will advise you.

 

[snoopdogg]

Anybody hear anything else?

 

[az4life]

Nothing yet, but I think I will call the Game and Fish office tomorrow and snoop around. I am gong scouting this weekend too with the friend who related the story to me.

More research on the net tells me if this is true, maybe it is a genetic throwback to the Merriams Elk Subspecies. Merriams were thought to be extinct from the late 1800's.

I have read other articles that have reported rumours of a few leftovers from that subspecies which interbred with the Rocky Mtn elk producing some of the bigger elk which are noted in the 4 corners area of NMex and AZ.

I am Curious....

 

[az4life]

Okay, Here is what I heard from G&F today.

There have been No reports of anything unusual such as the story above (about a merriams elk) that have filtered into either Flagstaff regional office or the Phoenix main office.
The AZ G&F officers I spoke to said they "would not and could not" try to prevent anyone from removing a legally taken animal from the field.
So..... I will push my friend tomorrow for more details and together we will get to the bottom of the tale.

No doubt there is some truth in the story, but at this point, what is true or what is stretched truth is tough to tell.

 

[huntducks]

az4life

I have shot several bulls that felt like they weight 1200 lb.

 

[snoopdogg]

az4life, Thanks for the update.

 

[az4life]

Okay, maybe I got suckered on this story a bit. My hunting partner said that the guy who told him the story was getting it direct from his father on the phone and he was hearing one side of the phone call.
We talked about it this weekend and it seems the 71 year old mand DID have help with him, and it sounds now like the Game and Fish officers involved were maybe more concerned with the size of the animal and the difficulty in getting it out of the woods to the nearest road. It was a Big animal and it would be tough for any 30 year old let alone a 71 year old with a bad back.

In any case, his son relayed to my friend that "sure I have heard the story from my dad, but it's only a spike until I see the pictures"

That is a Great line for those of you who suspect a tall tale.

Anyway He is going to get more details from the son of the man who shot it this week. I will keep you all updated and if I get pics, I will post them.