First Elk Hunt of Season?

[cjack]

Anyone else going elk hunting this weekend? I'm in the Apache National Forest with just today to do some scouting before Fridays opener for archery antlerless elk. I didn't see anything on the way in yesterday but i'm headed out early this morning for some scouting.
Will keep ya'll posted.:archer green:

Ya it's 2:30am and No I can't sleep!

 

[RoosterKiller]

Good luck. Look forward to your report.

 

[cjack]

Good luck. Look forward to your report.

Day 1 in the books. Started at 4:30am with a 2 hour hike. Then I saw my first elk. I could see bodies moving in the trees at 200yds in a valley so I circled the valley to get good wind and peaked over a ridge to catch them at 43yds Sorry for the poor quality but the cheap camera focused on the closer trees. It was two 3x3 bulls. Did I mention I have a cow tag? Life is cruel! This evening I put a stalk on 5 elk that winded me at 80yds and also turned out to be all bulls. The day had everything cool to hot then cool and thunder storms. I could get use to this elk hunting thing. Three more days!

 

[baco]

good luck stick with it

 

[Superduty65]

Well good luck to you you lucky bass turd. I can't wait to get into that hunting suit on opening morning and get the first hunt of the year underway.

 

[RoosterKiller]

Wow! You Are now officialy hunting. Good luck and shoot straight my friend.

 

[cjack]

Last day of hunt, too many encounters over the past 3 days to tell you all the stories but on day 2 I crawled into a herd of 35 to 40 elk. I was surrounded by cows and calves at 30yds in thick pinion pines for 15 min. I never got a shot and when they finaly winded me it sounded like a stampede with calves crying distress calls and cows calling back as the crashed through the trees and up the hill at last light. Never been so close to HUGE wild animals before. WHAT A RUSH! Got into them at the same spot last night but couldn't close the deal. Going to hit it one more time this evening but even if I don't succeed this has been the vacation of a lifetime for me.
Good luck to all on your elk hunts this season.

 

[ltdann]

Lordy, the suspense is killing me, what zone?

 

[cjack]

Special Coon Canyon Hunt in Zone 1, antlerless archery. Just outside of Eager and Springerville, Apache National Forest. LOTS of BULLS and nice ones at that. If I had a bull tag I'd be home by now.
Good luck ltdann on your Arizona elk hunt!

 

[ltdann]

Special Coon Canyon Hunt in Zone 1, antlerless archery. Just outside of Eager and Springerville, Apache National Forest. LOTS of BULLS and nice ones at that. If I had a bull tag I'd be home by now.
Good luck ltdann on your Arizona elk hunt!

Thanks. I'm getting pumped and its months away! Sounds like your having a blast!

A few years ago, I had a FHL cow tag and made an archery stalk on a nice 5x6 bull to within 38 yds. What a rush!

 

[dtj6ppc]

[h=3]Message body[/h]"hunt hard for 4 days and you miss the shot"

How could that be, elk are the size of mini-elephants...............when you tell the story of the miss it better include 60 mph winds, 75 plus yard distance, thru bush, and in total darkness, with the animal on the run doing 30 mph, and you shooting down a 45 degree slope on one foot..............your brother Don

 

[superduty]

Sounds like you are addicted now. Been there and know the rush when you have them just feet away. Too Cool.

 

[k_rad]

wow just saw this!!! Good Luck!

 

[cjack]

Thats right 4 days of hunting HARD, many, many encounters and no shots until the last 1/2 hour of light on the last night. I was set up on a field that I had encountered them at the past three nights. After sitting for 1 1/2 hours motionless I could her the herd making their way to the field. It took 1/2 hour for them to go 50yds, adrenaline flowing, hands shaking, breeze at my back and 30 noses in the air I thought for sure they would bust me. Having an antlerless tag and only ten minutes of light left I was ready to take the first elk in my shooting lane. Twice calves walked to within 3 feet of the lane, I would draw back and they would back down. Finaly mama walked into the lane along a fence line I had ranged at 53yds. I set my 50yd pin on her and let it fly.......right over her back!
No excuses, it was calm, only slightly down hill and a clear lane at a standing broadside elk. I flat out CHOKED!

Thx Don what are brothers for?

Regardless, this was a week of first's I will never forget. Hope this gets you guys pumped about your upcoming hunts Good luck to all!

 

[baco]

My dad always said you get one chance a trip at elk if your lucky sounds like you had a great trip congrats

 

[dtj6ppc]

Thats right 4 days of hunting HARD, many, many encounters and no shots until the last 1/2 hour of light on the last night. I was set up on a field that I had encountered them at the past three nights. After sitting for 1 1/2 hours motionless I could her the herd making their way to the field. It took 1/2 hour for them to go 50yds, adrenaline flowing, hands shaking, breeze at my back and 30 noses in the air I thought for sure they would bust me. Having an antlerless tag and only ten minutes of light left I was ready to take the first elk in my shooting lane. Twice calves walked to within 3 feet of the lane, I would draw back and they would back down. Finaly mama walked into the lane along a fence line I had ranged at 53yds. I set my 50yd pin on her and let it fly.......right over her back!
No excuses, it was calm, only slightly down hill and a clear lane at a standing broadside elk. I flat out CHOKED!

Thx Don what are brothers for?

Regardless, this was a week of first's I will never forget. Hope this gets you guys pumped about your upcoming hunts Good luck to all!

Wonder if you fell victim to the number one bow hunter heart ache of the high side missed shot, the "deer duck/crouch", where a four legged animal drops 8-12 inches when hearing/sensing the arrow/string release, loading its leg muscles for a possible jump/bound, until it can identify the source of the surprise noise, while the arrow passes over-head. I dont know if elk react like deer in this manner, but its got to make you wonder.

Its been a couple of years since we had this same conversation in the past, wondering if when the time came to take a long distance shot would one have the guts to hold low in anticipation of the infamous "deer duck/crouch". Ive always said that I could not hold a full 8-12 inches low in anticipation of something that does not always happen, but would probably shave it closer to 6 inches and hope to still hit spinal chord if the animal dipped. Easy for me to speculate as a keyboard elk hunter sitting in front of my PC.

I know you didnt choke, Ive watched you hit too many fist size pine cones out of trees at 30 yards and turkeys in the game field. Of course, there is also that missed low shot on the coyote a couple of weeks ago, may still have been in the back of your mind not wanting to repeat the same miss on the elk.

Oh well, there is always that monster 4x5 buck near your home that has your name written all over it, to prove or disprove my theory............go get em........................Don

 

[cjack]

There was no duck or crouch, she didn't react until the arrow hit a stick supporting the barb wire behind her. I don't think elk have the same reaction time as these other whitetails or Africa game you see ducking arrows on TV.
I was shaking like never before, I even had a hard time getting my release on to my bowstring. It's hard to explain the rush you get when the moment you have been practicing for and dreaming about for 3 years is finaly before you plus the intensity of waiting and watching these giant beautiful animals make there approach for 20 min up close. WOW!

 

[inchr48]

Guess that's why it's called "Hunting". Appreciate the positive spin you put on this, and I share your enjoyment of just being on the hunt. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

Best of luck on future hunts.

 

[cjack]

inchr48, people ask me all the time why I spend so much time alone wandering through the fields and woods, your little saying on you're posts sums it up.
Thank you for the encouragement.

 

[ltdann]

You didn't "miss" on your elk hunt, you just didn't bring home meat. There's a difference, and it has nothing to do with the "success" of the hunt.

I've always said about hunting, "if your not having fun, your doing it wrong".

On my very first elk hunt, after days of frustration, I was hiding in a river bottom waiting for a herd to come to me. I was pretty sure they'd crest the bank somewhere near me and I'd be able to get a short range shot. As I wondered how I'd know when they got close, the ground began to shake, dirt started breaking from the lip of the bank and I could see the antlers of the herd bull at the edge of the bank. The bull bugled, it was so close I could feel it in my chest. The entire herd, some 200 cows and bulls, crested 40 yds away. At that very moment, the hunt was a success for me, and I'll remember that 45 seconds as long as I draw breath.

You did good.