HUGE BULL ELK WITH A LONGBOW!

[Ron LaClair]

Congratulations are in order for Steve Osminski. Steve just returned from Arizona where he took a huge 6x6 with his 53# Super Shrew Longbow. Steve was using 35-55 GT carbons with 250gr Wensel Woodsman broadheads up front.

Note the glazed look in Steves eyes in the picture        

Congratulations Steve, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving person.

   

[Dalebow]

WOW super elk!

[Charlie Lamb]

Yeah Ron! What was the weight of that 53# Super Shrew he was shooting?  :D

[TexMex]

Way to Go!!!

[the Ferret]

Super bull...Congrats Steve      

[JC]

That's one big hoss right there. Very nice Steve!

[Ron LaClair]

I forgot to mention that Steve is from Michigan and he is quite an accomplished hunter. Having said that, this is his first big game animal taken with a stick bow. Steve felt very fortunate to draw a tag for Arizona and he was considering hunting with a compound. A friend talked him out of it and fortunatly for Steve(and his friend) everything worked out for the best.    

[Steve O]

I see I am a little late with my story  :D  

I sent out a little note to my friends this morning and have been trying to catch up on all the work I have missed for the past two weeks.

I did manage to set up a Photobucket account, so we will see how that works.

First off, everything you have heard or read about AZ is true.  IF you can draw an archery tag, in  any unit, I think you are going to have an experience you will not forget.  My buddy and I actually saw and judged 36 bull elk in our 2 days of scouting and 12 days of hunting.  27 of those would have made P&Y!  We had probably an equal number of encounters with bulls we could not see due to cover.  It was an amazing experience.  The bulls were very vocal, but did not really come in to our calls.  We did a lot of stalking and ambushing by talking with and listening to them.

 
Here is a nice rub.  I am pointing to branches that are broken out of my reach.  I am 6'-1".  The bulls were rubbing on trees the size of my thigh and snapping pines thicker than my wrist.  

 

My gear: 53# Super Shrew Chameleon with bamboo limbs and elk antler tips from a shed I found on my last trip to AZ (good karma).  This bow has the Bevel-Lok takedown system and is a dream to travel with.  Gold Tip 35/55 XT with 250g Wensel Woodsman.  They weighed 550g total.  I love that CatQuiver fanny pack, but if anyone wants to trade the Mini Quiver itself that attaches to it for a Great Northern bow quiver, give me a PM.

 

My bull.  He is everything I ever dreamed of.  The pictures really don't do him justice as I am not a big fan of the Chuck Adams pose (standing behind with outstreched arms)    .  I cannot get my hands around the main beam until after the last point.  He is a mature bull elk and that is all I really ever hoped for.  The taxidermist scored him at 363" gross and 352" net and his main beams are just a smidge under 55".

I hope these pics work so I can share with my "friends" here.  This is a wonderful place and I missed checking in to see what I could learn while I was gone.

[WaKeDa BT]

Great bull, congrats!!!!

[David M. Mathis]

A big congratulations. Can't beat those Super Shrews.

[SuperKodiak38]

Awesome!

[Whip]

It sure don't get any better than that - Way to go Steve!    

[Oregon Bill]

Steve: That is indeed a wonderful bull. What unit were you hunting in and what elevation? What kind of temperatures did you encounter?

[RayMO]

Steve, congratulations on a really great bull!!

[Ron LaClair]

Sorry Steve if I stole any of your thunder. I didn't know when or if you were going to be able to post any pictures so I took the liberty of starting the thread and putting up a picture. I'm leaving in the morning for the Michigan opener and I wanted everyone to know about your success.  

[Steve O]

Bill,

I can't give out the specific unit, but I will say it was in the White Mountains and the elevation was 7-8000 ft.  Temps were 40s in the am and 80s in the pm.  There are a half dozen units surrounding the Indian Reservation and they are all good.  Actually, ALL the units out there are good!  I was talking with a fellow at Compton this year that took a bull that would make mine look like a raghorn and he was out by Flagstaff.

Joe,

Up close and personal???  I don't think I mentioned the shot distance, but since you mentioned it, it was LESS than 10 FEET.  It is funny, but as everything went into slow moting as I was shooting, I swear I heard Gene Wensel saying; "Heck, I'm a pretty good shot at 10 feet"  

[drewsbow]

Congrats , very nice animal :0)

[Steve O]

Ron,

No problem, I'm just glad I saw your post before I made another.  It did not dawn on me that post would have been about me, I was looking forward to seeing who shot the monster elk.

For those of you who do not know, Ron was the friend that helped me over my compound "devil".  I got rid of my compounds 3 years ago, and due to me drawing some pretty nice rifle tags out west, I have not had much time hunting at home with my Shrews.  To make a long story short, my confidence was in the tubes and in a weak moment I bought a new compound.  I shot it occasionally and could hit at 60 yds what I do at 20 with my stickbows.  I spent some sleepless nights after drawing this tag but after talking to Ron with his experience and just the right amount of shame     thrown in for stewing, I was back on the right track.  I sold that bow for a nice loss and chalked it up to experience.  From the time I saw the bull to the time my arrow was in him was less than 3 seconds and I could have NEVER done that with ANY other bow than one of my Super Shrews.

[bear1336]

Congats on a great bull.

Dave

[joe skipp]

Great animal! Congrats on the trad kill