New Mexico Wapiti Wanderings

[Tim Fishell]

I think we all know how that goes Joe.  Hopefully you can get back to the story soon.

[PaPaFrank]

Joe, Great beginning!!  Can't wait for the rest of the story to unfold...

[beachbowhunter]

Glad to see your typing fingers are working Joe!

Guys, this was my first time elk hunting and I couldn't have picked a better group of companions. Joe is one heck of a hunter and I can't tell you how much I've learned since meeting him at the Sweat two years ago. What might not come out in his telling of this first, and epic, day of elk hunting is how much the "guide" learned from him.

I'm going to let Joe spin this part of the yarn and chime in like Howard Cosell for color comentary. This is his story to tell.

That first bull, a 4 x4 stepped out from behind a big spruce and stared right past me toward the calls. I said to myself, "hey this elk hunting thing is easy!". Yah, right. He was a little spooked and bolted right past me out of range but, man what a way to start the day!

[beachbowhunter]

As Joe said, we did a little pre-season scouting. We found this nice ridge top. After the photo-op....

 

The real glassing began....

 

[beachbowhunter]

Check out the pic of the top of the slope we found ourselves the first morning on the previous page. The bottom of the basin is somewhere on the order of 1,600 feet below. By the sounds I was hearing, it seemed that the big bulls had all found safe refuge at the bottom.

It's difficult to appreciate the steepness of this slope from the pictures but believe me, my quads and feet sure could tell.

[Littlefeather]

Man, wish I'd have been with you guys on this hunt! Norb looking Cali? Always!

Better check your pack for surprises now that the hunt is over Joe. You may have some surprises in the lower left pocket.

[BigRonHuntAlot]

   

[Charlie Lamb]

Whip it on us Joe!!!!!!

   

It's difficult to appreciate the steepness of this slope from the pictures but believe me, my quads and feet sure could tell.  

Norb.... think what it would have been like if you weren't used to flip flops.  

[beachbowhunter]

Originally posted by smiley:
One thing I learned on this trip is not to get up in the middle nite to relieve yourself and get caught in middle of a hail strom it hurts.    

If you didn't use the GI Joe Kung-Fu grip it probably wouldn't have hurt so much!  

[Tique]

Joe, I think the banking business can wait, lets get on with the story. Been great so far but we need more!

[beachbowhunter]

Darn right Charlie. I noticed I couldn't hardly walk in my beloved flops when I got home. That plus the topography of my home property runs from a huge 8 to 16 feet above mean sea level front-to-back.  I'm keeping an eye on that global warming thing  

[Charlie Lamb]

[JC]

Now were talking! I was wondering how this trip was going....so far, so great I can see now.

Keep it coming! Loving the pics too. You're doing great Joe, only a little s-l-o-w-e-r  

[Whip]

Let's see, where were we....
Oh yeah.  

Nearly two hours after initially setting up above the bugling we were starting to get restless.  Norb and Trey strated wrking their way across slope toward me, and I went to meet them.  Glancing down as far as I could see I spotted movement far below.  A quick check with the binos revealed a bull headed across an opening coming our way.  He was still a long ways down there, but at least moving the right direction.

We redeployed in our set ups, with Norb taking the right flank, and I on the left.  Trey stayed back 50 or so yards and resumed with the sexy cow talk.  The draw below us had a line of trees and brush running up the middle of it, and it wasn't more than a few minutes before I caught movement below.  The bull was definately on his way!  He was coming in quiet though - Norb and Trey couldn't see him and had no idea what was taking place.

[knife river]

And... And???    

[Missouri CK]

Whip,

I liked your barcolounger recliner set up for glassing elk.  Your camo looks good too, except for those white sock....oh I'm sorry those are your legs... my bad.  You Wisconsin boys don't see the sun as much as Beachie.

Chris

[Missouri CK]

Whip did you hunt with your Blacktail or is that a new bow?

[Marvin M.]

I can't beleive that Charlie is asking someone to hurry up with the story.      

What's up with that?  :D

[beachbowhunter]

Joe was right about the change in wind. The thermals switched somewhere around 9 am and now we had the wind in our favor, coming up from the depths below.  I was a little higher up the slope than Joe but for a little while I could still see him. I noticed some movement and saw him duck under a spruce moving further left. After that he was lost from view.

[Whip]

If he continued on his current path he would end up cresting the draw 50 yards to my right.  I had to move if I had any hope of catching him.  I could follow his progress through the trees as he worked his way up the steep slope.  When he moved, I moved, gradually working further to my left.  

Just as a reached a point where I was running out of cover, the bull turned and came straight toward me.  There was a small tree between us, and he stopped less than 15 yards away.  He would have to go one way or the other around it, and either way was fine with me.  

I've been in similar situations often enough in the past to know that even at that distance there are too many things that can go wrong.  I tried to stay as calm as I could hoping this time would be different, but to be honest I think I was hyperventilating.  

The bull started walking slowly to my left.  Two more steps would put him at 12 yards broadside, but suddenly he froze and came to full alert.  The wind was great, so I don't think he smelled me, but just like that things went from perfect to bad - and an all too familiar feeling of helplessness came over me.  

The bull reversed direction and started to head back downhill and out of my life.  But as he did so, he cleared the tree between us at just over 20 yards and quartering hard away from me.  With barely a thought, my bow was at full draw, and an arrow that looked just like one of mine appeared on his side.  Only the fletching was sticking out as he tore his way downhill away from me.  The hit was farther back than I wanted, but I hoped against hope that it might have angled forward enough to reach vital organs.