The Elk Thread

[webb09]

Great bull Tilden, love the mass he has.

[texas shag]

Awesome bull! Congrats!

[twdjr]

Finally get to add something to this thread. Sitting in the Albuquerque airport trying to catch a flight back to Houston. Arrowed a bull on Wednesday! My first.
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Congrats on a great first Bull!

[SouthTX1911]

Hunted NM 21B 7-11th. My brother shot one while I was there but we never found him dead. He shot another after I left and they never found it either. He is pretty embarrassed and frustrated. Found his first elk alive and well. I was able to get it done with 10 minutes left of my hunt. My brother got the invite from a friend for us to go hunt their private ranch right up against the Gila. We saw tons of elk. Didn't hardly hear a bugle the whole trip. My elk bugled 3 times. It's my first elk and I doubt I will ever kill another as big. It was the hunt of my lifetime for sure. Saw some beautiful country and had a great time with my brother.






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[millman]

Finally get to add something to this thread. Sitting in the Albuquerque airport trying to catch a flight back to Houston. Arrowed a bull on Wednesday! My first.



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Congrats!! Glad it went good for y'all!

[TildenHunter]

Congrats!! Glad it went good for y'all!

Thank you sir. Will catch you up to speed on the hunt soon.


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[Wits_End]

Back home after my first elk hunt and/or western hunt. Was unsuccessful in getting on elk but learned a tremendous amount. I feel it was a successful trip. It will definitely help to improve my scouting and trip planning for next year.

Hiked over 50 miles up and down and around at 10,000ft. Not bad for first timer flatlander, I feel great, but just sad that I'm gone. Wife and I saw royal gorge, took the train up pikes peak, caverns, garden of gods, stayed one night in boulder, and then estes park.







Hunting:
Dropped the wife off at the airport so she could return to work, she was not happy to leave. Met friend and took off to the mountains.
We started in a unit that a friend had scouted and saw a group of cows. We hiked around quickly on the first day and a half, covering 13 miles. Saw sign, rubs and tracks, but not one elk or one elk sound. The land appeared to be dry, beaten down, and we could not find a promising wallow or water source. We also heard coyotes and sheep dogs going at it. Expecting full rut to be taking place based on previous posts we decided to move units since we had not heard even one bugle, day or night.
Moved to another unit a few hours away and backpacked in 3.5 miles. Again spent the first day traveling 9.5 miles trying to find elk sign, wallows. We bugled and cow called throughout the hike with not one response. We found several promising wallows and planned to hunt them for the next few days as non vocal elk are hard to find.



Just as we thought we had a plan we got set up Friday on the wallows, low clouds came in fogging the entire area. It got cold quick and then the sleet and then snow.



The snow didn't let up from Friday 10am til we left on Saturday afternoon, we had 3" on everything. I went from hiking in short sleeves on Thursday to wearing every layer I brought on Friday and Saturday. We spent Friday afternoon and Saturday morning cruising thick timber and meadows looking for tracks in the snow. We saw one set with over 10 miles of walking.

Saw a few fresh piles of bones in the areas we were hunting, so elk were there a few weeks before. Not sure where they went or if they just got quiet after muzzle loader season.

As of right now my thoughts are that we were two weeks to late. The bulls are with cows and are silently hiding or muzzle loader hunters got them call shy. Its sure hard to find elk when they arnt vocal, it's to thick to glass, and cold moisture moves in. What do you think?

All I can think about is getting that first bull, then I can settle the mind down.

Saw this bad boy in Estes park, my wife and I enjoyed several days of Colorado before I headed to hunt.


On a side note:
Colorado in the fall is absolutely gorgeous.




Salomon 4d gtx boots are the best shoe I've put on my feet. Awesome traction, waterproof when walking through marshes, warm in the snow, and not one sore spot on my foot after all that hiking. I have 50 miles in them and have been completely satisfied.
If it rains or snows, gators are a must mainly to keep pants dry.
Extra socks are worth the weight
Lightweight frogg toggs raingear can save your butt when bad weather arrives, super lightweight.

Only 11 months til my return

[bdphunt]

All I can think about is getting that first bull, then I can settle the mind down.


Only 11 months til my return

Great recap and pics. Your two thoughts here totally sum up how I feel.

I just got back from New Mexico. I sweated through my clothes each day so I didn't have the snow issue, but I'm counting down the days until next year too.

We were in elk each day but couldn't get a big one in close enough for a shot.

On the last day I did get to fill my freezer. So I can't complain.

[Wits_End]

I'm thankful for the trip. The first few days I sweated through everything, washed in stream and them back at it. I'll take the hot, it's so hard to unzip the mummy bag when it's 24 deg out and there is snow on everything.

Great job on getting some meat.

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[Aggiehunter08]

Was fortunate to take my first bull on 9/11/2016 in the Gila. Gonna try and get a write-up on the hunt in the morning. Shot him 1st at 68 yards hitting him a little far back and quickly followed up with an 81 yard heart shot! Most rewarding hunt to date

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[LWC]

Holy moly aggiehunter. That is a giant!

[El General]

There are some big bulls going down.

[Kdog]

Went on my first elk hunt last week. I didn't really have a lot in the way of expectations, but I have to say the hunt way better than I could have dreamed. I had plans to do a caribou hunt next year and then mule deer in 2018. Already thinking scratching that plan about going for elk again next year.

[Lost Buckaroo]

I'll play, New Mexico unit 51 rag horn. My Buddy Bill and I tipped over 2 young bulls with in 25 mins and 70 yards of each other on the evening of the 4th day. My 3rd rag horn in as many years. I just cant say no to tippin over a bull and putting 150lbs of cut meat in my freezer. Regardless of his horns, or lack there of.

[rhendrix]

Aggiehunter, that's an incredible bull man. Outfitter or DIY?

Lost buckaroo, he may be a rag horn but I would've ran an arrow through him without hesitation!

Congrats to you gents!