Finally drew an Arizona bull permit part2

[Michael Eichele]

After spending 3 weeks in Arizona and hunting for 2 weeks in late Spetember, I did not get that Arizona monster I wanted but settled on a small 5x5 bull elk on the very last day. He is my first elk and my first bow kill. I know this isnt a bow hunting forum but I have spent so much time long range shooting and hunting that this is a nice change for me. With a bow and arrow one is forced to make it a close range game. To me it was as exciting as my first long range trophy.











[ 11-10-2004: Message edited by: meichele ]

Michael,
Congrats on your elk, way to go!
Wayne

[308175]

I wouldnt exactly call it a small 5x5. For archery elk hunts any elk is a nice trophy.

Can I ask what unit you were hunting? How far was the shot? I drew a tag in 95 but didnt score. Congrats on the bull.

[Len Backus]

Very nice, indeed! Bow hunting is always tough.

[Taos]

Nice Bull!! Any bull taken with sticks is a great one. I just got back from a limited entry hunt in Co. Still so sick over it I can't talk about it yet. Congrats on a great trophy!!

[Michael Eichele]

308,

The unit was 7E. The shot was 33 yards. It was first light on the last day (9-30-04) I passed on 2 bulls. One on opening day and one on day 3. Both were rag horn bulls. After that it was fairly frustrating till the last day.

Taos, I understand about being sick after an elk hunt. I hunted Arizona one other time and arrowed a solid 350+ 6x6 on my favorite water hole and not having a laser RF and having walked off the yardage over loggs and big rocks and through low spots to the elk trail. I came up with a distance 10 yards off from where the trail really was. I hit him between the lungs and spine. I may never get a chance and a trophy like that again. Who knows? I WILL NEVER stop trying!

[Taos]

Meichele,

I had a very similar experience with about the same size bull on monday. A 100 yd. shot. 6.5-284 with 140 TSX. Shot 500 rds preparing for this hunt. Quartering away shot. At the shot bull staggered around for 5 seconds and appeared to go down in thick pinyons. We literally were driving the pickup up to him to pick him up. He jumps the fence and runs about 20 yards. Dives into the pinyons and that is the last we see of him. This is all right at last light. We track till we can't see any more. His tracks are a drunken stagger, crashing into trees and falling. We are certain that he is dead and does not know it. We can find not one drop of blood. We sit up almost all night trying to figure this out with no obvious answers. At 1st light we take up the track again. Bull heads down a big canyon and we are pretty sure we will find him. Still no blood. Tracks head up a steep sided ridge to the top of a mesa. and mingle with a bunch of other elk tracks. Never any blood and the tracks seemed to be of a normally walking bull when we lost him. I have no idea what went wrong but still want to puke every time my thougts turn back to that scene.

I guess my son and I overall had a good season. We each took good bucks and he got his very first bull elk. But still...