Elk hunting

[GrumpyBear]

Updating Thread:

My palomino Quarterhorse is no longer part of the family. Unforeseen medical conditions and is now gainfully employed working at a YMCA sponsered Ranch for kids.

Didn't get to the hunt area until this past weekend. Absolutely awesome. Nothing beats walking around forests at 9,500ft with snow on the ground, elk and bear scat all over the place, and bear tracks the size of,well, large enough to make me look around twice as hard and often. LOL

We saw several mule deer and only one Elk 6X6 bull and he was in the back of a pick up truck on the way to a butcher shop. LOL But boy was he beautiful.

In September, a 470 class Bull was harvested via Archery right where our hunt area is. OMG, the pictures of this beast are incredible. The elk are fat and happy since the fire in 2011. They seeded by air the entire burn area with barley, wheat, oats, and various grasses. Part of the reason the Elk around here are so huge this year with larger than average weight.

Wife's rifle is sighted in, I'll be confirming my zero's this weekend and packing our horse trailer with gear, food, gas, and various supplies.

We went to the local VFW in Eager AZ and had a blast. Ate in an awesome restaruant. Haven't ate in what I would consider a good food restaruant in some time. But this one in Eager was superb.

Good luck on your hunt.Looking forward to the stories and pictures.

[customloaded]

Hey Len, Good luck! I wanna see some photos of the harvest!
I'll be heading out to try to add some more delicious PA whitetail to my freezer tomorrow.
Thanks again for taking me out for ducks & pheasant & helping to show me the ropes in my first season. I'll never forget that!

You are most welcome my friend. Thank you for the encouragement.

CL

[customloaded]

So, here's the details. Neither the wife or I filled out tag. Didn't even see an Elk. All sign was old. While still hunting what I thought would be a good area for elk to bed down, I came across a small herd of mule deer. Three does and two bucks. The bucks were playing around, locking up and pushing each other etc...one was a spike the other a 2x2.

I had a wonderful time, lost about five pounds walking up and down 8 to 10 thousand foot mountains for a week. LOL Now that I am down at about 2500 feet, I feel like I could run a marathon.

Got a little edgey when I came across some seriously sized cougar tracks on a game trail. Of course there were bear tracks too. I was standing on a cliff at abuot 8700 feet when I caught movement to my right. Heartbeat kicked up a knotch, here we go and it was a lonely coyote on a game trail. Thought about blasing him with the 300 win mag but I decided not too.

I feel I had a great hunt minus the lack of seeing game. I am somewhat disappointed in that I like to at least see the quarry. I don't need a clear view, a shot, or make a kill but it would have been nice to just see "ONE!"

CL

[GrumpyBear]

So, here's the details. Neither the wife or I filled out tag. Didn't even see an Elk. All sign was old. While still hunting what I thought would be a good area for elk to bed down, I came across a small herd of mule deer. Three does and two bucks. The bucks were playing around, locking up and pushing each other etc...one was a spike the other a 2x2.

I had a wonderful time, lost about five pounds walking up and down 8 to 10 thousand foot mountains for a week. LOL Now that I am down at about 2500 feet, I feel like I could run a marathon.

Got a little edgey when I came across some seriously sized cougar tracks on a game trail. Of course there were bear tracks too. I was standing on a cliff at abuot 8700 feet when I caught movement to my right. Heartbeat kicked up a knotch, here we go and it was a lonely coyote on a game trail. Thought about blasing him with the 300 win mag but I decided not too.

I feel I had a great hunt minus the lack of seeing game. I am somewhat disappointed in that I like to at least see the quarry. I don't need a clear view, a shot, or make a kill but it would have been nice to just see "ONE!"
CL

See that you are back.Glad that you had a good time regardless of your success.

Who knows maybe next time. Happy Holidays to you and your family.

[customloaded]

Well, just bought our 2013 hunting/fishing combo license's..total price $231.00...this includes fishing license, general hunting license, trout stamp, state waterfowl stamp, Hip permit, colorado river special fishing access, wildlife management area stamps and something else, I think. Sure do soak the hell out of yeah for just general hunting and fishing licenses.

Then, we applied for Elk and Antelope. Elk application fee is $7.50 per app and $114 for each tag if draw, $77 for antelope. So, that's a grand total of $15 in fees $228 for elk and $154 for antelope.

Total license fees: $628 for hunting and fishing licenses. Now, when we apply for DEER and Turkey tags, the price I believe is $48 per deeer tag and about that for turkey.

To hunt in AZ and have the same freedom or possible hunting opportunities in PA, we have to spend almost $1,000.00 in license's and fees. To go hunting, it'll cost at least $3,000K total for all seasons. Pretty damn expensive just to hunt out here.

CL

[Chazman321]

I think at that point I would quit, I just couldn't afford it. Maybe stick to just small game. Seems to be all I really have time for now anyways...


-Chaz

[customloaded]

I think at that point I would quit, I just couldn't afford it. Maybe stick to just small game. Seems to be all I really have time for now anyways...


-Chaz

Not that PA is a Pheasant Capitol like it once was but ahh, believe it or not, they have a "DRAW" for pheasant hunting! LOL I have no idea what the cost of that permit is...LOL

Believe me, I've done the Math a thousand times, it's cheaper to buy three or four steers and feed them out to butcher weight than go hunting in AZ.

CL

[Qtrborecrazy]

Customloaded bummer about not seeing any elk, how were the weather conditions? Are you stationed at Fort Bliss? Thats where I separated from the army after I came home from Nam. I was an MP and they had no place for me to go so they sent me to the 6to the 61air artillery. Know what you mean about cost of hunting, I went to Montana this year for elk and deer. I did alright 5x6 bull and a nice whitetail. Final cost 10 grand between travel ,license, butcher, outfitter, tips, taxidermy and bar tab. I'll skipout west this year and will try for moose in the northeast. Good hunting to all for 2013.

[ak47fullmag]

Elk meat is Delish. Although I`ve not had the privledge to free-style hunt my own. congrats.

[customloaded]

Customloaded bummer about not seeing any elk, how were the weather conditions? Are you stationed at Fort Bliss? Thats where I separated from the army after I came home from Nam. I was an MP and they had no place for me to go so they sent me to the 6to the 61air artillery. Know what you mean about cost of hunting, I went to Montana this year for elk and deer. I did alright 5x6 bull and a nice whitetail. Final cost 10 grand between travel ,license, butcher, outfitter, tips, taxidermy and bar tab. I'll skipout west this year and will try for moose in the northeast. Good hunting to all for 2013.

My horse Farrier is a VM Vet who was an MP and stationed at Bliss. LOL

Yes, I am stationed at Bliss, about to retire after 24 years, INFANTRY hooraah (first and last I'll ever write that word), and my wife and son live near Tucson AZ. So, I became an AZ resident.

We were hunting area 1, between highway 191 to the west, AZ/NM State to the east, specifically Escudilla Mountain. Two hunters pulled two bulls off this mountain this past fall that were massive. The biggest was scored at 475 and the other at 468.

When I went Elk hunting in Colorado a couple years ago, I don't think I spent more than a couple grand. Now, I always guide myself, live in my living quarters horse trailer, have my own horses's and hunt public land. I draw on my years in the Infantry and usually go places alot of guys won't go. The biggest pleasure this year was having my wife hunt too. This was her first year as a hunter and we hunted deer in Nov and Elk in Dec. We did see a herd of about 24 cows/calfs a couple days before the opener as we were scouting. Never saw another elk the rest of the trip. That happens. LOL

Weather, at dawn about 10 degrees, highs about high 30's low 40's. No wind or precipitation. Many of the Elk run into N.Mex as we are right on the border. N.Mex season's run kinda different than AZ and elk run to either state based on pressure. This year, we are pretty sure the elk stayed on top of the mountain, a plateu at 11,000 feet. No weather to really push them off the top of the mountain.

Anyway, I look forward to drawing this year too and if not, I'll be retired and just might take a run up to Colorado with my Father in law, perhaps the wife too, and buy over the counter tags.

Oh, and if you have never gone to a RMEF dinner, do it.

CL