My first Elk Tag and Archery Elk

Arizona Outdoorsman / AZOD

This is my first ever Elk tag (took 7 years to get drawn)

This is my first ever Archery Kill.

I took him the third day of the hunt after missing several opportunities to get an open shot at much larger bulls.

I was using a Mathews Ultra2 with Easton carbons and Rocket Steelhead expandables.

We caught him high on the mountain in the evening and stalked him for forty white knuckle minutes.

My caller Scotty kept him fired up and thrashing trees for twenty minutes or so.

I was nearly busted three times and drew on the bull three times before waiting for a better shot.

As he was thrashing a tree, I crept to 23 yards and still had only a 6 inch window between trees to shoot him.

I thought the shot was too far back. The bull jumped twenty yards, and then began walking for another twenty.

He was shaking his head back and forth and had stopped calling and chuckling. He chuckled constantly before the shot.

He only walked a total of forty yards where he laid down and expired. It only took seven minutes for him to die.

Luckily the shot took both lungs. The arrow was lying six feet out the other side covered in pink blood.

(Click to enlarge)

The experience of my lifetime! I can't wait until next time I get drawn.

Steve Stone