A Good First Bull

          This elk hunt started in April 1995 at a local archery shop with Tony Kuttner, an up state New Yorker.  Tony was a good hunter accustomed to perusing Adirondack whitetails. I was to meet Tony and try to get him re-introduced to the archery-hunting world. Tony and I had been co-workers for a couple of years and shared a common interest in hunting.

            I try to get to the range at least once a month to work on my form and make sure that my bow is tuned and functioning properly. I told Tony to meet me there and after I was done shooting we’d go and get some chow. I had been shooting for about an hour when Tony showed up. While I was shooting, I had asked him if he would be interested in putting in for the archery elk hunt. Tony said that he would love to, but he had one problem, no bow. I said, well let’s see if we can fix this problem.  We are in an archery shop. The shop owner always kept a rack of used bows on display. Tony and I checked out the selection and found an older used Hoyt bow set up with arrows and all the extras for a $100.00. I took it to the back and gave it a quick tune up. We then went back over to the range and shot the bow. The bow needed a little more work and a new rest, but once we got everything all lined up, the bow shot great. I asked Tony again if he was sure he wanted to put in for the archery elk hunt. Of course he said yes.

            Well the next thing you know we were sitting on my couch fighting over the phone trying to call the Game & Fish phone number to see if we got drawn. But we all know how that story goes. We kept calling for a least 2 hours, when I finally got through, as I listened the mechanical voice on the other end said, “You were drawn for…click, dial tone,” disconnected, man was I upset.  Tony tried the number and got through in just a couple of attempts. The computer told Tony, “You were drawn for elk.” Tony got so excited that he hung up the phone before he could get the hunt number he was drawn for. I later found out that I was drawn for a cow tag and Tony had drawn a bull tag in the same unit. Another dear friend of mine, Bob Thrush, whom I have known for 20 years had also drew an archery cow tag for the same unit.  Bob owns and operates a custom meat cutting business in Wickenburg called “Thrush’s Processing.

We used every available opportunity to shoot at the range and tuning our equipment before the hunt. We also spent as much time as possible scouting the area and studying topographical maps. Bob had hunted the area before and had a really good idea on where we would locate the elk. The area we chose to hunt was a large wilderness area. We felt hunting in this area would eliminate about 85% of the crowds. The remainder 15% would then be decreased by another 10% once the hunters realized that they would have to walk in. That is the beautiful part of hunting wilderness areas, no crowds.

The day before the hunt found us at the outskirts of the wilderness area setting up camp. Nightfall came and as usual sleep could not be found. The anticipation of the opening day hunt was pure torture. Throughout the night we could hear the bulls screaming out their challenges to each other. The rut was just really starting to kick in. Those were the sounds I had waited all year to hear.

Setting the alarm turned out to be a waste of time. We were all up and ready to go long before the alarm sounded. A quick breakfast was made, the lunches were packed and we headed off up the ridge for the long hike into hunt area. With every cedar tree we pasted, we anticipate seeing an elk. We could tell that there was really a good herd in the area. The types of sign found showed that this was where the elk were spending their evenings. There were a lot of the smaller trees that had been torn apart by the bulls we heard bugling the night before. As we continued moving through the thickets, still-hunting, we came within 300 yards of a pond and heard the mewing of cows. Bob and I were attempting to circle around the herd when we heard a cow sound off with a warning bark, followed by the sound of rocks rolling down the ridge, busted. We decided to continued towards the tank and found that there were 4 wallows at the ponds edge. Along with this, the edge was riddled with elk tracks. The majority of the tracks led up out of the pond heading deeper into the wilderness area.

Before we left the tank, we came up with a game plan on how we were going to approach the ridge. It is decided that we would split up and try to find out where the elk were holding up. As we worked our way up to the ridge top we find out that the elk appeared to have split up into smaller herds. Bobby said we should check out a tank at the west end of the wilderness area. When we got to the tank we found that the elk were really using it quite frequently to water and wallow. Bob had started walking around the pond and discovered what appeared to be the signs of a successful hunt. The sign looked to be no more than 3 to 4 hours old. There was a blood trail and two sets of boot tracks following it. We all felt that it would be a good idea to leave the trail at that point and avoid disturbing it. Again we split up and continued to locate any isolated pockets where the elk would bed down. The reason for doing this is to possibly set up and ambush the elk at a later time. We all decided that we would meet back at the tank at around dusk. Before heading to camp, Bobby went to the northeast paralleling the trail where the other hunters were tracking their elk. Tony went to the southeast where the cedar and pines started to come together. I went to the east of the tank towards one of the taller peaks and looked around the dog hair thickets and checked the benches. I had gotten on the northwest side of the mountain heading towards the east and found the kind of sign I was looking for. I had found an area where there were 3 trails that come together heading into a small saddle filled with lodge pole pines. I slowed down and began to still-hunt. I began glassing the area very intently about every 10 yards as I moved forward. As I crossed the drainage of the saddle I found a small bench where the trees started to open up a little. Suddenly I saw a small patch of that unmistakable tan. I had found an elk that was bedded down for the afternoon. As I inched my way forward I discovered that there were 2 more lying just beyond the first one. Because of where the elk were bedded, just inside the thickest part of the trees, I was unable to determine if they were bulls or cows.   I had the wind in my face and it appeared that the elk were facing away from me. So using a thick tree as cover, I was able to get within about 60 yards, still unable see  exactly what sex they were. I decided to go ahead and nock an arrow and continue the stalk. I had cut the distance in half when I discovered that the first elk was a spike bull. The little bull showed no signs of knowing that I was anywhere near him. I continued to belly crawl down past the spike along a fallen log. I pasted the spike bull, and was within 25 yards of the other 2 elk.  I could see them now, one was another spike and the third was a non-typical brush head. I decided to go through the motions of drawing on the non-typical bull for practice.  A cow laying just a few feet from me on the other side of the log rudely interrupted me. I don’t know who was more surprised when I heard that alarm bark, the elk or me. Well anyways you all know how that wound up.

I finally got back to the tank and met up with Tony and Bobby. Tony said that he hadn’t seen much to be concerned with and thought that we should maybe look into the area, when the elk are pushed to later in the hunt. Bobby said that he was walking near a canyon edge and found several secluded bedding areas and that it looked really promising.

As we headed off the ridge top towards camp we discussed our game plan for the next morning. Due to the way the wind had been prevailing, we decided that we would start by still-hunting our way to the canyons edge. Then we would post up on a high point and glass the bedding areas until the wind started to change directions. If that turned out to be unsuccessful, we would then start on the area where I had put the sneak on the bulls and “that” unseen cow.

When we got to camp it didn’t take long to eat and hit the sack. The opening morning adrenaline rush and covering a lot of country really wore us out. We woke up to the alarm on the second day with great anticipation of finding a good first bull for Tony or at least get a shot at a cow for Bobby or me. Before leaving the camp we told Tony that in the event that he got his bull, to alert Bobby or I by bugling as often as he could so we would be able to locate him. We had been split up for about 5 hours when I met up with Bobby at our designated spot at the canyon edge. Neither Bobby nor I had been very successful. Bobby said that he had come across a few scattered elk but was unable to put a stalk on any of them. My hunt for the morning basically turned out the same way. Things were starting to look a little depressing. As Bobby and I sat and ate lunch we heard what sounded like faint cow calls down in the canyon. I responded to see if I could, by some remote chance, get them to come our way. Well that didn’t work but I continued to softly practice my calling. The only response I got was a couple of crows. They just circled around and squawked at us a few times. Upon finishing lunch we heard the most rotten sounding elk bugle on this earth. We knew that it was Tony; there was nobody else on Gods green earth that could sound that bad on a call. I responded back, so he could get a location on us, and sat and waited for him to show up. We must have waited for at least another 30 minutes, listening to the continual terrible elk serenade, when Bobby and I decided that we better go find him just in case something was wrong. As we walked back towards the “sweet serenade” of Tony’s bugling, Bobby said, “ Look at that bull.” We walked over to a very nice 6X6 and I said, “I wonder who killed this nice bull?” About that time we heard Tony shout out, “Is he down?” I then looked at Bobby and said, ”This can’t be.” About that time Tony came around a small stand of live oaks with a grin from one ear to another and shaking like a leaf with excitement.

With a well-placed broadside shot at 18 yards the 115-grain, Muzzy tipped Easton shaft got full penetration and the bull only traveled about 70 yards. The bull roughly scored about 290 points, and after the drying period he scored 286. No it isn’t what a lot of people consider a trophy, but it was a really good first bull for Tony.

It was 10:00 a.m. when the bull was on the ground. We had immediately started to field dress the animal and had gotten to the hardest, most gratifying part of the hunt, quartering the elk and packing him out. Well it was around 8:00 p.m. when we got the last part of the animal loaded into the truck. Due to the temperature, Tony headed off the mountain on his wat to Wickenburg to get the elk in the cooler.

Bobby and I continued to hunt the wilderness area. We tag teamed the benches and sat over water. We saw a lot of elk, but for the next two days we just couldn’t get a good enough shot at any of the cows. We were sitting at a tree stand over water and had elk coming to the pond, but the only animals that would give us that good broadside shot were the bulls. Wouldn’t you know it, the cows managed to stay out of range.

On the fifth day Tony got back to camp and Bobby had to attend to some business in Wickenburg. Tony and I decided to head further north into the unit and check out an old haunt I used to hunt deer in. On the way there we noticed a large herd of elk working their way down a fence line about a quarter mile off the road. The wind was right and I had good cover. The stalk was on. As I attempted to cross a bob wire fence, I got caught up in it.  I was trying to get myself free and all I could hear was Tony chuckling at my unfortunate mishap. Well I finally got out of the fence and got to a position where I could ambush the moving herd. I had the herd crossing an opening about 30 yards away when  a young cow stopped broadside to me. I took a shot with my XI Flat-liner and a 130-grain Muzzy tipped Easton arrow, it found its mark right in the cow’s gearbox. The elk traveled about 80 yards and my freezer was full for the winter. I sat with the downed animal and said Thank You for your sacrifice. A small prayer or words of gratitude is something I feel the animal deserves. Tony and got the elk field dressed and quartered. It was loaded in the truck and we headed down the mountain and to the cooler.

Bobby was able to return a couple of days later and met up with a couple of friends from Chandler to finish up the hunt. He went back and hunted the pond in the wilderness area. On the evening of the day he returned, 5 cows came to water. The elk didn’t just walk in take a sip and leave. The 3 cows ran straight down into the pond and splashed around for about 10 minutes before he was able to make a 44-yard quartering away shot at a healthy 1 1/2-year-old cow. Bobby uses a Jennings Sonic XLR and a 2213 Easton arrow tipped with a 115 grain 4 blade muzzy broad head. The lethal hit resulted in the elk traveling for about 100 yards before expiring.

Well that is the story about a good bull for Tony and 2 cows for Bobby and I. We exceeded the state average of 33% success and attribute our success to getting away from the crowds and doing our homework and of course a little “Lady Luck”. Good luck and best wishes.                                                 Louis Urquides                                                Hunting and Archery Editor                                                   Arizona Outdoorsman