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Well after many years of holding out for a good archery bull elk hunt this was the year to finally draw a tag. My son will be 10 in February and already itching to go out in the woods and hunt. So this was the year to spend the time to try and go out and shoot a good bull. The hunt came quick and was glad to have a great group of friends to help me for the majority of the hunt. I have hunted with them for many many years and been with them when they were able fill there first archery bull tags. Day 1 started early and out well before sun up. The weather was not helping much as it was warmer than usual and very windy, made hearing bugles difficult. We heard some bugles and set off after them but were not able to get in close enough and see if they what they were. We headed back to the cabin around 11 for some lunch and a nap and made the decision to sit water in the afternoon. I felt with the weather being unseasonably warm that would be our best bet. I sat a tank we have had good success on from 2 till dark but nothing made its way to water. heard a few faint bugles in the distance as the sun set on day one. Day 2 was basically the same result and was not very productive. Moon was bright and up most of the night, temps were warm and elk movement and bugling was very minimal. Day 3 we were able to get on a group of 5 different bulls screaming their heads off. Shooting like came and they continued to bugle but were moving away up the ridge to the area they wanted to bed. I was able to circle around in front of them and get the wind right. Gave out a few meek cow calls and had a calf come running in to my position. She finally moved off and I was able to move up another 100 yards and get to where I thought they might pass by. Shortly after a small young 6x6 stepped out of the think jack pines at 15 yards. We had a good staring match before he decided something wasn't right and walked off. Sat water the rest of the day only to see some turkeys and a whitetail doe. Day 4 we were greeted with cooler temps but socked in fog and rain for most of the morning and then heavy winds all afternoon. Elk were not very active and ended day without much to be excited about. Days 5-7 were very similar, on elk early but couldn't find the right bull I was looking for. I passed a few opportunities in the mornings and sat water in the evenings to with no luck. Days 7-9 we made a pivot to another area in the northern part of the unit. We were on elk in the morning and chased bugles until late hours of the morning. The bulls were smart and always seemed to be in an area you could not get in close to them. Between the topography and thermals it was almost impossible to get on them without blowing the out of the country. Day 10 started out in the same area as the past few days. We were on them early and able to get in a position that the wind was in our favor and elk moving towards us. Unfortunately the only bull we got a glimpse of was the small 5x5 raghorn my buddy called into 7 yards. We had a good laugh at how tough he thought he was hiked the several miles back to the vehicle to get some much needed breakfast and rest. For the evening hunt we decided to go back to the tank I sat the first night and have my buddy go check an area not to far away for bugles. As luck would have it the bulls in that area started screaming about an hour before sunset. he sent me a message and we hightailed it over to where he was stopped. As son as we got out there were 5-6 bulls absolutely screaming, I believe there had to be a hot cow in the area because it was chaos. We got the wind in our face and slowly started sneaking in on the bull we thought sounded the meanest. We were closing the ground but light was fading fast. The bull was glunking and decided to give out a few subtle cow calls and that did the trick. He came walking right in quartering slightly to me and stopped to bugle at for 45 yards. I let the arrow go and connected just behind his shoulder. The bull trotted up the ridge a little bit and bedded down just in sight. Just like that the hunt was over, he wasn't the monster bull I had hoped and dreamt about. But he was a cool old bull that had been in his fair share of skirmishes and thorough many ruts. His front teeth were worn to the gums and had some scares to show his age. we got him taken care of in a timely manner and the meat to the processor to fill the freezer for the family and close friends. Look forward to hunting with my boy in the years to come and hope it doe not take another 17 years to draw an archery bull tag IMG_4804.MOV

As a rule, taxidermists are some of the shadiest businessmen around. I've been hosed by more taxiderimists than any other trade, by a large margin. Go with someone who has been in business a while and can show you good work. It's typical for them to take on more work than they can do. I have a mule deer at Mark Miller's right now. He's been around a long time.

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I agree, no risk of shadey taxi chit

Q1: You will get 4 random numbers for the draw (1 for app and 3 for BP). But for the sake of the bonus pass you’ll only have 3 BP. Q2: I am pretty sure that BP are awarded after the draw is complete so you will have 4 BP this draw and 6 BP in 2025. You will get loyalty after the draw is complete.

Blue Tick Coonhound puppies have arrived! Born September 7th, 2024. Should be awesome lion/bear pups for those that hunt. By our best male and out of one of the finest females we have ever had. Pups will be ready first week of November, and reserved in order of deposits received. SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY PLEASE. IG @Mile_High_Hounds

Being the gunner on a pronghorn hunt is way, way different than being the spotter. Especially after you've waited half your life to pull the tag. Here's a quick recap of my 2024 pronghorn hunt Scouted all summer looking for something to really focus my efforts on. Although we did find a few decent bucks, it took until the beginning of August to find the one that really got my heart rate up. We first spotted him a little over a mile away with heatwaves making it tough to really know what he was. The next morning we walked in before sunup in hopes of at least being close enough to get better pics to review. Found him that morning at about 700yds. Something piqued his curiosity and he made our morning way easier: IMG_5745_2.mov He was probably prettiest speed goat I had ever seen, plus he seemed to like me back, so my mind was made up. We named him Heart for obvious reasons. We continued to scout other areas but always made one more pass through to 1) see if we could relocate him 2) see if there were any archery hunters on him and 3) see how many rifle hunters were scouting in that area. As it turns out, we never saw a single vehicle until day two of the hunt. way less stressful that way. As hot as it is, big props to the archery guys... trying to close to bow range with buzz worms crawling around is a ballsy proposition IMG_5433.MOV Sadly, this one died of lead poisoning not long after this video was taken... Fast forward to the day before the opener: I am fortunate that my brother Curt has the ability to work remote thanks to Elon Musk and Star Link so he was in camp early. I wasn't able to get out of work until about noon. Just as I was pointing the Bronco north I get a message from him. He hasn't moved a half mile from the weekend prior. IMG_5982.mov Opening morning: Here we go!!! I had a lot of help from friends and family on this one. had two sets of spotters with Curt and I on the ground the area we had last seen him. As the sun rises we get a call that the buck is in a pasture. We make the half mile walk to get into shooting position only we missed our mark and the buck spotted us before we spotted him. things got real frantic, real fast and I ended up sending a shot across his bow. I lost a little piece of my soul when he kicked that extra gear and was leaving a dust wake across the prairie. We played hide and seek with him for a little under 5 miles. He finally bed and we were able to get to 450yds before we ran out of cover. Its way easier when they don't know you're there- was able to get a comfortable rest, in the shade, and waited for him get up to stretch. Results below: Helluva thing these pronghorn... Hope everyone gets to experience it at least once. Thanks for looking Dave

My 2024 Bull. I waited 13 years for this tag. I shot this bull solo a few days into the Hunt. I’m very thankful I had some luck come my way during the whole Hunt. I really hope I don’t have to wait another 13 years for a tag. Cheer and happy Hunting.

Since I was recently in Estes Park, Colorado for an art show, a few days before and after the show were spent in Rocky Mountain National Park photographing the rutting elk. Sometimes the elk cooperated and were close, and other times the bulls and their harems were too far away in the middle of Moraine Park. The Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 adapted to the Fuji GFX 100s was used. Many of the images suffered from often having to use a high ISO of 6400, but the Denoise in ACR did a reasonable job on mitigation. More images may be seen on the website. https://www.plateaulightphotography.com/New-Work/Rocky-Mountain-National-Park

I was able to fill my archery bull tag this year with a dandy. I was lucky enough to put an arrow through this mature bull at 37 yards. I got a complete pass through, with a 125 gr tooth of the arrow broadhead. It’s incredible how tough these things are. At first he didn’t know he had been hit. After a few seconds we walked up a hill, and looked around for a few seconds. He got wobbly legs, and piled over face first. He got up and did a 391 yard death run, breaking trees in half the entire way. I’ve been after a bull of this caliber for a long time. Very fun hunt.

What are you looking for?? What value do you put on your gun?

Fwiw sportsman’s Carry’s ruffland . I was looking at them for my pup

Should be able to shoot any 6.5 Creedmoor shell

If one happens to fall through I will take it.

Not me. Good Luck Chris.

Mystery of mysteries...........................I just put in and wait for results, that is what my simple brain can comprehend.

My dad drove up from tucson right when he knew I knocked one down. I was in a wilderness area so foot access only. With some recent medical issues my dads been having it would’ve been too much on him and even more on me to try to pack out that bull alone. Fortunately for us a local outta blue Arizona brought in his horses and helped me pack him out.

I know this is old but, Mogollan Rim Taxidermy is the best in the state IMO. I have had mounts (elk &deer) other places, and no one compares to Clay.

Check out Darling Leather and Fur. I have been watching her videos on facebook for awhile now as I save up bobcat pelts to make a jacket for the wife. https://darlingleatherandfur.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorQn5Y2we11NOAGsaX184lUyzz9ClB89fSw63vDhrdEJjLG07yz

Mogollon taxidermy is awesome! I have used another reputable taxidermy in Tucson area but the way I was treated didn’t matter how good there work was so I will always use mogollon not only quality but how I’m treated !

If you get something in velvet, again...... Clay at Mogollon as he can handle that in house.

Nothing against other site sponsors. But - Clay, Clay, Clay at Mogollon if you want the best mount and value.

Clay Goldman with Mogollon Taxidermy.

+1 for Clay Goldman. Can’t go wrong with him. You can go wrong with a lot of taxidermists in AZ though so be careful.

Mogollon in Payson did this a couple years ago and I love the job Clay did.