ok,here is the story. bryan and I were hunting for 4 days before this guy showed up. Are usual spot was showing to be promising the weeks before the hunt. We were seeing alot of bulls and a couple of good ones at that. Two days before the hunt started, some ranchers pushed 690 head of cattle into our hunting area. As you can figure, there wasnt an elk to be seen after that happened. So we need to come up with another game plan, a good friend of mine that was up there for the weekend suggested a ridge that he had hunted before that produced good elk. I talked my friend Donny into taking me into the area were the ridge was that he had hunted a couple years back. As we headed out that afternoon mother nature rained down a bunch of rain and hail. We waited out the rain and hail and got to the area .I would not have believed the sign if I did not see it myself . You could not look 15 yards and not see a tree rubbed . We walked the ridge and the fresh sign was un believable.We didnt see any elk but we new they were in there.The next morning bryan and I got in there early.We heard some bugling and decided to persue them. As we walked the ridge we kept hearing the bugles.We found a water hole that seemed to be off the beaten path.I thought jack pot so we walked the water hole and saw some fresh tracks. I then decided to sit the water hole because it was still early.We were not even sitting there that long and a jeep comes blazing into the water hole.no road to be found go figure.!!! We talked to the guys and they wanted to be sure that we new they were planning on hunting that hole in the afternoon. That is one thing about arizona hunting pressure and roads everywhere make it hard to get away from people.We left and that afternoon we tried a different area of the ridge.Bryan and my wife tammy were with me that afternoon.We heard some buggling and off we were again.We were walking and bryan spotted some elk coming right at us . We did not have time to get in some cover so we dropped to are backs on the ground.I knocked an arrow and was laying on my back thinking this is a great position for me to be in .We had 5 cows feed right by us about 15 yards. The bull that was with them was a 4by4. We watched the elk feed by us and then they dissapeared into the forrest.Ill tell you what ,the adreneline rush is absolutly awesome, but you guys know all about that.I fill sorry for the people in life that do not get to experience that rush and Gods great creation he has made for all of us all to enjoy. The next morning we set out to hunt that ridge and as you can imagine all that sign we saw, all other 175 bull tag holders saw it to . It was such a mad house the only bugling we heard was man made. I have never heard so many hunters calling when the elk are not even that loud. That evening we decided to sit a waterhole that had good elk sign . We got into the hole about 2 pm knowing that other hunters would probably want to sit it. We had a couple other hunters coming in but they all were respectfull and left quietly.We had a squirrl come in to the waterhole and saw us and ran up a tree right next to us and started barking loudly.After about an hour or so he calmed down.The seen was set elk started bugling around us . there was a downed pine tree we were sitiing behind. Bryan sat up more on the ridge of the water hole behind the tree to get a better vantage point.Then it happens Bryan said there was a bull coming in.He had his camera on and filmed the bull coming in.From were i was i could not see the bull at all.The bull hit the down tree and it pushed him right into 15 yards from me.I drew back and my arrow rest did not come up and the bull was starring right at me. He finally moved right down to the edge of the water and I could see bryan was about to explode from the encounter and was wondering what the heck was I doing ???I drew back again and the arrow rest came up (I was so nervous that i did not come to full draw and that is why the arrow rest did not come up the first time)Anyways the elk was at the waterhole and I figured he was about 20 yards and I let the shuttle t fly. Bam next thing i know I shot under the belly. The bull runs to the other side of the waterhole and bryan ranges him at 60 yards. I knock another arrow and hit him in the sweet spot . The bull ran about 150 yards from where he was hit and expired. When we got up to him we could not believe the bull that had been harvested. I would like to say thanks to my closest friend bryan ,my wife tammy for understanding the passion I have for hunting, and wild bill,and eddie for the help with field dressing that trophy of a lifetime.Also thanks to bryans parents for having a camera that worked. And last but not least my parents who drove up from phoenix to bring me new tires for my ranger after i blew out my tires earlier in the hunt.Dad I hope there will be more trips in the field together. P.s. for some strange reason im always more sucsessful after my sister and brother in law leave. WELL THATS MY STORY AND I GOT THE FILM FOOTAGE TO PROOVE IT.
