Unit 1 Semi live late archery hunt

[jdown]

Sounds like it was a pretty long shot.  

[Heat]

Sorry man, this hunt had so much promise!  Oh well, at least you got a lion out of the deal.

[Outdoor Writer]

4 hours ago, idgaf said:

Seven hours of searching yesterday.  Still quite a few bulls up there.  This only thing close to my elk that I found

 

I didn't want to interrupt the flow of your thread while the hunt was in progress, but I will now. 

I was a bit incredulous as to the number of big bulls you had available. I started hunting elk in the 1960s and have done so many times since in AZ, CO, ID, WY, NM and Alberta. During all those hunts over all those years I have never seen as many shootable bulls in TOTAL as you had pictured in just one of the larger groups. That had to be a mind-blowing experience. Thanks for taking us along for the ride. 👍

[idgaf]

1 hour ago, Outdoor Writer said:

I didn't want to interrupt the flow of your thread while the hunt was in progress, but I will now. 

I was a bit incredulous as to the number of big bulls you had available. I started hunting elk in the 1960s and have done so many times since in AZ, CO, ID, WY, NM and Alberta. During all those hunts over all those years I have never seen as many shootable bulls in TOTAL as you had pictured in just one of the larger groups. That had to be a mind-blowing experience. Thanks for taking us along for the ride. 👍

Tony

The crazy thing is that's only about a third of the bulls I saw.  Sometimes I was getting into position so I didn't get a pic

Fred

[mc68]

idgaf, how much snow was up there when you left? My boys has the hunt starting Friday, and I’m anticipating access to be a problem with a couple more feet very possible up there. Thanks. 

[ThomC]

Wow that was a great story fit for the pages of Outdoor Life.  

[idgaf]

13 hours ago, mc68 said:

idgaf, how much snow was up there when you left? My boys has the hunt starting Friday, and I’m anticipating access to be a problem with a couple more feet very possible up there. Thanks. 

They were leaving the high country on Sunday. Still a few though.  Food is covered in snow.  Drifts we're about 14"

[Outdoor Writer]

22 hours ago, idgaf said:

The crazy thing is that's only about a third of the bulls I saw.  Sometimes I was getting into position so I didn't get a pic

As I said -- UNBELEIVABLE. I'm sad that you didn't get to close the deal after all the effort you put into it. 😡

About the only time(s) I have seen lots of good bulls were on my many trips to YNP to take photos. But I consider that more of zoo-like atmosphere. Yet even then, there were never that many together in one area. I would have to drive around the park to all the usual gathering places and most times would find one good harem master and several smaller satellite bulls.

In my other reply I mentioned that I started elk hunting in the 1960s.  Ironically, that first hunt occurred in Unit 1.  Below is an excerpt from a more general article on AZ elk hunting that I wrote at least 30 years back. 

***********************

My grandfather and I both drew permits for Unit 1. I hadn't been in Arizona very long and knew nothing about the area. Fortunately, two friends invited us to tag along with them. Both Bill and Ed had hunted there two years earlier. 

On the second day, my grandfather shot a bull that had two-foot long spikes. After four days of hard hunting I put my tag on a small 5x5 bull. The most interesting thing about the whole hunt, though, was a humorous incident involving Bill.

He decided it was time to clean up after traipsing through the woods for four days. So he climbed into his camper that afternoon, stripped to his birthday suit and gave himself a sponge bath.  As a final touch, he shaved his gnarly beard and doused himself with deodorant and after-shave lotion.  

Ed watched him go through his ritual and couldn't resist needling him about his odorous elk lure. His comments included, "An elk will never come within a mile of you. You smell like a ladies' temperance meeting in church," and myriad other jibs and jabs.

That evening about an hour before dark, Bill walked a few hundred yards from camp to an old logging trail, sat down with his back against a stump and shot a magnificent 6 x 6 only 15 minutes later.  As if trained, the bull fell in the middle of the trail, where it was an easy task to load it and bring it to camp for skinning.  Of course, Ed became very quiet for the rest of the night.

 

[ThomC]

LOL Why dont you get together with IDGAF and help him with a story using your expertese that has a happy ending?  😎

[excaliber]

That was a great write up.  Too bad you didn't recover that Bull.  I've never seen that many Elk on any of my elk hunts and not all of them combined.   I bet that early archery hunt in there would be awesome.

[Alpinebullwinkle]

You should have been paid for that excellent job of documentation on your hunt. Really enjoyed. Thanks

[Travis4570]

Wow awesome hunt and adventure for sure! Great read!