2014 DIY New Mexico Elk Hunt - The Land of Enchantment

[NoWiser]

Hook, we stayed in the fishhouse this trip. It was a very roaded unit so backpacking away from one road would only take you closer to the next.

As for new gear, I had a pair of Kuiu gaiters that I absolutely loved. I also wore a lighter weight pair of pants (C4E Highline pants). I acquired a used C4E Assault shirt and Element Jacket for a great price over summer and was happy with both. The last thing I got was a First Lite Llano shirt. By far my favorite were the gaiters. They kept my pants and boots dry in the wet grass and as soon as it dried up I'd throw them in my pack.

Those were about my only upgrades. I'm happy with them all and don't foresee any purchases before next year aside from possibly a new bino harness.

[jerkin'm]

Sounds like a double In short order! Holy elk!

[HooknHorns]

I too pick up a llano 170 long sleeve. I also picked up a 145 weight from kuius new line up and loved that shirt for warm weather. When it got chilly I layered them together. For pants I had a pair of sitkas mountain pants and Kuiu attack pants. I favored kuiu pants. They both make good gear. I did wear my c4e rain coat every day, either as a wind break or to keep dry. How did the fish house take the rough trails. Did you get hung up at all?

[jerkbait]

SCOOT! This is all your fault. You taught him these horrible tactics. I blame you!!!!

Yeah, what he said.

[NoWiser]

How did the fish house take the rough trails. Did you get hung up at all?

It was pretty brutal. We had chains for the tires and were real close to needing them on the way out, after we got a bunch of rain. For most of the areas on the mountain roads 5 mph was about the max speed we could go without worrying about destroying it. We decided next time we do a trip like this we'll be bringing a heavy duty trailer with big tires and a wall tent. It was nice to stay in but will not be making a trip like that with us again. On the way out of the mountains I think it took us something like 3 hours to go 12 miles.

[Coach1310]

NoWiser- Awesome story so far. Just doing the work and playing your cards right to get in position for the shot is kudos to you!

[Scoot]

SCOOT! This is all your fault. You taught him these horrible tactics.

LOL- I don't know what you're talking about!?!

[NoWiser]

We ran back to camp and quickly ate some grub. We decided not to go up the mountain and harass these elk right away. It was the first day and we did not want to chase them out. So, we turned our attention to a mountain about 5 or 6 miles away. We had met some deer hunters earlier who claimed it was thick with elk. They were relieved to finally find some people with elk tags and wanted us to shoot a couple "so they could finally get some sleep at night." It sounded like a job we could handle so after driving as far as we could, we started the hike towards the top through a field of wildflowers.

After getting about 3/4 of the way up the mountain we started to slowly work our way into the wind towards the north face. Lizards scampered out of our way and hid underneath the lava rock. Almost immediately we started bumping into bachelor groups of mule deer bucks. None were huge but it was fun to see. As we got to the north face of the mountain you could feel the temps drop and immediately started seeing abundant elk sign. We slowed our pace, glassed ahead of us, and dropped a few calls to try to get an answer. But, the elk were not using the area this day and it was a bust. We circled around to the south side and descended the mountain in the intense heat of the midday sun.

Back at camp we decided that for the afternoon we'd each pick a separate canyon and follow it towards the top of the mountain behind camp. The cameras had revealed that there was no elk activity on the tanks down low. Those elk needed water up on the mountain and if we found where they were getting it, we'd be in a good position to put our tag on one. So, I took the northernmost canyon, my cousin took the middle, and my dad took the south one.

It was on my hike up that I came face to face with the most terrifying creature that inhabited these mountains. Everyone had talked to us about the wolves, lions, bears, and rattlers, but nobody had ever mentioned a word about the quail. Now, I'm a grouse hunter and am no stranger to loud flushes, but nothing prepared me for stepping into the middle of a covey as I slowly worked my way up through the rocky canyon. After a minute or two to make sure that my heart was still in working order I took a few more steps and a straggler got up from between my feet. After that, there was no more relaxing as I made my way up. I was on pins and needles the entire time!

Towards the head of the canyon I did eventually find a couple small waterholes in the rocks, but nothing with significant elk sign around it.

Wherever they were watering wasn't here. But, soon I thought I heard a bugle up the mountain. Then another. This warranted some investigation so I quickly hustled up a couple hundred vertical feet until the bugles were perfectly clear. Then, I took some advice I once read on elk. "If you hear them bugle, just walk up to them and shoot them." So, I got the wind in my favor and made quick time walking towards the bugle. Way sooner than I expected I looked up, and there was a 6X6 elk, 100 yards in front of me. He had seen movement but had no idea what I was. A closer look revealed him to be fairly small so I knew I wasn't going to shoot him on the 1st day. I made a few cow calls and could see he was very interested in coming over. But, I was in the wide open and he should have been able to see the cow that was making the sounds. The fact that the sounds were basically coming from nowhere had him suspicious and he slowly walked away.

Right then I heard another, meaner sounding bugle down the ridge. So, I did the same thing and ran right towards it. I had good uphill thermals and the bull was headed downhill. This was perfect! Chasing an elk DOWN a mountain was definitely something I could get used to! For about 1/2 mile I stayed right on his tail, just out of site, until he crossed a ravine. We paralleled each other for another 1/4 mile until he stopped. I quickly snuck down, trying to get as close as possible, his bugles giving away his position every few minutes. All of a sudden there he was, directly across and 120 yards from me. He was a great bull that I'd be happy to get a crack at. But, there was a problem. He had about 20 cows with him. There was no way I could get within bow range with over 40 eyes watching for me. I had a plan, though. I'd challenge him!

Over the course of about 5 minutes I was able to slowly work my way to within 73 yards of the bull. My plan was to wait for him to bugle, and then cut him off with my own bugle. He'd have no choice but to come in for a fight! The wind was good and they had no idea I was there. Perfect. Within minutes he inhaled deeply and let out a scream. I was ready with an arrow knocked and screamed right back at him. The reaction I got was immediate and unexpected........the cows jumped up and ran up the ridge and out of sight, taking the bull with them. I tried to keep up but realized it was a hopeless cause.

It just so happened, though, that I chased them right into the drainage that ended up in the tank 1/2 mile from camp. The herd had been active and needed water, so I double timed it down the mountain to the tank, where I'd be waiting for them.

I sat until dark but only saw one mule deer doe and a big rat that was living under a deadfall near where I was hiding. I walked down to the road and hitched a ride to my atv with some fellow hunters. I returned to camp to find my dad and cousin, who had experienced a slow evening hunt and had found nothing promising for water up the mountain.

I'd like to note here something about the people from New Mexico. I mentioned I had caught a ride with a few of them after dark. The people down there were probably the friendliest I have met anywhere in the entire country. Every single one was super helpful and happy to share any and all information with us. In MN I'm often apprehensive to enter a hunting camp during deer season because more often than not a guy gets the cold shoulder and dirty looks. This was not the case at all down there. Everyone we ran into greeted us with a big smile and was genuinely interested in how our hunt was going and if they could help us in any way. For this reason alone I'd love to go back. I absolutely loved the people down there!

[Scoot]

More great stuff, Jim. Thanks for taking the time to share your adventure- great story and pics so far! I hope you shoot a whopper!!!

[Fishalittle]

Great story. Sorry you missed the giant but that would have been way to easy. The big ones need to be earned a little more....

At least that's what I tell myself since after 7 years in Colorado I only have 1 cow under my belt. Someday....

Skipped this year to spend a little more family time and save for next year!!! So these stories help fill the gap....and make me miss it more!

[NoWiser]

Day 2 dawned clear and cool just like opener. With the waning moon lighting camp we prepped our gear and headed back towards the elk. My dad would be sitting in our blind, once again, while I would hike beyond them to the base of the mountain where I'd try to shoot one of the bulls who were making so much noise the previous morning. The grass was soaking wet from the dew and I was thankful for my gaiters, which kept my boots and lower legs dry.

It wasn't long before I heard my first bull. It was a bull we'd come to know from the sound of his bugle. He sounded more like a dying cow than an elk. We'd watched him extensively the first day and he was an absolute brute. He didn't have the biggest rack (we'd guessed 330-340") but his body was just immense. He was by far the biggest bull we'd seen and dwarfed any elk that got near him. Anytime I heard him, I took notice. I wanted to kill this bull!! His bugle was quite distant and I started towards him but he was too far away, and bugling too infrequently, for me to invest too much time in. Soon more bugles broke out, though far less than the morning before. I could hear elk coming in from the grasslands so I decided my best bet was to intercept them. This was going to be a challenge because the thermals were blowing down the mountain and the elk were headed up. I'd have to get to the side of them and then run in to shooting range at the last minute to keep them from scenting me.

As elk began getting closer I picked my first target. He was a nasty sounding bull headed for the south side of the mountain. I made my way across 3 draws as quickly as I could to try to get close to him. He was following the bottom of a draw which definitely complicated things regarding the wind. Soon he was angling up towards the north and I saw my opportunity. I ran in as quickly and quietly as I could, using the junipers for cover. It was while I was jumping between two of them that the first cow emerged. Busted!! But, while she was nervous, she kept on the path they were taking. The problem was that they were all keeping their eye on me and I couldn't make a move. I ranged the line the elk were taking - 65 yards. Too far for a shot. All I could do was watch helplessly as the bull, a big one, followed the herd up the mountain and out of my life. There was no time to pout, though, as another herd was heading up the next draw. I ran down one hill and then up the other, completely out of breath when I reached the top. I had to rest or there was no possible way I was going to get a shot! I gave myself about 30 seconds to calm down (all the interval training over the summer really paid off) and raced towards the herd. It turns out those 30 seconds cost me an opportunity because I was just behind the herd and couldn't catch up. Another very nice bull was taking up the rear and I ranged him at 75 yards. I tried to follow them up the mountain as far as I could but they were going way too fast for this flatlander.

I made attempts at a few more herds but by now they were moving quick and I never really got close to any more. With the sun high in the sky I headed back towards the truck to see how my dad did. It turns out they had seen elk, but nothing close to the ground blind. The elk had split up from being in one big herd to multiple smaller herds and were not following their usual pattern anymore. I should also mention I didn't have any type of camera with when I hunted like this. Dogging bulls is tough work and I left everything except my bow, rangefinder, binoculars, and license back at the truck.

Like the day before, we ran back to camp quick and ate, got a visit from the friendly local game warden, and then were off on our next adventure for the day...

The plan was to have my cousin drop us off on the north side of the mountain and we'd circle around the west side, hunting into the wind, and return to camp at dark. It was a long trip and we really didn't know how long it would take us. So, the 3 of us jumped on the ATV and headed north. About 1/2 way we met a local guide who was waiting in his truck as his hunter sat on a waterhole. We talked to him for a bit, at which time he warned us that he had just stepped on a rattlesnake hours before. He also was the guide who informed me of the size of the bull I missed opening morning. He was an interesting character and definitely didn't fit my perception of a hunting guide given he could barely walk and could easily count his teeth using just the fingers on his left hand. After bidding farewell to him we continued our journey down the rough road, and soon reached the trail that led up the mountain. To say it was rough would be an understatement. The whole trail was solid rocks. It didn't look like something any man or machine was fit to climb. But, with my dad and I hiking the worst sections and jumping on when we could, we made it to the top.

Before we could even unstrap our bows, we could hear bulls bugling at us. We anxiously got our stuff together to go kill one. I looked back and noticed one front tire on the atv was flat. We wished my cousin good luck getting back to camp with the flat, and we were off. We made a setup on the first bull but he seemed to ignore us. We continued on, climbing and making our way around the mountain but not 10 minutes later I could hear hooves pounding the ground, and coming fast! I whirled around to see a cow elk barreling right at my dad with a bull on her tail. My dad looked confused and the cow stopped, not 10 feet behind him. The bull put on the brakes 40 yards out. I slowly turned and whispered to my dad "don't move" at which point he turned to look at me. The cow took off, followed by the bull. I couldn't believe how close she was to him! We continued on down the mountain and I made a comment about the cow to which he replied "what cow?" I said "the cow that almost ran you over!" It turns out he had never seen her, he was so focused on the bull.

Here is one of the literally hundreds of rubs we saw.

After about another 1/2 hour hike we were, again, into bugling bulls. One was the old cow sounding one and another had a nasty scream! Rain drops started falling and lightening lit up the sky occasionally. A storm was rolling in and getting these elk going!

These two bulls seemed to be sharing a big herd of cows. We had no plan except to get as close as possible. I pulled out our elk decoy and told my dad to get right behind me and crouch down. With our tan backpacks we'd put the decoy in front of us and pretend to be an elk. And, with the wind at our face, it worked! We snuck right up to the herd of elk! Unfortunately all that we got close to were the cows and spikes. The big bulls were at the front and there was no way to get to them without every other elk winding us. Soon the cows moved and we had our chance to get closer. We set up with my dad as the shooter and I challenged them but they could not have cared less. They just moved down a ridge where swirling winds prevented us from continuing our chase.

The lightening was becoming more frequent by now and a quick look around showed multiple burned and split trees. Wisdom told us we needed to drop down to safer country so we quickly crossed a saddle and worked our way down a couple hundred feet. It wasn't long until we heard more bugles coming from a draw ahead of us. So, we made tracks in that direction and reached a glassing point before long. The elk were on a burned hillside that would make getting close to them very difficult. We decided to head towards them anyways and quickly made our way down the opposite side of the valley with bulls bugling EVERYWHERE!! As I've best heard it describled "it sounded like we were in the middle of the movie Jurassic Park!" It was absolutely incredible the bugling that was going on!! We were moving quickly with me in the lead when all of a sudden, 60 yards ahead of us, I saw a 7X7 beating the snot out of a tree. I turned to my dad and said "wait here, I'm going to go kill that bull!" With that I hastily made my way towards the bull, watching for any cows that could give me away. I soon picked out 3 down the mountain a bit from him, but they were far enough to not be a concern. I made it to one last juniper and ranged him.....40 yards. I had no clear shot but when I got around the tree I'd have a perfect 35 yard broadside shot at him! I knocked and arrow, tried to control my nerves, and stepped around the tree. Just as I was putting tension on the string to draw, he noticed his cows had wandered a bit too far, and headed off after them. AAAGGGHHH!!! I gave chase and stayed on his tail, him completely oblivious to my presence, but just couldn't keep up!! After about 200 yards and losing sight of him I decided that I'd better head back and grab Dad. There were bulls bugling on all sides of us by this point and I figured we'd have a good shot at getting one.

I'm almost sure this is the 7 point that I almost had rubbing the tree.

I got back to where I left him and he was nowhere to be found. I made a few cow chirps to get his attention, but no response. I got a sick feeling in my gut that something bad may have happened. I decided to stay put until he came back to look for me so I sat on a log, occasionally making cow calls to try to get his attention. Over an hour had passed with no sign of him and I was starting to get worried, so I hollered through my grunt tube. Still....nothing. I finally decided that it was going to do my no good sitting there on the mountain. I took GPS coordinates of the spot, and set off for the nearest road, a couple miles away.

Eventually I made it to the road and, to my relief, could see him about 1/2 mile south of me, walking towards camp. A truck happened to drive by so I jumped in with them and they gave me a ride to him. He hopped in and they took us to camp. I have to say, I was incredibly relieved. Logic told me that nothing had happened when I was up on the mountain, but it's hard not to think of the worst when someone seems to disappear into thin air. It turns out that after I went after my bull, he picked one out that was close and went after it himself, but never got close enough for a shot.

My cousin pulled up at camp with a fully functional atv. He had caught a ride back to camp with the toothless guide and retrieved our repair kit, generator, and compressor and fixed the tire. We couldn't have been more grateful!!

For the evening Dad sat a tank with no action. My cousin and I took off for the base of the mountain to catch the elk coming down. We saw a 5 point heading for the flats and devised an intricate system of hand signals that he could use from his vantage point to get me within range of the elk. Unfortunately, our signals got crossed and I zigged when I should have zagged. At one point the elk and I were 50 yards away from each other, completely oblivious to the other's existence, heading in opposite directions. I glassed him as he crossed a road and it was too late to do anything. The last remaining daylight faded, and day 2 was in the books.

[HooknHorns]

Thanks for filling us in with all this nonstop action. I didn't even see half the elk you saw in one day in my whole trip. Elk paradise for sure. I hope this ends like it should after all the hard work you guys put in.

[pumper317]

Please don't stop! Pretty please? Thanks a ton for putting this together. I am sure it takes a long time. I too hope this ends with some meat in the freezer for all the work and close calls.

[NoWiser]

Day 3 started the same as the previous two, well before sunrise. The weather, again, was clear and cool, with the big dipper looking as though it would scoop off the top of the mountain.

Dad decided to sit in the blind again, for a third morning, while I decided to head up close to the mountain to dog some bulls. It was a slow morning with very little bugling going on. I gave chase to a couple of herds but just couldn't get on the same ridge as any of them. It seemed that every time I would guess which one a herd was going to use to get up the mountain, they'd pick the one I was just on. It was frustrating and physically exhausting running back and forth. By the time the sun rose above the horizon I already had several miles under my boots. Dad had nothing come even close to the blind. It seemed as though they were slowly moving south, and lessening in numbers each day. When the last elk finally made it to the mountain we met back at the truck and headed to camp for a quick bite to eat. As long as we were there, I used a satellite phone that my cousin rented to call my fiancé and get the latest weather forecast. It was Saturday and we hadn't had any contact with the outside world for a week now. She checked it out and it sounded like the weather was going to cool off by about 10 degrees with a chance of rain on Sunday afternoon. With this information, we ditched our rain gear and packed super light. We'd be traversing the north and east side of the mountain today and it was going to be a heck of a hike so we needed to travel as light as possible. We had my cousin, again, shuttle us up to the north side of the mountain with the atv, where he wished us luck and left to do some scouting.

In short order we heard a bugle ring out and gave chase. But, the wind was sketchy and the bull vanished. The mountain became silent. We continued our hike for about 1/2 hour. I let out a locator bugle and got an immediate response from the ridge across from us. We quickly made a plan and took off after him. When we got to the bottom of the draw I let out a soft cow call and he responded immediately with a bugle. Now we had his position pinpointed and could get close! As quickly and quietly as we could, we closed in to within what we thought to be about 100 yards of the bull. I sent my dad up as the shooter and I fell back as the caller. The plan was to get him to bugle using a cow call, at which point I'd cut him off with a bugle. If he followed the script we'd laid out, he would get up, run at me, and meet his fate as he passed by Dad.

As soon as Dad was ready I let out a couple of social cow calls........nothing. I let out a couple of lost cow calls.....nothing. The bull was gone. I have no idea what happened. I know he didn't wind us, though he could have probably heard us crunching through the pine needles. The confusing part is that we never heard him leave, he just seemed to disappear. Tired and a bit frustrated we sat down to grab a quick snack and study the maps. We had a very long hike ahead of us!

So it went, we circled the east side of the mountain. Uphill, downhill, sidehill, we got a chance to experience it all. It seemed to go on forever. The elk were nowhere to be found. Not a bugle, not a chuck, not a mew. Nothing. We walked, and walked, and walked. And, then it started raining. Hard. We had more than a few miles to go back to camp and no rain gear at all. There was nothing we could do but keep moving, as we slowly became drenched. It was the worst hike I've ever done in my life, with the rain pouring out of the sky, the grass soaking wet, and the trees dripping. Finally, after hours, we were close to camp. Dad veered off to go sit on a tank and I trudged my way down to a muddy road that took me to camp, where my cousin was nice and warm and dry, tucked into his sleeping bag in the fishhouse. Everything I was wearing could have been wrung out like a wash rag, including my socks and boots. Wet feet = trouble and I had worn off the skin on my right heel. It wasn't good. But, there was an hour of light left so I ditched all of my wet clothes and dressed solely in my rain gear. We headed out to where the elk had been crossing the road and I set up to intercept them. But, we didn't hear so much as a bugle or see so much as an elk. I was relieved when shooting light was over and I knew I could go back to a warm supper and a dry sleeping bag. The day was a bust, but still better than any day at work. I took an extra heavy dose of advil not knowing if I'd even be able to move the next morning. Sleep soon overtook me.

With the wet weather I didn't take many pictures this day, so here are a few fillers.

The road in front of camp looking south.

The road in front of camp looking north.

A bull keeping watch over his cows. It's the same 7X7 from Day 2.

[DonBo]

Great story so far. Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

[sportfish]

I'm sure hopping for your luck to change in this great story ! Good job

[Scoot]

With this information, we ditched our rain gear and packed super light.

[Mr.Seaguar]

Reading other peoples DIY elk hunting stories makes it easier for me to not go.

[ozzie]

keep it up NoWiser!!! Love the tale of the hunt!!! Hope this story ends well...

[nofishfisherman]

Come on its Friday afternoon and if I don't get the rest of the story soon I might have no other choice other than to get some work done. Please don't let that happen.

[perchking]

I am hanging on the edge of my seat on this one...

[NoWiser]

Hey guys, sorry! I have 1/2 of day 4 written up but didn't quite get time to pull it off. I offered to help my bother-in-law move this afternoon and just got the call that he is ready to go. I don't have a computer at home so unfortunately the next chapter will not become available until Monday morning. Thanks for all the kind feedback and have a great weekend. We'll wrap this up next week. The most exciting parts are yet to come!

[ozzie]

son of a !!!!!! now that is a real cliff hanger!! well I got something to look forward to now Monday!!

[sportfish]

I hope I have cell service on my SD hunt next week so I have soon good reading !!

[HooknHorns]

Well I normally hate Monday's but I guess this time I'll make an exception.