Here are my notes from my New Mexico Elk Hunt. Apologies as they are really my quick record for myself, kind of rambling so there you go. I hesitated to post them as I'm a pretty green hunter having started only four years ago with Kyler here. Also, hunting with United States Outfitters which seems controversial, hell, even shooting my Accubond reloads is controversial here however these guys did such a great job I felt like I should give them the credit.

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USO New Mexico Elk Hunt

10/5 Thursday -Leave SFO on United for Denver then on to El Paso. Walk in the airport with my bag and gun case and mossy oak jacket in hand. A United ticket lady immediately asks 'going hunting' and now I'm straight to the front of a huge line. I follow my rifle case to the TSA area blocked by some panels where a young guy inspects my rifle, ammo, puts the tag in. Follow it back to make sure it's on the conveyor and I'm off. Should travel with a rifle every trip.

Waiting for bags in El Paso, taking forever, finally my rifle comes out. Waiting again, finallly a worker comes out and declares to about five of us 'if your bag is not out it did not make it on the plane you need to fill out a tracer' ARGH. I can't believe it. I go do the paperwork. They say they will deliver it to Alamogordo so finally I get my rental car, a blue Ford Explorer and take off to Alamogordo. Short drive there and set up at the Best Western. The dog show is in town and is acted out in the parking lot with people walking and practicing with every breed imaginable. Kind of fun to watch. After settling in I'm off to Big 5 to get my two coolers. They are there as promised, stop for some dinner and back to the hotel. Calling the United baggage every hour now I've memorized the phone tree which terminates with a choice of talking to a real person that always ends with, 'your call did not go through' Bag still not located. I have my rifle, ammo, and my binoculars, rangefinder, and camera in my carry on and I'm hunting with only that if necessary. About 5am I get a call to my room that the bag has been found and they will deliver to the Best Western, it should arrive 10:30am, the guides come to meet us at 12pm.

10/6 Friday -Wake up and try to get ready w/o toiletries. Go get ice for the coolers and on my way back into the hotel lot my bag is being unloaded! I take the bag and give the guy five bucks. Back to the hotel for a quick shave and change of clothes. I'm ready for meeting the guides and other hunters at noon. I drew my tag through United States Outfitters tag service and am hunting with them. Right on time a couple pick-ups arrive, one with a HUNT USO plate. The guides are Tim Sappington who is in charge of this hunt, and Eric Olson, and Kevin Keune who will be my guide. Kevin lives right near where we'll be hunting in Timberon. The other two hunters are a Father/Son from Texas, Robert Pavlas and his son Ryan. We are all first time elk hunters. We take off for walmart for some supplies and then are off up into the mountains behind Alamogrdo. About halfway there we pull off into a little canyon and test our rifles. I go first. They have a table, chair, and a good rest. Target at 100. My first shot is level but about an inch and a half left. I shoot again and it's dead center, pretty much how it shot the sat before. I move it six clicks up . Next shot is dead center about two inches high, they are happy and I am too. Robert is shooting an old pump .270 with a 4x scope. He's right on at 1.5 high. Ryan is shooting a Rem 7 mag with a 3x9, his first shot is close enough so we are good to go.

After about 30 miles we take a gravel road turn off. We are in the Lincoln National forest. The gravel road switchbacks down from 8 to 7k feet where they have our camp set up. Camp is pretty nice for our purposes, canvas tents for sleeping, a large mess tent, shower tent and a latrine tent. I unpack my stuff into mine and we get to know each other in the mess tent. Tim give us each a package with our license and tag, goes through an orientation.

Each of us goes out to scout in the early evening with our guide. Kevin and I do a short drive and then hike up to a hill top to glass. It's a steep climb and my heart gets going but I'm ok, not out of breath and my knee (acl surgery 7/19 ) is holding up fine. He's pleased as he says half his hunters are sucking wind after that climb. The sun is low behind us and we are spotting cows on the east side. We watch two bulls fighting, what a great sight! There is also some water below and we watch. There is some private land near where we are hunting called the Bug Scuffle ranch. We watch as a cow jumps the fence from that property back to the public land. New Mexico is so pretty, pinon, cedars, pines, and just enough cactus, spanish daggers, prickly pears, to keep you on your toes, and although it's rocky, it's not hard to hike through. So far I'm encouraged that my knee will be up to this. The sky turns bloody red as the sun sets behind us and shortly after a huge full moon rises from the opposite ridge in the east.

Dinner Friday night, our cook 'Junior' (Domingo Zepeda ) has made t-bone steaks. We all have our fill and then get to bed early.

10/7 Saturday -The generator kicks on at 4:30am and Kevin flashes his flashlight into my tent to wake me up. Junior has
coffee ready and omelettes for us with biscuits and gravy. We each have our game plan. Tim is taking nineteen year old Ryan on a grueling hike through 'hell hole' and then a steep climb to get to a spot where Tim has seen big bulls. Eric will Robert up to the top in the pick-up and then take a two mile tandem atv ride through a single track trail where they will begin a steep descent on foot into another rough area. And my plan with Kevin is to drive back to where we glassed the night before and then hike along a five mile ridge that lets us see both an east and west face. We drive there and then exit the pick up just past where we will hike to the top of the center ridge. We can see the muddy water hole and spot a couple cows leaving it moving north (to our left) We see a 4x4 and we head down our side to get closer. We hike a little back north again with Kevin watching and listening, we get within about 150 yards, we get to a point where we have a narrow lane to see a cow. Kevin sets me on on the sticks. Another cow. Then the bull is in the lane and Kevin says he's a shooter. I only see his rear in my scope and in an instant he's a black silhouette facing left and then gone. I couldn't take that shot. Kevin said he was quartering slightly to the right and I could have shot but I just didn't see it. It can be hard for me to see that slight body attitude of an animal in an instant like that. We move a little farther north and hear elk near us. They are in a dry creek bed just ahead about 100 yards, we back track around a big tree and I set up again. An elk climbs out right in front of us but I can't see it's head, I'm on it and it turns, it's a cow. After about another hour we watch as about six elk eventually go over the ridge before us, five cows with the 4x4 bringing up the rear, but never see that big bull again. At this point we've gone about three miles from the truck and are closer to camp so we decide not to bump the bull any further and hike back to camp for lunch.

When we arrive back into camp Junior has the spotting scope set up and he's watching the drama of Rob and Eric's hunt unfold on the mountain above camp. We grab a couple folding chairs and sit down to watch. Rob has shot an elk early in the morning and it's not mortally wounded. We had heard about seven shots that morning and it turns out it was all Rob. We can see Eric on the mountain, he's six foot ten and his open country camo makes him easily visible with my 10x binos. Their elk is only 100 yards below and to the right of them but they can't see it. Eventually the elk starts moving to the right. Then I can't see it but Kevin has it on the spotting scope. Kevin says he's down and then an instant later you hear the feint boom of the shot. Rob has got his bull.

I ice my knee which is a little swollen but not hurting. Take a nice nap while Junior and Kevin head out to assist with packing out Rob's elk. This turns out to be a gruelling hike down a pretty tough area. They all run out of water and by the time they get back they are completely spent. Rob's bull is a 5x5 but has broken off both brow tines. I can tell he's a little disappointed with him but to me he looks fantastic and I'm not a little jealous. I'm hoping I can do as well. I just want a shooter bull and a freezer full of elk meat!

Kevin has been seeing a nice 6x6 come out on the opposite side of Sacramento Lake and the plan for us tonight is an easy set up there and hope he shows. We head out from camp. On the way out we meet Tim and Ryan driving back to camp. Ryan has got a bull too, also a 5x5. These two texans are so reserved, super polite southerners, you can hardly tell if they are happy or what. I imagine doing handsprings and cartwheels if I get my first elk; I'll have to try to check that impulse. As the Californian in camp I'm already the subject of some mild ribbing which is pretty much expected. So both the Pavlas got their elk the first day. I'm hopeful that Kevin's 6x6 will show tonight. On the way he says he's not sure what we'll do if someone is there already. It's all a public hunt and there could be a hunter there already. We arrive at the lot and their's one suv there. Then we see a woman near it, probably not hunting. We step out and ask, she's just sightseeing. She's not staying so we hike down a gentle slope and set up. Kevin has me set up under a pine tree with enough low branches to camoflauge me but still afford a great shot. We forgot the sticks but I can kneel and rest my hand against the tree and am rock steady for what will be at most a 200 yard shot. So now we're waiting. Kevin is set up behind me. It rains off and on but luckily the tree keeps me dry. After 6pm a cold wind starts to blow and I'm a little under dressed as the temperature drops. Finally it's 6:40 officially end of shooting hours which here end at sunset and not a half hour after. I had sure hoped to shoot a bull here, it would have been a perfect shot opportunity but that's the way it goes. We get back into the warm car and head back to camp. As we pull in to the gravel drive there is a pretty blond girl with a antenna near the roadside. This is 'Elk Girl' (Heather) who is doing a bio degree at NM and tracks collared cows. She has befriended the USO team after they were able to tell her exactly where to find many of her cows seen during the bow and black powder seasons. Kevin invites her to join us for supper. He tells her better leave Tex her dog in the truck this time. Apparently he's pretty protective of her and took a snap at Tim last time!

We have a great turkey dinner. Elk Girl and Kevin's friend Jason join us. Jason is an old friend of Kevin's and lives near here and drew a tag. He's hunting solo and has a camper we passed near where we saw Elk Girl. After dinner we head to bed early. Everyone that helped with Rob's pack job are hurting all over and exhuasted. Ryan's bull is in such a remote area they had to quarter it and hang it in a tree. Tim and Eric will go back for tomorrow and decide to have Ryan stay in camp as it's a treacherous road they are going to take to get there from above.

It rains all night long with wind whipping against the tents and thunder and lightning. I'm wondering if we'll even be hunting in the morning or if I'm looking some days stuck in camp now.

10/8 Sunday - We wake up at 4:30am again, this time just with Kevin flashing his flashlight at me. They don't fire up the main generator so that the rest of the exhausted team can sleep in till light. Kevin and I get some breakfast and then we decide this time to head out directly from camp down that same ridge. I'm so happy it's stopped raining although camp is now quite muddy.

Kevin and I hike out south from camp. Eventually it's light enough that we spot some cows on the east side. We set up the sticks on them and hope for a shooter bull. It's 300 yards to them. After about a half hour they have moved off and we don't see a bull. We cross back up our ridge to glass the western face and see only a cow with a calf on that side. After an hour of glassing that side we decide to hike south back to that water hole. From the south end of our ridge we can see a 4x4 bedded far in the distance but it's on the Bug Scuffle ranch. We see another bull about the same size also bedded near him, maybe a couple hundred yards to the west. We can hear a great bugle which is over the ridge south of us. Kevin things they might be coming throught he valley below to the water hole. We watch the water hole for a couple hours but now the sun is up and it's getting warm. We see a 3x at the water hole drink. He then paces up and down the fence line before figuring out how to jump it. That's the idea as he's on the public land where we can shoot. After waiting longer we finally decide to head back to camp as we didn't grab the lunches Junior had left out for us. We hike back to camp, having covered about seven miles. My knee feels fine. This is really a great hunt for me, not too strenuous and I think my knee can keep this up all week. Although, I'm beginning to wonder if I need to be doing something more to get a better chance. I'll let Kevin know if he thinks there is a better plan that I'm up for it now.

Back at camp Junior makes us sandwiches. I rest a while. At about 3pm Jason drives in. He's shot a good bull up near where Rob shot is. Was wanting a pack frame, and help too although Kevin can't help since he and I are hunting again tonight. Everyone is asking how we're doing and we have to answer just 'little bulls' I'm really thinking I need to tell him I'm up for a tougher hunt if that's what it takes. I tell Junior over lunch and he tells me that Kevin will find me a bull and that I don't need to do anything more. They got lucky their first day but I could do better and there are bulls where I'm hunting too. I'm encouraged and will just trust Kevin's plans. I thought we might be headed to Sacramento Lake again but Tim and Kevin think we should go back to the water hole and set up well before sunset. They will come to water but they might come after dark. Having it rain all night was a plus as it covered the full moon so at least we're seeing elk moving today.

4:30pm we hike out of camp to try the water hole again. About two miles south of camp we spot cows on the east side. We watch another group of cows at the base of the east ridge in a flat meadow area. I set up on sticks on this group for about a while but we never see a bull. We decide to keep hiking towards the south end near the water hole. As we are getting closer Kevin spots a lone cow in a narrow green clearing also on the east side. We watch this cow for a while. We need to go set up at the water hole soon. Finally we start to climb but Kevin hesitates and says, 'you know I hate to leave elk' so as we're looking at each other we hear a great bugle from near that same cow in the clearing. Our eyes go wide and Kevin says, 'you know if that bull is as good as he sounds you should really take a poke at him'

I quickly agree so we set up on the sticks. Kevin says it's 400 yards. I'm on the sticks and set up on the cow in the clearing. I can hold steady on her and actually feel like it's a shot I can make. I know my bullet will drop about 18 inches at the distance. My handload is going about 3100fps and will still hit with about 2400ft pounds, more than my .270 at 100. We just wait. I keep trying to adjust the sticks below me so I don't have to bend my knee at all and finally get them solid so i can hold without any shaking.

Then it happens. From the shadow to the left of the sunlit clearing a tall antlered bull appears. With the sun setting behind us he's lit up beautifully, standing broadside facing right and perfectly still. Kevin says to shoot when I can. I've got a steady hold on him and try to gently squeeze. I come out of the scope at the shot and quickly rack a round and am back on him. He's dropped at the shot! I'm back on him and Kevin says to stay ready. After about a minute I see his rear leg kicking a little and we decide to shoot again. He's on his side but still presents a good target. I try to hold at the top of him and I hit him again. After about five minutes we decide to head to him. I've switched to a full mag and carry the sticks in case I need to shoot again. After about 20 yards I take a quick picture of the view to him from near the shot.





As we descend and he's now out of view we move fast. I'm trying to keep up and not fall as Kevin is quickly leaving me behind. At the bottom there is a dry creek bed with slick clay from last night's rain. My third step sends me sliding on my ass, luckily keeping my rifle but banging my knee with it. I'm ok though back up the other side and we quickly get to the clearing. He's lying just outside the shade of the juniper and he's done. My first shot went a little right and hit the base of his neck. The second went low entering just above his left foreleg going through the vitals.

He's a great 5x6 with lot's of mass. I'm ecstatic. Kevin and I exchange congratulations. This was the perfect scenario happening just as I had hoped it would ever since drawing the tag. We quickly get that tag filled out and then take pictures. Kevin radioes to camp our success and that we need packers. We are only a few miles from camp and eventually everyone arrives with many pack frames. Tim, Eric, Rob, Ryan and even Elk Girl is with them. The sun sets as the three guides work simultanously dressing the bull. We get the quarters and the loose meat bagged in what must be record time. The timing is perfect with the temperature cooling there are few flies and the meat will be in great shape. We each grab a pack. Mine has a hind quarter and is pretty heavy but there is no way I'm not packing some of my bull out of here. Ryan carries my pack and rifle for me. We all head back to camp using our flashlights as it gets dark. We cross the dry creek in an easier spot. I get to the opposite side needing to step out with my bad knee but know I can't make that step so I just crawl out.

I keep reliving the actual moment. Kevin and I each ranged the shot before we left, he had 446 and I got 445. I know there is some degree of luck in having that shot drop the bull but I was confident the shot would drop into a vital area. Kevin was quite impressed when I hit him the second time on his side. These days if you aren't going to shoot past a couple hundred yards you might as well get an inline muzzleloader and hunt before rifle season. Having a rifle with the right caliber and a flat shooting round packing downrange energy made this possible. I'm happy with my load, 83grs of IMR7828 with 180gr Accubond. This is the only load that I could shoot a sub inch group with and I felt confident it would work for me.

Sunday dinner we have elk from Ryan's bull. It's delicious. Elk Girl joined us again. The sky is clear and full of stars. It's going to get cold for sure. The next morning it's pouring rain again with thunder and lightning for hours. My meat is hung in a tree in camp. Kevin capes out my elk in the mess tent. By 8:30am the rain has stopped. We pack my meat into my coolers, and I head out with Tim following me out the now muddy gravel road. I thank Tim yet again for such a great time and then head out. Snow lines the road out at around 8k feet. I drive all the way to California by 8:30pm spending the night in Blythe. I hit the road at 3am and am through LA before rush hour and get to my Deli in the bay area by 1pm 44 hours after my elk hit the ground. The meat looks perfect, about 200 pounds of it that will be processed by the end of the week.

The guys at USO worked their butts off for each of us and put on a great hunt. I had an amazing time and am looking forward to hunt with them again whenever I draw a tag through their service. I actually did draw a Kansas Whitetail tag late November and am really looking forward to that hunt now too.

(More pics on Flickr)

Nice nice elk and a good story indeed. I love hunting elk in NM more than anywhere else that I've been.

Congratulations.

Brent

Wonderful story... I enjoyed every word!

Good luck on your Kansas hunt!

Weidmannsheil! Highly enjoyable story!

- mike

Great job! Sounds like an awesome hunt! Congratulations!

Great story, I really enjoyged it!

Nice going! Enjoyed your tale, and your attitude about the hunting in general I liked a lot. Big congrats to you, and thanks for posting.

Great elk great story they are so much sweeter when one has to work a bi for them.

quote:

Originally posted by Sean Browne:
...even shooting my Accubond reloads is controversial here...

Hey Sean, Congratulations on a really nice Elk.

That is perhaps the very best Hunt Story I've read in a very long time. Plenty of good "details" which flesh out the story so I could see it very clearly.

Thanks for sharing this "controversial story" with us.

Thanks Hot Core, and everyone for all the kind words. I hoped to bring a recovered bullet back but I'm sure folks would still determine my results weren't definitive

-Sean

Great job Sean!

Congratulations. You've always been a fine shot so it doesn't surprise me at all that you could pull this off.

When you emailed me the pictures I was itching for details be I figured I better check the thread before pestering you for specifics. Very good write up.

All the best,
Kyler

This is my home stomping grounds..From the pictures it looks like you were close to hornbuckle hill..
There are some good elk around there.

Hey Lee,

Nice home stomping grounds. I don't recall anyone mentioning 'Hornbuckle Hill' but we could have been on it for all I know.

The taxidermist called me to say he had the head now. He also said the guide taped it out at 282 gross or 276 net. So what does that mean exactly? Do they subtract the length of the sixth point on a 5x6?

thanks,

Sean

Sean, that's basically it, the 'Net' subtracts the differentials between the right and left side points (and other imbalances) rewarding symmetry for an animal's score. Having an elk with an odd number of points on one side and even on the other, and only having 6 inches of deductions is incredible symmetry. On a 6x5 it is easy to have 20 or 30 inches of deducts.

That is a great bull, and would be what the 'sages' call a '280 class', although most folks would just round up in their minds and call it a '300' class--I guess it just depends on how large a class you prefer, with elk to me I lump them in to 'classes' by 25 point increments, i.e. 250 class, 275 class, 300 class. If you'd have asked me my honest guess from your pics, I would have said 300 class.

The one thing this shows, is how big a bull is when somebody says '400 class' That's another 10 FEET of antlers roughly, so you now how rare that truly is!

Great hunt and story!

Great story, great shooting...and almost made my own ACL fixed knee hurt reading it!
Ron

Enjoyed your story and pics. Congrats and thanks for sharing.