A fine hunt in beautiful high Arizona country.
Took this cow last evening, 12-10-10.

Congratulations on a nice Elk, she should provide some great meals!

Peter

Nice job. Any story to tell? gun/load etc?

Congratulations Bill. I'm with Woodrow, How about a Hunt story?

Congrats,lotsa good eaten right there!!!!!

I used to love to hunt around Alpine and Hannagan Meadow in the 60's and 70's. Good for you .... it's wonderful country to be out in.

Congrats on a fine kill.

By the by I am accepting elk backstrap in lieu of coal and switches this Christmas.

Short hunt story....
Opening day,December 12. Hunted most all day in an area in northern Arizona near the town of Alpine....(Ponderosa pine forest,eastern Az, near the New Mexico border, elevation, 8500 feet +/-) Hunted with a good friend without whom I could never have gotten this done. Stayed in another pal's cabin near the town of Nutrioso - a beautiful place, set in a valley with a lot of acreage and a large pond. Alpine is about 60 miles east of my home.

Using daughter Jessica's bi pod mounted 30-06 Remington Model 700, Leupold 3.5 - 10 scope; 150 grain Hornady light mag ammo.

Hunted the national forest west of Alpine and found a small herd of elk in the a.m. and then nothing else all day. I made a stalk trying to see if I could catch up with them, but no such luck. Nothing else all day.....On the way back to the cabin late afternoon, about 5 p.m. (starting to lose shooting light) we came upon a small mob of cows on the hillside to our left.

I got out, ran around the suburban, got off the road, picked out a cow and shot. I was a bit unsteady and had a poor bullet placement on the first shot. Next time I was able to get better placement and dropped her. Even though she was close to the road, she was up on the side of a steep hill and by the time we climbed up to check her, it was damn near dark. We tied a rope around her neck so we could later drag her down, and then field dressed her.

We left her and drove back to the a cabin to get my suburban, old Jim (My friend's was a new one that we did not want to bloody up.) I also had a piece of plywood in mine, a come along and plenty of rope.

Back we went, dark as a Democrat's heart now. Hooked the rope onto Jim and pulled her down the slope. Then turned Jim around and backed him up so we could place the plywood between the deck of my suburban and the front of the cow.....due to the incline that made it pretty level.
Then taking the rope through and out the front of Jim's window and to the back of my pal's vehicle we slowly started to pull her into mine. Rope broke.....again...and again...finally using my heavy duty tow rope and a "come along" we got her loaded.....

3.5 hours from shot to loaded in the suburban. Hate these after dark ordeals, especially with an animal that probably weighed well over 400 pounds on the hoof.

Back to the cabin, skinned and left to hang over night.....temperatures below freezing....

Next morning, loaded the carcass back into Jim and off to the butcher in Pinetop.....should have my meat in about 15 days.....(by the way field dressed, skinned, head and legs off, carcass weight 277 pounds!!)

Beautiful weather, cold, but clear, no wind....and one of the most beautiful and scenic spots in the White Mountains.

bill
congrats on the tan-side!
just punched my n.mex. funticket
a couple days ago.
it is too much fun!!
got a cow tag left for here at home.
let us know how she "eats"

Bill job well done.

Mike

Good job!!

My turn, the day after Christmas. I have a NM cow tag to fill!!!

I'm sitting here eating an elk burger reading your story.....