Well, still no resolution on the scope fiasco after the elk hunt. I got super busy this weekend and didn't have a chance to re-bore sight or shoot the rifle. But, I had a conference call cancel this afternoon, so I did have a chance to upload photos. As alluded earlier, it was an amazing trip. Absolute bucket list. Weather was perfect, and the hunting was a 9 out of 10. Huge change from my Hill Country and South Texas experiences.
We drove to Santa Fe Thursday in time to enjoy a great dinner and a few beers. Had to be in Chama by 11 AM the next morning, so we had plenty of time to get situated and enjoy a big breakfast at the Elk Horn Cafe. We met the outfitter and the other two groups (six hunters total, 2:1 hunter:guide ratio). So, three guides, all unique and all great plus the camp cook. BTW, the cook was amazing. She was a blast and cooked some phenomenal meals.
The drive from Chama was 90 minutes up and over the mountains through the Jicarilla Reservation. Stunning country across what the guides called the "yellow brick road".
We unloaded our gear at the cabin. Super comfortable. Three bedrooms with pot-belly stoves in each room plus the living room and a cool wood-burning oven. Propane for hot water and stove burners and a generator that they ran for an hour or two a day for lights and to charge electronics. The cabin was right at 10,200' elevation with an incredible view across the Rio Brazos valley. We had access to 6,500 acres straddling the river and elevations ranging from 9,000' to 11,500'.
We had a five day hunt. The morning hunts were mostly spot and stalk. We were week 5 of 5 (2 archery + 3 rifle). So, the elk were timid but present. According to the guides, the hunting pressure on adjacent public land had tapered off some. Bugling was happening, but not as much as we'd hoped. We targeted pastures interspersed in the timber. If the elk were in the valleys it was pre-dawn or right before dusk.
DAY 1: We hunted the far end of the ranch where they had seen a few good bulls in recent weeks. We saw several cow herds but no bulls. It was the warmest day of the trip and we hiked our asses off.
That evening, we split up. The guide went with my buddy to a spot closer to the cabin where they had seen a nice herd bull earlier in the week. I hunted solo in an adjacent pasture tucked back in a little spruce grove. I saw a large group of cows at about 1000 yds, but nothing more. Right before dusk, I heard what I thought was a buffalo stampede. Four cows and a calf came hauling ass down the mountain and out of the timber DIRECTLY at me. I legit thought they were going to run over me. The cow with the calf finally spotted me at about 20 yds and slammed on the brakes. The other three cows spooked and ran across the pasture, but I had a nice 30 second stare down with the single cow and her calf.
Shortly before that encounter, I heard a shot nearby. Sure enough, my buddy shot a nice 5x4 bull. 315 yd shot right through the heart. We skinned and quartered it there. I'm guessing it was about 700 lbs on the hoof. Lots of bourbon that night to celebrate.
DAY 2: We hunted a spot where they had success bow hunting in the morning. It was some VERY thick timber with quite a few fallen timber areas. A few more cows that morning, but not much more. Lots of up and down hiking, and I think we did 6+ miles that morning. That evening, we went to the far east side of the property to hunt a little draw that fed down to the river. Sidebar... This property is surrounded by the reservation, the national forest and one other 10,000+ acre ranch... and a 350 acre parcel right in between which was about a 1/2 mile from where we were hunting. At about 5 PM, the property owner on that little tract decided to start target practice. Rifles, pistols, ARs. More power to them, but boy did it fuck up our hunt. My buddy was scouting near the river valley, and when the shooting started, he saw 3 bulls and about 40 cows come down out of the timber we were hunting. We hunted the spot anyways and saw two cows plus that big group at over 1000 yds away. Bummer.
DAY 3: More of the same. Thick timber, but this time it was right after the first hard freeze. The aspen leaves were falling so fast that it sounded like rain. Stalking was difficult, and we saw a few cows, but nothing more. That evening, I went with the guide to a spot they called "The Horseshoe". It was a cool draw with timber on three sides that fed down to the river. We had a lone cow come out early and work her way down to the river. About 20 min before shooting light was over, three cows came out followed by a nice bull. They were at 370 yds and working away from us towards another draw that tied in with our draw and fed down to the river. The guide decided we should work closer and try to hoof it down the draw to see if we could get a clear shot inside of 200 yds. We got within about 240 yds when a cow spotted us. She didn't bolt, but made an about-face and headed back into the timber. The bull followed. I hurriedly set up the shooting sticks, and when he stopped, I squeezed off a round. I felt good about the shot, but wasn't as comfortable as I would've liked. I still had my scope set at 300 yds, and I know I shot right over his back. He didn't flinch, but headed into the timber before I could fire another round. I was devastated. We looked around, but didn't see any blood and called it a clean miss (which it was). I chalked it up to rushing the shot and not dialing the scope down to 200 yds.
DAY 4: This morning was the most amazing hunt. We were hunting the highest point of the ranch. Just after daybreak, we had a big bugle very close by. I set up the sticks, and the guide got about 60 yds behind me and started a cow call. The bull was just on the other side of the ridge, but never showed through the timber. In hindsight, I should've moved another 40 yds to the right, and I think I could've seen him at about 150 yds. I set up too quick and obstructed some of my view lanes. Two cows finally showed, and we never heard another bugle. The rest of the morning was hard hiking. We stumbled on some big rubs and bedding areas and caught a flashing glimpse of a bull running up the mountain. Holy crap, they can move! Fun hunt with lots of action. We hunted the same spot in the evening and didn't see squat.
DAY 5: The final day. We hunted our asses off that morning and didn't shut it down until well after noon. Had six bull encounters. Two decent ones on the move and four smaller ones. I had a nice look at 140 yds at a small bull, but didn't take it. He wasn't big enough to justify hiking out. We were in some nasty terrain and it would've been a beast to haul it out. That evening, I went back to "The Horseshoe"... the same spot where I missed. Walking in to the pasture, we came across a good group of cows and calves and just watched them for almost an hour, waiting to see if a bull joined. They retreated into the timber but came back out about and hour before dusk. I waited until last light (literally 5 min before shooting light was over) and decided to take a cow that was presumably dry and didn't have a calf nearby. I shot her at 120 yds. Right through the spine. I fired twice more. Same spot all three times, then finally walked up and dispatched her at 20 yds. I was 18" high at 120 yds. Unreal. Then, I was really bummed about the previous miss. I blew out big holes in both backstraps and obliterated on tenderloin completely. But, I still came home with a ton of meat and a great memory. And, Murphy was a happy dog once I had a chance to debone everything. I'm going back in 2024 for sure.