Several family members and I hunted New Mexico last week for cow elk. Most shots are 200-300 yards, so it was a rifle meat hunt rather than my usual archery hunt. It was a beautiful change of pace, but at 8,000 feet in elevation those vertical climbs were brutal. Our guide must be half mountain goat because he never got out of breath and just walked right up some rocky faces that left the rest of us dying, lol. After a few days of glassing and stalking, I sat a ridge one evening with my son. We had some great conversation and enjoyed the mule deer lounging within a hundred yards of us. We had a bunch of bulls pass by in the valley below us, but no cows gave us a clean shot. We had been watching a pair of bedded cow elk at about 700 yards for three hours when they finally began to come towards us. It seemed to take forever, and the sun was already behind the mountain when the lead elk got as close as she was going to get. At 365 yards she turned to walk South, parallel to us but not where we could wait for a closer shot. I knew my 30-06 could made the shot, but I had never shot an animal that far away. I got my shooting sticks set as she passed behind some trees. When she came out I placed the crosshairs along the top of her shoulder and fired. The cow dropped like a sack of potatoes, but as I racked another round she got to her feet and went behind a juniper tree. When she re-appeared she was walking toward the top of the drainage. She stopped in the brush with only the top of her back and her head/neck visible. Could I make that shot on her neck? It was time to find out before the elk disappeared from view. The shot connected, but she continued to stand there. I shot again and she turned back to walk downhill. She cleared an open area and crashed behind a tree out of view. The guide came on the radio and asked our status. When I told him I had one down, he informed me that two of the other hunters also had shot elk and that it would be a while before he could get there to help me transport it to the barn at the ranch HQ. They field dress elk and then use a 4x4 Mule to haul them to the barn for skinning and cooling before they are cut up and put on ice. My son and I worked down the mountain and located my elk, and I got busy gutting it before we lost all light. Thankfully I had a headlight, and after a while I had her dressed. We worked together to drag her farther down the slope to where the mule could approach and then we waited. I turned off my headlight and after a minute it became clear that this part of the world has clear and very dark skies. The Milky Way looked like a line of colorful pillows stretching across a blanket of stars, and the comet that I thought had already disappeared was pointing its tail across the sky. Satellites were constantly crossing the expanse, and my son and I enjoyed the beauty while we waited for our ride. The rest of the week we climbed and hunted to fill my son's tag but it wasn't meant to be. We spent mid-days fishing for rainbows in the little lakes that dotted the area, and I lost count of how many of them I released. They are fun fish to play with, and some had dark coloration that really caught the eye. Now we are home with an elk on ice and three elk hides. I got them all fleshed (a lot of work) and they are ready for the tanning process that my son will take care of so I can turn my attention to making steaks out of my prize. That was a week to remember!
Getting it done in New Mexico
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Re: Getting it done in New Mexico
Amazing pictures, Glenn. Especially that last one!
Re: Getting it done in New Mexico
Good times and nice photos. Those are some fat fish.
My favorite elk hunt ever was in New Mexico a couple of years ago with my daughter getting her first elk, a cow at 270 yards with a .270. She has a cow tag this year, but I think she is going later in November and this time not with me.
My favorite elk hunt ever was in New Mexico a couple of years ago with my daughter getting her first elk, a cow at 270 yards with a .270. She has a cow tag this year, but I think she is going later in November and this time not with me.