I'm with the family in Ruidoso for the weekend. Got board and did a little internet scouting and found a water hole just on public land on a back road we ran by on the way back to town. Came across this guy with his heard. He was bugling and pushing, but hadn't pushed out the satellite bulls yet. There was a 5x5 and 2 other small bulls in the heard.

My 5 year old doesn't get how awesome this is. I however was giggling like a school girl.

Here be elk.

Solo evening hunt. I was watching some bulls across the bowl from me and listening to two bulls fight in the brush below them.

Then I notice a locust bush shaking below me like 150 yards away. That's not two bulls fighting a long ways off...that's one bull whoopin a tree right down there.

All of this bull **** is maddeningly tall. I had no idea how big he was, but resolved to only shoot a big one up in this spot..I didn't want to do my homies like that..

Had a solid prevalent wind, so tried to sneak in. There is no sneaking. Luckily he was still on rake detail so I doubt he could hear me anyway. Close to what I think is 50ish. Find me a decent place to shoot and start making elk racket. Do a little cow mew and get his attention and he's curious but I can tell he's not closing. I give him a bit and then do a little pissant bugle followed by some happy mews. Curiosity get him and I sense he's coming. See antler tips rounding a Bush in the little shooting lane I had set up in. I draw, settle, and wait.

He steps out. 25 yards sort of through a bush, but I did not think it would interrupt my arrow path. He's is far below the arbitrary size requirement I had set for this spot. Then I recalled that not a single fiber of my being will ever pass a legal bull. Let alone one that close while I'm at full draw.

Surprise break. 12 ring. He runs 10 yards and falls over. I hear him groaning and he's done in a minute. And thank God. He could have got to an impossibly ****ty spot, but as luck would have it he piled up right on the spine of the ridge.

I call I'm the cav and they arrive in an hour and a half or so. We bone him out there and knocked it out in one trip while the wind whipped up to gale force.

Lol at passing on bulls.

https://imgur.com/z7tqGk0

I guess I don't know how to post images anymore.

Heck yeah! Thanks for sharing the story. Congrats brother!!!


A little pic help for a great bull:

My Colorado Public land DIY Archery Muley Buck. 54 yard shot at 12,200'. Lots of hard work finally paid off.

I drove up 8/28 with Robyn and we spent a few days enjoying the mountains, hiking, fishing, 4wheeling and weather. She flew home Monday am and it was time to get serious.

I got to my hunting area that afternoon, setup camp and started hitting some of my previous spots scouting. The season didn't start till that Wednesday so I spent those two days covering as much ground as possible trying to get a game plan for the season.

I found a lot of bucks I'd love to take, along with some other epic critters. Saw the biggest Moose and Big Horn Sheep I've ever seen, the Colorado Mountains never disappoint.

I spent the first two days of the season on bucks but couldn't close the distance. The area I hunt is usually 11k-13k plus feet. It's hell for a Texas guy getting use to this elevation no matter how good of shape you get in before the hunt. My first stalk was into a group of 17 bucks to have some of other hunters blow them out of the basin, joy of public land hunting.

Thursday night, Devin showed up to hunt with me the remaining part of the trip. We got on bucks that next morning and did right at 6 miles at 12-13,200' putting a stalk on a solid 4x4 and couple smaller bucks. I ended up getting busted and we made the long hike back.

We made a game plan to try a different area that next morning and got there real early to glass. We quickly found a good group of bucks and watched them bed into the timbers. Around 2pm we hiked around and above them to position ourselves where we suspected them to still be....

Devin sat at the top of ridge with his spotter and glass while I made the decision to get a little lower in case they started to feed up. It played out picture perfect and I was able to arrow the biggest buck of the bachelor group at 54 yards. I pin wheeled him and watched him go down just seconds after.

This is my 4th year chasing Muleys in this area. Finally got my first Mule Deer Buck. He's not the biggest but damn I'm proud of him. Lots of hard work paid off. Devin killed it with the pictures...

Hope this link works...

https://lightroom.adobe.com/shares/5dcbfeb129a84b5183c6bae14cb629dc

https://instagr.am/p/CE2OrJ7FUpm

I would have demanded coffee and breakfast once I had recovered from my aneurysm.

Blood drawn on Day 1. Details in about a week, we got a other tag to fill.

Called in some small bulls this morning and one got the business from one of the muzzleloaders. Still feels pretty prerut. Glassed three big bulls just hanging out being best friends for an hour in the sun late morning.

AgEng06 said:

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Blood drawn on Day 1. Details in about a week, we got a other tag to fill.

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Story later...