Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting NM elk success. Not by biggest, but a tough hunt.

Lord what a tough hunt. Hunted an out-parcel of a big ranch this year in Northern NM. Gorgeous weather, scenery, etc, but no one was seeing any elk on this ranch...none (relatively small 4,500 acre ranch). We hardly saw any fresh elk sign at all, but that's how it goes sometimes. As one of my elk hunting buddies says, you just gotta keep chopping wood! I was the only one of our party to even see elk, much less score. It just happens this way from time to time I reckon.

Hunting my legs off, I never heard the first bugle, nor saw an elk until I ran into this guy. Murphy's Law was in full force for me and my two buddies!

I finally saw a spike and two 5x5's one evening and took the larger of the two with my 338 loaded with 225 grain North Forks. Brought em in closer with a few cow calls and I caught him broadside at 227 yards and took him down with the first shot. He tried to get back up and I anchored him for good with a shot angling in from the last rib on his right side, with that bullet stopping in his neck. It weighed 197.1 grains. I have been very impressed with North Forks these past few years! The first shot was a little high and the exit hole, I could stick my fist through. Wow.

All in all, I felt very blessed and fortunate (lucky?) to get this bull. Not all hunts end with them jumping into the back of your truck do they?

Life is good. Thanks for looking.

My bull:



Beautiful scenery:





Recovered bullet:



Exit hole:



Elk backstrap fajitas when I got home at our favorite Mexican Restaurant!