Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting My 2014 Bull (Excellent terminal performance by bullet)

Not my biggest bull ever, but one of the most satisfying hunts I've ever had. I was in Northern New Mexico opening week and was on an outparcel of a much larger ranch in the vicinity. The area is not blessed with an outlandish population, nor is it loaded with monster bulls. That being said, the scenery was drop dead gorgeous and I was into elk every hunt, so that ain't bad at all!

Temperatures were in the high 20's each morning, getting up to the mid to high 50's each afternoon. Wind was a nasty 25 or so MPH for much of the hunt due to a front blowing out. Rutting action was very so-so, as the bulls were pulling of the cows, hanging just close enough to catch any cow coming in late.

I had only been on this ranch for one other time a few years ago and now would have to learn it all on my own. Still hunts were on the easy side, relatively speaking, as the wind pretty much blew constantly out of the North the whole time with very few exceptions. I took my time and over the course of a few hunts got the jump on a few groups of cows and bulls here and there.

After a few days, I caught this bull meandering along @ 120 yards away, only seeing a tan butt at first. He had no idea I was close by, and I looked him over with my binocs after stopping him with a very faint cow call....6 by on one side....other side similar, not broken....I stopped him again with the cow call and got into a shooting position that got me a clear shot. He was quartering away now at 110 yards and one final call allowed me to put the shot quartering into his right side at the last rib. The bullet blew through the vitals, lodging under the hide on the off side shoulder. Perfect shot! He was down, but coughing up blood, etc by the time I got to him and I placed a finisher in him, mostly to end it as quickly as I could for the bull.

He ended up being a pretty 6x5, with the nicest set of ivories I have ever taken. During skinning I caught the bullet under the hide of the left shoulder and was amazed at the the terminal performance of the Nosler Partition...338, 210 grains. In the past, most of the Partitions I've recovered have been in the 60% range, weight wise. This one weighed 184 grains after penetrating the elk and busting up ribs on entry and a shoulder trying to exit. That is 87.6% retention!

Sorry so wordy, but the experience of doing it myself from start to finish...sink or swim...all on me...that gave this hunt a special meaning. That I just had thyroid surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago was another thing to deal with...couldn't let that slow me down though.

Hope you enjoy the pictures and hope everyone has a blast this fall.



Part of the ranch:



North end of ranch where I hunted:



Love my Partitions: