Good friend of mine just called me from the White River Apache Reservation in Arizona. He's on his way to the processor, after tagging a Bull Elk last night. 125 yards, one shot, hit a bit back due to this is is first elk hunt, and it was at last light, and they heard him hit the ground a couple of times. Went out before first light this morning and it was 8-900 yards away. Experienced guides field scored him gross at 409+, and a net of 394. It was 47 1/2 inches between antler tips, and the Apaches want to pedestal mount him, and use him for a while to show just what they have on the reservation. This guy is one happy camper, and so rattled he doesn't know which way is up. What a bruiser to take on your first ever trip out West to hunt, and your first elk hunt. Be hard to ever top that. I'm promised a bunch of pictures when ever he gets home. Any thing we take in the 2nd season in GMU 24 in Colorado won't even come close to that giant.

"the Apaches want to pedestal mount him, and use him for a while to show just what they have on the reservation."

He stands a chance of never getting that elk back....no way I'd do that...but, congrats on a great bull.

I'd have MY taxidermist make a fiberglass replica of him and ship it to then.

Tell your friend to tell the White Moutain Tribe to give him a $10,000 nonrefundable deposit and wait a few years......

How much is a White Mountain Apache hunt for a bull costing these days anyway?......


Casey

this thread is worthless without pictures.

Nice for a first bull I guess.

How about this deer I got on the way home from the range???

$12,000 and up..........

Yeah, I wouldnt loan it to them.

And, not to be debby downer but on that res, 409" isnt anywhere NEAR what they have to offer. There is a shop between pinetop/lakeside and Hondah that has some KILLER bulls in there. Mounts and pictures.

409" is a hoss, but I have seen what they can produce there. It is seriously 100" more than most public land produces year in and out...

The fact the Apaches want make a life size mount and put him on display at their ranch/reservation should tell you how common a 409 bull is even for the White Mountain.

Even the White Mountain Tribe doesn't necessarily kill 410 class B&C bulls evey year........


Casey

Martinstucky,

Congrats to your pal!

If you ever get over to the Outdoorsman in Greenwood, let me know - be happy to buy you a coke and meet another Campfire member!

I'm happy for your friend, that's a BFE.

I'm guessing that hunt was north of 10k, likely more. I'd ask them for 20k returned in-full to them upon delivery of said pedestal mount back to your pard.

Jeez, you guys are worried about the injuns getting to him? Everbody knows it's the whiteyes that are the treaty breakers.....

http://rmef.auctionserver.net/view-auctions/catalog/id/3/lot/370/

Haha! That's ridiculous! $70,000 to have a 'pache lead me up to a bull so I can shoot an elk!

To everyone their own.
I have read a thread here a while back when a "guide" didn't ever show up and the hunter was screwed out of his hunt. I think I'd be unhappy if that happened on a $70k hunt.

Tho i have never hunted on the reservations i have fished there and have had good dealings with the Fort Apache and San Carlos Apaches.....same experience with the Mescalero Apaches in NM.

The Navajos.........not so much.

Martin - send congrats to the proud hunter.........and we desire the pics.

Will be delighted and excited to see the bull pics! Congrats to anyone getting that nice of a bull, especially first time...
Nice nice deer picture there too!

He called me yesterday on his way back, and sent me this picture of his bull.

Very nice bull. Congrats to your friend.

$70,000 holy chit! Hey if ya got..ya got it. Nice Bull, will look good on the wall.

Congrats to your buddy, nice bull. They want to borrow it? Phock that. Maybe it's the piss poor picture ,409"? No way. Magnum Man

Need to see better pictures than that. Doesn't look 409 gross, but it could be the perspective.

Still a nice bull though. Congrats to your buddy on hid first elk. Better than mine!

Great bull, there are some huge bulls on the rez that I see every year. He carries the same genetics that are in the area I hunt, I may have seen him at a younger age.

He's a generous 380 bull on his right side as a straight 6 by, can't see the left too well but would have to be a 440 bull on that side to make 409, can't get 394 net in any case. Maybe they meant he had a difference of 15 inches bigger on the left for 394 gross. That's as generous as I can get on score.

Here's his older brother/cousin/dad I found dead a few years ago, either not found or left after ground shrinkage when a client said, I'm not paying that kind of money for that bull.

I ground taped this bull at 372 then walked away. My X1 pack is not a kids bookbag.

Again, nice bull, very nice but the indians have some funny ideas and math.

Haha! 400"!!! The 'pache's must have short rulers.

Sorry, but that is just incorrect.


And, as KRP said... Thats not a 400+" bull.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who doubts the 409". Maybe the op will post some better photos when he gets the chance and where in the hell did the $70 k figure come from? Magnum Man

couple years ago I heard the price was 18,000 plus guide... maybe a trophy fee over a certain size but that could have been just San Carlos.

I hunt the archery raghorn (4pt or less) for 505.00 and you are into these big bulls all the time, just can't shoot'm... lol

Kent

Sorry, but that is the truth--400+ bulls are not a every season occurence in any area on the planet. A guy has a better chance in a couple of the northern public land units in your state.

I have no idea how big the bull in question really is--but I do know to take what the White Mountain Tribe says with a bit of salt.

Regardless, if the Apaches want to life size mount that bull and put him on display, it should tell you how common 400+ bulls (if he is 400+) are on the White Mountain.

Don't get me wrong, the Apaches have some of the best trophy hunting for R.M. elk anywhere.

Casey

The White mountain has quite a few 400+ at any given time... same with unit 9, 1, 3C, 23... hell a 430 Bull just got killed in 11M (archery), the Flagstaff municipal unit. I was texted the picture today and I have a 420 bull texted to me from unit 1 (archery} killed on friday.

If that's the biggest bull killed on the WM this year, they have some sorry assed guides... they probably tell everyone they want to display their elk and never get a taker... they have a tiny area in their office for display, probably want some to decorate the Hondo Casino.

Kent

There's a difference between the quantity and availability of HUGE bulls between San Carlos and WMAT... and I know which side of the creek I'd hunt if I were financially loaded.

Most guys that go on WMAT end up with bulls from 300-330 if they even tag out... and all hunts on WMAT are NOT equal. Your odds of success and high scoring bull are directly related to the size of your wallet. Some of the hunts are NOT a slam dunk, and 400+ bulls are not common or guaranteed.

You'd have a better chance of seeing the Wee Baby Shamus march down your home town main street than seeing that bull stay in the tribe's possession if it were mine...

First look at that pic and I dont see the tape stretching to to 409". Nice bull but unless i dont see some of the bone somewhere I have a hard time believing 409. 70K is alot of dough.

I agree that San Carlos is the premier 'In the World' elk producer... just look at the Shipsey 502 bull. That B&C won't recognize that bull as the world record and will the Spider bull, puts them in the class of 'Club' records and not overall record keeper.

Anyway, there are multiple 400+ bulls on the White every year... that the indians can't find them when they are not that secretive isn't a reflection on the class of animal.

That they have to manufacture a 400+ bull out of a 375 is also not surprising.

They've shut the east side down for the second year because of the Wallow fire to member and self guided nonmember hunts (raghorn/cow). I don't know if that includes the trophy hunts, if so that crowds the westside and increases the pressure to produce.

Kent

I can't see 409.. I can't fudge my tape good enough to make it to 409. The mass isn't there either.

70 K for that and they want to borrrow it... no way in hell. They have funny laws those injun's. Once they have it you may never get it back. Probably more like never get it back.

I also dont see a 400 class bull I would say 309 maybe.

I'm not a hater, but if I had to put money on judging from a pic, I'd say 335=340, maybe 350 if the pic is hiding something. I'd shoot it! Maybe not if it was my $70K though.