Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Clover's First Elk

Clover drew her first elk permit for a mid-October rifle cow in northern Arizona. She made a few trips to the range to test handloads and sight in the rifle over the summer. We arrived in the unit a couple of days before the hunt to check range conditions and water sources. Feed looked rather brown and crispy, only one earthen tank had water, and that left only the trick tanks with water that had been hauled by various critter groups. Our driest summer on record had its effects.

The plan was to still hunt and sit various draws and ridges in hopes of catching the elk moving to and from water. No sense in battling the other permit holders for sitting within rifle distance of water. The morning’s hunt plan went out the window on the night before the opener as a few bulls were bugling all around camp the entire night.

So Clover led the way walking from camp the next morning in hopes of zeroing in on a bugling bull and his harem. After seeing a six point bull cross a small opening into the thick pinyon-juniper, we followed to see a couple of small bulls but no cows. This was her first time to see elk at under 20 yards. The bulls became silent at about 7:30 AM.

The first evening of the hunt was spent watching a well-trodden trail though the thick P-J leading to a water source a quarter mile away, but all that was noticed was the tromping of hooves of presumably feral horses, of which there are more of each year in the hunt unit.

That night, the bulls were bugling around camp again, so Clover walked a mile from camp to sit an opening in hopes of catching some elk crossing towards their bedding area. About 15 minutes after sunrise, a cow and her calf ran across behind some small pines about 300 yards away, but no shot opportunity arose. Several minutes later, another cow entered the clearing and was angling towards us. While waiting for her to clear a small cluster of pines, another single cow appeared much closer about 100 yards away. As she walked into an opening between two trees, a quick cow vocalization stopped her which allowed for a quick shot behind the shoulder. The cow ran about 40 yards before circling and dropping.

After we gathered up the gun and pack and headed to the elk, Clover got to supervise the field dressing of her first elk. The 124 grain Hammer hunter bullet from the 6.5 WSM entered through some muscle on the back of the shoulder, though an onside rib, though an offside rib and scapula, and exited. Meat loss was minimal around the bullet path. One of the petals of the all copper bullet was found under the far side hide. As the gutless method of dressing was used, the internal trauma was not checked.

(Clover is my 1 1/2 year old GWP)

Hahaha. Well done

Excellent, thanks for the ride along.....

Nice cow and write up. Took my nephews and each got their 1st elk last week in the youth hunt in 5BS. Spot and stalk worked for us. Seems like they are rutting late this year.

Congratulations.

I hope your nephews got to enjoy some good bugling- the sounds of fall. Congrats on their success. Spot n stalk is so much more enjoyable than sitting water.

What a lucky dog. Horses huh....we have them too, more and more.

On my cow hunt two years ago, I actually saw more feral horses than elk. I know eastern AZ has that plague of feral horses also.

Congrats on the elk! Cool danged cartridge as well.

Unit 9? those horses are out of control, I've even seen them in the Park!

@beretzs Thanks. I saw a real pretty Winchester Super Grade in 300WSM 14 years ago and knew right away that it would be a 6.5 WSM. Never shot the donor.

@Sycamore- Yes they are. That wild horse and burro act needs a reversal pronto.

I bet that rifle is a stunner.

Very cool...well done!