Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting New Mexico elk success

NM grows biguns and you nailed a dandy! Any idea on the weight?

Told a few friends today that Lady Luck kissed me full on the mouth. Got a nice 7x7 yesterday on the opposite side of a drainage/steep draw. That morning we had a group of cows and a bull that we jumped and they hauled butt, dumping off into the steep drop off. He looked good but I had no idea how good. Rush up to the rim and looked over into the timber and oak brush, obviously not expecting to see anything. In a minute or so I could spot the cows making their way up the other side. Eventually I spotted the bull milling around the cows! 350 yards away on the rangefinder and about 30-45 degrees down slope if I wanted to take a shot. Now or never. Got a good steady rest and let fly. He dropped on the spot! My guide and I were thinking “How in the dickens are we going to find this bull?”. We can see it but in a jungle of trees but of course, everything will look totally different making our way down the draw. My guide then pulled magic out of his hat. I’d never seen this trick but I’m sure most of you have. He shot the bull with his rangefinder. Confirmed 350 yards. Took out his cell phone with some GIS type app (I forgot the name. Base Map?), aimed it at the bull and “dropped” a pin on the bull at 350 yards. Never seen that. Pure rocket science to this old fart.We walked down the drain and up the other side and it took us within 20 feet of the dang bull.

Getting him out of the jungle was a four hour ordeal. Vital statistics of the hunt: Sako 338 Win Mag. 225 grain Accubond at 2805 fps. 75 grains of RL-19. Scored by a certified B&C scorer at 354 0/8”. 7x7

My old knees and legs thank you for looking.

Beautiful elk. Congratulations. I'll be hunting them in new Mexico beginning Nov 10th.