300 BULL ELK FULL

I was listening to the men tell stories about hunting bull elk with a bow. I could smell the fletching glue the cigarette smoke the coffee. I was transported back to Clyde’s archery shop. I wished for nothing more than to have them with me in this moment. I thought of two men in my life-one a dear friend, the other like a son. The feelings of accomplishment and elation accompanied by deep respect for the bull and shame that I did not finish him quickly is hard to explain, probably harder still for a non-hunter to understand. I was elated the saga was over but was still not fully comprehending what I had done. All the practice, the walking, breaking in boots and dreaming of this moment … it was overwhelming. I returned to camp baffled, every bit of confidence drained from my body. What I thought had been a perfectly placed arrow seemed to hit a rib and penetrated no more than a 1/4 inch. As I watched him run off, I swear he looked back and laughed. My arrow looked like it hit a brick wall covered with mud and hair. Textbook hit: the ribs, behind the shoulder.

300 BULL ELK FULL

I whispered, “range?” Mario, now frustrated, hissed “forty-five” in a voice somewhere between excitement and, “Are you kidding me?” At full draw, I repeated my mantra: “Second pin, settle” and then I heard the thump. I felt pretty good about myself and thought I had enough arrow and bow weight to do the job. I focused on shooting my bow out to 75 yards. I walked miles with a 60-pound sandbag in a meat hauler. It took me 50 years to get here so I wanted to be as prepared as possible. This New Mexico hunt was my first elk hunt as a shooter rather than a packer, spotter, or camera operator. However, elk are not whitetails, a point I wish I had taken to heart before leaving for New Mexico. I’d killed numerous whitetail deer and feral pigs with my setup. I had an older Mathews Heli-M with a 70-pound draw weight, 30.5-inch Gold Tip Pierce Platinum’s in 300 spine, and a popular 125-grain mechanical head. Sun Tzu, the legendary Chinese general, said “the side with the simplest uniform wins.” Accordingly, my archery elk hunting setup was pretty simple. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.

300 bull elk