Not often do my hunting plans turn out like I envision. This year everything happened just the way I thought it should.
I scouted for five days before the hunt opened. Again it was in Unit 3B in North East Arizona. It is a muzzleloading only unit.
I had found elk every place I had scouted, so I had a lot of options for opening day.
There was a cold front with rain and snow expected the night before the hunt started. The wind and the conditions dictated where I was to go.
I had spotted a small herd of cow elk on Monday morning. They were feeding about three hundred yards from the jeep trail I was on.
I kept driving so they would not see me as something unusual. The cattlemen often drive these trails.
I planned to be about 3/4 of a mile North from where I saw the herd. I got there a few minutes before dawn. I donned my day pack , binoculars, and the .54 Bucks County flintlock I had shot in the ALR postal match the prior Sunday.
The wind was howling out of the South at 30 to 35 miles an hour.
It had rained and snowed the night before. Mostly rain, a little snow here and there.I saw that there were a lot of elk tracks. It was still fairly dark and the tracks were hard to read. I worked my way into the junipers. Which is what the elk would be doing , going into the wind.
As it began to get light I noticed fresh tracks that were weaving around the edge of the junipers. they were heading South. The wind was a great cover for me since the Malapai (volcanic Rocks) were glazed with ice and were a bit noisy to walk on.
Within 25 minutes from leaving the truck I spotted an elk about 75 yards from me to the East. I ducked behind the junipers.
I knew I had to slowly work my self eastward with out being seen.
I checked my prime and ran my vent pick into the touch hole. I walked ahead and saw a cow elk headed straight for me again I ducked into the junipers. I wanted to avoid eye contact the best I could. I worked around the trees to try and flank her. I came upon three more elk. One must have seen me and got them all moving away from me. I hurried towards them, when I saw a cow that was looking at the ones that were fleeing. She was 30 to 35 yards from me. There was a clear opening where I could get my sights behind the shoulder. I fired and she dropped. I reloaded and saw she was flailing. I thought I had spined her. It turned out I hadn't.
Went around the tree and delivered the Coup de Grace. Then work.
I had left my truck at 6:50 AM, I shot the elk at 7:30 AM. I was 1/2 mile from the truck. Things seldom happen the way I envision. I feel blessed and very grateful.
