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The Elk Capitol of the World:  Living My Dream Hunt!

By Ralph Ramos

When it comes to hunting, guiding, or anything dealing with elk, I am the extreme enthusiast! Hunting rut-crazed elk on the White Mountain Apache Reservation on the last weekend in September is truly the best elk hunting any outfit can offer.  Training for this awesome reservation hunt started early in September of 2002, as I guided bow hunters in my home state of New Mexico.  Fortunately, early season work guiding bow hunters prepared me both physically and mentally for countless bugles and elk action I would encounter in Arizona.

As my hunt began, I was quite sure that my professional elk guide, Richard Caddo, understood my creative philosophy of elk hunting.  I first met him when he attended one of my elk calling seminars at the Annual Sunrise Ski Resort 3-D shoot this past July.  He knew I believed in pre-hunt homework, scouting, being above and in front of the elk during morning darkness, and relying on my multiple tones of cow talk that would permit close encounters with rut crazed wapiti.

We anticipated a double harvest out of this particular hunt.  My guide  was every bit as excited as I was.  The opportunity to hunt two bulls raised a challenge for this three-day reservation dream hunt.  One could be a management bull 300 to 340 inch class, old, mature with short points, or any five by five bull elk on the reservation.  The second had to be a freak antlered cull bull with any severe abnormal points growing out of his head.  Cull bulls are very rare on the reservation and David Kecheyan, game manager and camp boss, encouraged harvesting them out of the herd.  Cull bulls bring harmful rival genetics and they compete against popular gene traits in favor of 400-class typical trophy antler growing potential. 

First Morning:  Ten Bulls on Video, Plenty of Opportunity, No bull!

As Richard and I stepped out of the truck for the morning hunt, we could hear a minimum of 20 bulls bugling below us in the canyon.  Richard had absolutely done his homework!  These bugling bulls sounded like cattle waiting to be sold in a stockyard at a local auction barn and  I was the highest bidder anticipating a harvest! Man was I pumped up! This musical bugling harmony far surpassed a recent popular elk-hunting unit in New Mexico where I experienced multiple morning bugles.  This was unreal!  Totally unbelievable! 

As I stepped twenty yards from our truck, just seconds into my hunt, I spotted my first White Mountain bull, 320 typical, sixty yards broadside, young and healthy.  Unfortunately, that was not the type of bull we were seeking.  We continued covering ground and I started to imitate cows with my calls.  Immediately, a bull responded with a rip-roaring bugle.  We rushed to set up my video camera, recording the elk action in the low light of the morning dawn. 

I cow talked repeating multiple cow and calf sounds, while the bull came in slobbering just ten yards away looking for the harem. This happened four times in a row the first hour of the first morning.  Wait until you see the video footage!  Suddenly, after two hours of uninterrupted hard-core elk hunting, the bugles faded as they settled into their daily beds.  Still in amazement with all the hoof stomping, antler cracking, and blistering bugles, I felt as if I had left Jurassic Elk Park!  Man, was that the ultimate morning of bugling action!

Round Two: Refreshed After a Morning Siesta

As the bugles ended temporarily, I quietly turned and asked Richard where these elk bed?  He responded quickly, pointing towards an aspen patch on the north side of the mountain. After a long night of rut activity, I believe bulls tend to catch their second wind, feeling refreshed, after a short, quick morning siesta. I prefer to let elk bed for an hour or so before I move in for the second half of a morning hunt.

As we moved into the elk bedding area, my Primos hyperlip call created the lonesome mews of a cow in heat. Three bulls in the same vicinity bellowed out bugles in desperation, although one was particularly loud and aggressive.  I moved in for the setup and quickly noticed this was a huge, mature bull.  I hoped it was my management bull approaching. When he was still approximately 40 yards away, I drew my PSE Nitro bow and rested the ultimate one-cam on my thigh at full draw.  I prefer to draw my bow early as the bull approaches, waiting ready at full draw, rather than to draw and be seen by an oncoming bull at pointblank range.

This bull suddenly appeared broadside at a close 12 yards.  At that moment I wanted to stick the bull as he stood broadside bugling in front of me.  My top brass pin forever settled in on  his sweet spot, as I waited to hear the signal to shoot.  Unfortunately, Richard whispered, “Don’t shoot.  He’s a trophy bull.” I knew at that moment it was the ultimate dream hunt, not your typical public land experience.  Normally, my natural hunting instinct on public land pressures me to shoot at the first clear opportunity given. This time, I was fighting with my internal predator mode forcing me to hold back from shooting.  Awe, what an unusual, but exciting experience for me!

Close Encounter with a Freak-Horned Kind

The first evening hunt started out on an old logging road with two bulls quickly responding to my Primos Hoochie Mama lost calf call.  Once more, as if this hunt was staged where we left off from the morning hunt, two typical bulls, appeared within 20 yards.  I drew my bow, but again wrong type. No shot.  Unusual for the reservation, I managed to call in a young single cow, which walked past us in search of the lost calf sounds I imitated. 

All of a sudden, a bugling freak-horned bull appeared out of the drainage where the cow came from.  Richard was as excited as I was.  He said, “Take him!  He’s a cull bull!”  My top two pins bounced in the kill zone evenly with my heartbeat pounding as he walked toward me within 30 yards.  I prayed for a shot at this freak bull of a lifetime when, unexpectedly, he stopped walking toward me.  He then stood quartered looking at me, with the distinct freak horn club covering his kill zone, which prohibited a clear shot.  I held at full draw for two minutes, staring at this bull eye to eye, not having a clear shot.  Movement was not an option. 

Suddenly, the bull spun and bolted off trotting in the direction from which he came.  As I let down from full draw, I felt worse than when a high school girlfriend rejected you by giving you the boot. You know that worthless feeling of disgust and disappointment.  Since this was a combination rifle or bow hunt, I then decided to go back to the truck to get ‘Ole Betsy’ my .280 caliber M-77 Ruger rifle.  I knew after searching for a cull bull last year not finding this scarce freak-horned commodity, I had a great chance to settle the score.

First Evening Brought the Impossible

While we jogged back to my truck, I could not believe my eyes as I saw the freak-horned bull crossing the road in front of us.  He chased a cow towards the same ridge where we were heading, similar to a rutting buck deer chasing a female doe in heat, during the rut. I reminded Richard that we would have to hurry because we were running out of daylight. 

As we arrived at my truck, I reached into my gun case and quickly loaded my rifle with last year’s cartridges as if it were yesterday.  Our natural instincts led us to where we had last seen the freak.  I cow called softly with a mew trying to locate him, when his distinct recognizable bugle blasted.  We quickly ran toward the bugle as he moved away from us uphill.  I then continued to cow call desperately, but this time I called more loudly and aggressively as if I begged the bull to approach. 

Knowing that we had only minutes of shooting light, we rushed in forcefully, closing the gap.  When all of a sudden, the freak bull screamed a bugle, sounding closer, changing his direction.  He was coming toward us.  I then knew to chamber a round to prepare to shoot.  The bull walked in noisily moaning through the brushy trees towards my desperate calls.  My eyes caught movement of his hair and horns as he walked my way.  At nearly 20 yards, I instantly aimed my gun at an opening where I guessed I could take a shot.  All at once my cross hairs found his neck, a perfect spot for a quick, humane kill.  My guide uttered, “Shoot!”  I Instantly squeezed the trigger, watching this freak bull, my long awaited harvest,  collapse merely 18 yards away. “Finally! Finally a cull bull!” I shouted with excitement.  Following last year’s hunt with no sight of a freak, this year’s first day blessing, convinced me of what I thought was the impossible, a reservation cull bull.

One Down, One to Go!

Due to our unbelievable success the night before, our next day’s morning hunt was postponed. Richard and I worked on the edibles by boning out the tasty freak.  We looked at the break as a quick way to rejuvenate our muscles and spirits for what was still in store. Traveling to the elk honeyhole, I spotted a spectacular 370-class bull grazing out in the middle of a meadow.  Unfortunately, the beautiful meadow bull was not a management prospect.  Elk bugling activity was slow for the evening hunt since the weather changed bringing wind, rain, and hail.

After a two-day hunting experience, Richard and I were starting to establish our routine. Knowing we had only one day left on a three-day hunt, we planned to hunt aggressively taking any management bull. On our last morning, we realized the bulls had shifted up canyon opposite their normal routine. In order to have a chance at the early morning bulls, we jogged uphill on an old logging road non-stop for a mile. 

As we stopped to catch our breath, I cow called and listened for a bugle. Suddenly, I saw a huge five by five management bull bugling below us in a meadow.  My guide quickly blurted out, “He is a management bull, you can kill him if you like him!” At once I mewed calling, hoping to work in the management bull.  He immediately answered and ran uphill heading our way.  He steadily walked, grazed, and occasionally bugled.  I monitored his location in the steep, open terrain and decided to change my technique from calling to stalking.  I used the inside lane of a logging road for cover and crouched down creeping into position. I almost felt like I was hunting mule deer, moving in on a stalk hoping to close the gap on him quickly.   Before I knew it, I found myself within 60 yards of my management dream bull. 

Having killed other big game animals at this distance, I felt confident in attempting this long-range bowshot.  My natural instinct of drawing my PSE bow came easy.  But holding my pin took immense efforts, partly as I struggled to level my sight bubble to adjust to the steep terrain.  Mentally I knew it was a far shot.  I remembered to relax and take my time and I told myself to follow through when I released the arrow. 

Finally, as I settled my 60-yard pin on his kill zone, my bow released.  Watching the fast sleek arrow travel down range, I witnessed a good hit as it made its mark. My PSE Carbon Force shaft led by my Rocky Mountain Ti-100 sunk to the fletching as it angled into the liver and lung area.  The bull instantly lunged forward, stopping after merely 20 yards.  It was a good hit!

Immediately, I knocked an arrow and moved in for a second shot.  With the bull having his head down, bleeding and sucking wind, I instantly released a 70-yard shot.  The second arrow lodged into the bull and he ran downhill and stopped after ten short yards.  He was hurting.  I can’t stand to see an animal suffer so I expedited a quick, humane kill.  I flung a third arrow hitting his final mark and piled him up for the harvest. The reservation management bull taped 330 Pope & Young inches, making him an awesome trophy in my book.

The End to a Hunt of a Lifetime!

The ending of my hunt was heartbreaking due to having to leave this joyous adventure and pristine habitat.  My three-day elk hunting experience on the White Mountain Reservation was beyond doubt the best hunt I could ever wish for.  This dream hunt truly brought out the best in me challenging all my hunting abilities.  The memories from the Elk Capitol of the World will always be in my heart in hope of returning annually.  I highly recommend this treasure, to all elk hunting enthusiasts; this is the elk hunt you have to experience at least once in your lifetime.

Respectively, I am thankful, for the countless bugles and elk I encountered.  I greatly appreciate the picturesque beauty of this environment and the wonderful White Mountain staff who helped me live my dream hunt!  Most importantly, I appreciate the true conservationists of your land, who plan, manage, and conserve habitat for wildlife; protecting this environment in the most preserving, realistic manner, so many of us may enjoy it. 

Authors Note:

The author of this article is a professional staff member representing the following companies:  Primos Hunting Calls, PSE Archery Products, Rocky Mountain Broadheads, Scent Shield Products, Scott Release, and Montana Decoys.  Ralph Ramos, a native to New Mexico, guides elk hunters in the “Land of Enchantment.”  He educates hunters with his creative calling techniques and x-zone method when he presents elk calling seminars throughout the Southwestern United States.  To book an elk-calling seminar or just for simple advice about elk hunting, contact Ralph at (505) 526-1314 or e-mail him at rramos@lcps.k12.nm.us.

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