arizona: man beats ELK w/sledgehammer 45/70

[charleskieffner]

well had my first shower in 8-9 days, slept in a real bed instead of a 18ft alum trailer with condensation dripping off roof like a rain shower,didnt wake up to a winterwunder-land, didnt have to wake up this am to go pee only to step into caliche(clay) mud up to my ankles, didnt have to drop drawers to evacuate MRE's and feel below freezing ambient temps swirl where the sun dont shine..................


because..................8 daze of beating our asses senseless getting up at 4am and going like starbucks caffeine freaks all day til dark exposed to below freezing temps(6 gallon water jugs frozen SOLID)................FINALLY PAID OFF FOR MY 20 year old son.


buddy saw no elk entire trip, i got a shot on a bull and either missed or lost him in junipers(yes we searched past dark and following am at dawn).

heres my sons first elk. a 3 x 4. damn near spent 2 hours searching for him in junipers. came out of juniper nightmare maze after finding no blood,no tissue, no tracks, on quad and damn near past him by 4 feet when something popped into head "whats wrong with that picture" and heres where the sledgehammer marlin stainless 45/70 dropped him.

4 hours to gut him. tools used: lan-cay m-9 bayonet,gerber axes (2) to break pelvic bone, gerber bone saw(the best) to cut sternum/rib cage, and stanley box cutters to trim.

[charleskieffner]

p.s. ...........anyone interested in hunting arizona elk where we do..........you better be QUICKS DRAW McGRAW!

there is none of this beautiful idyllic meadow scenes with scads of bulls sparring and cows meandering everywhere. it is short sweet and if timed by a stopwatch, about 3-4 seconds of seeing them until they drift back into juniper maze of hell. very easy to get lost in because it all looks the same. rocky volcanic soils where you cant even backtrack on yer footprints let alone a gnarly wooly booger quad tire track.

this elk as all of them do kicked my ass big time. there is nothing better than being home again. only time i was completely warm was in my north face darkstar -40 degree synthetic bag. buddies down bag got soaked with condensation from trailer roof.

despite multi layers of latest greatest high techno exposure clothing patagonia expedition long johns, 2 long sleeve shirts, goretex u.s. military ECWS jacket pants, goretex gloves and hat.....................screaming along on a quad at 30-40mph going from waterhole to waterhole, meadow to meadow FROZE OUR BUTTS OFF!

quads were the only way to get around since rain and snow turned roads/trails into battle of the bulge quagmires. numerous vehicles stuck all over the place. and i mean REALLY STUCK!

we just waved and smiled..........."SEE YA"!

[Jeff Higgins]

Congratulations to you and your son, Charles! Give the young man a great big bear hug for me. That's awesome - a "first" anything is always the best.

And hey - not bad for a 136 year old "obsolete" cartridge fired from an "obsolete" old lever gun, huh? "Sledgehammer" is an apt description. The ol' .45-70 just keeps marching along, outliving dozens of young upstarts along the way. It just plain works.

Cold?!? But it looks so nice and sunny in the pictures....

[Rick Lee]

Where was this? Near Williams? When do I get my packet of meat?

[charleskieffner]

kid took shot on running bull from right side. first shot just above right shoulder. 2nd shot lower stomach right side. took 3rd shot and missed.

nelson ford massaged marlin 45/70 stainless with 325 gr hornaday bullets(leverevolution) performed flawless.

note condom in pic over barrel(mandatory dust and mud).

kid came back to camp 1.3 miles away damn near crying because he could not find bull. we heard shots and asked exactly what happened. he mentioned elk jumped after first shot.........HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

we finished coffee and beat feets up to kill site.

only(ONLY) mistake kid made was NOT DROPPING ORANGE HAT or tying ORANGE SURVEYORS TAPE at SHOOTING SPOT! never did find his shells and that search continued for days. since we didnt have CSI crime scene lazer beam or any indication of exactly where shots were made from this made the search even more entertaining.

while i was searching i glassed area and my buddy and my son were mere ants to my east looking into sun. this was a huge burn area of juniper surrounded by obvious mature junipers(the incredible nightmare maze of juniper islands i have mentioned before).

when we first arrived we had 2 1/2 days of rain turned to snow. what was most challenging was trying to hunt that crap. quads we would have died from exposure. so we hit various water holes with (2) trucks with the (3) of us. since we were in BFE the first morning wasnt so bad. that afternoon it went to HELL very very quickly from hunters and BNSF railroad workers driving thru quagmires. there were quite a few moments of sheer scared to hell bar ditch to bar ditch steering wheel spins in low range 1st gear that finally got the best of me. i wasnt about to stick my vehicle or my buddies and spend days getting it unstuck. sooooo.... the quads finally were utilized. man they werked perfect getting around major snotslinging glazed donut tires mud holes.

to show you how much mud we went thru my yamaha 600 grizzily 4 x 4 started to run HOT due to mud caked on cylinder. entire undercarriage just covered. couldnt even see my CV's. CV guards completely packed(going to drill holes to allow mud to flow out).

looking back we wished it had snowed more ..........roads would have been easier, walking would have been easier.

my best moment was taking (2) gerber axes and breaking pelvic bone. beat the hell outta sawing thru it.

45 bulls taken in from units 10, 7w, 8, 9, at williams,az. meat processor.

[charleskieffner]

rick 2 1/2 weeks and its ELK FESTIVUS!

going over to taxadermist buddies house to drop off head and rack for european mount. ie. skull with antlers attached.

[vash]

congrats to everyone. elk hunting is a team sport. i have just as much fun making like a hottie cow elk as i do being behind the drawn back arrow.

putting in for AZ elk is financially painful. you lose the money everytime you dont draw right? by the time you do draw, lots of money has gone away.. i put in for NM elk religiously. the $8 fee is easier to swallow.

you gutted that elk? i like just boning it out there on the spot. when we leave it is just a skeleton with the entrail intact.

[M.D. Holloway]

Elk is good eat'n - if you want to get rid of some jerky...this fat, ugly guy in tejas will take some!

[charleskieffner]

Originally Posted by vash

congrats to everyone. elk hunting is a team sport. i have just as much fun making like a hottie cow elk as i do being behind the drawn back arrow.

putting in for AZ elk is financially painful. you lose the money everytime you dont draw right? by the time you do draw, lots of money has gone away.. i put in for NM elk religiously. the $8 fee is easier to swallow.

you gutted that elk? i like just boning it out there on the spot. when we leave it is just a skeleton with the entrail intact.

actually you dont loose your tag monies if not drawn in the lottery. they will refund your money less yer standard shipping handling postage b.s.

go to azgfd.com for all the hunt permits and times.

latest super secret stealth covert black ops TAG INFO FOR SPRING!


BOOOO-KUUUU tags left over for spring BEAR, spring TURKEYS, spring HAV-A-JA-LEENA's(javelinas-nasty pigs-peccarry family), and thats HOT OFF THE PRESS AS OF 2 HOURS AGO!

dropped off head and rack at buddies. $180 for him to do european head mt. ie. skull only and antlers. 6-8 month wait.

[vash]

dont forget to have the ivory pulled out, and saved for you.

[9dreizig]

Damn looks like fun!! Wished my kids enjoyed hunting as much as I do!!
Hey I"m planning a trip to AZ first of the year.. hope to meet a few of you desert Pelicans!!

[vash]

Originally Posted by 9dreizig

Damn looks like fun!! Wished my kids enjoyed hunting as much as I do!!
Hey I"m planning a trip to AZ first of the year.. hope to meet a few of you desert Pelicans!!

you kidding? i am going in january too. couse deer/archery.

are you driving?

[9dreizig]

I think so but it's a business trip,, but probably throwing the ski's in the car and heading to Silverton, CO
Are we going to pig hunt this year?

[vash]

i might try lake sonoma next weekend. not much rain, so it may be a waste of effort.

[Seric]

On Quads? Wussies!

J/K, nice kill! Hunting Elk is a blast until you have to pack the damn thing out on foot.

[SlowToady]

Nice! I'd love to go on an Elk hunt, but funds don't permit. Beautiful animal you've got there. Congratulations to your son; father-son time like taking a bull Elk is beyond priceless.

I'd like to get out to AZ to hunt the pigs with my bow. Haven't gotten a dear yet this season, and the Switchback is getting hungry

Seric, packing it out is the worst part! Always! But, you could potentially hire a guy like me, to come in with some horses and pack it out for you. GPS coordinates, $400 and a few hours and you've got an Elk packed out. Just as a brain teaser for me...would you Pelican hunters be interested in such a service if one were available?

[lowyder993s]

Originally Posted by vash

you kidding? i am going in january too. couse deer/archery.

are you driving?

What unit? Coues w/ a bow is REALLY hard...no cover usually to speak of. Maybe find a waterhole and sleep/wait.

Charles...what units for pigs still left? I'm used to it always being sold out. Maybe tough times for outta staters.

[vash]

i am embarrassed...i dont know what unit. i am going with a friend. he shot a mulie, and his friend shot a smallish couse last year. rookie's luck.

what i am nervous about is camping out there, and getting my campsite ransacked by illegals, "just passing by". i met a great couse hunter that is willing to take me on day trips. he gets them regularly with a bow. he will only charge me, what it cost for him to pay a friend to watch his store. i am calling him tomorrow.

again, that is a great elk.

[charleskieffner]

Originally Posted by lowyder993s

What unit? Coues w/ a bow is REALLY hard...no cover usually to speak of. Maybe find a waterhole and sleep/wait.

Charles...what units for pigs still left? I'm used to it always being sold out. Maybe tough times for outta staters.

go to azgfd.com for units with tags left. lots of pig/turkey/spring bear left.

mtn lion tags good for entire state for 1 year. ie buy it 1/1/09.

remember to sign license.

remember to sign tag. both violations if not done.

no weapons whatsoever on archery hunts. no baiting. download regulation.

learn them, know them, eat them, breathe them and have a happy enjoyable hunt here. azgfd danger rangers are no hicks from some backwater dar dar ville. they are the nations top rated wildlife ossifers and they do not screw around ONE IOTA! stay on trails with quads or 4 wheel drives. know your units boundaries like back of hand. great guys ..............but if ya piss them off...........they will throw the entire ******* library of congress at you. all armed with sidearm and either M-16 or mini-14. both full auto. usually undercover.