Long story short, none of us punched a single tag.
Short story long...what a cool hunt!
1) I introduced a friend from Minnesota (recent transplant) to bowhunting elk in NM. Way cool!
2) I called in an awesome bull for my Dad. The setup worked so perfectly that the giant bull was right on top of my Dad before he could even draw his bow! The bull lived another day and naturally we chased him again that following day. lol
3) One of the highlights of my hunt was this: After hunting all day I had been unable to locate any elk. For the last 9 days I had been in elk every day, but this day the elk were silent and invisible. My feet hurt and I was beat. A few miles into the wilderness, I decided to drop down from the ridge to sit a waterhole. It had been raining every day so the waterhole wasn't really my focal point, but I liked the spot. I set up 30 yards downwind of the water. My setup consisted of sitting in the shade leaning against my backpack. With an arrow nocked, I sat motionless. Mountain Jays raised havoc all around me. They rattled dried leaves and disrupted fallen pine neeedles in search of a meal.
A couple hours into my sit (an eternity for me because I don't "sit" well) the commotion became really intense behind me. I was intent that the jays would not disrupt my focus. I sat motionless. Then, the commotion was accompanied by a loud and unmistakable "snifffing" sound. The sound grew louder. Within seconds the mammal (undeniably) was loudly and aggressively sniffing the very backpack I was resting against!
I knew it couldn't be a bear. Primarily because I had a bear tag, so naturally the only bear I had seen was traversing an opposite slope. Also, any bear would vacate the county after one whiff of my smelly 9 day-old gear. A Mt. lion would react the same way.
I believed the investigator had to be a wolf. The Mexican Gray Wolf is becoming prevalent in the Gila and these guys have never been hunted. Without having established a fear of man, this wolf must be the only wild creature who would aggressively sniff my pack!?
I slowly turned around hoping not to startle the wolf inducing an attack. To my surprise I found myself face to face with a coatimundi. It was awesome! We checked each other out for quite some time at very close range. Each of us seemed equally curious. I'm confident it was the first encounter either of us had had with each other's species. After a few minutes, I decided to extract my camera from my pack to get some pictures. The instant the zipper on my Badlands Ox pack sounded, that animal vanished! Prior to that though, I could move and adjust my position and watch my curious visitor do the same.
Needless to say, I didn't get a picture. I also didn't get an elk. That's okay by me. I've collected lots of great pictures over the years and have also killed nice elk.
Prior to this year though, I had never introduced a guy from Minnesota to hunting elk in NM with a bow, I had never called in a monster bull for my Dad and I had never seen a wild coatimundi!
My 2014 NM Elk Hunt was a HUGE success! Tags don't have to be punched to be filled.
I have found that I tend to overestimate the size of things that I hear in the woods when hunting. At its most extreme, I often hear deer that end up being red squirrels.
Nick is somewhat of an "expert" when it comes to the coatimundi. His field of expertice is however limited to the AZ coatimundi. Tons of in the field research. :)
Too bad you couldn't have gotten a picture of the coati. I was scouting one day and had my black lab with me. We were sitting in a meadow glassing, and a bobcat walked right in front of us, stopping about 20 feet away. I was holding my lab's collar (he was tight as a fiddle string ready to chase) while trying to pull my camera out with my other hand. Needless to say, I didn't get the photo either.
My buddy from Minnesota had a great time. It would have been nice to get him a shot at a bull, but at least he saw plenty. I got to witness his reaction the first day of our hunt when a bull screamed a response to my call from about 100 yards away. Just watching my buddy experience the rush of adrenaline created by a rutting bull was pretty exciting.
Mark
Best of Luck, Jeff
I also saw a coatimundi running through a dry creek bed and Dad saw a wolf. We talked to some people near us and one of them saw a big pair of lions and the other stepped on a rattler. The scariest thing I ran into was a covey of quail. Of anywhere I've ever hunted, the Gila was hands down my favorite. There is just something about it that I can't explain. I pray that someday I draw another tag and get the opportunity to return.
My Dad stepped on a rattler also. I was hiking behind him and saw it happen. He didn't even know he had done it. It was a Banded Rock Rattler which is also rare...first one my Dad or I had ever seen. I got some great pictures of that snake while I assessed the damage inflicted by my Dad's boot. I'll download some pics and post when I have the time. Luckily the snake was in able to pierce my Dad's leg with a fang. We were many miles into the wilderness and a rattler bite would have been a bad deal. The snake's injury was minor and he was safely released. I believe Banded Rock Rattlers are endangered?
The quail you speak of are Harlequin Quail formerly known as Montezuma Quail. They can nearly give a stealthy bowhunter a heart attack! I was able to hold a live one during this elk hunt and closely examine it. They sure are beautiful birds. Years ago it was very rare for me to see these birds, but the last 5-10 years I have been seeing increasingly more of them.
I completely understand your attraction to the Gila. I've moved from NM twice. Once to CO and once to AK. Both times the Gila Withdraws called me back...This time for good. ;-)
I'd like to see the rattler pictures. I was watching for them and hoping to see one, but no luck. I did run into one smaller snake that was brown in color with a big head. It was very aggressive biting my boot when I teased it a little. I also saw a few snakes that reminded me of the garter snakes we have up here in MN. I caught and gently released a horny toad one day, which I was later told are now endangered in New Mexico?
You are right about the quail. I was challenging myself to see how quietly I could walk up the canyon, and then the whole world seemed to explode. I stood there until my heart slowed down, took 3 steps, and another almost sent me into cardiac arrest. The same day Dad found a covey and the little ones followed him and ran circles around his feet!
Every since I've left that place I can feel it pulling me back. I've never been anywhere that did that to me quite so much. It wasn't just the place, either. The people that we ran into down there were the friendliest and most helpful I've ever met while hunting. There were so many great parts about the hunt that eating tag soup didn't seem so bad.
I'll return your PM sometime today. Thanks!
Heartily agree that hunt can be huge success without a kill.
And seeing a new critter ranks high on my list, as there aren't many I haven't seen before.
I'm a big fan of carrying camera on my hip belt in a Badlands magnetic closure case for fast & quiet action. I get all sorts of close range photos of non game animals simply because it's handy.
Sorry you didn't come home with meat for the freezer, but the memories are far more valuable.
Carl
You'll be well taken care of, don't worry.
Carl
Crocs would also allow any sand that goes into your shoe to pour right back out, which I suppose might be handy.
This thread is surely getting derailed ;o)
And that your type font isn't acceptable for reporting a good hunt. Or some such.
Carry on.
Although I could live without the mental picture of "Jesse the Streak".
At least wear a 3rd croc.
