 It was a
three-mile drive and another one-mile hike across the valley floor to get to the rutting
area and water tank. This is where Mark Stevens and his dad, Jess, had spotted the big
non-typical bull several days before my arrival on Arizona's San Carlos Indian Reservation
for the start of my September hunt on the Dry Lake Unit. John McClendon, an Arizona
outfitter who has guided me on many successful elk hunts, had told me he knew of a big
non-typical bull on the reservation. I killed a big bull on the reservation in 1997 so I
knew the hunting was good. I bought a Dry Lake tag hoping to get a chance at a monster
bull.After a three-hour drive from the Phoenix
airport I arrived at Jess' camp late on Monday, Sept. 3. Mark and Jess shared with me the
results of their scouting activities. After listening, I knew the big non-typical they'd
spotted (which they'd nicknamed Mr. Big) was definitely the one John had told me about and
wanted to go after. My tag was good for 14 days but I'd hoped to be back home in less than
10 days to get my three teenagers packed and off to college. Mark told me, "We've got
to be up early and walk in while it's still dark. It's been over 90-degrees everyday and
the elk are heading for the cool of the timber bedding areas right after daylight."
With those words, I unpacked my gear and settled into my sleeping bag for what I knew
would be a short night's sleep.
When the alarm went off at 3:30 a.m., Jess and Mark were
already up and drinking their coffee. I hadn't slept much, but then I never did on the
night before the first day of a September elk hunt...just too much anticipation. The three
of us got into my rented SUV, and after a 45-minute drive we parked in the cover of a
cedar grove. We were about a mile from where Mark and Jess had seen elk busy feeding and
rutting every night and morning during the prior week. I grabbed my 12 power binoculars
and my .30-.378 McMillan Bros. Weatherby and we began our hike in the dark. It wasn't long
before I began to hear the greatest sound in the world to an early-fall elk
hunter...bugles coming from several different directions. We approached as silently and as
cautiously as we could. There were only a few small gullies and minimal ground cover to
mask our stalk. The wind was favorable. After getting as close as we dared, I finally
hunkered down to wait for enough light to see if one of the bugling bulls was the one I'd
heard about.
As it slowly became light enough to see, Mark spotted the
big non-typical about 1000 yards away with a group of over 80 cows, grazing and already
lazily moving toward one of the several draws that led back into the steep timbered
hillsides. As I focused my binoculars, the big bull followed his cows into a small, dry
creek bottom. While I couldn't get the look at him I wanted, I saw enough to know this was
the kind of bull dreams are made of. Unfortunately, between the big bull and us were
another half dozen bulls and a smattering of cows strung out for several hundred yards
feeding. They were gradually moving toward the cooler bedding areas of the hillsides which
provided them both cover and safety. Because it was so wide open, we could not get closer
for fear we'd be seen and spook all or part of the herd into running off. I decided not to
risk a stalk at that time and to wait later that evening for another try.
For the late afternoon hunt, we set up early and waited
patiently for the big bull and his harem to come out of the timber on the steep hillsides
to feed and water. Just before dark, Mark again saw the big bull. He'd walked out of some
timber and then bedded again on the hillside under a large juniper about 800 yards away.
With lots of cows feeding between us and the bedded bull, Jess got out his spotting scope.
I finally got a good look at Mr. Big. What a monster! I'd seen a lot of big bulls in my
years of hunting but none quite like this one. After glassing the big non-typical for a
good five minutes, I guessed him at around 420 B&C points. Mark and Jess thought he
was bigger than that. Unfortunately, any stalk was problematical as there were too many
other elk between us and the bull, and we were quickly running out of daylight. As it
turned out, he never got up from under that juniper before dark. We headed for camp
anxious for the morning hunt.
We made it in the next morning without being seen and we
were perfectly set up. With lots of bugling going on, all the big bull had to do was show
and I knew I could get a clean shot given good daylight and the right opening. As luck
would have it, we saw approximately 40 cows and 10 bulls that morning, but no Mr. Big. We
spent some time cautiously following the elk into the timbered hillsides at a safe
distance, but our bull was nowhere to be found. We went back into the same area the next
several days and it was as if he'd simply disappeared. I was getting worried. Had he
spooked and run off? Had he gathered his cows and gone to another area? Was he feeding and
rutting only during the night? We were at a loss as to where he was or if he'd return, but
I knew that we had to be patient and just wait.
The following morning came and went the same way. We
watched numerous elk go to water and feed. We cautiously followed several of the bulls and
cows up the steep hillsides as they headed into the sanctuary of their timbered bedding
areas after daylight, but again, the big bull had simply disappeared. Mark's brother,
Homer Stevens, came to camp after breakfast and we told him of our trials and uncertainty
about where the big bull was located. Homer said, "Unless he's become totally
nocturnal, he's got to be getting pretty thirsty. There's not much water around so let's
go in and keep an eye on the one big dirt tank in the area. Maybe he'll come to water late
this afternoon while it's still daylight." I agreed. It sounded like a good plan.
Homer and I found a spot in the valley where we could watch
the big water tank without being seen. It also gave a good view of several drainages the
elk had been coming out of in the late afternoons as they headed for water and the lush
feed on the valley floor. After sitting and glassing the hillsides for about three hours
and with only a half-hour of daylight left, we hadn't seen or heard any elk. As we decided
to move about a quarter mile to the east, Homer said, "Here come some elk".
Homer and I raised our binoculars in unison. Homer said, "That's him!" Homer and
I froze, and watched the big bull with about 20 cows head straight for the tank. When they
crossed the top of the dam and disappeared into the tank, Homer said, "Let's
go." He and I had about 700 yards of ground to cover to get to the tank, hopefully
before the  elk
watered and were on their way. As we neared the tank, I was soaked with sweat and my heart
and lungs were gasping for air. Walking was OK but trying to quietly run for a half-mile
in 80-degree heat at an elevation of 6,000 feet was not something I was used to. As I
tried to catch my breath and collect myself crawling up the side-wall of the dirt tank, I
chambered one of my 180-grain Noslers and flipped up the covers on my rifle's 12 x 50
Swarovski scope. Seeing that bull stand on the water's edge about 100 yards away was
incredible. Miraculously, the wind was calm and neither he nor the cows had seen or heard
us coming. As the bull walked up and neared the top of the tank, I squeezed the trigger
and watched him fall. What a monster!
The bull was an 8 x 7 and after waiting the mandatory
60-day drying period, he officially scored 442 3/8 net B&C points non-typical and he
grossed 454 6/8 B&C points.
It was a hunt I'll remember forever. My thanks go to God
for creating this incredible game animal and to my tribal guides, the hard-working Stevens
family. They spent a lot of time and effort helping me find this trophy of a lifetime. The
San Carlos tribe does an excellent job of managing their wildlife resource and the
Reservation has produced lots of big bulls over the years. I'm just fortunate it was my
turn to find the right bull in the right place at the right time. I'm also thankful this
was one lead that turned out to be true. |
= Story Included
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