Published: October 07, 2009 07:21 pm      

Success out west

East Texas archers harvest New Mexico, Colorado bulls

Any hunting trip to the western high country with rutting elk on the menu is a monumental treat, one that must be experienced to fully appreciate. Successfully taking a bugling bull with a bow and arrow on public land is the height of modern hunting experiences.

Just ask Randy Duke or Ben Bartlett. The East Texas archers were bitten by the elk hunting bug years ago and the side effects continue to linger. In fact, not a year goes by that both hunters do not apply for non-resident draw hunts on public land in multiple states with abundant elk populations, such as New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah.

The reason for submitting multiple applications is a competition thing. Lots of guys like to play the game, but only a select few get the opportunity to see action from one year to the next.

A limited number of tags are offered under the draw-hunt framework, and only a tiny percentage of those tags are available to non-resident hunters. The competition for permits is always brisk, especially on premium hunting units known for producing outstanding bulls.

Think of it like playing the lottery. The more times you enter, the better the odds of drawing a tag.

Receiving notice that you were successfully drawn is like getting an unexpected pay check in the mail, only better. Conversely, discovering the word “unsuccessful” stamped on an application can be somewhat of an emotional letdown.

“It’s sort of like getting kicked in the gut,” Bartlett said. “Once you’ve played this game, you want do it over and over again. There is nothing like the sound of bugles ringing across a mountain range spattered with golden aspens, then having a bull elk charge in at 15 yards, slobbering at the mouth with his eyes rolled back in his head as he screams his brains out. Now, that’s exciting stuff right there.”

Bartlett and Duke were especially pleased last summer after learning their hunting parties were drawn to participate in September archery elk hunts on two of the nation’s premier public hunting units.

After nine years trying, Duke and his partner, David Morton, both of Lufkin, were selected for a unit in the Rio Grande National Forest in south-central Colorado. The area’s limited elk tags are among the most sought after of any public hunting unit in the country, mainly because of its reputation for bruiser bulls.

In 2008, 4,600 hunters applied for 461 available permits. On average, it takes a non-resident 11 or more years to draw a bull elk tag.

“It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity getting drawn there,” Duke said. “I wish I could go back, but I probably won’t ever get the chance. I’ll probably be too old to handle it by the time I get drawn again.”

Duke made the most of his lucky draw. He collected a 6X6 bull that will probably score around 285. He bugled the bull to within 30 yards and drilled it broadside. The bull ran about 40 steps and fell over.

“We had a great hunt,” Duke said. “We saw lots of critters, way more than I ever dreamed we would. It just took us a few days get them figured out.”

Duke and Morton started off hunting well above the timberline, where they founds numerous groups of elk grazing in mountain bowls cluttered with bushes. Getting in and out was a major chore. The steep, wide-open terrain that made for tough walking for the hunters and easy viewing for the elk.

“The bulls were responsive to calls, but we couldn’t do much with them with our bows,” Duke said. “They would move to within about 100 yards of us, then hang up when they couldn’t see another elk. We tried decoys, but it didn’t work.”

After several unsuccessful hunts at elevations beyond 12,500 feet, Duke and Morton moved to a lower elevation hoping to find some responsive bulls amid the dark, spruce timber. The plan worked perfectly. Duke connected on the afternoon of Day 7.

“He was looking to whip somebody’s butt, mainly ours,” Duke said. “He piled right in on top of us.”

Bartlett and his long-time hunting partner, Viron Barbay of Hemphill, spent nearly a decade submitting applications for a number of New Mexico’s high quality elk units before they finally drew out to hunt one of the state’s best this year.

The unit is located within the Gila National Forest in the state’s southwest quadrant. Pronounced “heelah,” the huge expanse of land is known for producing plenty of 300-plus bulls for archers lucky enough to draw a tag.

Though Barlett’s 255-inch 6X7 fell short of “Gila Monster” status, he felt fortunate to take it considering the disheartening situation they ran into once they arrived.

The area had been hit especially hard by a summer-long drought. Plus, the hunters learned the New Mexico Game and Fish Deparment and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had previously stocked Mexican gray wolves in the area. When ranchers complained about the wolves killing their cattle, Bartlett said the biologists initiated a hazing program to push the wolves to a different part of the forest.

“From what I was told it (the hazing) started in early September, right about the start of the first archery season,” Bartlett said. “It basically involved running around firing shotguns and setting off cherry bombs. It ran everything out of the country. We didn’t find any sign at all during our first day of scouting.”

The hunters then relocated about 15-20 miles to the west, where they found more abundant water and fair numbers of elk. Bartlett said he located his bull late on the afternoon of the fifth day. The animal was almost suicidal.

“He just couldn’t keep his mouth shut — it was his time to die,” he said. “He was constantly screaming and glunking. The wind was perfect and I managed to slip right in amongst his herd. When he offered me a 35-yard shot, I gladly took it.”