Muley_73
Very Active Member
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When AZ card hits dropped in March I knew 2022 was gonna be focused on elk. After weighing gas prices and work load I decided to look at hiring a guide for the first time. I talked to some here on MM and also reached out and researched for options. In the end I was sold on booking with Koury Guide Services. I won't just make this an advertisement for Shane and his son who guided me, Skyler. But I will say it was worth every penny I spent and Skyler over delivered on my entire hunt. I hope I get a chance to hunt with them again someday!
Next it was time for a new bow, after loving my Hoyt for a decade I was set on buying another Hoyt....until I shot the new Prime In Lines ! Could not get enough of shooting this new set up this year.
Its crazy to see the advancement in our technology across the board. I have shot archery for over 40 years and shooting 100 yard groups like this has changed the game. (No I don't shoot at animals at 100 yards but it definitely makes the closer shots easier).
Before heading south to AZ my son had a Utah OTC Any Bull Tag to fill. After a lot of days on the desert and chasing the needle in the haystack he was able to call in this bull for his first archery kill two days before we left. If you have spent time chasing Utah Any Bull elk on public land you know this bull is honestly a much better trophy than what I was about to chase in Arizona. A ton of drive and perseverance paid off for him!
Finally headed to AZ and 14 days of chasing bugling bulls......HOPEFULLY
We arrived a day and half early, just to look around the roads and get a bit of feel for the unit. After a morning of 11 bulls screaming and an evening of glassing several mature bulls we were beyond excited for the hunt to start the following morning. Out of the gate Skyler had us on a stud bull that we spent chasing for 3 days in the highest area of the unit, finding the bulls in flat ponderosas at daylight and following them up into the steep pines. As bow hunting goes we needed one more step on several occasions to let an arrow go on our target bull.
From the start everyone had told me 320-330 bulls would be the top end on this unit with a possibility of one or two bigger bulls. I told Shane and Skyler I would have no problem passing that type of bull if we were chasing the next level. I was just as excited to bugle in bulls and hunt a full rut as I was in inches of antler. The first 3 days in the higher elevations I couldn't have asked for a better experience. We had been so close on two different 350-360 class bulls and passed more great bulls than I had ever dreamed I would. The rut was at its peak and I was having the best elk hunt of my life. Hunting pressure in the area was pushing the elk a little, although not horrible it was definitely a factor and the bulls were starting to show it. We made the decision to head lower and check some areas that Skyler liked to hunt. New days, new areas and new bulls with virtually no other hunters. The hunt just continued to fill my dreams. Sunrises, rain storms, bugling bulls and sunsets filled up the next 4 days......
Next it was time for a new bow, after loving my Hoyt for a decade I was set on buying another Hoyt....until I shot the new Prime In Lines ! Could not get enough of shooting this new set up this year.
Its crazy to see the advancement in our technology across the board. I have shot archery for over 40 years and shooting 100 yard groups like this has changed the game. (No I don't shoot at animals at 100 yards but it definitely makes the closer shots easier).
Before heading south to AZ my son had a Utah OTC Any Bull Tag to fill. After a lot of days on the desert and chasing the needle in the haystack he was able to call in this bull for his first archery kill two days before we left. If you have spent time chasing Utah Any Bull elk on public land you know this bull is honestly a much better trophy than what I was about to chase in Arizona. A ton of drive and perseverance paid off for him!
Finally headed to AZ and 14 days of chasing bugling bulls......HOPEFULLY
We arrived a day and half early, just to look around the roads and get a bit of feel for the unit. After a morning of 11 bulls screaming and an evening of glassing several mature bulls we were beyond excited for the hunt to start the following morning. Out of the gate Skyler had us on a stud bull that we spent chasing for 3 days in the highest area of the unit, finding the bulls in flat ponderosas at daylight and following them up into the steep pines. As bow hunting goes we needed one more step on several occasions to let an arrow go on our target bull.
From the start everyone had told me 320-330 bulls would be the top end on this unit with a possibility of one or two bigger bulls. I told Shane and Skyler I would have no problem passing that type of bull if we were chasing the next level. I was just as excited to bugle in bulls and hunt a full rut as I was in inches of antler. The first 3 days in the higher elevations I couldn't have asked for a better experience. We had been so close on two different 350-360 class bulls and passed more great bulls than I had ever dreamed I would. The rut was at its peak and I was having the best elk hunt of my life. Hunting pressure in the area was pushing the elk a little, although not horrible it was definitely a factor and the bulls were starting to show it. We made the decision to head lower and check some areas that Skyler liked to hunt. New days, new areas and new bulls with virtually no other hunters. The hunt just continued to fill my dreams. Sunrises, rain storms, bugling bulls and sunsets filled up the next 4 days......
