It was Sunday morning, October 24, 2021, and I was with my youngest son, Wade, on his mule deer hunt in Central Arizona. Less than one week ago, I was hunting elk in Colorado with my oldest son, Cory, and two weeks later, I would be with Cory on his Coues deer hunt in Southern Arizona. I am so fortunate to live in a country where I can pursue my hunting interests. I can only hope and pray my grandchildren will have similar opportunities in the future.
I have lived in Arizona most of my life. Approximately 20 years ago, I wanted more opportunity to hunt deer and elk, so I applied in the neighboring states of Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. I consider myself more of a trophy hunter than a meat hunter. I soon realized it takes a lot of bonus/preference points to draw a good tag, but I continued to apply as recommended by Huntin’ Fool.
The years have passed, and my interests have somewhat changed. I still love the outdoors and wildlife, but my priorities have shifted from harvesting wildlife to helping wildlife. It is payback time! I’m retired and have extra time to work with Arizona Game and Fish Department personnel and Tonto National Forest personnel maintaining wildlife catchments. These catchments are man-made structures, collecting water during the wet months and storing water for use by wildlife during the dry months. Some of these catchments were built in the 1950s and require a lot of work on the fences, removal of downed trees, and a lot of trimming. Other catchments require new water troughs and new float valve systems. Family and friends also help to haul water to the catchments when snow and/or rainfall is lacking. For me, this type of work is very rewarding. This year, I accumulated 330 hours of volunteer work.
My dilemma was that I was 72 years old and had all these points accumulated, but my desire to hunt was not as strong as it once was. I needed to use these points or stop applying. In 2020, I contacted Huntin’ Fool for some advice regarding a Colorado elk hunt. They provided me with a list of outfitters, one of which was Ash Tully with Rio Grande Outfitters. I contacted Mr. Tully by phone. He advised me he monitors the elk herds closely and the following year might be a better one for older class bulls. Acting on his advice, I held off for another year and was able to obtain a rifle bull elk tag in 2021.
Mr. Tully has a permit with the National Forest to operate a hunting camp on forest lands. My son, Cory, accompanied me on this hunt. There would be three other hunters in camp. We all met Mr. Tully and his crew at the trailhead to load up our gear for a horseback ride to his base camp. His camp is located on public lands.
We arrived in camp early afternoon and got settled in. As evening was approaching, we could see a large herd of elk in the lower country we had just come through. There were several bulls in the herd with one shooter. Generally, morning herds in the lower country would pass close to our camp en route to their bedding areas. Two hunters in our camp would attempt to intercept this herd as it returned to its bedding area. My guide, my son, and I would attempt to
locate another shooter bull west of camp.
Opening morning arrived and other hunters near the road in the lower country had first opportunity at the herd below us. Someone shot our targeted bull and wounded it. Owen Tully, the outfitter’s son, observed the wounded bull run west into the dark timber and directed us to the general area the bull was headed. The wounded bull traveled approximately two miles before my guide observed it limping along and got me into position for a shot. Two shots later and the wounded bull was down.
I was extremely thankful to harvest this animal on opening morning. The guide and my son caped and quartered the animal, making it ready for the pack animals and the return back to camp. The bull tapped out at 344".
I learned several things during this hunt. Base camp was located at a 9,500-foot elevation, and I was not in good physical shape to be hunting at that elevation. You owe it to your guide to be in the best shape possible. My guide, Chris Durfee, was very dedicated to the hunt and very passionate in getting me a great trophy, which he did. In my case, it doesn’t hurt to be a little lucky also.
My son and I had a great experience hunting with Rio Grande Outfitters. Mr. Tully knows the territory and the elk movements. He and his guides will do everything possible to get you the quality of elk you’re after. The camp was well organized, and the food was great.
No more high-country hunting for me, though. I’ll volunteer. There is a lot of work to be accomplished for wildlife. I belong to the Arizona Deer Association and the Arizona Elk Foundation. They have many weekend projects throughout the year and are always in need of volunteers. Get involved. It is very rewarding.
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