November 2026
In It to Win It: A California Archery Tule Elk Hunt
Hunter: Shawn Miller
Species: Tule Elk
Location: Owens Valley, California
Method: Archery
My 2025 California archery elk hunt had its share of twists and turns. Shortly after the draw, I received a letter from Fish and Game stating I was the first alternate for a much-prized Owens Valley multi-zone archery bull tag. I showed the letter to my wife, stating that I was the first person to not get the tag! With only three tags available in the draw requiring max points (twenty-four) to draw, no one was going to turn this tag back in. I sent the letter back saying I was interested, but I had little hope for success.
A couple of months passed, and I received an email from Fish and Game saying the tag was mine and that I needed to pay for it. Now I was worried I was being scammed, but after some research and a phone call, I had a tag! The hunt started in two weeks.
Scouting the Owens Valley
With such short notice, I was on my own; my wife had a plane ticket to see our daughter, and my hunting buddies could not get away from work, but that does not mean they were not involved. They made phone calls to gather information and called and texted me every day to hear the story of how it was going. With some information from a person on the Huntin’ Fool “Previous Tag Holder” list and my buddies’ contacts, I was there six days early to scout.
When I first entered my hunt area with my trailer in tow, I spotted a herd of elk and pulled over to admire the seven-by-seven herd bull. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power owns most of the valley. You can hunt a lot of it, but there’s some of it you can't. Maps do not work because they show all of it as LADWP land. Luckily, one of my buddies had a friend who grew up in Owens Valley and was willing to help me figure out how the access works.
I saw elk every time I went out and had multiple good bulls located. I also met some very friendly locals who were very helpful later. Ran into the biologist doing the annual elk count and was informed that the unit with my number one target bull could only be hunted with this archery tag. By opening day, I had the access figured out.
Surrounded by Fighting Bulls
Opening morning was a bust due to the elk staying in the field where hunting was not allowed. That evening, I spotted a small herd with a good bull next to a huge tule patch, and the stalk was on. I was close when I came out of the tules, but they were still a hundred yards out in the meadow, so I cow called. The place exploded!
Thirty-plus elk started coming out of the tules, and I was surrounded by fighting bulls and screaming cows. It was unreal—a couple of calls later and I had a Pope and Young six-by-seven bull at forty yards, but there was a much bigger one behind him just out of range. A cow barked, and the herd was gone—back into the tules. I beat myself up walking back to the truck for not shooting the six-by-seven.
A 63-Yard Shot
The next morning, I went back to my opening morning spot, and the elk made it onto legal hunting ground. I waited for them to bed down before starting my stalk. A couple of hours later, I was one-hundred yards out from my target with elk already around me. Then, things started to go crazy.
I reached for my range finder and discovered I had dropped it. Luckily, it was only a couple of yards behind me. At eighty yards, I ran out of cover. There was only one bush twenty yards in front of me. I’d somehow made it to the bush without the herd spooking, but they were now getting nervous and starting to stand up. When I drew my bow, the cows stirred and covered the bull up. No shot. I had to let down. I needed the cows to clear well away to avoid one jumping in the way of my shot. My luck held. The cows cleared, and I took the sixty-three-yard shot. The herd moved off a short distance, and I knew I’d hit the bull in a good spot.
Losing the Bull
While I was making the stalk, one of the other hunters had been watching me. After I shot, thinking I had missed, they made a stalk on the herd and spooked it. The herd ran off with my bull trying to keep up: a cloud of dust getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared across the desert. The bull was gone.
The other hunter jumped into their truck and took off after the herd. I hurried after them. I found them and the herd again, and after yelling at them in frustration and confirming the bull was not with the herd, I went to see if I could find the blood trail. Driving back, I heard a horn honking. The other hunter and his son wanted to come help me look. They were great people—sorry for yelling.
After more than an hour, we hadn’t found anything. I looked on the ground between us while we were talking, and there was the blood trail. One hundred yards later, we saw him. We were almost two miles away from where I’d shot him.
Recovery in the Heat
It was 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It was now midafternoon, and we had been in the sun since sunrise. They needed to leave, and I needed help. The locals had offered help, so a call was made. (Thanks, Lisa and Sean.) With help and a winch, I was able to load the elk into the truck whole, and it was in the cooler by evening.
I believe the bull is the same one I saw while driving in on the first day. I still cannot believe someone turned this tag back in, but I am grateful. Thank you to everybody who helped and to my lovely wife for supporting my passions. When it comes to drawing tags, you’ve got to be in it to win it!
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