Story By: Eric Benzel
Having been a Huntin’ Fool member since 2004, my application strategy has changed over the years. What started as a plan to hunt a couple of states every few years has evolved into casting as wide a net as possible. The way I see it, somebody must draw, and it could be me. Sometimes, the stars do align.
I will never forget sitting down with a cup of coffee, starting my day, and seeing the credit card charge from the Arizona Game & Fish Department. I had done the impossible. I had drawn one of the very few random archery tags in one of the most sought-after units in the state. The first thing I did in my excitement was tell my wife; the second was to put a call into Chad Rhoton with A3 Trophy Hunts. Chad and I had spoken a few times over the years about potential units, but this time I finally had something. I knew that I had just drawn a once-in-a-lifetime tag, and I wanted to maximize my chance of taking a truly special bull. Booking with A3 was a given. We quickly ironed out the details, and the preparation began.
While I have archery hunted several times over the years, I am really a rifle guy at heart. I knew I needed to get myself dialed for this. A quick trip to my local bow shop and I had a new setup. Over the course of the summer, I practiced daily, shooting farther and getting more consistent each week. Come late August, I knew I was ready. Chad informed me that I would be hunting with Tyler Mott. I had never met Tyler, but I’d heard his name associated with some great animals over the years. Tyler and I had a great phone call that really validated that I was making the right choice. Even with the drought conditions that were affecting the entire state, both Chad and Tyler felt confident that we would be able to turn up a good bull.
The day finally came. I arrived in camp and met Tyler. After quick introductions, he showed me a video of a great bull that he had seen just that morning. Now, this was not the first time Tyler had seen this bull. In fact, he had a three-year history with him. The next few days of the hunt were all pretty similar: unseasonably warm weather, full moon, and very little rut activity. We heard some minimal bugling in the early morning, but the bulls shut down quickly. This did not dissuade Tyler; he knew that our target bull was in the area, and we just needed to stay at it until he gave us our opportunity.
My opportunity came on day five. We heard bugles from two different bulls about a mile to the north, and Tyler said, “Let's go.” We moved quickly and quietly to close the distance. We were able to get within 350 yards of the bull, but we ran into his cows. We slowly dropped back down in an attempt to move to his right but were again stopped by a younger satellite bull. Fortunately, this younger bull allowed us to keep tabs on our bull. Every time he bugled, the old bull would answer. Tyler had us stay quiet the entire time. He was right to; if we started hammering at this bull with calls, he would push off, and we would miss our chance.
Tyler decided our best move was to make a wide loop southwest and come at him from the other side. We attempted to move as one, slowly creeping step-by-step. Then, Tyler abruptly stopped. “There he is.”
We’d made it to within seventy yards of him. The problem was that he was in some thick brush, and all we could see were his antlers. We watched him throw his head back for the occasional reaction bugle.
With cows feeding to our immediate right, we were able to take slow, single steps as they dropped their heads. At this point, we were as close as we were going to get. He eventually had enough and moved west, away from his cows. This was our chance.
He moved down a small drainage where I had an opening. Tyler whispered, “Fifty yards,” and gave a soft cow call to stop him. I was already at full draw; I settled my pin and let fly. The arrow disappeared low behind his shoulder. The shot was good. The bull ran up the other side and turned back towards us. He came to a stop, waivered a bit, buckled his front end, and quickly fell over. The big bull was down.
While we gave him some time, Tyler and I reflected on what we had just done. We had sneaked into bow range and killed a giant of a bull without making a sound. What an amazing experience.
As we made our way toward him, I could not believe my eyes. He was so much bigger than I had thought. Tyler did a quick hand measurement on his 5th, which he’d had a mental estimate of. The bull was bigger than even he had initially thought. It took the longest time for it all to sink in. The bull was an amazing public land archery giant. With 55” beams, 24” 3rds, and a nearly 48” inside spread, the bull ended up scoring 402 3/8”.
This hunt will undoubtedly provide me with lifelong memories. It checked so many boxes that I hadn’t been sure I would ever complete. I got my first archery bull and a 400” at that! The entire crew at A3 was top-notch, professional, and knowledgeable. Tyler Mott went above and beyond, utilizing his immense knowledge of the unit, the season, and the animals to help me fulfill a dream. Truly the bull of a lifetime.