Ray, now this one's better than the hog picture - the elk's prettier ... and you're smaller!

It's raining cats and dogs this morning. Gave the Old Boy (that's me) a morning off. If it's still pouring down this afterneoon, think I'll be giving the big guy another free-pass this year. Just geting old and lazy, I guess; or perhaps I've just done my share. That's well enough. He's given me many pleasant hours this year (and last). I also like the thought that he'll be out there passing along his good genes to many more; ones that (I hope) will be there to provide me many more pleasant hours of fun - if'n the Lord's willing and the creek don't rise; and I happen to get back here during season again.

I'll be in touch soon.

Ed

I like finding brush piles like that to hide in when I'm deer hunting too...oh wait that's not a brush pile...that's an elk rack. Nevermind.

Now THAT'S a HOG!!    
Killdeer  

how the heck did I end up here two times??

Cause yer Special... LOL  Nice Elk

And I still can't see the header pics  :(

Don't know why or how they've gone. One day they were there, next day, there they were'nt.

I know it's down to browser settings, but can anyone tell me which ones & how I gettem back?

Had to look twice to find Ray in the picture!
 Nice Elk. Good food.

Chort- I never knew what good eating was till I tasted elk steaks. I'm going to start buying cow tags every year....don't like going without it!

That's an Elk?       I thought Ray was climbing up a huge Mesquite tree           ...Van

I couldn't tell where the tree ended and the rack started    Lookin good Ray.

Hey where is that elk from, NM, AZ?? It's a real pig anyhow, good shooting/hunting.

Talk about shooting the bull!
Congratulations!

9 mile...he is from NM- one of the 16 units in the Gila...1999.

That was a good year for the Zipper!

He's a toad, for sure. The pics don't really do him justice. You should see the one of the mounted head with me standing next to it...in this picture it looks like I am sitting way behind the elk, but in reality my left knee is just behind his head- 11 inch bases and 20+ fronts...

Come to think of it, I can post the mount in a pic I have on photobucket... he was so big he wouldnt fit on the wall in either a super sneak pose OR a 90 degree head turn...too wide and too long!
 
 

Wow Ray, good for you!

Ray, you are the man. Thats one dandy Elk.

Ray,leave the bow,...take the canolis!!!!

I've known Ray since 1985 or so.  Ray, who's that trim dandy standing with your elk.  

That was me the next summer, Cliff...after training/walking/working out for a year in prep for that hunt and for a year after I was really slim and trim- lost down to 200 lbs.

Then I injured my feet (Plantar fasciitis) and have shot back up there again...don't look like that any more, I assure you!!

Alex, that's my big problem now...if I wudda took the "bow" instead of the canolis I might not be as big as a house!!!!

Awesome bull! Was that one of those once in a lifetime tags? Gotta be a big story to go with a big bull like that?

Nope, LV2, a regular public land draw tag- this is why NM has been on the short list for many years along with AZ, UT, NV, WY...limited draw units mean there is less pressure, fewer hunters however you want to say it...so bulls get the chance to grow up.

we were there for the second hunt (and hit it just right in the middle of the FRENZY as I call it, with bulls just going nuts) and we got into big bulls every day.

I never saw a bull littler than 250 inches that week- everything I ran into was a shooter and  ran into several every day...simply the most amazing hunting experience I've ever had!

The tags are more expensive now, but they can still be drawn.