Ode to New Mexico

[elkmtngear]

In the Spirit of the Holidays, I\'d like to share a \"Lyrical\" account of our 2016 Elk Hunt. Most of this was written sitting in a climbing stand over a waterhole during the \"Slow\" portion of our hunt.

\"ODE TO NEW MEXICO\"

Road Sign by Jeffery Ervin, on Flickr

Please gather round, if so inclined
And listen to our Story
About the ?Land of Enchantment?
In all its? shining glory

 

[elkmtngear]

Appy by Jeffery Ervin, on Flickr

My Buddy Kenny called me up
?Let?s take an elk vacation?
And so, upon his hard research
We paid the Application

The waiting seemed forever
But, we knew it was well-spent
When we found out we drew NM
On odds of four percent!

 

[elkmtngear]

research by Jeffery Ervin, on Flickr

I knew an NM Resident
Who?d had 3 years success
Turns out the Unit was the same
How could we be so blessed?

Well, Dan was just outstanding
And soon, without hesitation
We started getting steady flows
Of inside information

 

[elkmtngear]

Winslow by Jeffery Ervin, on Flickr

Finally, the trip was on
15 long hours a loner
And I?m standing on the corner
Down in Winslow, Arizona
(RIP Glen Frey, 1948-2016)

 

[elkmtngear]

Sage Sunrise by Jeffery Ervin, on Flickr

Kenny had to wait a day
Before he?d be arriving
Crack of Dawn, and in 6 hours
I was all done with driving

I furiously set up camp
And walked out heading west
The Day before the Opener
My skills put to the test

 

[elkmtngear]

When evening fell, my Spirits soared
A Symphony ensued
3 screaming bulls were riffing hard
I was one happy Dude!

 

[elkmtngear]

With bow in hand, on opening Day
I set out in the dark
To find the elk already high
And way above the Park

I set my jaw, and I attacked
The daunting oakbrush face
Upon the crest, the wind told me
I may have lost the race

 

[elkmtngear]

I stillhunted with senses high
And suddenly, ahead
A lone spike bull fed unaware
Proceeding to his bed

I shadowed him for quite a while
And tried to match his pace
But, never had a decent shot
So, he survived, by Grace

The bulls were singing distantly
Now, wind was swirling ?round
Tomorrow?s plan began to flow
A snack, and I laid down

 

[elkmtngear]

The evening treck back found me pinned
Across a giant park
A 5x5, with cows of 6
Emerged from Timber Dark

To intercept, my wind was good
But, time was not my friend
I hustled, unsuccessfully
To watch the Opener end.

 

[elkmtngear]

At camp, I greeted Kenny
Who had pushed the pedal down
We made plans for the Morning
We just knew we?d win this round

 

[elkmtngear]

In darkness, we began the hike
Behind the bulls\' domain
At daylight, they began to scream
And we began to gain

The King was sounding big and bad
With challengers surrounded
Our wind was good, we got within
Now 80 yards it sounded

 

[elkmtngear]

I popped the giant decoy butt
And Kenny moved ahead
A curious cow heard our approach
And quickly pinned us dead

Appearing now, the monster bull
Defied imagination
And calmly came to watch his cow
Assess the situation

With trusty decoy now in sight
The cow seemed satisfied
She fed on in, and now the bull
Strode 40 yards broadside

 

[elkmtngear]

Kennydraw by Jeffery Ervin, on Flickr

Kenny was now fully drawn
For what seemed like forever
I raked the ground, the bull advanced
It?s surely now or never

Kenny?s cow call stopped the King
Through trees a tight lane stood
And, from the sound, and pumping fist
I knew the hit was good!

We both cow called excitedly
In hopes he?d slow his run
A crash, and then a gurgling growl
The mighty bull was done!

 

[elkmtngear]

We waited still for one half hour
To take up his blood trail
No need, for 40 yards ahead
We saw a great whale tail

We both just stood in disbelief
The King before us lay
We celebrated, thanking God
For this amazing Day!

 

[elkmtngear]

Kenny Trophy Pic by Jeffery Ervin, on Flickr

Kennyantlers by Jeffery Ervin, on Flickr

 

[elkmtngear]

We broke down, boned, and caped the bull
The work was fast and clean
Two heavy loads apiece to bring
The miles to seventeen

 

[elkmtngear]

Our bodies truly beaten down
But still we hit the Dawn
My turn to be the shooter now
We had our ?A- Game? on

On Dan?s intel, we headed to
An area unseen
When suddenly, up on a bench
A growler, rough and mean

He had a little, irritating
Satellite behind
Which kept him screaming, making him
An easy bull to find

We got into his ?comfort zone?
And Kenny popped the butt
I moved toward an ambush spot
Across an open cut

 

[elkmtngear]

Halfway there, and in mid-stride
The 6x6 appears
And I go into ?statue mode?
For what seems like years

Finally, he?s had enough
And turns to break the spell
I turn to Kenny, giving signs
?Unleash the fires of Hell?!

 

[elkmtngear]

Kenny?s bugle turns him
Like a magnet on a nail
Behind an oakbrush wall he came
I waited on its? tail

I saw a tine above the brush
And quickly drew my bow
Just two more steps and he?ll be mine
But, something told him ?No?

He stopped short, and I held my draw
Till I began to shake
When Kenny?s calling moved him out
I made my big mistake

 

[elkmtngear]

A poor release, I watched the shot
Fly low, and miss him clean
My heart sunk as he said ?So Long?
And dove down the ravine

Dejectedly, we tucked our tails
And sauntered to the rig
Two Days, two opportunities
And, I had blown it big!