The author and his Wallow bull taken at 27 yards. The old bull scores 360 SCI points.
It took 10 years to draw the coveted Arizona archery elk permit.
“The Arizona draw results are up online,” my buddy said. “So what?” I thought, “I never draw anyway.” This was back in May, but when I went to the website and saw that, after 10 years of applying, I had picked a coveted September archery elk tag, I about peed my pants. Are you kidding me?
Having been down this road before, I knew that having the tag is just the beginning of a long quest at getting a shot at a good bull. Despite what many might think, the days of accruing bonus or preference points in several states each year, then when you draw just showing up, hunting on your own and shooting a big bull or buck is not as easy as picking blueberries in a year of good rain. That’s why I called my friend Gary “Goose” Howell and booked his services. Goose has over 20 years of experience in the outfitting business in this region. In fact, he is so good he has been selected by many well-heeled hunters who have purchased governor’s tags in Arizona and elsewhere to be their personal guide. It was some of the best money I ever spent. Here’s why.
“Because it has become increasingly difficult to draw a top-quality, high-demand hunting permit on public land in the western United States, it is imperative to implement a plan and conduct your due diligence if you hope to be successful,” Howell said. “You must do all of the research and do your own pre-scouting or hire a qualified, experienced guide/outfitter to do the work for you. This is critical! Failure to do either or both of those things will lead you to certain failure and disappointment.”
“Even if you opt to hire an outfitter, you must make sure they bothknow and have successfully hunted that specific unit, what class of trophies they have harvested in that unit and what you should expect to harvest, given your goals, weapon proficiency and physical condition,” Howell said. “It is also imperative that the outfitter and his guide(s) are available to pre-scout everything and do everything for you, so you may make the most of your hunting opportunity.”
