Oh that was too dang fast!! I've been beatin the bush for 3wks now and ......well...way ta go SlimJ!! That's a great size for the freezer, probably the most tender too. What beautiful country, your photos are makin me homesick. Great job!

Suz

great job SlimJim. that 1st photo is a postcard for sure. thats some pretty country, all that venison looks great too... crank up the BBQ and go to it.

Congrats Slim! I'm looking forward to your write up.

Shot was over 200 yards up the hill at a 20 degree angle. Here is a shot of the terrain we were in. This area was burned out several years ago so it has lots of new growth but not a lot of tall trees. We shot from the creek bed at he bottom of the valley. Elevation was 7500'.

Here is our guide, James, dragging my partners 500-pound cow elk down from the top of the ridge. James is 30, been hunting the reservation all his life, and strong as an ox. I had to fight him to get him to let me drag my elk down the hill to his truck. He said it was his job - I told him I had been working out just so I could drag my own elk to the truck. It was all I could do to drag that 300-pound elk downhill!

After field dressing, we took the elks back to the Mescalero Hunting Lodge where they have a processing facility on-site. Notice they also have a firing range going up the hill with 100, 200, and 300 yard targets.

Here is the elk ready to skin and then hanging with others in the freezer. Mine was the 3rd one in the cooler opening day so we got our meat back, all processed, and frozen on Saturday morning.

Geeez that's quite a place!! Cost? Common don't be shy. Looks like that one on the right got shot in the rump, that musta slowed it down a bit. Again great photos!

Suz

Well done Slim...that is a magnificent looking critter mate.

Did the hunt cost you much mate? I get the impression that because it was a guided hunt it would not have come cheaply.

When you say processed...does that mean completely cut up for you, or just skinned and the carcass whole?

Cheers, Vince

got to agree Suz that sure looks like a great set up.

Suzanne wrote:

Geeez that's quite a place!! Cost? Common don't be shy. Looks like that one on the right got shot in the rump, that musta slowed it down a bit. Again great photos! Suz

Maybe it wuz a Texas Heart Shot Suz...right up the "tan track", the Kyber Pass.

You are right...that facility looks absolutely magnificent...but I bet it doesn't come cheap.

Cheers, Vince

Nice shooting there Slim, plenty of meat for the freezer.

Vince wrote:

Well done Slim... When you say processed...does that mean completely cut up for you, or just skinned and the carcass whole?

Thanks, Vince. We left 2 day's later with all the cuts of meat wrapped and in our coolers. They have an operation that is complete.

Ominivision1 wrote:

plenty of meat for the freezer.

I got back 80 pounds and my partner got back 140 pounds. I don't know how much meat I lost because my bullet went through the lower portion of both legs. I was expecting a bit more though. However, it all did fit in our freezer because we had been making space in it over the last couple of months.

Suzanne wrote:

Geeez that's quite a place!! Cost? Common don't be shy.

The permit, guide, and processing for a cow elk came to $1200. Cow elk hunts are much less expensive than a bull elk hunt. The bull elk hunts were the month before and are all inclusive packages including 6-day accommodations, meals, horseback, etc for $13,500. They have some very big bulls come off the mountains.