the article - Black Mountain Outfitters

June/July
New
Mexico
S TATE RE C O R D
BY DUSTY MATHIS
Photo Credit: Greg Wilson
M
y already ominous anticipation of the 2004 Arizona draw results was further
interrupted by a lawsuit from the U.S. Outfitter versus the Arizona Game and
Fish Department. The results were finally posted and once again I had no luck
with a tag in my home state. This sent me and my hunting partner, Rick Brown, into a panic.
Elk hunting is an obsession for me, not just a pastime. I decided to look elsewhere for a hunt,
but by this time most elk hunts have already been booked. Just when I thought I would be
sitting home for another elk season, I got a call from Tom McReynolds from Black Mountain
Outfitters Inc. My first conversation with Tom got me excited with the chance of a 350-plus
bull with a last minute tag.
Once the trip was booked, Rick and I started looking into the area that we would be
hunting within Unit 12 in New Mexico. This unit is not known for the quantity of elk that we
are accustomed to hunting in Arizona, but had promise. We met up with Tom the night before
the hunt and we were informed that he had seen several Pope and Young bulls. The thought
allowed for little sleep the night before our first morning. When the alarm sounded at 3:00
AM it didn’t matter that I had not gotten any sleep, I was ready to go. We had a 45-minute
drive before we started our two-mile hike into position. Our first call was met with several
return bugles, which would put a smile on any elk hunter’s face. We moved downwind from
the bull but were unsuccessful from separating him away from his cows. Minutes later, we
received the attention of another bull, only to find that his deep growl was larger than he was.
That same afternoon, Tom was informed of a 400-class bull that was taken off of a tank in
a bordering unit. With temperatures in the 80’s, we decided we would sit water as well. The
first afternoon produced a couple of small bulls with several cows, but no shooters.
42
HUNTING ILLUSTRATED.com
June/July
43
Day two found us hiking to a
spot on a fence where the elk had
crossed the morning prior. We got
into position in plenty of time, but
the elk never showed. Meanwhile,
Tom was glassing other meadows
and found a bull that would push the
upper 380’s or better. That evening
found Rick and I sitting the same
tanks as the previous night. After
dark, Rick and I discussed ways to
increase the amount of activity in the
area. Since there was plenty of mud
around the cattle tanks, we decided
to spray bull urine into it to spark
the rut.
The third morning found
us hiking into the spot where
Tom had glassed the tremendous
bull the morning before. We
maneuvered into position, but we
were intercepted by a smaller 330class bull and were busted! With no
other bugles to chase, our morning was
over. We then ran over to the tanks to
check for sign and found that our plan
had worked. Bulls had wallowed at
both water tanks. Since Rick had cows
beat him to his tank the night before, we
chose to forgo our morning naps, get
a quick bite to eat and head straight to
the blinds. I got in my blind at one o’
clock in the afternoon and found myself
barely able to keep my eyes open. So,
I laid down on the ground for awhile
and tried to sleep. The temperature
was well into the 80’s making sleep
impossible. Around 4:30 PM some elk
were trying to come in to the water, but
hung up at thirty yards. I never saw the
bull that was with the cows. The wind
was picking up and starting to swirl so
they probably scented me. It was so hot
I did not have my Scentlock on yet,
definitely a mistake. I put the Scentlock
on and continued to beat myself up for
Photo Credit: Author
Dusty’s record archery
bull is another example
of the great bulls taken in
New Mexico in 2004
44
HUNTING ILLUSTRATED.com
not having it on sooner. I was so mad
that I blew my chance - up until 45
minutes before dark.
That is when my luck
started to change. From the junipers
about 300 yards away, I heard a
scream. When the bull appeared
and I saw his rack the shakes were
on. While watching through my
Swarovski glasses, for what felt like
an hour, I tried taking deep breaths
to control my bull fever. This turned
out to be an impossible task, as
this magnificent bull was coming
right for me. He closed the first
two hundred yards pretty quickly,
but the last hundred yards seemed
to take forever. When he got within
fifty yards of the tank, he stopped
and circled downwind. This put a
corral between him and me at fifteen
yards with no possible shot. When I
thought he might be winding me, I
sprayed some elk fire into the air and
he started back around. With my full
attention on the bull, I did not notice
that his only cow had come in to the
tank. My light was fading and I had
to make a decision fast, “Take a long
shot or wait to see if he would come
into the tank.” I figured that this may
be my last broadside shot. If the
bull turned and came into the tank, it
would get too dark for a shot before
he got all the way in. Deciding to
take the long shot, I reached for my
rangefinder only to have my release
bang off of it. I thought it was over,
the cow was now looking straight at
me at fifteen yards. The cow finally
went back to drinking and I was able
to get a good range on the bull at 45
yards. I said to myself, “Calm down,
you’ve made this shot a hundred
times in the backyard.” Only there
has never been a 400-class bull
in my backyard before and this
was a shot of a lifetime. Shaking
and nervous, I pulled back my old
Mathews Ultramax, set my 45-yard
pin, took a breath and let it fly. My
pulse raced even higher after I pulled
the trigger. I’ve shot a couple of elk
with my bow before, but this was
the biggest bull that I had ever seen.
My nerves started to calm down as
soon as I heard the beautiful sound
of “crack.” This sound let me know
that I hit my mark. I immediately
started cow-calling until he was out
of sight.
Dusty with his 427 3/8 gross and 411 net non-typical state record New Mexico bull
I sat down on the ground
shaking, with excitement and a
nervousness that all bowhunters get
after shooting an animal. It seemed like
a good shot, but who really knows. Ten
minutes went by before I gathered my
stuff and headed to the spot where he
last stood. It took only minutes for me
to find the back half of my Easton arrow
with the fletches full of foamy blood
and two more steps to find the front of
the arrow with my G5 broadhead. Now
I knew that I had a trophy down. I didn’t
want to push him so I sat down in the
road and waited for Rick and Tom. This
was definitely the longest 45 minutes
of my life. I tried the radio every five
minutes, hoping they would answer
back. Tom finally answered, “How did
you do?” I told him that I had a bull
down that was definitely a 350, but
could be one of the largest bulls taken in
New Mexico. The bull went about two
hundred yards and when the flashlight
shone on his rack it looked like a dead
juniper tree. We stood staring in awe
at the beautiful creature, guessing he
was about 390-inches. The rough green
score in the field showed a 6 x 7, with
the gross inches to be a 428. We almost
fell over with the excitement of a
possible New Mexico state record.
The Mathis Bull, officially
scored by Pope and Young, had a
gross score of 427 3/8 and a net
non-typical score of 411. Pope and
Young show it as the # 7 non-typical
in the world and # 1 in the State of
New Mexico.
I would like to thank my
wife Denise and my new, threemonth-old daughter Aspen Lee for
letting me hunt for twelve days
without them. I would also like
to thank my hunting partner Rich
Brown and Tom McReynolds of
Black Mountain Outfitters for helping
with a true hunt of a lifetime.
June/July
45