AZ Elk......Massive

[tinhorse]

This is from another site, non hunting related..

"Some pics coming in from AZ...I dont personally know this hunter and prob wouldnt share something I didnt shoot...but this is darn close to a record. Unofficial 471. Unit 27 Governors tag."

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-TF...w?usp=drivesdk

[porthunter]

Heres a video of the hunt;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf0JXZqzsyE

[The Hermit]

great bull. excellent shot but somehow, for me, a guy that admits he isn't a hunter killing a majestic bull like that at nearly 1000 yards just doesn't do it justice. Like he implies it is killing not hunting per se.

[Retiredguy]

There is nothing that money can't buy. Enough coin will get you a governors permit. Enough coin pays for an outfitter and a dozen people to locate and then keep tabs on the single animal that the "hunter" wants to kill. In this case the shooter did have to make the thousand yard shot and so had to spend time at the range practicing to do what I think is generally a bad idea...shooting at those distances can go wrong in a fraction of a second. Luckily the bull was calm and stationary, occupied with feeding.

A legal hunt and a wonderful bull...but in the end it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth and the whole circus that revolved around the taking of this bull does not portray hunters in a positive light to the masses.

[Ride Red]

Well he seemed humble and appreciative; that’s all that matters, rich or not. I give credit to people who have the ability to shoot that distance. ( ya I know, expensive gun, but you still need to be able to hold it) I’m a stalk close guy cause that’s what jacks me up. All I can say, what a bull!!!

[emerson]

We sure love to criticize. Same words used by trad bow hunters to describe rifle hunting.

[Fella]

I don’t have a problem with a governors tag. That’s a huge injection of money into fish and wildlife that the small amounts that resident tags cost couldn’t hope to match. So one rich guy gets to spend a couple hundred grand on a tag, doesn’t bug me at all.

[weatherby_man]

Good god thats an awesome beast. I dont have any problem with the rich paying ridiculous amounts to hunt and have the dirty work done for them. To me and others that isn't my definition of hunting, but usually businessmen work a huge amount and dont have time to put in scouting and figuring our spots, he even admits he's not a hunter as such. They still enjoy the thrill of the hunt and like said before a huge injection of cast to DFW. His attitude was I think very good, humble and emotional about taking such a fine animal. I'm happy for him.

[Retiredguy]

I don't have any problem with a rich guy winning the bid on a governor's tag at an auction. As was said the money goes to a good cause. I am talking about the overall picture. After 45 years of guiding I do have my own views when it comes to the "hunters" and it has nothing to do with money. It has to do with the hunters and how we view our self imposed "ethics" or "proper" way of doing things.

The guy who buys the very expensive tag and then hires a good outfitter and heads off on the hunt for as long as it takes for the hunter and their guide and packer to locate a great bull, stalk and successfully kill it...outstanding! Then there are the guys who buy the expensive tag at the auction and send an army out to locate and babysit a specific animal until the opening day of the season. They fly out on their private jet to be there for the opening morning, get lead by the hand to where a bunch of guides have the animal staked out after days of following and sleeping out overnight to keep tabs on it...using radios to keep in constant contact between the members of the surveillance crew and keep tabs on any unwanted resident hunters that may plan on hunting in the area. They get the hunters butt into a place where he can make the 'long range' shot because he is in no kind of conditions to actually climb up and down in that country and get within a reasonable shooting distance.

The shot is made and they video the rather prolonged death of the bull because they do not want the hunter to shoot the bull again incase the shot hits a tine on those magnificent antlers. They ride the shooter over on a mule and eventually get him to where part of the 'crew' has been lounging by the great bull for some time, and then take the customary grip and grin pictures and video for that all important look at me production for Youtube. The shooter then gets back on the mule and heads for the airport to quickly return to corporate America after spending almost an entire day getting nature on him. The crew is left to process the bull and get all the bits and pieces out of the steep terrain and the antlers and cape off to the taxidermist for mounting and an official green score on the rack. Outstanding? Not so much.

Sorry, but there is limit as to what we should view as acceptable. It may all be legal, but it is over the top in my books. Disagree with me all you want, but it is a sad commentary on what hunters view as acceptable and how it has morphed over the years. It most assuredly provides easily available fodder for the anti-hunters from Youtube to continue their never ending attacks on us. It is this view of hunting by non-hunters that brought about the demise of our grizzly hunting...the escapades of the "evil, rich trophy hunter".

[GreyDog]

Not a hunt in any way, shape, or form. "Hunter" didn't hunt the bull, didn't find the bull, didn't gut the bull, didn't pack the bull out. Probably didn't even climb on the mule by himself to get to the dead bull. From what I could tell, there was no helicopter involved in the "hunt" but it would not surprise me to learn there was. The bull is impressive; nothing else about the story is. The "hunt" and the culture which fosters hunts like this are both bulls**t. GD