"The New Mexico Bad Boy"

This was Lance's first archery bull.

After a 5:00 a.m. wakeup call and a quick cup of coffee, I was out the door and on my way in pursuit of a trophy bull. I was hunting some public land in New Mexico. I had scouted my area several times prior to the season and knew there were some big bulls wondering those hills.

The previous night, my hunting partners and I had heard some bulls bugling, grunting and tearing up the landscape, and I had my mind set on finding those bulls. First thing opening morning, we headed straight into that area. We found the bulls held-up in a dry streambed, and after several failed stalk attempts, the bulls made for a high peak sided by steep, deep canyons.

My buddies call me a mountain goat, because I usually don't shy away from those steep slopes. Because of that, I headed off in an attempt to cut-off the herd. I used my cow call often as I moved toward the herd, and each time I did, it would throw them into an all-out war with each other.

I could hear the huge herd bull up front; he had a deep grunt that would make any hunter's heart pound. When they reached the high peak, they settled down. The ground was covered by sand and scrub oak, and I was able to get right on top of the elk.

The first elk I spotted was a cow, about 50 yards away. But then, right next to her I spotted an antler tine behind a pinion tree. My buddies had warned me the night before not to look at the bulls antlers, or I would sure loose my concentration. I couldn't help it though, he was huge!

As he began to move, I drew my bow. I was still hidden behind a tree, so I had to take one step while at full draw to get an open shooting lane. I waited for the bull to turn broadside, then let my Easton Gamegetter II XX75 fly.

It was a perfect shot, hitting the bull just behind the shoulder. After a 50-yard run, the bull was down and I had my first archery bull.

After returning to the truck, I learned that my buddies had given up the chase early. They couldn't believe I had caught up to the elk. It was the ultimate hunt, and I'm grateful to have such great hunting partners---they returned to help pack the bull out.

Written by Lance Lippert