Tom Gelastopoulos' Unit 10 AZ Archery Elk Hunt

Posted by Janis Putelis

September found me in Arizona again as I had the awesome pleasure of guiding "Tom the Greek" in Unit 10.  I can't say enough about the quality and character of Tom.  If I ever get the chance to hunt with him again, I'll be jumping at the opportunity.  Tom was prepared for the long 14 day hunt both mentally and physically.  He shot his bow daily to ensure he would not fail when the shot came.  During the the hunt we had a few lows, but mostly we experienced loads of "highs" that you can only get from lots of close encounters of the elk kind.  The bugling started slow, but by day 8, the bulls were ripping.  We enjoyed lots of great call-ins and overall good times.  Here are a few pics from the hunt.  Enjoy!  

The leftovers of a test rocket fired over us on opening morning.  I must admit, it was a bit intimidating, as we watched it's trajectory heading our way.

Our cowboy camp under a nice shade tree.  We enjoyed sleeping under the stars and listening to bulls bugle most evenings.  With the "cowboy camp", we were able to move locations easily and spend more time hunting and less time driving.

Shooting daily, Tom was ready.

Early morning glassing.

That smile says it: Wow!  Tom scoping a herd of 150 elk with lots of six points tearing it up.  That's what you come to AZ for.



The WA products kept us in tip top shape during our 14 day hunt.

Kuiu's Icon 6000:  I love how small this pack is when I have it cinched down, only carrying my optics and minimal items for the hunt.

Great Moon watching.

We were blessed with many a beautiful sunrise and star filled sky.

Tom enjoying some bouldering during his elk hunt.

Tom's fine bull killed on the 11th day of the hunt.

Tom made a great shot at 35 yards after the bull had come in to only 5 yards and then backed out to go around the tree Tom was standing next to.  The bull went about 100 yards before piling up.