willowcrick
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2001
- Messages
- 51
- Reaction score
- 0
This is the first chance I've had to post my son's first elk. He is 17 and was lucky enough to draw a youth bull tag in Utah. This tag isn't for any of the premium units but allows them to hunt earlier than the regular hunt and closer to the rut. Needless to say we were both excited when he drew. Being from Utah but living mostly in Los Angeles I am lucky to be able to tap into a network of guys who are out there searching for big bulls and bucks. Unfortunately most of the good info was for areas he couldn't hunt. The state had changed the boundaries for this hunt just this year, limiting in severely. Still after spending two scouting trips and many hours on the phone I got a line on some elk that had been coming into a watering hole right off the highway and were often seen there right at first light.
We left LA on a thursday night and I literally drove all night to be there by light the next morning. Getting there only a half hour before shooting time I parked about 1/4 mile from where they had been seen and sure enough there they were. I pulled up with the lights off and woke my son up and told him to grab his gun. The elk had slowly moved off and we used the cover of a small hill to sneak closer. Coming around the corner there was a bull with several cows. It was just light enough to shoot and opportunities like this don't just come around all the time so I told him to get a rest a take him. At about 200 yds. he punched him in the lungs and he only took a few steps and dropped.
I have taken lots of elk and this has never happened for me. We were able to drive right up to him. Once he was dressed I saw a small ditch nearby so I hooked a tow strap to the horns and dragged it to the edge. Then backing the truck down so the tailgate was even with the edge we rolled it onto the tailgate. Then backing up so as to raise the back we were able to slide the whole thing right in the truck, hooves and horns. Being asked how we got it in there I would just smile and say well my son's been working out some.
This was the beggining of a great fall since this episode I have been able to take 2 nice deer. One in Wyoming and one in Arizona. For as big as they were it doesn't compare to sharing such an experience with your son.
We left LA on a thursday night and I literally drove all night to be there by light the next morning. Getting there only a half hour before shooting time I parked about 1/4 mile from where they had been seen and sure enough there they were. I pulled up with the lights off and woke my son up and told him to grab his gun. The elk had slowly moved off and we used the cover of a small hill to sneak closer. Coming around the corner there was a bull with several cows. It was just light enough to shoot and opportunities like this don't just come around all the time so I told him to get a rest a take him. At about 200 yds. he punched him in the lungs and he only took a few steps and dropped.
I have taken lots of elk and this has never happened for me. We were able to drive right up to him. Once he was dressed I saw a small ditch nearby so I hooked a tow strap to the horns and dragged it to the edge. Then backing the truck down so the tailgate was even with the edge we rolled it onto the tailgate. Then backing up so as to raise the back we were able to slide the whole thing right in the truck, hooves and horns. Being asked how we got it in there I would just smile and say well my son's been working out some.
This was the beggining of a great fall since this episode I have been able to take 2 nice deer. One in Wyoming and one in Arizona. For as big as they were it doesn't compare to sharing such an experience with your son.
