evandh
New Member
This post will be lengthy with many pics. Give yourself time! Thanks for taking the time to share in our journey. Enjoy!!
Colorado Elk Hunt 2012 (Written by my brother Gered)
August 23, 2012 could not come soon enough. Finally at 3:00 am the alarm sounded off and I
hopped out of bed. It was finally here! The moment we were waiting for. After a year of planning and
preparation, our adventure was about to begin. I quickly got myself ready, kissed my wife, and headed
out the door to pick up my dad and brother in hopes to reach elk camp while there was still enough day
light to set up camp.
After a long day driving, we arrived at our destination. The air was clear and fresh and the smell
of pine filled our nostrils. The anticipation for what lied ahead was building in our minds as we took in
the beauty of God’s creation. With day light fading, we quickly set up our tent and made some camp
preparations.
The following day was Friday the 24th, the day before opener. The day was spent setting
up camp, looking at maps, and preparing for the next days hunt.
My dad’s job for the week was to be
camp jack. He spent a lot of time cooking, gathering wood and taking care of all of camps duties. When
I was a guide in Montana for a season, I had the opportunity to experience different camp jacks, and to
say the least, my dad was in a league all his own! He went above and beyond, always being the first one
out of bed, having the coffee on and breakfast going, making sandwiches for our packs, and having a
BIG, hot meal ready for us in the evening.
Saturday morning, August 25 finally was here. We were filled with excitement as we put on our
camo, filled our packs, and started to sip our coffee as we waited for breakfast to be ready.
The first
hunt of the week we climbed about 2000 feet in elevation. This, being my brothers first elk hunt in the
Rockies, he was soaking it all in. The morning was cool, but the day quickly broke and the air warmed
up.
After a series of bugles, to try and locate a bull, we heard one distant response that never
developed into anything. Later in the day, we were walking through a lush meadow on a flat, and a
mule deer doe stood up out of bed and gave me a broad side shot at 63 yards. I applied for a mule deer
tag in April and was fortunate enough to draw one. As this was a bonus tag for us, I would have been
more than happy to tag a doe. We practiced all summer at ranges exceeding this, so I was more than
comfortable taking this shot. I settled the pin and released my arrow. Much to my dismay, the arrow
sailed right over her back. This only being the first day, we weren’t too disappointed, figuring we would
get another chance at some point through the week. After a great day hunting, we headed back to
camp to recover for day 2.
After a big supper, time around the campfire, and a good nights rest, we were back at it again
on day 2.
Day 2 We were headed into a different area today. Again we hunted to over 10,400 feet. That is
where we were getting into most of the fresh elk sign. Although we didn’t get to hear any bugles, we
did have a run in with a large bull and a cow. Again nothing developed, but we were encouraged to see
elk on our second day out.
Day 3 we were again going to try a different area. We were trying to get a feel for where our
best opportunity for getting into the elk would be. Since we reside 3 states away, we are forced to scout
while we hunt. As we headed out, we were walking along an area mostly covered with aspens with
clearings in between. On our left was a marshy area, and on our right, steep rocky, mountains with
sparse vegetation. By the looks of this area, it could be good mule deer country. As we were walking,
sure enough, there stood a mule deer doe at probably 25 yards in the aspens. I didn’t have time to
range her and quickly misjudged her at 30 yards away. I centered the pin and shot right over her again!
I was starting to think that maybe the arrows were flying a bit high at this elevation. After all, with
todays bows, even misjudging by 5 yards should result in some sort of hit, but this was a clean miss. Live
and learn.
We kept moving forward, and maybe after another half mile or so, we spotted yet another
mule deer. Evan quickly said, “It’s a buck!” Quickly I knocked another arrow as Evan ranged him at 60
yards on the dot. After a couple of hard lessons, I learned and settled the pin on the bucks heart. The
arrow was released and it found its mark. The buck took a leap and dropped right there! High fives and
celebrating followed quickly.
This was my first mule deer and my first buck ever still in velvet, so we felt
very blessed to experience this moment. One of the greatest parts was that Evan captured it on video.
Thanks to Evan we not only captured the kill, but many other great memories through the week that are
priceless in my eyes.
Shortly after the celebrating, we quickly went to work, quartering and deboning
the deer and getting the meat hung in game bags to cool. The day was quick to warm up and the bees
really wanted at the meat, so we worked diligently to protect the meat from the heat and bugs. Evan
caped out the head and cooled the hide in the nearby river as I took care of the meat. What a day it
was! The deer was shot around 7:30 am and we were back in camp by noon.
The rest of the day was spent at camp along with a short trip to town for more ice and a few supplies. The taste of success was
sweet, and we were hungry for more!
Day 4 we headed into the same area since we never reached the area we were headed for the
day before. The day proved to be fairly uneventful, but we did have a great encounter right away in the
morning with a nice bull moose. He gave us a good long show at the base of the mountain, before we
headed up to find elk. Later in the day we had another run in with one lone bull. He never saw us, but
was walking away from us, and did not care about any calls we made. If you ever hunted elk and they
are not making any vocalizations, you know how hard it is to stay caught up with them. They are quiet
and they are quick. He came into our lives as quickly as he left. Before we headed down the mountain,
we spotted yet another huge bull moose down in the marsh below.
Upon reaching the base of themountain we took a short break before heading through the marsh to reach the trail that headed back to the road. After we felt we had enough energy to walk again, we started through the marsh that is
major moose country. We were about half way through, with me in the lead and Evan following. All the
sudden Evan says “Look at this!” I turn around and he’s holding a bull moose shed! I think my mouth
about hit the floor. You just never know what you will find when you go into the great outdoors.
Camp was a welcome site at the end of day 4. The food was great and the fire was welcoming. Each night
after a big meal, each of us took turns sharing devotions and a prayer for the day and the days to come.
Day 5 we were heading high, back to where we saw the elk on day 2. That seemed to be where
we saw the most sign, so we decided to get back up there and narrow our search. Day 5, August 29, was
going to prove to be a day that will stick in my mind for the rest of my life. We started up the mountain
well before light this morning in hopes to reach the elk by early to mid-morning. Around 8:30 or so, we
bumped a spike bull. The rest of the morning was very uneventful. By noon we were getting a bit
discouraged and tired. We were wondering, where the elk were hiding? How are we going to find
them? They aren’t being vocal and we haven’t been able to spot them successfully. As we were slowly
walking along, looking, listening, hoping to spot an elk or a herd of them, we heard the unmistakable
sound of hooves walking, maybe running, but we couldn’t see what it was. We quickly moved forward
and I let out a bugle. On the other side of the drainage we got a response! He was moving quickly! We
started moving after him, and I spotted 2 critters just below us and I thought sure they were a couple of
cows. Turns out they were a couple of mule deer does. We continued our chase, bugling and getting a
response, bugling and getting a response. He was always a good 400 yards ahead of us. We could not
seem to keep up! We made it to the next drainage and he was moving up the mountain to our right and
ahead of us.
Just as we were thinking about giving up on this bull, another bull rings out up the
mountain to our left. I would bugle and both of them would bugle! This continued for a few minutes
and we decided, it is now or never. We were going to make a move on these bulls. The bull to our left
seemed closer and also sounded like a more mature bull, so we tried to move on him. We had to get
higher to get the wind in our favor, so we started climbing, all the while bugling and keeping the location
of the bull. We were in a 3-way calling match with 2 bull elk! Finally we seemed to reach the same
elevation as the bull we were tailing, and we seemed to be catching him. There was still no visual. I
would bugle and they would ring back. When we got the location of the bull, and we knew he would not
see us, we would bolt to the next pocket of shade. It was a bright sunny day and we had to use the dark
shadows to hide our bright profiles. Again, I would bugle, followed by chuckles and they would bugle
with chuckles and cut me off!
Things were heating up. All the while Evan was following me with the
camera, capturing all the intense, raw moments! Now we were getting close and we knew it. The
screams this bull rang out seamed to shake our very core! We made it too the next pocket of shade
which was bordering a small drainage with a meadow on the other side.
As we approached the drainage, I spotted him! I whispered loud to Evan, “There he is!” All we could see was his back end and
his head was behind a pine tree. His hide glowed in the sun. It was one of the best sites I ever laid eyes
on. With my arrow already knocked and my release already connected to my string, Evan again ranged
for me. “38.5 yards.” The bull was quickly getting suspicious, but we had no shot yet. The bull was
quartering to us and we had to wait for his move. He quickly turned and was going to leave, but as he
did I squealed at him with the diaphragm call I had in my mouth. Twice, I squealed at him to get him to
stop. As he stopped and looked at us broad side, I was already drawing back my bow. Quickly, I settled
my 40 yard pin on his vitals and released. The arrow could not have hit him in a better place! The arrow
hit centered on his ribs, and right behind the shoulder. I could not have hoped for a better placement
while being under that kind of pressure. Immediately he took off with what looked like a little over half
of the arrow sticking out of him. Evan cried out. “You smoked him baby!” I was ecstatic, but somewhat
nervous when I saw the arrow didn’t leave an exit wound. I tried to put nervousness aside and be
optimistic. A lung hit is great, but if it was a one lung hit, we could have a problem on our hands. I just
kept thinking to myself the broad head must have reached that second lung. After all, I was shooting a
70 pound draw weight, with a 125 Grain 4 blade slick trick head. We commenced to thank God for this
experience, which is one not everyone gets to experience. We decided to give the bull an hour before
even looking for blood. This is a huge animal and we needed to give him the time to expire.
That long hour finally came to an end and we felt it was time to go look for blood. As we did, my worst nightmare
was happening. There was no blood. My heart sank. Although I was not surprised, I knew that was a
good possibility with no exit wound. We still tried to keep a positive attitude. I have heard it is not
uncommon to have little blood with an animal of this size, especially with no exit hole. They have thick
hides and somehow there skin can close up the hole. So we pressed on thinking he is probably within
300 yards of where he was shot. We kept looking. I went back to look for blood and did manage to find
a couple of drops. We again just kept circling and searching for a body or any sign of blood. This
country is huge, and intimidating, and the animal we were looking for is like none other. We searched
the rest of the afternoon. I shot him at 2:30 and we started heading back to camp about 7:30. We
decided to come back in the morning and keep looking.
At this point we were very down and scared. I was afraid one of the greatest moments I’ve experienced was going to turn out very wrong. As we were making our way down the mountain where two drainages meet, a huge bugle rang out to our left! It
was probably about 80 yards away and again we could not see the beast making the sound. This time
Evan knocked an arrow and I told him to take the lead. We moved in on him. I bugled and he screamed
back. We made it to a grassy opening on the steep mountain side, and just above us 30 yards away
there he was pushing a cow down towards us. Just as we thought he was going to make his way into the
opening, the huge herd bull pushed the cow to his right and out of sight. As we were composing
ourselves we turned around to start back down the mountain and there was a cow and 2 calves.
Darkness was approaching and we decided to let the cow go. After 14 hours straight, we were tired,
hungry, and emotionally worn out. Back at camp, we told dad of the days events, filled our stomachs,
and hit the pillow. Although we were extremely tired, the bugles we heard that day, continued to ring
out in our minds. We continued to pray for the recovery of the majestic bull.
Day 6 was going to be a day we would not be hunting for living elk, but for my dead bull. After
breakfast we headed up and started the search. We went back to the last blood and sat and listened for
a while. We were hoping the crows or magpies would find him and make some noise. At this point that
was not the case, so we split up and started zig-zaging in the direction he was going. We looked high.
We looked low. We looked along the water. We looked under and over thousands of windfalls.
Nothing. At one point during the day Evan was searching for my bull, and he had a 4x4 bull run right at
him. Unfortunately, he could not get an arrow knocked before the bull saw him and took off. Again we
kept looking. The day ended and we still had not found him.
Day 7 was our last day in Colorado. I was going to climb up one last time to search for my bull. I
was going solo this time, because Evan got hit with a nasty sinus infection and his head was pounding. I
left early and started up the mountain once again. At this point I was not feeling very optimistic, but I
wanted my bull more than anything. As I climbed, I prayed to God. Why is this happening? Why did
everything go so perfect, except for the detail of recovery? I just don’t get it. Even if only one lung was
taken out, I know this bull is dead. Why can’t I have him? Why can’t I enjoy him? What is it that I am
supposed to learn from this? All questions I did not have the answer to. So I kept going. I sat on the
mountain, listening for vultures, looking for birds circling, hoping God would lead my footsteps directly
to the body of the elk. I went to the next drainage over and up the next mountain, looking and listening.
I was not going to find this elk. This is a fact I have to except. The question is how am I going to respond
to what happened? Am I going to pout? Am I going to be mad at God? At the situation? Am I going to
let this spoil the experience we had?
The answer is NO. NO!
I have hunted for long enough to know that things like this is out of our control. We can let it
eat at us, or we can pick ourselves up, learn any lessons that need to be learned and move on. And
hopefully we are better men because of it. I know I will be a better hunter. I have to thank God for an
unforgettable experience that I was able to share with my brother and my dad. Evan heard the first
bugles he had ever heard in his life that week. My dad was camp jack for a mountain elk camp and was
able to spend time with his two sons for 10 days uninterrupted. I was able to take a my first mule deer
buck, got into the elk like I never imagined that I would, and most importantly, created memories that I
will carry with me forever. There is so much more to hunting than the kill. That is what I will hopefully
pass onto my children. That hunting is about the experience. It’s about spending time with family and
growing closer to God. It’s about God drawing you to himself and teaching you things you would never
learn if you did not spend time in his creation.
Although this will not be our last elk hunt together, this hunt was truly the hunt of a lifetime!
We will not give up! We will be back, and I trust God has great things in store for us. Some day we will
stand over the majestic elk and we will thank God! Someday!
Colorado Elk Hunt 2012 (Written by my brother Gered)
August 23, 2012 could not come soon enough. Finally at 3:00 am the alarm sounded off and I
hopped out of bed. It was finally here! The moment we were waiting for. After a year of planning and
preparation, our adventure was about to begin. I quickly got myself ready, kissed my wife, and headed
out the door to pick up my dad and brother in hopes to reach elk camp while there was still enough day
light to set up camp.
After a long day driving, we arrived at our destination. The air was clear and fresh and the smell
of pine filled our nostrils. The anticipation for what lied ahead was building in our minds as we took in
the beauty of God’s creation. With day light fading, we quickly set up our tent and made some camp
preparations.
The following day was Friday the 24th, the day before opener. The day was spent setting
up camp, looking at maps, and preparing for the next days hunt.
My dad’s job for the week was to be
camp jack. He spent a lot of time cooking, gathering wood and taking care of all of camps duties. When
I was a guide in Montana for a season, I had the opportunity to experience different camp jacks, and to
say the least, my dad was in a league all his own! He went above and beyond, always being the first one
out of bed, having the coffee on and breakfast going, making sandwiches for our packs, and having a
BIG, hot meal ready for us in the evening.
Saturday morning, August 25 finally was here. We were filled with excitement as we put on our
camo, filled our packs, and started to sip our coffee as we waited for breakfast to be ready.
The first
hunt of the week we climbed about 2000 feet in elevation. This, being my brothers first elk hunt in the
Rockies, he was soaking it all in. The morning was cool, but the day quickly broke and the air warmed
up.
After a series of bugles, to try and locate a bull, we heard one distant response that never
developed into anything. Later in the day, we were walking through a lush meadow on a flat, and a
mule deer doe stood up out of bed and gave me a broad side shot at 63 yards. I applied for a mule deer
tag in April and was fortunate enough to draw one. As this was a bonus tag for us, I would have been
more than happy to tag a doe. We practiced all summer at ranges exceeding this, so I was more than
comfortable taking this shot. I settled the pin and released my arrow. Much to my dismay, the arrow
sailed right over her back. This only being the first day, we weren’t too disappointed, figuring we would
get another chance at some point through the week. After a great day hunting, we headed back to
camp to recover for day 2.
After a big supper, time around the campfire, and a good nights rest, we were back at it again
on day 2.
Day 2 We were headed into a different area today. Again we hunted to over 10,400 feet. That is
where we were getting into most of the fresh elk sign. Although we didn’t get to hear any bugles, we
did have a run in with a large bull and a cow. Again nothing developed, but we were encouraged to see
elk on our second day out.
Day 3 we were again going to try a different area. We were trying to get a feel for where our
best opportunity for getting into the elk would be. Since we reside 3 states away, we are forced to scout
while we hunt. As we headed out, we were walking along an area mostly covered with aspens with
clearings in between. On our left was a marshy area, and on our right, steep rocky, mountains with
sparse vegetation. By the looks of this area, it could be good mule deer country. As we were walking,
sure enough, there stood a mule deer doe at probably 25 yards in the aspens. I didn’t have time to
range her and quickly misjudged her at 30 yards away. I centered the pin and shot right over her again!
I was starting to think that maybe the arrows were flying a bit high at this elevation. After all, with
todays bows, even misjudging by 5 yards should result in some sort of hit, but this was a clean miss. Live
and learn.
We kept moving forward, and maybe after another half mile or so, we spotted yet another
mule deer. Evan quickly said, “It’s a buck!” Quickly I knocked another arrow as Evan ranged him at 60
yards on the dot. After a couple of hard lessons, I learned and settled the pin on the bucks heart. The
arrow was released and it found its mark. The buck took a leap and dropped right there! High fives and
celebrating followed quickly.
This was my first mule deer and my first buck ever still in velvet, so we felt
very blessed to experience this moment. One of the greatest parts was that Evan captured it on video.
Thanks to Evan we not only captured the kill, but many other great memories through the week that are
priceless in my eyes.
Shortly after the celebrating, we quickly went to work, quartering and deboning
the deer and getting the meat hung in game bags to cool. The day was quick to warm up and the bees
really wanted at the meat, so we worked diligently to protect the meat from the heat and bugs. Evan
caped out the head and cooled the hide in the nearby river as I took care of the meat. What a day it
was! The deer was shot around 7:30 am and we were back in camp by noon.
The rest of the day was spent at camp along with a short trip to town for more ice and a few supplies. The taste of success was
sweet, and we were hungry for more!
Day 4 we headed into the same area since we never reached the area we were headed for the
day before. The day proved to be fairly uneventful, but we did have a great encounter right away in the
morning with a nice bull moose. He gave us a good long show at the base of the mountain, before we
headed up to find elk. Later in the day we had another run in with one lone bull. He never saw us, but
was walking away from us, and did not care about any calls we made. If you ever hunted elk and they
are not making any vocalizations, you know how hard it is to stay caught up with them. They are quiet
and they are quick. He came into our lives as quickly as he left. Before we headed down the mountain,
we spotted yet another huge bull moose down in the marsh below.
Upon reaching the base of themountain we took a short break before heading through the marsh to reach the trail that headed back to the road. After we felt we had enough energy to walk again, we started through the marsh that is
major moose country. We were about half way through, with me in the lead and Evan following. All the
sudden Evan says “Look at this!” I turn around and he’s holding a bull moose shed! I think my mouth
about hit the floor. You just never know what you will find when you go into the great outdoors.
Camp was a welcome site at the end of day 4. The food was great and the fire was welcoming. Each night
after a big meal, each of us took turns sharing devotions and a prayer for the day and the days to come.
Day 5 we were heading high, back to where we saw the elk on day 2. That seemed to be where
we saw the most sign, so we decided to get back up there and narrow our search. Day 5, August 29, was
going to prove to be a day that will stick in my mind for the rest of my life. We started up the mountain
well before light this morning in hopes to reach the elk by early to mid-morning. Around 8:30 or so, we
bumped a spike bull. The rest of the morning was very uneventful. By noon we were getting a bit
discouraged and tired. We were wondering, where the elk were hiding? How are we going to find
them? They aren’t being vocal and we haven’t been able to spot them successfully. As we were slowly
walking along, looking, listening, hoping to spot an elk or a herd of them, we heard the unmistakable
sound of hooves walking, maybe running, but we couldn’t see what it was. We quickly moved forward
and I let out a bugle. On the other side of the drainage we got a response! He was moving quickly! We
started moving after him, and I spotted 2 critters just below us and I thought sure they were a couple of
cows. Turns out they were a couple of mule deer does. We continued our chase, bugling and getting a
response, bugling and getting a response. He was always a good 400 yards ahead of us. We could not
seem to keep up! We made it to the next drainage and he was moving up the mountain to our right and
ahead of us.
Just as we were thinking about giving up on this bull, another bull rings out up the
mountain to our left. I would bugle and both of them would bugle! This continued for a few minutes
and we decided, it is now or never. We were going to make a move on these bulls. The bull to our left
seemed closer and also sounded like a more mature bull, so we tried to move on him. We had to get
higher to get the wind in our favor, so we started climbing, all the while bugling and keeping the location
of the bull. We were in a 3-way calling match with 2 bull elk! Finally we seemed to reach the same
elevation as the bull we were tailing, and we seemed to be catching him. There was still no visual. I
would bugle and they would ring back. When we got the location of the bull, and we knew he would not
see us, we would bolt to the next pocket of shade. It was a bright sunny day and we had to use the dark
shadows to hide our bright profiles. Again, I would bugle, followed by chuckles and they would bugle
with chuckles and cut me off!
Things were heating up. All the while Evan was following me with the
camera, capturing all the intense, raw moments! Now we were getting close and we knew it. The
screams this bull rang out seamed to shake our very core! We made it too the next pocket of shade
which was bordering a small drainage with a meadow on the other side.
As we approached the drainage, I spotted him! I whispered loud to Evan, “There he is!” All we could see was his back end and
his head was behind a pine tree. His hide glowed in the sun. It was one of the best sites I ever laid eyes
on. With my arrow already knocked and my release already connected to my string, Evan again ranged
for me. “38.5 yards.” The bull was quickly getting suspicious, but we had no shot yet. The bull was
quartering to us and we had to wait for his move. He quickly turned and was going to leave, but as he
did I squealed at him with the diaphragm call I had in my mouth. Twice, I squealed at him to get him to
stop. As he stopped and looked at us broad side, I was already drawing back my bow. Quickly, I settled
my 40 yard pin on his vitals and released. The arrow could not have hit him in a better place! The arrow
hit centered on his ribs, and right behind the shoulder. I could not have hoped for a better placement
while being under that kind of pressure. Immediately he took off with what looked like a little over half
of the arrow sticking out of him. Evan cried out. “You smoked him baby!” I was ecstatic, but somewhat
nervous when I saw the arrow didn’t leave an exit wound. I tried to put nervousness aside and be
optimistic. A lung hit is great, but if it was a one lung hit, we could have a problem on our hands. I just
kept thinking to myself the broad head must have reached that second lung. After all, I was shooting a
70 pound draw weight, with a 125 Grain 4 blade slick trick head. We commenced to thank God for this
experience, which is one not everyone gets to experience. We decided to give the bull an hour before
even looking for blood. This is a huge animal and we needed to give him the time to expire.
That long hour finally came to an end and we felt it was time to go look for blood. As we did, my worst nightmare
was happening. There was no blood. My heart sank. Although I was not surprised, I knew that was a
good possibility with no exit wound. We still tried to keep a positive attitude. I have heard it is not
uncommon to have little blood with an animal of this size, especially with no exit hole. They have thick
hides and somehow there skin can close up the hole. So we pressed on thinking he is probably within
300 yards of where he was shot. We kept looking. I went back to look for blood and did manage to find
a couple of drops. We again just kept circling and searching for a body or any sign of blood. This
country is huge, and intimidating, and the animal we were looking for is like none other. We searched
the rest of the afternoon. I shot him at 2:30 and we started heading back to camp about 7:30. We
decided to come back in the morning and keep looking.
At this point we were very down and scared. I was afraid one of the greatest moments I’ve experienced was going to turn out very wrong. As we were making our way down the mountain where two drainages meet, a huge bugle rang out to our left! It
was probably about 80 yards away and again we could not see the beast making the sound. This time
Evan knocked an arrow and I told him to take the lead. We moved in on him. I bugled and he screamed
back. We made it to a grassy opening on the steep mountain side, and just above us 30 yards away
there he was pushing a cow down towards us. Just as we thought he was going to make his way into the
opening, the huge herd bull pushed the cow to his right and out of sight. As we were composing
ourselves we turned around to start back down the mountain and there was a cow and 2 calves.
Darkness was approaching and we decided to let the cow go. After 14 hours straight, we were tired,
hungry, and emotionally worn out. Back at camp, we told dad of the days events, filled our stomachs,
and hit the pillow. Although we were extremely tired, the bugles we heard that day, continued to ring
out in our minds. We continued to pray for the recovery of the majestic bull.
Day 6 was going to be a day we would not be hunting for living elk, but for my dead bull. After
breakfast we headed up and started the search. We went back to the last blood and sat and listened for
a while. We were hoping the crows or magpies would find him and make some noise. At this point that
was not the case, so we split up and started zig-zaging in the direction he was going. We looked high.
We looked low. We looked along the water. We looked under and over thousands of windfalls.
Nothing. At one point during the day Evan was searching for my bull, and he had a 4x4 bull run right at
him. Unfortunately, he could not get an arrow knocked before the bull saw him and took off. Again we
kept looking. The day ended and we still had not found him.
Day 7 was our last day in Colorado. I was going to climb up one last time to search for my bull. I
was going solo this time, because Evan got hit with a nasty sinus infection and his head was pounding. I
left early and started up the mountain once again. At this point I was not feeling very optimistic, but I
wanted my bull more than anything. As I climbed, I prayed to God. Why is this happening? Why did
everything go so perfect, except for the detail of recovery? I just don’t get it. Even if only one lung was
taken out, I know this bull is dead. Why can’t I have him? Why can’t I enjoy him? What is it that I am
supposed to learn from this? All questions I did not have the answer to. So I kept going. I sat on the
mountain, listening for vultures, looking for birds circling, hoping God would lead my footsteps directly
to the body of the elk. I went to the next drainage over and up the next mountain, looking and listening.
I was not going to find this elk. This is a fact I have to except. The question is how am I going to respond
to what happened? Am I going to pout? Am I going to be mad at God? At the situation? Am I going to
let this spoil the experience we had?
The answer is NO. NO!
I have hunted for long enough to know that things like this is out of our control. We can let it
eat at us, or we can pick ourselves up, learn any lessons that need to be learned and move on. And
hopefully we are better men because of it. I know I will be a better hunter. I have to thank God for an
unforgettable experience that I was able to share with my brother and my dad. Evan heard the first
bugles he had ever heard in his life that week. My dad was camp jack for a mountain elk camp and was
able to spend time with his two sons for 10 days uninterrupted. I was able to take a my first mule deer
buck, got into the elk like I never imagined that I would, and most importantly, created memories that I
will carry with me forever. There is so much more to hunting than the kill. That is what I will hopefully
pass onto my children. That hunting is about the experience. It’s about spending time with family and
growing closer to God. It’s about God drawing you to himself and teaching you things you would never
learn if you did not spend time in his creation.
Although this will not be our last elk hunt together, this hunt was truly the hunt of a lifetime!
We will not give up! We will be back, and I trust God has great things in store for us. Some day we will
stand over the majestic elk and we will thank God! Someday!
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