I don't know if I'm old enough to say back in the day but I wanted to share the story of the first elk hunt I went on. A couple years ago, upon graduation from college, I was hired by an outfitter in Wyoming. I had been to guide school and knew how to handle a pack string but western hunting was still something of a mystery. Throughout the summer, we took many trips into the Fitzpatrick Wilderness for a variety of reasons; fishing trips, packing hiker's gear, a sheep hunt, and getting camp ready for elk season. Each time I ventured into the wilderness I would pick up a few nuggets of knowledge on elk behavior and the outfitter had me do a few mock hunts on raghorns.
When archery season finally opened we were short one client, so with me being the low man on the totem pole I could only tag along with the outfitter. The first morning passed without us locating any big bulls, which for our area would range from 300 to 350 inches although there was one walking around pushing 400. In the afternoon we glassed two big bulls who kept stealing each other's cows. "Ownership" of the large harem was transferred four or five times throughout the afternoon so we decided to just sit back and watch the show. The next morning, we found a 340 inch 6x6 moving his 20 cows down towards the timber but we couldn't get in front of him in time. We made note of where he entered the trees to return in the afternoon. After checking another basin and eating lunch on horseback (which I love doing), we returned to search the bull. We got a bull bugling and set up hoping it was him. The outfitter told the client to move forward a ways to cover a gap in the trees that we thought the elk was going to come through. While the client was moving forward I was moving back to get into a calling position. When I started cow calling a bugle came to my right and I turned to see a 4x4 bull slowly heading my way. In the time it took me avoid the gaze of the small bull, the client had moved into the gap in the trees where the elk were coming; he turned a 20 yard shot into a potential zero yard shot. As I looked back to the left where the client was I saw the single most incredible thing I ever have. This 340 inch bull elk, a beast of an animal if there ever was one, was standing right by the client. The client was leaning against a tree that the elk had his nose pressed against trying to figure out why this particular tree smelled so funny. At this point I think we can all figure out what happened next; the client moved an inch and the elk moved a mile.
The client wound up not getting an elk and both he and the outfitter were disappointed and so was I. However, I don't think they had any idea that I was hooked on elk hunting. Even today, on occasion when I'm laying in bed or just daydreaming at work, the image of that bull standing over the client is readily available to recall. I don't have any pictures or video of that hunt but to be honest: I don't need any.
When archery season finally opened we were short one client, so with me being the low man on the totem pole I could only tag along with the outfitter. The first morning passed without us locating any big bulls, which for our area would range from 300 to 350 inches although there was one walking around pushing 400. In the afternoon we glassed two big bulls who kept stealing each other's cows. "Ownership" of the large harem was transferred four or five times throughout the afternoon so we decided to just sit back and watch the show. The next morning, we found a 340 inch 6x6 moving his 20 cows down towards the timber but we couldn't get in front of him in time. We made note of where he entered the trees to return in the afternoon. After checking another basin and eating lunch on horseback (which I love doing), we returned to search the bull. We got a bull bugling and set up hoping it was him. The outfitter told the client to move forward a ways to cover a gap in the trees that we thought the elk was going to come through. While the client was moving forward I was moving back to get into a calling position. When I started cow calling a bugle came to my right and I turned to see a 4x4 bull slowly heading my way. In the time it took me avoid the gaze of the small bull, the client had moved into the gap in the trees where the elk were coming; he turned a 20 yard shot into a potential zero yard shot. As I looked back to the left where the client was I saw the single most incredible thing I ever have. This 340 inch bull elk, a beast of an animal if there ever was one, was standing right by the client. The client was leaning against a tree that the elk had his nose pressed against trying to figure out why this particular tree smelled so funny. At this point I think we can all figure out what happened next; the client moved an inch and the elk moved a mile.
The client wound up not getting an elk and both he and the outfitter were disappointed and so was I. However, I don't think they had any idea that I was hooked on elk hunting. Even today, on occasion when I'm laying in bed or just daydreaming at work, the image of that bull standing over the client is readily available to recall. I don't have any pictures or video of that hunt but to be honest: I don't need any.
