It seems like in hunting, and in most aspects of life, there seems to normally be a natural progression of things. Many hunters’ first big game harvest is a doe deer, and over time, they build on those experiences and harvest a buck. If they are fortunate enough, they then move to elk or some other species that requires tags that are limited and/or once-in-a-lifetime.
Starting with a doe deer is the journey I had, and my three daughters had similar experiences as I exposed them to hunting. Actually, my youngest daughter, Maddie, got started with a buck antelope, but you all get my drift and we won’t split hairs. The point being, it is less than ordinary for a hunter to harvest a moose, a mountain goat, and a trophy mule deer before they score their first bull elk. Well, that was the case for my oldest daughter, Cortney.
Cortney took to hunting right away at 13 and has tended to be rather skilled and lucky in her pursuits. I would actually say that of Cortney and her two younger sisters, Abbey and Maddie. As a hunting dad and a Huntin’ Fool member for about 20 years, I have been applying for tags and points for myself, and my wife, Teresa, and I have supported and funded applications for our daughters since they were young. As Huntin’ Fool lays out, there are special draw hunting opportunities specifically for youth and special licenses and points that are less expensive for youth. As the girls become adults, the points accumulated in many states are starting to come into play. Even better, these girls grew up in Montana and have had enhanced odds and options to experience hunts they likely would not have as non-resident hunters.
As a young teen, Cortney had opportunities to harvest antelope, whitetail deer, mule deer, and cow elk. By the time she was 17, she was quite experienced but had not had a chance at a bull elk or to hunt in a trophy type area for any animal. Her first opportunity for this rolled out around her 17th birthday, and we cashed in her Wyoming elk points for a tag in a good trophy area. The first day of that hunt, we had a small 6-point bull walk 100 yards from us and I encouraged her to let it pass. As hunting goes, we saw larger bulls, but there would be no opportunities to harvest one and we went away empty.
Fortunately, Cortney is lucky and the next year she drew a mule deer tag in a limited draw trophy area in Montana. On her 18th birthday, she delivered a great shot to harvest a really beautiful buck. I watched and shared the experience. If she wasn’t hooked, that closed the deal. I will give her credit that she had passed about 20 bucks prior to seeing that one.
Cortney went on to marry her high school sweetheart, John Roth, and her change of name did not affect her luck in drawing tags. She went on to draw a mountain goat tag and cow moose tag in recent years and was able to harvest those animals.
Having passed on the portfolio of preference points when John and Cortney were married, John and I reviewed the opportunities to have her draw a bull elk tag that would give her the opportunity to harvest her first bull. It had been quite “out of order” for her to have harvested what she had before killing a bull elk. As elk hunters, we all realize that is not a given, even living in Montana. She had accumulated enough points to be on the bubble for an Arizona late season tag, and after a couple years of discussing with Huntin’ Fool staff and applying, she drew a tag for the 2022 season.
We were hearing several things about the unit she had drawn, including that tag numbers had increased over recent years, the outlook had regressed a bit, and success is helped by being able to shoot longer distances. With that in mind, we started to make a plan and do some e-scouting with the assistance of onXmaps. They’re a great company right here in Missoula where we live. Cortney’s Uncle Ken, my brother, was joining us on the hunt and we’d have his 28 Nosler long-range setup available if needed.
Given that the season opened the day after Thanksgiving and the fact that we had already planned for three of us to hunt with Cortney anyway, we decided to make the hunt a Thanksgiving family gathering. Cortney’s two sisters were able to gather, and we had a group event for nine of us. The four in the hunting party headed out daily to hunt, and the other five took day trips to a variety of scenic locations. It made for one of the more comfortable hunting trips, and the camp food was beyond expectations. Thank you, Teresa, Maureen, and Ken, for all that!
The first morning of the hunt, we went to spot at a location identified by John while e-scouting. We arrived about an hour after light as it was our first trip in a UTV and roads and places were unfamiliar. Again, onX was key in navigating our way. Within the first hour, John located a bull across one of the canyons and soon realized there was a pair together. When first located, the bull was at 700 yards and on the move to his bedding area. Ken did not go out with us that first morning. Without the long-range setup, we knew there would be no shooting from our location. We watched the area where they bedded and marked those locations on onX. We carefully navigated over to that area to explore a way in and possible closer vantage points, taking care to not disturb the bedding area and taking note of wind direction.
On day two, we were eager to see if they had a similar pattern, and there they were again. Traveling in a similar pattern and direction, they proceeded to the general area we had identified as their bedding area. They did not stay in the open country very long. From the new vantage point, we tried to pick them out of the north slope timber but were never able to. The closest we saw them this day was close to 1,000 yards, and distance and conditions were beyond any type of ethical shot.
Day three came along, and we were out early. The bulls seemed to have moved early and were already in the bedding drainage when we saw them. If only we were over at that other vantage spot, we would have a shot. By the time we moved over there, they could not be spotted. However, another bull was bedded 1,200 yards on another knob in the direction the elk had traveled from. We again used onX to plan an approach to get a clear shot, but the angles through the burnt timber did not allow an opportunity before the bull moved on.
On day four, we had a plan. Using the pattern from the three prior days, we set up to position for a shot as the bulls crossed a ridge and dropped into their bedding area. As they had prior days when we were positioned too far away, the elk traveled across one drainage, over a dividing ridge, and headed into the north slope. Based on that pattern, Ken had anticipated and set up the rifle for around a 500-yard shot. Suddenly, the bulls were there. Quickly, the range was verified at 546 yards, adjustments were made, and Cortney delivered the shot from the 28 Nosler.
Her first bull was a very respectable 6-point that fit the expectations of the unit. After a bit of an uphill pack out of the north slope and back to the way in, we loaded up and headed to greet the group. We were all thrilled for Cortney and felt like we had a part of the experience. It was a complete experience, even beyond the hunt. The hunt itself was enriching as it required scouting, spotting, plans coming together in an unfamiliar place, patience to find the right approach, the right equipment, and a great shot.
I look forward to hunting Arizona again with my other daughters. Thank you to all who made this trip possible!
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