It was a sad day in June when I got a call from Payton at Huntin’ Fool. My dad, Lloyd, had passed away the day before, and I was driving around in a daze trying to make plans. Payton said there was a drawing happening soon for a New Mexico elk hunt. I went with the six tickets for $50 option. I was leaving work the next week when I missed a call from Huntin’ Fool. I called them back, and they asked, “What are you doing in October?” At that point, my mind was racing. I’d already drawn a once-in-a-lifetime Montana moose tag, and my girlfriend, Heidi, had drawn a Wyoming goat tag.
Shortly after finding out I’d won the hunt, I knew I wanted someone who hadn’t taken a bull elk yet to do the hunting. I immediately asked Heidi if she wanted to hunt “Dad’s Bull.” Heidi agreed to go on the hunt, and we started shooting her AR that she got for Christmas a few years back. Now Heidi will tell the rest of the story from her point of view. This was definitely a fall full of excitement and opportunities one only dreams of. We started with a 10-day Wyoming archery mountain goat hunt (that I eventually filled in October with a rifle), a successful Montana moose hunt, a short stay at home in Minnesota, and then we went back to Wyoming for the goat hunt and on to New Mexico for this awesome opportunity for my first bull elk with a rifle.
We were welcomed by a super crew of hosts from Bucks & Bulls Outfitters who quickly became friends. We found out that the youngest guide, Tyler Yarbough, was taking us in the morning. We sighted in our rifles, and soon everyone made me feel very comfortable. The rules were laid out for us, and safety was at the forefront. We glassed hundreds of elk in the valley from camp and went to sleep listening to bugles. Elk hunting is one of my favorites, and the anticipation was almost too much!
The ranch was loaded with elk. We discussed our goals with Tyler, everything from our hiking abilities to the size of bull we were after. We got close right away. Tyler and 50 Rob were way more picky than I was. The first bull we got close to was a beautiful 6-pointer with long tines and ivory tips. I was ready to fill my tag right there, but he had a broken tine, so we kept looking.
Further down the same ridge, we located a herd bull with 50+ cows. He had a lot of mass, and we agreed he’d hopefully be my bull. Tyler and Rob were great at positioning me with the rifle. I was very nervous! Tyler and Rob were always reminding me to breathe. It’s weird how you forget to do that.
I remember looking through the scope, asking Tyler to make it get closer. He laughed and said, “I wish I could. There’s only sage between us and him.” He then figured out that my scope was on low power, and just like that, it was closer! We struggled getting a range on the bull. Rob finally said, “The small tree is at 300 yards, so hold six inches below the top of his back.” It wasn’t easy waiting for all of his cows to get clear from him.
After getting and moving a backpack several times to get steady, Tyler asked, “Are you ready?”
I hesitantly said, “Yes.” He told me to relax and then shoot. I shot, and I hit the elk! My first thought was why wasn’t it going down? These animals are amazingly tough! Tyler assured me that sometimes this happens but I may need to shoot it again. Rob and I snuck around while Tyler kept an eye on the bull. We got within 150 yards and got a good rest on a tree. I shot again, this time causing the animal to go down. Every trip I take seems to amaze me. I gain more appreciation for the outdoors, the animals, the great people I meet, and what it takes physically and mentally to endure these trips.
Now the work began. As I walked up to the bull, it kept growing and growing! I looked up and said, “Thank you, God! And thank you, Lloyd!” I looked around at the beautiful horizons, and Tyler and Rob were so excited for me. I could not have done it without them. Thank you, Huntin’ Fool, for giving away such an awesome opportunity!
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