Boom! Boom! Boom! The bull ran off into the thicket, and the canyon went silent. My heart was pounding out of my chest with excitement. My guide was behind me, reassuring me I had hit my mark with all three shots. My eyes focused on the thicket to make sure the bull didn’t go running out. In the meantime, my guide, Joe, made his way around some junipers to see if he could lay eyes on him. Moments later, I heard the bull’s antlers crash into the brush. At that moment, the last six years of anticipation hit me like a ton of bricks. I’d dreamed about this day, and it all went down just like I wanted it to. As a hunter and outdoorsman, it very rarely happens like that.
I sat in silence for a couple minutes and soaked it all up. Looking over the canyon with all the snow was a picture-perfect scene. Joe came over, and we celebrated the success of our hunt. It was a magical moment of my hunting journeys. I couldn’t wait to get back to camp and tell the others we made it happen. After rounding up a couple guys, we moved in to retrieve the bull. It was an amazing experience watching the guys quarter up the bull in a short period of time. The amount of teamwork that goes into hunting is a special thing.
Reflecting back a couple weeks later, I realized something. The best part of the hunt was spending time with new friends and enjoying the adventure. The animal is always a bonus, but I made lifetime friends along the way. Big shout out to my buddies at Shadow Valley Outfitters for making a dream come true!
Login