It was time to put in for the draw, but this year, it was different. Instead of just putting in for myself, a huge milestone had arrived. My oldest son, Shane Jr., was finally 10 and could be entered into the draw. This was a special time as we had spent time together as a family out in the woods, camping, four- wheeling, shooting, checking trail cams, etc. This time, instead of me hoping I got drawn, my focus was on Jr.
Time passed, and we waited patiently. Draw results were out, and sure enough, Jr. was drawn for the late hunt for Arizona bull elk. He was so excited! Immediately, the pressure hit and all I could think about was that I needed him to get a bull. We didn’t care about size. As it was a first big game hunt for an 11-year-old, being successful was the objective. As the stress mounted about all the things I needed to prepare him for, the stress of scouting and finding a bull also started to weigh on my mind. I concluded that I wanted to enjoy the hunt and not have the stress of guiding him as well. I knew immediately to call A3 Trophy Hunts. I talked to Jay Lopeman and Chad Rhoton and expressed my excitement and concern about having an 11-year-old with this good of a tag. They answered all of my questions and knew the perfect guide for us. They put us in contact with Payden Zufelt. We stayed in contact, and they checked in on us to make sure we were ready and made sure they understood our expectations.
The hunt began as Shane Jr, his brother, Brody, Grandpa, and I headed deep into unit 23. Peyton had already been up there for a few weeks and had some bulls located. We started off glassing bulls, but 2020 was a tough year with an unusual rut and drought. We saw a lot of bulls, all of which were broken. We got back to camp on the third day, and as Peyton was talking to another guide, Stephen Naranjo, he mentioned they were seeing the same bull every day at about the same time. Stephen’s client, Marc Haywood, who had hunted with A3 before, said we should try to get that bull. I was shocked. Was this guy we had barely known for a few days really offering Jr. a chance at an unbroken 7x7? If you know Marc, that’s the kind of guy he is.
The next morning, Marc and Stephen took a day off of Marc’s hunt to show us where they had seen the bull. It played out just like they said. We spotted him 300 yards out, and as we set up the 28 Nosler on the Triclawps saddle, the rest was up to Jr. He settled in and had a good sight picture, so we told him to take his time and squeeze the trigger slowly as soon as the bull was broadside. A few seconds later, the shot rang out. The bull stumbled and then went down. I could not believe what I was experiencing. As a dad, I had played out this scenario so many times and then emotions hit me. I was so proud of my son for being so calm and patient, never complaining about anything. Now his prize lay on the mountainside. As we approached this ancient bull Peyton called “Lucky Seven,” Jr.’s smile and excitement were everything a father could hope for. He couldn’t have been happier to take such an old, beautiful bull. He couldn’t wait to get back to camp to show his brother, Brody, and Grandpa and call his mom.
We can’t say enough about A3 and their guides, Peyton Zufelt and Stephen Naranjo, and Stephen’s client, Marc Haywood. They went above and beyond and will forever be a part of our hunting memories.
We had had such amazing luck the year before with Jr. getting a bull tag that I was sure we weren’t going to get drawn for my son, Brody’s, first draw. I called Game and Fish to check the results as the website wasn’t pulling up his info. I wasn’t expecting to hear anything, and then I heard this, “Successful! Brody bull bison!” I was so shocked that I called again. Yep, it said the same thing. I then started to panic as I never thought my 10-year-old would draw an O.I.L. (Once-in-a-Lifetime) tag. I yelled for him to come downstairs, and I played him the recording. He was excited, and then a split second later, he got really serious and asked, “How big of a gun do I have to shoot?” I told him that once he shot the bison, he wouldn’t feel anything. With some encouragement from his brother, Jr., and his mom and promises of a lot of practice, he was excited.
I immediately called Chad Rhoton from A3 Trophy Hunts and told him the news. With such a special tag and a new hunter, this was a scenario I wouldn’t trust anyone with. I didn’t want Brody to be 1 of 10-15 guys in a camp. I wanted this to be truly 1x1. Chad set us up with Dean Dunaway, and I immediately knew we were in good hands. Dean is amazing and has tons of experience on the Kaibab. He not only made me feel comfortable, but he also made the hunt about Brody, which is what we wanted.
As Brody, Grandpa, and I headed up to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the enormity of this opportunity really started to sink in. The land was amazing. Deer were everywhere, and the Kaibab National Forest was beautiful. We had never been up there, so it was a lot to take in.
We knew the days were going to be long as sitting a blind is the most common way to hunt the bison as they come off the Grand Canyon National Park. We hunted hard, doing our best to be as quiet as possible and stay awake.
Sitting from 3:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. every day is a grind. We had deer coming in all day, every day but no bison. After five days of checking multiple cameras, Dean set up a blind somewhere else. We sat that blind for a few days, seeing deer, turkey, and all the other little critters one sees while hunting. Even though we had not seen a bison, Brody, Grandpa, and I were enjoying ourselves.
Eight days had passed, and it was the final day of the hunt. We hadn’t seen any bison, but we knew they were coming to this water. Brody and I had spoken several times about what a successful hunt meant. Although I wanted him to tag out, I needed him to understand that the last nine days of enjoying the beautiful country as father, son, and grandpa was the real trophy, and if we didn’t get a bison on the last day, it was okay. Brody understood, but I still wanted him to get a bison.
We got to the blind at about 2:30 a.m. on the last day and prepared for a long sit. Brody lay on the ground to get some sleep while I fought off sleep. The gun was all set up on the tripod, firmly held and ready to go in the Triclawps. Hours passed, and sleep got the best of me. I woke up to see a bison standing 80 yards in front of us. I immediately started to shake. I had to wake Brody up quietly enough for him to get into position to shoot. My voice trembled as I softly nudged him and called his name. He woke up and quietly got into position. A few seconds later, he softly pulled the trigger and a shot rang out. He chambered another round and shot again. The bison started to trot away. We stayed in the blind for what seemed like forever. I couldn’t stop hugging him and telling him how proud I was of him. My boy had just shot a bison on the Kaibab Plateau. It was surreal! We finally got out of the blind and found blood. After our guide, Dean Dunaway, showed up, we were able to track the bison and recover him. Brody had filled his bison O.I.L tag at 11 years old!
A3 Trophy Hunts took care of us again, and now I know firsthand about the Legend of Dean Dunaway. He was exactly who Brody needed for this hunt, and we couldn’t have done it without him. Thank you for helping a father, son, grandfather, and friends make memories that will never be forgotten. Until next time.
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