To most people, November 3rd is just a date on the calendar, but to me, it’s the day I watched my best friend (my dad) harvest his first elk. Anyone who has been elk hunting before knows there are many highs and lows experienced along the way, but without these highs and lows, one will miss out on the true experience of what an elk hunt with your dad by your side is all about.
This story began when we headed to western Colorado for an elk hunt with Jerad Cotton of West Elk Outfitters during the fall of 2017. It was truly the hunt-of-a-lifetime as my dad was by my side as I was able to harvest my first elk. We had such a great hunt that we decided to head the pickup west again in November 2018 to try and fulfill my dad’s lifelong dream of harvesting an elk. After five hard days of hunting and a lot tread worn off the boots, we never even had an opportunity at a legal bull. This only built my dad’s burning desire to get back out west in 2019 to try and redeem himself after a great hunt the previous year that left him with an unnotched tag in his pocket.
While most people were handing out candy to trick-or-treaters by the handful, Dad and I pointed our pickup west towards the Rockies and made the journey to elk camp in western Colorado once again. We arrived at camp the afternoon before the third rifle season opened. It was like meeting old friends as this was our third year in a row hunting with the crew at West Elk Outfitters. With the gun sighted in and warmed up, we were ready for what would unfold come opening morning.
Opening day came with a lot of excitement and unknowns. After seven miles on the boots and numerous cow elk spotted, we decided to head back to camp and grab a warm meal before plotting out our plan for the next morning.
Sunday morning alarms came even earlier with Daylight Savings Time taking place. We decided to head up into a little different country and focus on a different herd of elk. First light started to peek out over the top of the mountain, and we spotted a good herd of elk a few miles away. We determined that there was a legal bull in the herd, so we got back in the vehicle and made our way around the mountain to see if we could get a closer look and get the wind in our favor. Once we got set back up in our new glassing spot, it didn’t take our guide, Jerad, long to find the bull again. After watching the herd disappear into a mess of trees, we decided now was our time to make a move. Once we got off the beaten path and gained some elevation, we found a highway of elk tracks. Not long after finding the fresh tracks, Jerad turned around and asked if we could smell that. He figured we were closing in on the elk and knew they were close. Only minutes later, we busted two cows at 50 yards. We knew there had to be more, so we hustled our way to the clearing where they were headed, and sure enough, there was the bull standing broadside at 80 yards! My dad got into position and was just settling the crosshairs when the bull bolted. He made a zig-zagging pattern as he ran away from us into the trees. We got back on the herd only to see that they had made it to private land. At this point, my dad’s morale was pretty low as he knew he could’ve just missed his one opportunity to harvest an elk this season.
After a quick lunch from the top of the hillside with the elk bedded below us on private land, we decided to make the hike back down to the vehicle. I could tell as we hiked back how disappointed my dad was. I did everything I could to keep his spirits high as we still had three and a half days left of this elk hunt and anything could still happen.
We ended up back at the vehicle and decided to find a clearing and glass for an hour before sunset. With about half an hour of light left, we decided to head back to camp early and take a hot shower before the rest of the hunters got back. As we started driving off the mountain, we came parallel to a river bottom that was so picturesque at last light that we stopped and grabbed a few quick photos. We drove a little further along the river when I heard Jerad yell out, “Elk! There are elk grazing along the river, and there is a bull in there!”
I looked back and instantly saw the fire in my dad’s eyes reignite. It was go-time. We parked the vehicle and got down the riverbank into position. Jerad ranged the elk across the river and told my dad they were at 274 yards. My dad turned the dial on the scope turret and patiently waited for the cows to clear out in front of the bull before he shot. Once the last cow cleared, Jerad said to take him. I heard the crack of the 6.5 Norma and saw the impact of the bullet hit the elk. The whole herd took off, but the bull just stood there. My dad sent one more bullet towards the bull and put him down. At this moment, Jerad looked over at my dad and asked him how he felt about shooting his first elk. I’m not sure you could have wiped the smiles off all three of our faces at that very moment.
We decided that with the temps and risky river crossing to go back to camp and regroup and come back at first light to pack him out. After a sleepless night, we got up at the crack of dawn and slipped on our waders and packs and trekked across the river to my dad’s first elk. As we walked up to this beautiful bull, I couldn’t have dreamed of a better hunt and location to be there to watch my dad harvest his first elk. Time stood still as we broke the bull down and soaked up this amazing father/ son moment.
I would like to thank Jerad and all of the guides at West Elk Outfitters for helping make this dream come true for my dad. Thanks to my mom for allowing me to steal my dad for a few days to head west to the mountains and to my girlfriend, Gwen, and her brother, James, for all the gear they lent to my dad and me. This never could have happened without all the help from you guys! Finally, I would like to congratulate my dad on this huge accomplish at age 57. He never missed a beat hiking and prepared all season for this hunt. I couldn’t be any prouder of my dad. Hard work does pay off!
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