AZ Youth Elk Hunt

breacher

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2012
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Alpine, CA
My son was quite fortunate this year and drew a youth cow elk tag in Arizona. At 10 years old, this was his first opportunity to hunt big game. I’ve never hunted elk before so it was a lot to plan for.

We were able to scout the area in August and familiarized ourselves with the unit. We saw a ton of game which boosted my confidence. I felt a ton of pressure to make this hunt memorable. Early on I reminded him the hunt wasn’t only about filling a tag. The experience is much more than that. My son, dad and I would hunt elk together for the first time.

On opening day we found ourselves sitting in the dark, waiting for something to happen. We heard bugles off in the distance but never saw an elk. After lunch we tried a new area and different tactic with some helpful tips from a veteran elk hunter.

After a short hike, we spotted several elk. We closed in on them and found a small herd that was quite vocal. It was an awesome experience and my son was in awe. We saw several bulls and dozens of cows.

We made several attempts to get a shot but they were on the move and it just didn’t happen. It was exciting and frustrating at the same time. My son stayed motivated even with the range of emotions. I figured it was good for him. You don’t always get what you want.

That night, we headed back to camp discussing our options for the following day. My son made it very clear he wanted to try the same spot the following morning...so we did.

At first light we heard mews within a hundred yards. We moved into position but they winded us and took off. We were never able to catch that herd again. I payed more attention to the wind direction and we worked our way to another area. We soon heard bugles.

As we caught up to them, I saw they were moving across an opening in the trees. All but one cow elk crossed. I told my son to quickly set his rifle on a log. Just as she came into view I stopped her with a cow call. My sons .243 cracked and both my dad and I saw the bullet impact just behind her shoulder. We gave it a few minutes before we checked the area.

We found no blood so I figured it was mostly internal. I checked the shot location and coordinated with my dad where the cow was standing. We started a grid search and within a minute I heard my dad say, “here she is!” She had gone no more than 50 yards.

I watched in amazement as my son walked up on his first big game animal. I have never killed an elk and to watch my son do it is an image forever etched in my mind. What an amazing experience for all of us.

After photos, we quartered the animal and managed to get it all out in one load. The freezer is full now. We kept the skull and I’ll ll do a euro mount. I’ll post pics when I get time to complete that project.

For those of you interested, my son is shooting a .243 with 80 grain Barnes VOR-TX. 125 yard shot. Completely passed through so unfortunately we couldn’t examine the bullet. Good problem to have I guess. It took out both lungs.







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Awesome! Thanks for the report! Man I bet that was an incredible experience for you guys and especially for your son. As someone who got to experience a youth hunt for big game with family, I can tell you that he will remember that for the rest of his life, as I’m sure you and your dad will too. Excellent.
 
Way to go guys! Love seeing kids get it done. My kids shoot that same ruger American in 243, great rifles.
 
Great story and love those smiles. As a DAD nothing better then the kill with your kid.
 
Here Here, well done! your boy already looks older than his age. Nothing like memories.
 
Congrats on an awesome hunt that I’m sure your son will never forget! Once again my point is proven that those Ruger American rifles are absolutely deadly! My wife has taken 2 deer with her American .243 and it has proven deadly accurate.
 
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Congrats! That bring back good memories, my son drew one about 4 years ago in 4A. We had never seen an elk before except the Tules along the 395. If he gets drawn again bring a 22. Squirrel season opens at the same time and those big Tassle Eared ones are fun and tasty.
 
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