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.
.
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.
.
Last edited by a moderator:
