Glenn
Dunning is a member of New England Outdoor Writers Association
(NEOWA) and contributes monthly to Outdoors Magazine
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Outdoors Magazine, December '07 issue, Traveling Outdoorsman col. Submitted by: Glenn Dunning |
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Vermonters in Elk Country September Trip Brings Rookie Success |
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| This was not the shot that Ernie had wanted but he was pinned at full draw by the big cow and the bull behind her had pulled up with a tree trunk blocking its shoulder. It was the third day of a Colorado drop camp elk hunt and Ernie's group of 4 Vermonters were in the middle of their first-ever western big game trip. That's not to say that the Parkers were novices when it comes to adventure travel. Hunting is a family affair and over the years there have been multiple caribou hunts, annual Midwestern whitetail trips, last spring a bear hunt and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Ernie, his brothers, sometimes his Dad and a handful of trusted friends are always going somewhere. The elk hunt was different though. On all previous trips I had worked directly with Ernie but this hunt started a year ago while I was hunting in Indiana at Midwest Bucks where Ernie's son Travis is a guide. I was in my cabin one night and Travis stopped by to talk about hunting. He told me that he really wanted both a black bear and an elk with his bow and what outfits would I recommend. I must admit I did question the authenticity of his intentions at the time. I shouldn't have because by the time the winter sport shows rolled around we had both a Quebec bear hunt and the Colorado adventure on the books. Ernie and Travis are inseparable when its time to take to the field. Their first big trip together had been for caribou when Trav was barely a teen and although other members for each hunt vary, it was a sure bet that this father & son team would be on every roster. Of course budget was a concern and when we crunched the numbers it was going to be a drop camp elk hunt or nothing. I remember telling Travis that night in Indiana and reiterating the same lecture for Ernie, when he stopped by our booth at the Essex show months later; "Here's the way it is; a good elk hunt with reasonable opportunity for success costs close to $4000, a drop camp costs $1250. There are four of you signed up, none of you have ever hunted elk before and, you're bow hunting. If one of you even has a shot you will be incredibly lucky and beating the odds." They were un-phased. Instead they started renting elk hunting videos; they ordered calls and learned how to mimic the sounds on the instructional cds. The four of them got together weekly all summer and practiced shooting out to 60 yards. Then in early September they found themselves following outfitter Larry Allen's pack train down into the quiet valley with its to bleach white wall tents situated at the far end, they knew they were ready. Once they had unloaded the pack horses and Larry had given the "newbie" elk hunters a brief orientation, he remounted and headed back down the trail, the now empty pack animals in tow. That was 4 days ago and since then Ernie, Travis, Jay and Josh had been having the time of their lives. They had called and stalked and glassed and had gotten close a couple of times but were yet to fill the meat poll. That was about to change as Ernie traversed a blow-down strewn hillside. Elk are big animals and when there are a bunch of them moving through the timber the sound is loud and almost alarming. "I could hear animals moving long before I saw them." Ernie explained, his eyes getting bigger as he told me the story "Then I saw them coming down off the top, they were heading in my direction. Next thing I knew I had cows and calves passing on both sides of me." Ernie stood motionless, feeling somewhat conspicuous in the open timber. Four; five; six animals busting limbs and branches as they tore past him through the pines. He considered drawing on one of the cows as they rushed past. "Just then I saw that the last animal coming was racked." As if on auto-pilot he came to full draw as the bull with a big cow leading closed the distance. "I knew I had to stop them; I grunted loudly and both animals screeched to a halt less than 30 yards in front of me." Ernie looked at the sliver of vital hide he could see on the bull; the cow looked at Ernie; time was frozen and choices were few. The shot would have to be perfect, if he could keep the arrow tight to the tree, there was a good chance he could catch the liver. The release was smooth and the arrow slammed into the animal's side exactly where placed. "I could tell I had hit him hard." Trying his best to compose himself, he called Travis on the radio and for the next half an hour Father and son sat side by side, glowing with excitement while giving the fatally injured bull the chance to expire. By nightfall the handsome 5x5 rack was propped against a tree outside the tents. This bunch of gritty Vermonters had beaten the odds and based on the sounds of joyous celebration spilling out into the dark and starry Rocky Mountain night, they were pretty happy about it. |
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