The Elk Hunt

By

Taron Lillington

As I picked up my bow and stepped out of my truck onto the glossy frost covered ground, and took a breath of the crisp air. I heard a couple cow elk mew then the bugle came; I knew I had to intercept them before they past threw. I scattered to get my sent lock on and my calls together I bugled once I heard him bugle back they were on there way. I had to hurry I started walking I knocked an arrow, I heard a snap crackle pop they were close.

Suddenly I came to a meadow and heard that bugle again. “Here they come,” I said to my self. “Ready.” I saw his hugely massed 8 by 7 antlers break through the brush. He was about 95 yards. I could not make that shot with a bow.

I crawled toward him quickly. I peeked through the tall grass. Now he was about 45 yards. I could make that shot. I drew back my bow. He saw me.

I squeezed my release. I hit him right in the liver. I knew I had at least a 30 minute wait before I could retrieve him. I started following a blood trail. I spotted him through my Nikon binoculars.

But where was that cow elk? I snuck up on the bull and placed another shot in his heart. He ran about 45 yards and fell to the ground with a pop crack boom. As I started walking toward him I heard something behind me.

I looked back. There was the cow elk and her calves. “Uh oh,” I said “There’s another bugler. That must have been the one I had heard earlier today. Well I better start walking” I could tell that the bull elk was mad. I must have shot his brother.

I went over to my elk and started gutting him. Bluck this is so gross! I put him on my backpack and walked to my truck and loaded him up and drove home. When I got home I told my friend I needed help so he came down to the shed with me. We muscled the big animal out of the truck and grabbed my come-along and hung him up and started skinning and butchering him.

My friend said, “Man I have been waiting to hear from you for days.”

“Ya I know. “I didn’t get cell service up there. Next time I’ll take you. It is so beautiful this time of year at Lomolo lake.”

Chapter 2 hunt #2

“Hey you ready? I said to xane at 2:00 in the morning. We had a long drive. We wouldn’t get there till about 6:00 in the morning. He said, “Ya hold on I need to get my coffee. I’ll be ready in about 5 minutes. Hey, you got the bows down in the truck?”

“No I’ll do that right now I’ll be down at the gate waiting.”

“I’ll be there in a minute,” He said.

I waited down at the gate for Xane for like 10 hours but really it was like 2 minutes. We got on the road about 2:30 which was fine. We turned a Rush cd on and talked about how nice it was of Anita and Mckinzie to feed the dogs, rabbit and fish. “Ya,” he said. “It’s awesome that me and you get to go out hunting with each other. I mean it’s not just me or just you. Ya thanks for taking me with you.”

“No problem man”

“Hey when we get there what’s the plan?”

“I’m thinking that we’ll set up camp and then we’ll get some breakfast and go for a hunt?”

“Sounds fine to me.”

When we got there we set up camp, got some oatmeal, and went for a 4 hour hunt.

We spilt up. He went on the lower trail. I went on the upper.

Suddenly I heard his voice crackle in on the radio.

“Ya what do you need?”

He said “Hey meet me at camp”

“You got one” I said.

“No but I’m hurt I tripped on a log and gashed my leg. Hurry!”

“I’m about four miles from camp I’ll be there soon. Where are you at” I said. I’m like three kay but if your leg is gashed how are gonna get to camp

O um I guse you can meet me down here I’m about a mile in the canyon but you have to hike two miles to get to the top of the canyon but have fun

Ok but keep a look out for elk and deer.

I walked down to the top of the canyon I looked over the edge you could see strate down for four miles I could not see xane till I looked in a thicket of brush there he was sitting in the middle of no were

So just for fun I yeled XANE as loud as I could he jumped about 1 foot in the air. Then I started walking down to him when I got there he was like crying but I treated his cut and went to camp and got some lunch and went back out for 2 hours came back went to bed and in the morning we went out and could not get any thing so we broke camp and headed home. What a trip that was all the way home but lisening to rush its not so bad. We had a great trip even though we did not get any thing.

“hey you know its been fun hanging out with you”

“ya you to”

when we got back we sat down on the couch turned on the tv and watched viva la bam it was totally awesome.

“Thanks for coming with me”

“No thank you for talking me”

“Your welcome

“Hey you can have some meat off that elk.”

“Ok thanks”

“No problem”

“Hey what are you doing next weekend”

“Nothing”

“You want to go turkey hunting”

“Ya sure”

“Alright I’ll talk to you then”

“Alright bye”

and that’s my elk hunt