Daughter's First Elk

[MuleDeerCrazy]

The daughter has been excited ever since she found out she'd drawn a Toutle Cow tag.  At 11, everything has to come together just right... but sometimes it does.  We had hunted hard all day Thursday in the pouring down rain and had seen more bulls than cows.  Finally get her set up on an elk playing hide and seek in the reprod., by the time we figure out it's a cow she can't find it in the scope and it finally moves off into the timber.  We figure out how to get in on some cows we saw across the canyon that afternoon and make a plan for them for Friday.
 
We get a late start and already somebody parked there when we get to "our" secret spot.  Hurry up to another spot to take a peak at daylight and hadn't been standing there 5 minutes when some guy walks right up on us and scared the bejeezers out of us.  Besides scaring us dude, why would you slip out to the only glassing spot when you can see somebody is already sitting there... oh, and he passed up an easy cow right there a few days prior cause too nasty of a pack.  Told him my daughter had a tag and don't think he believed us, he said, "You have a tag"... about 50 times.   He then informed her not to shoot one down there cause that would be a horrible thing to do to your dad.  I assured him it would be fine, we'd just pack it out on the old road 50 yards beyond the edge of the clearcut... he didn't seem to happy to find out about the old road:)
 
Anyway, it's raining and nasty, but I finally think I see a couple cows on the far side of the canyon.  We run around there, park at the tank trap and slip down that ridge.  First spot, nothing.  Second spot a little further down, nothing... wait, there they are feeding back in the timber.  She gets set up with the .257 Weatherby Mag, bipod down.  Not the best set up, laying in a patch of little wild blackberries, rain blowing sideways into our faces and the elk filtering in and out of the timber 400 yards away.  She's having a heck of a time finding them at all, let alone getting settled for a good shot.
 
They are slowly filtering out of view on into the timber and it's not looking like she's going to get a shot.  I must admit I thought about pushing her out of the way and taking the shot myself, but only for a second... I should probably get some sort of patience award or something:)  Anyway, I'm about to give up and she says "I got her."  I adjust the turet for 375 yards to compensate for the downhill angle, zoom it up a little and tell her to take the shot when she's ready.  I get back on her with the binos and wait again.  Seconds seem like minutes... wait, they were minutes... BOOM!
 
Do you see her dad?  Where did she go?  I'm not sure, I think she might have dropped right there?  She assured me that she dropped her right there!  Uhhhh, maybe?  We sit there for a while and never see anything move.  We go back to the truck, grab the pack gear and drop into the hole to see if we can find her.  We're slipping and falling and clawing our way through the nasty reprod. the whole way down and it's steeper and nastier than it looked... boy this is gonna be a fun pack out!  We get down there and sure enough, one shot high in the shoulders, dropped her right where she stood.
 
Five hours later we were dropping the last load on the tailgate... one of the worst packs I've ever had, but we got her done.  An exhausted little girl didn't think much of packing, I guess she thought it was all fun and games til that cow hit the dirt:)!
 
...but it's a good exhausted!!!

[shootnrun]

Awesome work dad!!  I've been there with the patience thing, tho not with a kid ( being 23 myself), but with first timers and other buddies when you just know if it were you the animal would be in the next county by the time they finally execute.. But they always get it done! 375 is a check of a shot for an 11yr old. Only made a handful of shots at that distance +\-myself. Congrats to her on her first elk, there are many hunters out there many times her age who haven't knocked one down! 

[RifleRidge]

Excellent story......Nice photo's......Smart young hunter indeed 

[Pinetar]

Way to get er done muledeercrazy. CONGRATS to your daughter. Her smile says it all.

[ellensburgpo]

If those two pictures don't sum up elk hunting I don't know what does.

[Deer slayer]

That's awesome. Congrats to both of you. I can't wait until my kids are old enough. Even though she hated the pack she will always remember those times you guys spent together.

[Bshiftbc]

If those two pictures don't sum up elk hunting I don't know what does.

 
Well said!

[Jason]

Awesome and congrats to the young lady!!

[ShaneTyTrey]

Great work, congrats to her

[dewandgin]

Congrats and love the photos

[3dsheetmetal]

That there is an awesome hunt congrats to her, good job

[YellowDog]

Jeez dad, if she's gonna keep shooting like that you better get her a pack that fits right or you should have to pack out all of her animals.   

Great story!

[Alan K]

Congrats to your daughter! Like another guy said, those pictures sum it all up!

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

Congrats... Looks like an awesome day.

[lonedave]

Very nice!!  Congrats to the little lady.