Well after selling momma on the idea of missing a few days of school that hopefully we will be home this year for thanksgiving, instead of leaving the night before and being gone for thanksgiving, we headed out early saturday morning for montana. Would have left friday after school and work, but that snow storm had closed snoqualmie for a bit. The 10 hr drive is not her favorite part of the trip, but this year she didn't seem to mind as much since she finally had her own tags. I go over with a group the first week of the season and a few of us return with our children the last week.
I had bought her a youth combo tag after she completed her hunter safety course in september and was planning this trip with focus on a whitetail and hoping she would have an opportunity at an elk. As a youth, she could shoot either sex, but she was really hoping for a buck or bull. I figured i could find her a deer no problem, but wasn't holding my breath on an elk. With her determination on wanting some horns, we visited the range at least once a week for months leading up to us going. She was comfortable at 150 yards and holding a decent group which made me happy as well. She is shooting a .243 and I had reservations that it wasn't big enough for an elk, but I knew she could make an ethical shot if the time came. And she did!!
We spotted a herd of elk at first light and we made a plan to see if we could get on them. They were on a hillside that had multiple draws leading to them. So we headed down the bottom of a draw and all she kept saying was how nervous she was. We get close to the bottom and we slowly made our way to the top of this draw and set up next to a bush. We were in the wide open except for this one bush we got behind. Low and behold, 8 cows and a legal bull. The cows were all standing broad side and the bull was behind a tree. I asked her if she wanted to try at one of the cows and she said "NO WAY DAD" you see that huge bull? I want him! Best part of this is she had 10 minutes to settle down and be able to mentally practice on the cows before he walked out. Finally he did and gave her a broadside shot and she pulls the trigger. They all jumped and look down hill trying to figure out where the noise came from and the only animal to actually move was the bull, who walked back behind that same tree and stopped. It sure seemed he was hit by his hop when she shot, but as he stood behind that tree and started feeding again. I new he wasn't hit. Thats when i realized I didn't have my go pro on, so I start recording and wait for him to step out again. After 9 minutes of filming he finally walks back out and stands broadside. She squeezed off another shot and they all jump again and this time he hopped a lot different and turns toward us and starts walking. I tell her to hold it right on his chest and fire again because he is hit! She jacked out the shell and puts another in and gets back on him through the scope. Thats when he tipped over!!!! Center punched him right through the heart and lungs at 220 yards. We hugged and it was an amazing moment together. Way better and more special than the bull I got this year, or probably any bull I have taken. One of the best days of my life!
I will hang her "MONSTER" as she says, 4 point bull proudly amongst mine and will be more proud of hers for sure.
