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Montana Elk Hunt
By Rocky Ferraro

This story is a bit unusual and I will probably never see this happen again. It
surely would never happen here in California so I though it would be a story
worth telling. Last year after shooting a mule deer I continued to hunt and try to
fill my elk tag. One morning Don Taylor, Shaun and I woke up early to go elk
hunting. We went to an area close to a look out in the mountains. After about an
hour drive and right at dawn we all went off in different directions with plans to
meet up around lunch time. After a morning of cold temps and much hiking we
did not see any elk, bull or cow. It was early afternoon and we were on our way
back to home base since Shaun is a deputy and needed to make a court
appearance that afternoon. As usual on the way back home we needed to check
in at the check station which we had been doing for the last 5 days. They got to
know us pretty well. They have these check stations on the side of the road and
hunters need to check when they come in or out of an area game or no game.
On this day we were talking to the game wardens and one of them said there
was an elk herd just on the other side of them but they were sitting nice and calm
in their herd on private property.
As we left the check station I glanced over my shoulder and low and behold
there they were. A nice herd of elk I saw from about 3 miles away with at least a
couple of bulls. I told Don where they were while he had his eyes on the road
and asked him “isn’t that your friends place?” He replied “sure is” and before I
knew it he was on the phone making sure he had permission. We arrived a few
minutes later and Don parked the truck about 300 yards or so away from the
herd so as not to spook them.
The 3 of us snuck up on the herd and lay down across from them on a small hill.
We were all lined up for a while glassing the elk through our scopes and calling
out to each other in a loud whispers, which ones were in the clear and which
ones were being protected by cows. As some of you know the cows will walk in
front of the bulls many times shielding them. It is also the lead cow who will come
out of a clearing first leading the herd not the bull. If you don’t have a cow tag
you need to make sure you have a clear shot and a back stop. We all had the
largest bull of the herd in our sights. He was alone and towards the back of the
herd towards the river. This was a very exciting hunt. Both Shaun and I had
sights on 2 other bulls but they were being protected by herd cows. This herd
new something was up but they didn’t quite know what or who. The wind did not
betray us this day and they were just nervous from sensing us.
Don decided it was time to take a bull and downed him with one shot from his 06.
Shaun at the next instant took a back up shot at the same bull in close to the
same spot and the bull continued to lie down not far from where he was first
spotted. After that the herd did not spook. Shaun and I continued to try and find
an opportunity but the cows were in front of the other herd bulls. These bulls
were smaller but still legal. Then suddenly someone pulled up on a road close by
where we were in a truck and the jig was up. The herd took off and that was it.
Don was very happy to get his bull. We helped clean and move the bull. The
game warden came by to help with his winch and we had a relatively easy time
getting the bull loaded up on the truck. Shaun got a ride to the court house with
me joking him about “you better wash off that blood before you walk into court”.
Don and I took the bull back to the ranch to show Don’s wife Alice and then we
were off to the local meat cutter to get the bull skinned, cut up, freezer wrapped
and the horns sent to the taxidermist. This was the second day in a row we had
taken an animal. The next day we went to the tree cutting ceremony in the
Bitterroot forest close to the ranch. This tree would travel across the US to
Washington D.C. where it would be decorated and displayed as the nations
Christmas Tree for all to see at the tree lighting ceremony in December at the
White House.