antlerrick
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Well, the week is over and the hunt is done, and not with the results that I was hoping for.
John made a post in his thread "how's it going Antlerrick?" He said, "As we get older Rick ( you and I ) We now the trophy part of the hunt is the memories and the time we spend with our familys. The rack big or small is a reminder for us to remember the shot (good or bad ) and the times we have had with our boys ,daughters and other friends and familys."
John, I agree with what you said, but even with our age, aches and pains, we want to harvest the best trophy possible. Looking back at the week and all the friends who pitched in to help me out looking for bulls, and the time I got to spend with them and my boys, it was a VERY successful hunt. Having to hike up that hill and back down with the elk and gear, I was wondering if I made the right decision for me with my bum knee and no ankle, but it made my boys happy to be able to help out their dad and be a part of the great memories that were created on that sidehill. To see those 2 boys push, pull, shove, tug, and fight that full bodied elk down the hill thru thick sage and rocks, working together, made me proud as a father, more so than harvesting any elk could ever make me. My pain and discomfort was worth every second of that experience. Those boys were so proud of their dad, for no particular reason other than we were all together. My youngest boy had never been able to be with us when we have taken other big bulls, so his being there was priceless. He learned how big these animals are, and how much work taking a mature elk can be. He has asthma and was having a hard time with his breathing both from the elk and from the climb and low oxygen, but he stuck with it and we all made it thru.
I am proud to say we hunted out butts off and never gave up.
We passed on many bulls, hoping for that magical bull that we hoped was around the next turn, or over the next ridge.
I want to thank Trevor, Layne T, Layne R, Scott, Dustin, and all those who kept texting me and wishing me luck, for the support. We covered many miles of the unit, and seen elk almost everywhere. We spent countless hours behind scopes and glasses, searching for a dream.
I thought of just shooting a bull to get it over with many times once the end of the week got closer, but I waited until the final evening to give up on taking a huge bull. Once the boys talked me into just shooting this bull, I was a little disappointed after I pulled the trigger, but now after what we got to experience, I don't think I could have written a better script.
I shot the bull up on the face above Fishlake so the setting was beautiful for photos. I only have a few on my camera but here are a couple. I shot my bear about 500 yards to the west of where we got the elk.
Though not a huge bull, it was a priceless memory I will never forget!!!
And then to have Barbie along, was a lot of fun and laughs. I will post some of her adventures shortly.
Rick
John made a post in his thread "how's it going Antlerrick?" He said, "As we get older Rick ( you and I ) We now the trophy part of the hunt is the memories and the time we spend with our familys. The rack big or small is a reminder for us to remember the shot (good or bad ) and the times we have had with our boys ,daughters and other friends and familys."
John, I agree with what you said, but even with our age, aches and pains, we want to harvest the best trophy possible. Looking back at the week and all the friends who pitched in to help me out looking for bulls, and the time I got to spend with them and my boys, it was a VERY successful hunt. Having to hike up that hill and back down with the elk and gear, I was wondering if I made the right decision for me with my bum knee and no ankle, but it made my boys happy to be able to help out their dad and be a part of the great memories that were created on that sidehill. To see those 2 boys push, pull, shove, tug, and fight that full bodied elk down the hill thru thick sage and rocks, working together, made me proud as a father, more so than harvesting any elk could ever make me. My pain and discomfort was worth every second of that experience. Those boys were so proud of their dad, for no particular reason other than we were all together. My youngest boy had never been able to be with us when we have taken other big bulls, so his being there was priceless. He learned how big these animals are, and how much work taking a mature elk can be. He has asthma and was having a hard time with his breathing both from the elk and from the climb and low oxygen, but he stuck with it and we all made it thru.
I am proud to say we hunted out butts off and never gave up.
We passed on many bulls, hoping for that magical bull that we hoped was around the next turn, or over the next ridge.
I want to thank Trevor, Layne T, Layne R, Scott, Dustin, and all those who kept texting me and wishing me luck, for the support. We covered many miles of the unit, and seen elk almost everywhere. We spent countless hours behind scopes and glasses, searching for a dream.
I thought of just shooting a bull to get it over with many times once the end of the week got closer, but I waited until the final evening to give up on taking a huge bull. Once the boys talked me into just shooting this bull, I was a little disappointed after I pulled the trigger, but now after what we got to experience, I don't think I could have written a better script.
I shot the bull up on the face above Fishlake so the setting was beautiful for photos. I only have a few on my camera but here are a couple. I shot my bear about 500 yards to the west of where we got the elk.
Though not a huge bull, it was a priceless memory I will never forget!!!
And then to have Barbie along, was a lot of fun and laughs. I will post some of her adventures shortly.
Rick