Taxidermy artist Forest Farnsworth of International Big Game Studio with my 2010 California Tule Elk
Around Halloween I called my taxidermist, Forest Farnsworth , of International Big Game Studio and he informed me my cape was back from the tannery. I delivered the antlers and he promised I’d have the finished product before Christmas.
This week he left a message that my mount was ready to pick up.
After a 30 mile drive home and more than a few glances on the highway (and one thumbs up), My wife and daughters picked the perfect spot for him.
You notice he has a short “summer coat” rather than a long heavy neck mane. His antlers aren’t dark like my Wyoming bulls who polished their tips on burned pine trees. In fact they are dry, and seem to gather a light alkali dust. This surely has something to do withthe dry desert environment and the mineral deficiencies that make these tule elk’s antlers more prone to breakage.
I will admit, I never thought I would ever mount a 240 inch bull elk, and I never thought the first elk I would have mounted would be from California. But the memory of the epic hunt will last forever…
“Jase” as he is known to friends and family is a lifelong outdoorsman who works in the seismic exploration field. Since he is in the outdoors nearly every day, he was physically ready for the demands of a backcountry elk hunt. He was the youngest member of our hunting party in Wyoming this Fall. He was right there when his brother Matt Morris, killed his bull elk the day before.
Jase was accompanied by his father DeWitt (on left), and Matt (middlle) on their 2011 Wyoming elk hunt.
The University of Idaho Farmhouse Fraternity chapter was recommended to me as a young incoming freshman in 1992. I had heard it was the place that always “had somethin’ dead hanging out back” in the Fall. I found many kindred spirits who enjoyed spending time in the outdoors in pursuit of game large and small.
One of these characters was Eric Eidam. This native of Pendleton Oregon is now a firefighter on the West side of the state. In his time off he is an avid hunter, and shared this photo of his 2011 archery elk from Oregon.
Eric just returned from British Columbia with a Canada moose with a 48 inch wide antler spread. At a glance I’m guessing that this bull may be close to book. If that wasn’t exciting enough, he averted a disaster when his group was charged by a mean tempered grizzly.
When I finished up field dressing my elk I notoced he had what looked like bangs (brucellosis) tags in his ears. The Tags had the message to “Notify Wyoming game and fish” on one side and a number on the other.
I made a quick phone call to the local office, and they asked if I wanted age information back. I replied in the affirmative. On November 4th, I received a letter back with information on where he was tagged as a juvenile on February 11, 2009. That made him 3 years old when I shot him this October.
To be honest I was shocked he was that young.
Hee I am with my father Paul and what I now know is a 3 year old Wyoming Bull elk.
Matt Morris and his father DeWitt pose with Matt's 5x6 bull elk from Wyoming.
Matt was the first hunter in our camp to fill his tag during the General Wyoming Elk Season. On opening day evening, I heard the first shot, and a second later I heard a second shot. Even as far away as I was it sounded like a solid hit, with a finisher. The bull fell in his tracks and never knew what hit him. The 30-06 that Matt used was also used when his younger brother killed his first elk.
While this is Matt’s first elk, he is an accomplished bowhunter as well and has harvested numerous whitetails, turkeys and waterfowl in his lifetime. He is raising his son to appreciate the outdoors as well.
Rich and Cindy headed to British Columbia with tags for Canadian moose, and elk.
When you shoot something that big with a low poundage/short draw length bow, like Cindy shoots…It takes a few arrows. (As we can all see from the empty quiver.)
Rich got a nice elk as well. I’m sure we will hear the full story in a hunting magazine somewhere in the future!
It was an epic hunt to be sure. More than words can express. I’ve put together a slide show with music by Dave Stamey to give an idea of what all went into this Adventure.
We had mild weather to start that changed to a nasty snowstorm that we had to pack camp out in. We were 11 miles from the ranch with 7 of us in camp.
DAY 1
We (Tony, Dad, Colby and I) packed in Camp on Five packhorses. 11 miles. Elk bugled us to sleep.
DAY 2
Colby and I rode out with the five horses to bring in the three Morris boys (Dee and Sons Matt and Jase- short for James Thomas) 11 miles.
DAY 3
Packed 3 horses and the Morris’s rode 3 into camp. 11 miles. The elk serenaded us again.
DAY 4
We hunted. Covered 15.25 miles on horseback.
Chased a bugling bull in the evening that another group of hunters bumped before I could get in sight of the bull and his cows.
Matt Morris killed a bull this night, a nice 5x6.
DAY 5
Went to the other side of the basin before daylight. Tied the horses and hiked in ½ mile where a cow elk barked at us. I answered with a cow call and hunkered down.
As shooting light came we could make out the cow who was boring holes in us with her eyes trying to see what we were. The bull stepped out of the rocks and trees at 30 yards. I saw branch antlers, put the crosshairs behind the shoulder and fired.
The muzzle flash blinded me. The bull was dead 150 yards away with a double lung shot from my .300 Win Mag.
Dad brought the saddle horses and we quartered and packed the bull back to camp before Colby and Tony got out to pack in Matt’s bull from the night before. We covered 5 miles that morning. We spent the midday Fishing.
I accompanied Dad and Colby on an evening hunt in the rain for another 4 miles. (9 for the day)
Jase shot a bull that night. Another 5x6.
DAY 6
Matt and I packed out our bulls with 4 pack horses to the ranch 11 miles.
DAY 7
Matt and I packed feed back into camp on 3 pack horses. 11 miles .
DAY 8
We packed the Morris’s and Tony out to the ranch along with Jases bull. 11 miles. Weather was getting colder and the clouds were stacking up. Dad Missed a bull that morning.
DAY 9
We (Colby Dad and I) rode back into camp with 6 empty horses as the rain became snow. 11 miles
DAY 10
Woke up to 18 inches of snow in camp. Collapsed Tony’s tent and the canopy over the kitchen area. We packed all of camp onto 5 horses and put an extra riding saddle on horse #6. Left Camp at 11:30 am and arrived back at the Ranch around 3:00 pm to everyone’s relief.
This morning before I even had my first cup of coffee I was booting up the computer to check the draw results for the Wyoming Elk Application I submitted this January.
I was going in to this draw with no preference points and there were 4x the applicants as the number of tags. I put in with my father in a group, knowing the mathematical odds were against us.
Well, we drew. So now begins the focused preparation for the upcoming out of state trip.
This also means I can start growing the “hunting hair” goatee that has been my trademark for the past seven years.
Stay tuned for updates, but it looks like at least one week in September or October is blocked out…
David Bormann went to Wyoming for an Archery Elk Hunt, where he succeeded in arrowing this nice five point bull. David was nice enough to send his hunting log from the eight days he pursued these wily critters. I think it gives a great insight to what it takes to be successful on Western big game.
2010 WY. ELK HUNT
Sept 21st – 28th
Day #1
Get to camp area set up stuff. Go out and glass and listen for elk the first evening. I spotted a small 5pt and a few cows a mile across a wooded draw.
Day #2
Head out to glassing area. Spot a good 5pt bull with a smaller 5pt a spike and a few cows working up a draw. Checked wind and headed to other side of draw to try and catch up to them and work in for a set-up. Got to the bottom of draw crossed a creek and was going to head across a 100yd sagebrush open area to get to the trees. After getting 40yds into the open BAM at the top of the hill stands the smaller 5pt looking down in my direction.
I froze and got down and try to look like a sage bush. He ran straight to me turned broadside at 30yds and headed to my left down to the creek. As soon as he got 20yds to my left he caught my wind and turned and headed back to where he came from. No clean shot on him.
Archery Elk Season is in the books for Oregon and Bob postel from Novato, CA had a good hunt.
Here he is. 5 hard days of hunting ended with this. 40 yard shot, double lung complete passthrough. He died about 80 yards from where I shot him. 426 lbs at the butcher for just the 4 quarters. Awesome trip and hunt. Elk were fighting, bugling and going crazy. This bull has about 15 cows with him and I was able to sneak in on him for the shot. Another hunt I’ll never forget.
