Pony Soldier
WKR
For some reason there always appears to be a bit of excitement in my elk hunts. This year was one of the worst years I have experienced in quite a while but even so we had a brief encounter with heart thumping excitement.
Our hunting commonly contains unknowns if for no other reason - we are on horses. This year as we rode in on an old logging road we came around a corner and rode into a herd of elk feeding on the hillside. My partner was ahead of me and bailed off and pulled his rifle. I backed him up by gathering the lead ropes and pulled horses together. He walked up the road for a better view and picked out a nice fat cow standing broadside about 70 yds away and punched a hole in her. She disappeared in the trees and we just stood there for a second before the rest of the herd showed up.
Since they had no idea we were within miles. At the shot they followed their escape plan without knowing we were standing in it. In a split second we went from standing peaceful to looking for a way out. At the last second, the lead cow took the herd off the road and through the gulch below. A great deal like a western movie with charging buffalo. It takes a second to get your heart slowed down.
The cow shot died nicely on the skid road above us. I chastised my partner for road hunting, shooting from a road and killing an elk on a public right of way even though there hasn't been a vehicle on those roads since the 80s.
Our hunting commonly contains unknowns if for no other reason - we are on horses. This year as we rode in on an old logging road we came around a corner and rode into a herd of elk feeding on the hillside. My partner was ahead of me and bailed off and pulled his rifle. I backed him up by gathering the lead ropes and pulled horses together. He walked up the road for a better view and picked out a nice fat cow standing broadside about 70 yds away and punched a hole in her. She disappeared in the trees and we just stood there for a second before the rest of the herd showed up.
Since they had no idea we were within miles. At the shot they followed their escape plan without knowing we were standing in it. In a split second we went from standing peaceful to looking for a way out. At the last second, the lead cow took the herd off the road and through the gulch below. A great deal like a western movie with charging buffalo. It takes a second to get your heart slowed down.
The cow shot died nicely on the skid road above us. I chastised my partner for road hunting, shooting from a road and killing an elk on a public right of way even though there hasn't been a vehicle on those roads since the 80s.
