Elk On Your Own

The Backcountry Drop-Camp Experience.

- Joe Byers

Elk hunting is one of the grandest ad-ventures in the mountain west. A drop camp cuts cost drastically, accelerates adventure and provides the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

As the first hint of dawn crept down through the thinning leaves of the aspen grove, I switched off my headlamp and navigated the final quarter-mile toward what had become known as “Bump’s log.” My good friend and fellow elk hunter with the unusual nickname had scored on successive years from that location, and the fallen trunk in a deep canyon held the promise of success. Settling against the rotting timber, I scanned an opposing ridge, catching a glimpse of a creamy elk hide – the normal sign of a bull. Scarcely believing my good fortune, I turned my rifle scope to 14x and steadied the rifle for the 300-yard shot. The bull was moving between evergreen patches, and my heart pounded in anticipation.

The sound of elk hooves pounding down the mountain were suddenly heard from behind me, as if some cattle stampede had broken out. Turning quickly, a bull elk was spotted racing through the scattered aspen, its heavy beams the sign of a mature bull. In seconds, the animal was racing past, and I shouldered the rifle only to see a scope filled with brown. Swinging the rifle like a bird gun, a shot was fired, the report causing the animal to stop. Working the action of the Ruger American rifle, I centered the reticle on its shoulder and fired again.

The bull was gone in seconds, and my mind swirled in near disbelief. The standing-shot sight picture had looked good, and I soon found the bull lying just over a rise, 100 yards away.