Recap – 2009 Elk Season

I’m not sure what I can say to properly put this season into words. I hope Jonathan Hart (Sitka Gear) doesn’t mind me stealing a word from his vocabulary, but “Epic” seems to fit. It was a crazy season. Our original goal was to go as hard and as far away from other hunters as possible, being prepared for multiple day bivy hunts to make it happen. With the scary events of Saturday September 5th, our plans changed drastically. At that point, I was just hoping and praying I’d be able to make it back into the mountains and make a feable attempt at calling in a bull for Donnie and Dave. My second Idaho elk tag seemed to be a waste of money that would most likely never see the outside of my daypack, and honestly, had that been the case I would have been OK with it.

Thanks to great friends and family who wouldn’t allow me to just throw in the towel and write the season off, we got back after the elk, slightly delayed, but back in the mountains none-the-less. The whole hunting season still seems like a blur, but the pictures and videos bring it all back with intense clarity. It was a season to remember. I’m sitting here 8 days later, still in disbelief. Donnie and Dave made it a ton of fun. The good Lord made it possible. My awesome wife Jennifer, who puts up with a lot during a “normal” elk season, is an angel.

Although we’ll likely not be able to enjoy the same kind of success we enjoyed this season, we’ll be back out there again next season chasing these awesome animals. And the season after. And the season after that… 🙂 To everyone who’s send well-wishes the past week, thank you. To everyone who’s sent pictures of their elk hunts, congrats! To those who’ve sent stories of disappointment, keep after it! To those who haven’t been up to chase elk yet, good luck!

Here is Dave’s summary of Elk Season 2009:

“The 2009 elk season was one that is hard to express in words… The emotions we felt, times we shared, and friendships that were fortified all came together to form one impressive experience & story.  This experience is one that I will cherish for many years to come.

 Sure, being able to harvest three six point bulls in a 24 hour period with archery tackle on public land is impressive.  I learned more about elk hunting during that week than I could have in 10 years making mistakes on my own.  For this “education” I am grateful.  However, to me the memory that stands out will be that of overcoming setback, staying positive, and working as a team to accomplish one common goal.  I’ll never forget how excited we all were for each other’s success, and how hard everyone worked to make that success happen.  Does elk hunting really matter?  Yes, it matters a great deal.  However, there are things that matter much more.  Fortunately, we are able to experience all of these things at the same time during the 2009 elk season.  One that I will never forget!”

And from Donnie:

“WOW! What a year! The 09 elk season started on the trip home from Arizona last fall after Corey shot a bull of a lifetime. We put a plan in place to make the 09 season a season to remember by committing each other to prepare ourselves mentally and physically. I definitely learned that things don’t always follow the course you plan and when they don’t go as you plan it seems to work out for the better. Well this elk hunting season has surely exceeded what I thought we would accomplish!

 Trying to recap this season leaves one at a loss for words, the first two days of the season started out pouring rain and the last two days of the season found pouring elk. We had quite a few setups that didn’t turn out quite like we hoped but finding yourself within 100 yards of a screaming bull elk is reward enough to keep plugging away. The look on Dave’s face after having his first full draw experience of the season was great. Even without a shot the adrenalin rush you get when that bull has finally had enough of Corey’s badmouthing and comes screaming in to fight is as intense as it gets.

 I figured that when we encountered the bull that I missed last year in the exact same spot that I was being given a second chance to close the deal on him. Hiking and chasing the other bull that day left me daydreaming and thinking of how great a great story it would be to come back a year later and finish the story right. I was wrong! The story that unfolded played out much better to say the least.  

 All the camp time, hiking time, and time in between with hunting partners and good friends is what has been most rewarding. Our teamwork and friendship were raised to a new level and we were rewarded with an experience that will be hard to top. I can’t thank Corey and Dave enough for all the drive, determination, planning, support and time that each gave towards making this season happen.

 Looking forward to what next year brings, we have some preparing to do fella’s!”

Here is some awesome footage Donnie captured of a nice little 5X5 he called in the morning after we all left elk camp…

P.S. We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries about how we take care of our elk in the field, specifically, the gutless method of quartering. We videoed the entire process on my bull this year, and hope to have an edited DVD put together soon!

Also, if you aren’t already signed up, go to the contact page and get on our e-mail list. It’s a great way to stay up to date with current contests, events, and semi-live hunts!