Age and Altitude, Not An Obstacle

 

It was the last morning of the hunt and he was both grateful and excited to see some snow. At age 75 and after hunting for 60 years, Cameron Stewart was after his first elk. He had his cow tag for the fall season of 2007, for area 7, in the Laramie Peak Region of the Medicine Bow National Forrest in Wyoming. He was hunting with his daughter, Jodi, and his son, Garon, and with his Browning 30.06 automatic, shooting 180 grain. He had hunted 5 days prior to this morning; the first 3 opening days in October and now he was in his 3^rd morning in November, the day before Thanksgiving. There had been no snow prior to this day and the elk had been grazing and bedding higher up. He had seen some smaller herds the past 2 days but just too far up and out of shooting range. The altitude, 8000 plus feet, can be tough for any hunter, and it seemed those elk knew that and were just not going to coming down.  But on this particular morning, it was cold at 18°F and about 2 inches of snow had fallen. He set out like the other mornings, sitting beside Jodi, who was driving a Kawasaki Mule and with Garon perched in the back as the look out. After about 1.5 miles along Grouse Creek, they were driving out of an aspen grove when Garon pounded on the roof. This only meant one thing, there were elk in the meadow that lay about 200 yards ahead. It is true that snow can be a blessing, but it can also be your enemy when it makes a stalk seem useless when the snow crunching beneath your feet is so loud it is like a blow horn announcing to the elk that you are coming.  As quietly as they could go, they were able to make their way into the tree line where the first range came at 350 yards, but Cameron wanted a little closer. As they started nearer, the elk were alarmed and started running. It was one of those moments where your heart is beating so fast, knowing you have just seconds left to pick a target and shoot. Luckily, there were 3 cows and 2 calves lagging behind and it was that last cow at 304 yards that would be Cameron’s first elk.  What a smile after 60 years of hunting! That first elk can do that to a hunter, even at age 75!