Shawn Carlock
Sponsor
Dad\'s first elk
I have been preparing all summer for a hunting trip that had all of the makings of a hunt to remember. Last year my dad told me that he wanted to shoot an elk before he got old enough that hiking the big country was to much. Sounded like a mission to me. I have some pretty good hunting areas for elk and since dad said any bull would be fine I wasn't worried about finding one. The problem where I hunt is, most areas to effectively hunt you need to have the ability to hit the long ball in your bag. My dad is and has been a great benchrest shooter for as long as I can remember. He has in the last 5 or 6 years taken an interest in long range shooting and varmint hunting. My plan was to get him inside of 800 yards of a bull to shoot and let him drill one with a 338 Edge ( I know a guy that has one ). I spent most of the summer teaching long range hunting classes and shooting long range competition. I felt very confident about my abilities to call wind, elevation etc. I knew dad could snap a trigger and was up to speed on the long range program in general. October 9th the evening before opening day we setup camp and went to glass a old burn we intended to hunt. We spotted a couple of cow elk and a nice 5 x 5 bull. Taking note on location, direction and time we were optimistic about opening evening. Opening day went well with my hunting buddy taking a muledeer buck at just over 700 yards. Dad and I set out for a ridge that would put us 500-700 yards from where the elk had entered the burn the night before. It was a short 2 mile hike down a canyon to the base of the finger ridge we had to hike up, to get in to position. We poked around and found a spot to take up a suitable position to shoot from. I set down my 338 Edge put a drop chart and spare ammo beside it, & got my range finder out. Dad started to get into a prone position he liked. I had just picked up the binos whan I spotted a spike bull break from the timber within feet of where the 3 elk had come from the night before. Dad settled in position, I called it at 563 yards, called 9.50 moa elevation, zero windage. Dad confirmed up 9.5 and 0 wind. I confirmed and told him I would stop the elk and he could "send it". I gave a short bark and the bull stopped broadside with a slight quarter away and looked in out direction. Dad fired the 338 and watched the impact and short 20 foot run (it was more like a couple of hops) before it piled up. When we got to the bull the effects of the 300 gr SMK were dramatic a perfect heart shot, entrance was standard but the exit hole you could almost get a hand through. Quite impressive. Dad was pretty excited about the whole event and even more excited that I had told him I'd pack it out. My hunting buddy's Jr., Brandon, & Ryan all helped out making a tough job much easier (good hunting buddy's are hard to find). It was a great treat for me because I don't get to do much for my dad and he has always done so much for me. Hope this season treats everyone else as well, as me.
I have been preparing all summer for a hunting trip that had all of the makings of a hunt to remember. Last year my dad told me that he wanted to shoot an elk before he got old enough that hiking the big country was to much. Sounded like a mission to me. I have some pretty good hunting areas for elk and since dad said any bull would be fine I wasn't worried about finding one. The problem where I hunt is, most areas to effectively hunt you need to have the ability to hit the long ball in your bag. My dad is and has been a great benchrest shooter for as long as I can remember. He has in the last 5 or 6 years taken an interest in long range shooting and varmint hunting. My plan was to get him inside of 800 yards of a bull to shoot and let him drill one with a 338 Edge ( I know a guy that has one ). I spent most of the summer teaching long range hunting classes and shooting long range competition. I felt very confident about my abilities to call wind, elevation etc. I knew dad could snap a trigger and was up to speed on the long range program in general. October 9th the evening before opening day we setup camp and went to glass a old burn we intended to hunt. We spotted a couple of cow elk and a nice 5 x 5 bull. Taking note on location, direction and time we were optimistic about opening evening. Opening day went well with my hunting buddy taking a muledeer buck at just over 700 yards. Dad and I set out for a ridge that would put us 500-700 yards from where the elk had entered the burn the night before. It was a short 2 mile hike down a canyon to the base of the finger ridge we had to hike up, to get in to position. We poked around and found a spot to take up a suitable position to shoot from. I set down my 338 Edge put a drop chart and spare ammo beside it, & got my range finder out. Dad started to get into a prone position he liked. I had just picked up the binos whan I spotted a spike bull break from the timber within feet of where the 3 elk had come from the night before. Dad settled in position, I called it at 563 yards, called 9.50 moa elevation, zero windage. Dad confirmed up 9.5 and 0 wind. I confirmed and told him I would stop the elk and he could "send it". I gave a short bark and the bull stopped broadside with a slight quarter away and looked in out direction. Dad fired the 338 and watched the impact and short 20 foot run (it was more like a couple of hops) before it piled up. When we got to the bull the effects of the 300 gr SMK were dramatic a perfect heart shot, entrance was standard but the exit hole you could almost get a hand through. Quite impressive. Dad was pretty excited about the whole event and even more excited that I had told him I'd pack it out. My hunting buddy's Jr., Brandon, & Ryan all helped out making a tough job much easier (good hunting buddy's are hard to find). It was a great treat for me because I don't get to do much for my dad and he has always done so much for me. Hope this season treats everyone else as well, as me.
