Burning lungs, blisters and bulls....Not to mention a swollen left knee. That's what you get when two old flat-footed Iowans head out to the higher elevations of western Wyoming to chase giant rocky mountain bull elk. That said, this turned out to be one of those hunts of a lifetime. One in which we hope to continue to do as long and often as our bodies allow.
Being from the upper Midwest, Bill and I cut our teeth on hunting whitetails an turkeys. There's no place like home when it comes to chasing those cagey old mature bucks. However, the older we get the more we feel the need to venture out of our element and try and add a few of the other trophies that call this great country home. Bull elk have been on our list of to dos but have basically kicked our butts each time we've tried to bring one home. This hunt turned out no different than the others as far as filling the freezer goes but was no doubt the closest we've come thus far.
It all started about a year ago when Bill contacted outfitter Tedd Jenkins of Jenkins Hunting Camps in Freedom WY. Tedd told Bill that he, his wife Christy along with his brother in law and sister Brian and Maurie Erickson had just recently purchased the business from his parents Larry and Shirley Jenkins. He also said that they specialize in big bull elk along with Shiras moose, bear, antelope and some of the best Mulies in the lower forty-eight. It worked out that we were able to book the hunt for prime time in the elk rut Sept. 20th-25th. Things were set and it couldn't get here soon enough. Bill and I prepared ourselves for the hunt by biking and hiking as much as possible.
When time finally arrived for the hunt we started things off by heading to ST. Louis for the annual Drury Outdoors meeting and Shoot to Thrill Awards banquet. It was great to see all the guys and get fired up for the upcoming season. In order to get to camp for our first mornings hunt we said our goodbyes and left the hotel at 2:30 AM to make the long 22 hr butt-kicking drive to western WY. We arrived at 11:30 PM Mountain time at camp. The next five days were filled with encounter after encounter as well as breath taking beauty of the Bridger national forest. We saw and videoed elk, Shiras moose, antelope, and mulies. We stayed in heated wall tents and rode in on horseback for a couple day's hunts. We ate like kings and hiked it all off during the day. There was no time to waste as Tedd and Larry kept us at from dawn to dusk to try and make this hunt successful. I can't say we've ever met an outfitter more sincere and prepared to do what it took to make our hunt the best it could be, and we definitely got our moneys worth on this one. We would both like to thank them for all they did and let them know what an awesome experience it was. Regardless of all our efforts, Bill was unable to take his bull on this hunt but you can bet we'll be back again next year for another try. This time I'll be in front of the camera with PSE in hand to try for my first ever Rocky Mountain Elk.
PS. Anyone interested in any of the big game hunts they have to offer, contact Tedd through his website www.jenkinshunt.com.
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