Elk camp 2021
Heart pounding, adrenaline dumping, blood pumping through my veins with an uncanny clear focus, alert of my surroundings having a solid drive and determination. The message pulsing through my entire being as I advanced up the mountain in a run still carrying rifle, hunting pack and bino pack,
“There is no way I’m losing this elk!!!” The picture of my children back at home in camp flashed before my eyes. I knew nothing else, but I had to bring home meat for my children.
It happened in June just 4 months prior when everything changed for me. I got the eviction notice that I had a couple weeks to vacate the premises of our rental. No reason, as I did ask along with a plea to extend the time so I could try and get my children into a house which was refused. My children and I had finally started going in a healthy, steady, and stable direction. It had taken over a year of relying on family members allowing us to live in their camp trailer, then small apartment above a shop, then back into a different camp trailer because that home had sold before we found this rental. We occupied this home for a year and half, never late on payments, and without warning the rug pulled out from beneath me again. (I did discover that during the 2021 timeframe many families were kicked out of their long leases and rentals without much notice) I frantically searched for homes but knew the slim chance of finding one in time was close to impossible. It came down to the wire and after reaching out to strangers on FB was able to get help loading my things on a trailer, and with no place left to go, headed back up on the mountain at my parents’ property. With a quick search on Craigslist, I got ahold of a 16x18 canvas wall tent and stove. Thus began my 6 children and I living in camp in a wall tent!!
I continued training physically utilizing an online app and strength training program called Semper Stronger which was a lifeline for me in my bleak situation. My coach at the time, Rebecca Rouse, was and is, an incredible support and positive influence on my life. I was determined to focus on discipline both to get through my current struggles and be ready for this backcountry hunt scheduled with Mike Lee. He was very engaged in helping me through the whole process. I learned the importance of proper gear, how to withstand the elements, went on several hikes including a backpacking trip in the high elevation terrain we were going to be hunting in along with shooting different rifles chambered in various cartridges. Lots and lots of shooting and learning how to dial the turret on my scope, gauging and calculating for wind, shooting as far as 1400 yards and all in between while hitting the target. Also worked to get comfortable under pressure utilizing whatever I had for a rifle rest or shooting support to be as precise as possible which would increase my odds at harvesting an elk.
The first three days of our hunt were such an eye opener for me. I had learned that I was one of the “lucky ones” who delt with high elevation sickness on our backpacking/scouting trip earlier in the summer and we planned to arrive a couple days beforehand to set up elk camp which helped my body adjust. We arrived in balmy 65-degree weather. Two days later on the day of the opener, temps dropped and stormy weather moved in! It was a full-on blizzard with wind, fog, and freezing temps. For the first three days into our hunt it was rising before the sun, hiking in the dark, dealing with extreme cold temps and the elements then hiking back in the dark, eating, hitting the hay only to repeat again the next day. There was one night as the wind howled it blew the pipe out of the stove. I jumped out of bed grabbed, the pipe, and shoved it back into the stove. It was difficult sleeping with such high winds for me as it created an underlying sense of fear and panic. .
Out in the field I learned the importance of getting into position and dialing for yardage on my turret real quick as elk do not wait around. I missed several opportunities to harvest my first elk due to the steep learning curve that comes with hunting the high country.
This last day of the hunt proved no different weather wise, with a blustery blizzard, low visibility, and now a good couple feet of snow to trudge through. We got into elk and followed fresh tracks the whole day without much but distant views of elk! Nearing the end of shooting hours, I was feeling pretty defeated and discouraged, but my training and pursuit of discipline kicked in as did my determination to give it my all to the very end. This paid off!! With about 30 min left of daylight we happened upon 2 bulls on the opposite ridge. They started jogging and without hesitation I pulled up my rifle, every bit of gear still on, took an offhand shot 300 yards away he dropped!
All the hard work, energy, effort, perseverance and dedication to push through every obstacle to get to this point came to call. I realized that my shot was not a lethal one and the elk was moving again, I was hit with a barrage of emotions, failure, I don’t have what it takes, I am not providing for my kids, I will never succeed, you name it. Then something rose up from deep within. I took a quick glance at Mike, but no words needed to be spoken. Instinct took over and I raced up the mountain, quickly closing the distance. The cold thin air bit at my lungs but sheer determination allowed me to push on, despite feeling as though I was running out of fuel.
About halfway from where I shot to where I last saw the bull, I stopped, took a couple breaths, dropped all my gear to shed weight, and continued on. I had only my rifle and wild spirit determined to face all the giants and obstacles in the world that would ever deny me the chance of keeping my children’s bellies from hunger. In that moment all my doubts, fears, and inabilities were drowned out by my reason why I don’t give in to adversity and rise above it. In that moment I was my native American ancestors, or Irish country folk, like William Wallace raising the Scottish flag sprinting up the mountain range in the Scottish Highlands screaming “FREEDOM!!”
Out of nowhere I felt as if I was hit with a superpower. I sprinted the remaining 50 yards to try and get a shot to expire the elk. I arrived in a point of clear view, shouldered my rifle and for a brief instant considered the fleeting opportunity staring me in the face. In the mountains, so many things can go wrong and hinder success and potentially ruin a hunt. “I need to get this right and make a sound shot, hit my target, and make a clean kill.”, I thought to myself. I fired the shot and watched the bull fall. After everything I had been through on this trip, and back at camp where my children and I were living on the mountain in a tent, I was in disbelief that I actually succeeded in shooting an elk. It’s like my mind wasn’t fully processing what I just accomplished. Mike was incredibly excited and supportive as he had been up until this moment, and I just couldn’t believe it was true.
As I closed the distance between me and the bull elk, I was overcome with emotion. Although I had just defeated more obstacles both physically and mentally in the last 5 days than I can describe in words and was successful in bringing down a magnificent creature, I felt instant pain in taking a life. I knelt and could not help but reach out and touch his mane, as a tear fell down my cheek. I thanked God for providing meat to feed my children and I thanked the elk for giving his life, so my children were fed.
This meant more to me than I even realized. I had to take a moment to feel all the emotions I was getting hit with as my mind was catching up with my body and I felt a bit frozen in time. Then the reality and responsibility of the next step jolted me back to the present and I began the process called “quartering the elk” in preparation to packing it out and down the mountain.
As the expression goes “there’s many ways to skin a cat” (I never quite understood this btw as I don’t know anyone who skins a cat) Mike began to teach me the “gutless method” Since we were so far back in the mountains this has worked best for Mike in previous hunts and makes the most sense. We proceeded to skin the elk one half at a time, remove each quarter, (that being the front and rear leg) in such a way that includes all the muscle tissue associated with each quarter. We then cut and removed the neck meat down to the shoulder, removed the backstrap (known as filet mignon on a beef), and finally very carefully removed the tenderloin which lies under the spine right in front of the pelvis. The tenderloins are easy to get to when you’ve gutted an animal but are challenging when you use the gutless method. However, we feel it’s worth it to not have to remove all the entrails and risk contaminating the meat in the process. We then flipped the elk to the other side and repeated the above process.
Skinning an animal and processing the quarters and packaging meat was not new to me. For many years prior, about 13, I had raised a plethora of animals on a small self-sufficient farm with which it provided meat, milk, eggs and quality learning experience for my children and me. I processed all the deer that I harvested as well through that time and even helped family members with theirs. Surprisingly enough this was the first time I had ever done it using the gutless method! It was also the first ever hiking in the backcountry with the intention of packing meat out on my back! Meeting Mike at the beginning of the year and learning something I have always wanted to learn was not without challenges and excitement. It took many hours shooting, training physically, lots of hiking, and a backpacking excursion in the summer to prepare for this hunt! I was still leaning heavily on Mikes knowledge base in so many areas, his skill, and years of experience in the backcountry. It’s one thing to overcome hiking in the dark in the morning and coming back to base camp in the dark, but suddenly, I was facing packing meat on my back in the dark trudging through deep snow in grizzly bear country with blood running down my back.
I tried not to think about it too much and took each step in this whole hunting experience as it came and right now it was to get the meat off the elk and in protective and breathable meat bags, ready to go! We couldn’t help but feel the pressure as the temps were dropping sitting in the low 20’s with some wind, thankfully for the first time on our trip the weather was cooperating, and the skies were clear! Out came the flashlights and headlamps as we worked diligently in the dark, fully aware and alert of any predators. We also pulled out our heavy puffy coats from our pack as our bodies were not moving enough to keep warm otherwise in the high-altitude cold conditions.
After what seemed like forever, we finally had all quarters and loose meat in their designated meat bags (we absolutely love our Caribou Gear meat bags and highly recommend!) and were ready to get moving again! Mike and I each grabbed a quarter and added to our pack then hung the rest in a tree along with the antlered skull to retrieve in the morning. Mike helped me get the pack on my back, then we grabbed our trekking poles and headed down the mountain!
At this point the extreme exhaustion from our full 4-day backcountry hunt, fighting the elements, and lack of sleep had hit. Just today we had already hiked 7 miles trekking in knee high snow through blizzard conditions up and down steep mountain terrain gaining more than 3,000 feet in elevation cumulatively, reaching the highest point of 8,700ft tracking elk. There are almost 2 more miles to go carrying the now much heavier packs. The adrenaline had worn off and sheer exhaustion had officially affected my body and mind. We had run out of water early in the day and were so determined to hunt that we did not think much about it.
I discovered how dehydrated I had become, feeling nauseous and sick to my stomach as was Mike. We stopped briefly to decide what our next step was. As I was looking over the map on OnX I saw a spring not far and showed Mike. Feeling the need to keep moving we quickly decided to drop our packs and head over to the spring! Mike pulled out his Potable Aqua Iodine tablets, dropped them in the bottles after filling them with water from the spring and headed back to grab our packs. These water purification tablets come in two tiny bottles of tablets. The first tablet to use is Iodine and the second is a neutralizer which, after a prescribed timeframe, stops the reaction and reduces the taste of iodine. We followed the directions and also added some flavored hydration packs to the water, and it not only tasted “OK”, it was delicious. I wouldn’t say it was a “life saver”, but it certainly made our lives way better at that moment. Mike stated that he had carried those tablets around for years and never had a need for them, until now. It goes to show that an ounce of prevention is worth a liter of cure!
I felt so overwhelmed by the many fearful thoughts and emotions along with my body feeling so depleted and sick while having never experienced this type of hunt before the world seemed like it was closing in on me. I started crying certain that at any moment a grizzly bear was going to viscously tear into me and keep me from getting home to my children!! Mike very lovingly and calmly soothed my fears, and I was able to regain composure, logic, and focus. I was again excited to continue the first packout adventure I had ever been on. I chose to trust and just figured everyone went through this on their first hunt and it was all part of the process!!! Looking back now I realize logic was slim pickings at this point in the game as it was now early morning and going on 1 am!
The rest of the night was a bit of a blur, and thankfully no other humans observed as I looked and felt a little deranged finding myself singing out loud nursery rhymes and humming to keep my mind off the awful fears and the heavy weight on my back! I actually don’t remember getting to the truck or the tent. I do know that it happened and woke up the next morning! Mike and I ate a quick breakfast, got geared up, lightened our packs, and headed to the trailhead to get the remains of my elk meat!
Getting back on the trail with the purpose of grabbing meat bags filled with meat brought a smile to my face, making my steps lighter, and gratitude spilled over in my heart. I was not coming home empty handed. I could see the smile on my children’s faces. Even though the packs were heavier, and the hike back was against the wind, I could not stop from smiling! Climbing up that last hill, the truck stood like a beacon of hope that the hard part of our adventure was almost over (like a lighthouse in the midst of my storm).
We headed back to our hunting camp, packed up the rest of our things, said goodbye to the badger that was digging holes around our tent and made the 7-hour drive back to Mike’s house. I then loaded my Duraburb (3/4-ton Suburban retrofitted with a Duramax Diesel engine) with my belongings, elk meat, said goodbye to Mike and with great excitement made the 2-and-a-half-hour drive to my camp eager to see my children’s faces!
I made it to camp and after all the hugging and squeals of joy, my children gathered before me with wide eyes, captivated hearts and attention. I told them the story of my great adventure going on my first elk hunt!!!!