February 8th, 2010
got home yesterday beat tired…
day one after sleeping in we see 4 cows on a property we had rights to hunt when passing by to go to the other property with the bulls. When gettign there we’re told the elk already left for the hills and come earlier the next morning. So we go back to the farm im staying at and the kids goof around in the snow and feed the horses etc…next morning we sneak out and half way to our blind we set up the day previous 200 yards away from were they cross every night and morning, we see the silhouettes of the bulls walking off. I dont think they heard us because they aren’t running off…we sit down and wait til day break just in case there were any other elk at the bails..nada. The rest of the day we drive around and see all the wildlife (1 lynx, wolves, moose, deer) and go snowmobiling at the ranch. The next morning we go into the field a different route and 5 ft from the blind we hear them chirping and moving around (still dark) at day break there not there…they went a different route off the field…so we decide to go for a cow instead. We go to the two other properties i had permission for and were we seen the cows previous. The first property nothing, the second property the elk ran off full boar when we stopped and i wasn’t having my daughter and friend shoot into a crowd of elk. After that we start hunting crown land hoping something will still be moving. After a few hours we decide to turn around and make our way out and that’s when i spotted 10 elk feeding WAY far off. Me my buddy and our kids made the hard trek in the 2-3ft of snow. ( I forgot to take my backpack) Now roughly 500yards out 6 elk watch us and start to take off. Four of the other elk were still feeding so i told my buddy and the kids that we need to get to the crest of the next hill and shoot the elk from there off the stumps i estimated to be 400 yards from the opening. With the 30degree angle and deep snow had to move before the others made it past the opening with the others. By time we got there they were in the opening watching us..i told my daughter to aim at the back line behind the shoulder, waiting for the 3-2-fire from my buddy he tell his daughter to fire, miss! ashley panics thinking he chance is has gone and trys to find hers. They are standing there dumb founded, she fires again -leg shot it falls down the 30 degree. The elk scramble and stop for a second farther up. I tell ashley to calm down and stay steady and exhale slowly and fire. She fires i hear a SLAP… The shot hit the cow in the middle right behind the shoulder! (30-06 168gr) the young cow stands there running in circles then makes its slide down to the trees dead. I knew she could make the shot, she practices allot at the range took a deer last year with a 200 yard neck shot off a bi pod . So we hike in to the top to get our animals, Ashley and i find her young cow elk, Ashley begins to cry is overwhelmed and gives thanks to her young elk. I teared up and congratulated her…we sit down and and waiting for my buddy and his daughter to find there cow. A few more shots later it was dead….:o i then realize i forgot the camera and my knife 
actually worked out…its slide easier on that angle, we even got ran over by it a few times too 