Looking intently up the steep slope Todd Jones whispered "Last cow, 150
yards", a relaxed urgency in his voice. Todd's words escaped through a
frozen beard that hid everything except the glint in his eyes.
The cross hairs on the Leuopold scope held steady behind the elk's
shoulder. To be in this space in time, a long road had been traveled.
After not drawing a Wyoming bull elk tag for three years running, Ralph
Hammer "discovered" the late season cow hunt (thanks to a not so subtle
hint from Todd Jones, owner/outfitter of Paintrock Adventures.) Having
successfully hunted the early bull elk season on the East Fork of the
Wind River in 1997 Ralph was beyond anxious to get back with Todd. An
earlier hunt in Montana for the 2000 season did not yield an elk and the
pressure was on as the Hammer family freezer in Northern California was
searching its soul for elk steaks. Of course, Ralph's wife Linda's
parting words were "Don't come home without an elk for the freezer,
honey!"
In addition to hunting the extraordinary Absaroka Mountains, this was a
hunt of a lifetime. The first father-son elk hunt for Ralph and his son
Ian. Actually, Todd had invited Ian to join his father and "Come along
for the walk!" Ian discovered the wonderful exhilaration of hunting elk
in this awesome wilderness area. Because of the reduced outfitter fees
for a cow hunt, Ralph was able to include his son as a nonhunting guest.
Ian was in heaven and it was the most memorable time in the mountains
ever for this father and son.
4:00AM opening day greeted the hunters with a dark blast of frigid air
as they opened the Trails End Motel room door to the deserted streets of
Dubois, a historic Wyoming cowboy town north of the Oregon Trail and
current home of the Rockie Mountain Big Horn Sheep Refuge. (After 1868
Dubois was a major source of timber, supplying ties for the railroads.
Timber would be cut in the mountains during the winter and as the snow
melted the loggers would float the cut logs down the rushing mountain
streams. These were called "log drives". The loggers had a deservedly
wild reputation as a result of their cavorting in Dubois after spending
the entire winter trapped in the mountains. One can now only imagine
this town in its heyday.)
At 5:30 AM Todd pulled the Dodge diesel pickup to a halt overlooking
the Castlerock drainage and spoke the fateful words "We'll just take a
look and then continue on to the trail head."
Take a look they did and at the first hint of grey in the sky a herd of
elk was spotted two ridges away. "Let's take a walk!" On this first
morning, Ian discovered the beauty and thrill of elk hunting.
The elk were only about a mile and a half away as the crow flies but
more like three and a half miles when traversing the ridges and valleys
of the drainage. As the hunters strained to meet the challenges of the
terrain, Jones simply glided effortlessly along, strolling with his
thumbs caught in the pockets of his Malone wool pants. Being the
gentleman he is, Todd would stop at comfortable intervals so that his
clients could catch there breath by squeezing the oxygen molecules out
of the 9000 foot altitude's thin atmosphere. A hunter must be in
excellent physical shape to get to where these elk live.
After two hours the small group of hunters approached the last stand of
trees that stood between them and the elk. The setup for the shot was
only 100 yards away when, on the final approach, the wind shifted to
their backs carrying the human scent uphill to the elk on strong gusts.
Ian watched as the elk exhibited a good set of heels and trotted over
the ridge into parts known only to them. Still, it was a thrill being
onto elk this early in the hunt. Two hours later after an exhilarating
walk, everyone was back at the truck and heading for the Paintrock
Adventures winter camp at the trail head to the Absaroka Mountain
Wilderness.
The afternoon brought the hunters to other ridges on horseback with
shorter walks, but no elk. As the sun started to set, the temperature
dropped, the wind picked up and snow began falling. As the hunters
finally approached camp in the dark, Ian looked like a snowman riding a
horse.........a very happy snowman!
After dinner at the Cowboy Cafe in Dubois a hot shower was in order and
greatly enjoyed. Much different than living in early season elk camp for
a week without the luxury of running hot water.
4:00 AM came and the hunters were in the rhythm and out the door. By
5:30 AM Ralph and Ian were making the last preparations with their
horses and mounting up. The night was clear and cold. Todd had spent the
night in camp and with his propane heater was able to get his tent to
warm up to a balmy 8 degrees!
Dawn came clear and cold. After several miles in the saddle, Ralph
dismounted and lead his horse in order to burn some calories and warm
up. Several yards ahead Todd was also on foot leading his horse,
"Moose". Ralph saw his guide spot something through the trees, up the
steep mountainside to the west. Before Todd could turn and motion, Ralph
had removed his Sako .338 Winchester Magnum from its rifle scabbard and
was at his side.
Todd whispered, "Last cow, 150 yards". Ralph held the cross hairs
behind her shoulder and evenly squeezed the trigger. The cow absolutely
collapsed and tumbled downhill. Ralph kept the cow in his scope but she
never got up again, just kept tumbling. "Good shot" Jones offered
enthusiastically. But the biggest reward was the bear hug from Ian.
The elk was cleaned, quartered and expertly skinned by Todd. This elk
had the most beautiful coat of any that Ralph has harvested and is at
the taxidermist's tanning facility. It will make a wonderful trophy and
will bring back special memories.
The Absaroka Mountains have the same awe inspiring majesty whether
hunting bulls or cows. It just may be that these mountains appear even
more magnificent when covered with snow during the cow season. Such a
fantastic place to be. Drawing a cow tag is as close to a sure thing as
you're ever going to find. The fee for a cow hunt with Paintrock
Adventures is a fraction of the fee of a bull hunt. A father-son hunt
can be done for less cost than a single bull hunt. There is very little
hunting pressure on any of Paintrock Adventures elk hunts but during the
cow hunt you are truly alone in the wilderness.
Wyoming law dictates that all nonresidents hunting in wilderness areas
engage the services of a licensed guide. Paintrock Adventures meets that
criteria and more! A hunter is truly touching the old west when in the
presence of Todd Jones. He carries the soul of Wyoming in his heart and
the thrill of the hunt in the twinkle of his eyes. Todd does know where
the elk are and if the hunter is willing and able, he'll put him with
the elk. He is one of those special people with a sixth sense, "animal
sense". Is a cow hunt as physically demanding as a bull hunt? You bet it
is, maybe more due to the weather. Is it as rewarding as a bull hunt?
You bet it is, maybe more because there is no contest when it comes to
which animal offers the very best meat!
Ralph will continue to put in for a bull tag with a second backup
choice for a cow tag. Ian will put in for a cow tag this year, he is
solidly hooked on elk hunting now and the cow hunt fits his budget (he's
invited dad to "come along for the walk.") One thing is for sure, Ralph
and Ian will always be hunting elk with Todd Jones in the Absarokas
every year now that they have "discovered" the cow season!
