Randy Craley- 2003 Elk Hunt
In September 2003 my friend Brad
and I flew to Grande Praire to hunt elk with Wild Kakwa Outfitters.
When we arrived at Grand Prairie, we were met by Rita Houweling,
who thoughtfully took us to a hotel to rest after a long day of
traveling from Pennsylvania. The next morning Rita picked us up
at the hotel, along with Ed from New York, who was to be the third
member of our party. We then met Rick Houweling and Mel, our Elk
guides, who had just returned from making the final preparations
for our arrival. After a lunch prepared by Rita, we loaded our gear
and left for what Mel called "The Bush." We then road
for two hours to Mel's home. At his home, the gear was transferred
to quads and we rode for another hour and a half to the site of
our camp. The seclusion of camp let me know we were truly in the
wilderness of Alberta. This only served to enhance my excitement
for the coming week and my chance to enjoy the Canadian backwoods
as few ever do.
It was decided that Ed would be hunting with Rick and Brad and I
would hunt with Mel. It didn't take long to realize that Mel new
elk. In fact, I later said, "Mel knew what the elk were going
to do before they did." Clearly, Mel was an experienced guide
and hunter. When we left at daybreak, Mel began calling elk immediately
and within 300 yards of camp. As the day progressed, we saw numerous
cow elk and smaller bulls, along with several moose and deer. Around
11:00, we heard an elk bugle. This peaked my excitement immediately,
but with disappointment, we soon realized that the bull was across
the river. Later in the day we saw a large 6x6 bull and his cows,
but they also were on the other side of the river. Despite the fact
that we had only seen large elk from across the water, just knowing
they were near managed to stir up our enthusiasm. I could finally
begin to realistically imagine coming home with a prize elk. In
fact, when we returned to camp, we discovered that Ed had taken
a nice 4x5 bull.
The next morning, Brad, Mel, and I left camp. Mel again began cow
calling and bugling immediately after leaving camp. At around 8:30
a bull answered. Seemingly out of nowhere, a different bull with
a low, heavy bugle answered Mel. Brad was the first one who saw
the large bull. Brad could have eaily taken him, but he had earlier
agreed that I could have the first shot. When I got the impressive
bull in my scope I realized he was a real trophy. He continued coming
right to Mel's cow calling. This gave me ample time for a clean
shot. When we reached him, we saw he was a heavy-horned 7x7. It
was then time to take photos and celebrate the excitement of this
impressive kill. We then removed the head and cape and left for
camp. Because of the remoteness of location where the elk was shot,
it was dark when we got back to the tents. It certainly was a long
and exhilarating day!
The next day, we began the job of retrieving the carcass. When we
were about a quarter of a mile from the elk, it was decided I would
go ahead of the others to examine the state of the carcass. Imagine
my surprise when I found a bear feeding on the elk. Because of the
bear's interest in my kill, I was able to take an easy shot at the
bear. Wow! In 3 days I not only saw moose, deer and elk, but also
managed to take a 7x7 elk and a decent-sized bear! On the last day
of the hunt, Mel and Rick called a 6x6 to Brad, thus giving us three
elk for the hunting party. This was a hunting trip I will never
forget!
Thanks again for the dedication and a job well done. I'm looking
forward to booking with Wild Kakwa Outfitters in the future.
Randy Craley
phone number : 717-244-4724
|
Wild Kakwa Outfitters
Rick Houweling
RR 3 Site 3 Box 13
Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada T8V 5N3
Phone 780-513-1338
Contact Us By E-mail:rhouweli@wildkakwaoutfit.com
Wild Kakwa Outfitters © 2007
SITE LAST UPDATED August 20, 2007
Web Site Revisions/SEO By:
JLS Web Designs
|
