Clay Hayes Hunter Inheritance – 2019 Recurve Bow Elk Hunt

Clay Hayes Hunter Inheritance – 2019 Recurve Bow Elk Hunt

September is the month around which my whole year revolves. It marks the change of season, the beginning of the time of year when I’m most in my element. Elk hunting season is here! My annual pilgrimage to the highlands in search of bellowing bucks has marked this beginning since I moved to Idaho over a decade ago. But this archery season will be different. This year, the whole family is going.

Although Coye and Fen have recurve hunted with me many times before, this will be their first extended trip. With the whole month stretching out before us and no commitments holding us back, it’s impossible to know how long we’ll be out. We loaded the Power Wagon with everything but the kitchen sink and headed for the mountains!

We had a great time! Fen surprised me by showing a strong desire to follow us, even in difficult areas. Elk hunting on public land can be challenging, but he clung to me on hikes through the rugged region. We took the time to explore a few caves, shoot our primitive bows and even hiked up to an alpine lake to do a bit of fishing and, with a bit of luck, catch a few brook trout!

Over the next ten days, I took my time, settling into my September routine – getting up early and going to bed late. But despite my best efforts, I had a very hard time finding a male who wanted to play my game. Every call, every bugle call was met with a depressing silence. It was only later in the season that I discovered why!

Elk hunting with a bow and arrow in the presence of wolves is another matter altogether. It’s not that the wolves are leaving, it’s that they’re upping their game. When they only have careless human hunters to avoid, they lower their guard. But when wolves are around, nothing goes unnoticed.

As much as I love the thrill of the call of a fit male, I’m not going to bang my head against the wall if it doesn’t happen. Elk need a page from the history of white-tailed deer hunting. You have to know where they’re going and get there first!

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Join Clay, Liz and the kids on their outdoor adventures, from bowhunting deer and elk in the mountains of Idaho to hunting wild hogs in Florida, and practicing crafts and survival skills. We hunt and fish because we love it, but it’s also how we get most of our meat.

Hunting is our way of life. We also cultivate a large garden on our Idaho property. This, combined with hunting, fishing and gathering, is how we obtain most of our food.