Elk fever= buck fever on steroids.
I just got back from an elk hunt with my dughter, Kimberly. She drew a late cow tag by herself, so the hunt was for her only. She is 20 years old, and this was her first hunt of any kind.
All in all, she did pretty well for her first hunt. I coached her on being quiet, how to step, how to look from side to side, no fast jerky movements, etc. She was a fast learner, but there is no way a new hunter can be coached on controlling the excitement of drawing down on a huge elk. Just something you have to go through before you can control it.
Saturday afternoon found us sneaking up a wide canyon, where I knew the elk crossed in the morning and evening. I looked to our right and saw the biggest, fattest mama cow I've ever seen, standing a mere 40 yards away. Almost perfect broadside shot! Before I said anything, I studied her head to make sure she was legal, then I whispered, "There she is, shoot her, shoot her, shoot her"! Kimberly couldn't see her, so I turned her body toward the elk and just kept telling her to "shoot her". I realized there were some branches that may be in the way, so I pulled Kimberly back until the branches weren't in the picture. Kimberly still couldn't see her, so I pointed, and the gasp that came from my daughter told me she had finally seen the cow. I told her, "Put the sights right where I told you, pick a spot, take your time". Suddenly, Kimberly's breathing became very eratic, like the sound of a girl in a horror movie hiding behind a door, just before a knife comes through by her head. From the corner of my eye, I could see the muzzle of her little .54 bobbing up and down. I thought, "Oh man, buck fever, and there's nothing I can say to her to calm her down, just have to let it play out". The seconds ticked away, and the bouncy barrel and strained breathing didn't get any better. Finally, about 15 seconds later, BOOM, but I could tell by the sound, and the way the cow calmly trotted away, that it was a complete miss. Like most new hunters, she over-shot the elk. There was a second smaller cow that followed the bigger elk, which is the norm. Kimberly was too shakey to reload by herself, so I had to assist. The first time a hunter is confronted with the shear size of an adult elk can be quite overwhelming, hence the term "Elk Fever".
We tracked the elk just to make sure there was no hit. Followed them for a couple hundred yards. The tracks went through occasional patches of snow, which told us there wasn't the slightest sign of blood.
Later that night, Kimberly told me, "Dad, it just all happened so fast, and I couldn't get my breathing under control". She is still beating herself up for missing the easy shot, so I'm doing my best to explain that this is pretty normal for new hunters. I suspect she will re-live that moment for the next year, which is also pretty normal.
We saw lots of elk, and had some close calls during the rest of the hunt, but just couldn't make the shot. Got snowed out on Monday, as I only had a two-wheel drive truck that doesn't like the snow. But, this is going to be one of my favorite elk hunts, me and my youngest daughter sneaking through the frozen woods together, and seeing lots of elk. :thumbsup: Bill
I just got back from an elk hunt with my dughter, Kimberly. She drew a late cow tag by herself, so the hunt was for her only. She is 20 years old, and this was her first hunt of any kind.
All in all, she did pretty well for her first hunt. I coached her on being quiet, how to step, how to look from side to side, no fast jerky movements, etc. She was a fast learner, but there is no way a new hunter can be coached on controlling the excitement of drawing down on a huge elk. Just something you have to go through before you can control it.
Saturday afternoon found us sneaking up a wide canyon, where I knew the elk crossed in the morning and evening. I looked to our right and saw the biggest, fattest mama cow I've ever seen, standing a mere 40 yards away. Almost perfect broadside shot! Before I said anything, I studied her head to make sure she was legal, then I whispered, "There she is, shoot her, shoot her, shoot her"! Kimberly couldn't see her, so I turned her body toward the elk and just kept telling her to "shoot her". I realized there were some branches that may be in the way, so I pulled Kimberly back until the branches weren't in the picture. Kimberly still couldn't see her, so I pointed, and the gasp that came from my daughter told me she had finally seen the cow. I told her, "Put the sights right where I told you, pick a spot, take your time". Suddenly, Kimberly's breathing became very eratic, like the sound of a girl in a horror movie hiding behind a door, just before a knife comes through by her head. From the corner of my eye, I could see the muzzle of her little .54 bobbing up and down. I thought, "Oh man, buck fever, and there's nothing I can say to her to calm her down, just have to let it play out". The seconds ticked away, and the bouncy barrel and strained breathing didn't get any better. Finally, about 15 seconds later, BOOM, but I could tell by the sound, and the way the cow calmly trotted away, that it was a complete miss. Like most new hunters, she over-shot the elk. There was a second smaller cow that followed the bigger elk, which is the norm. Kimberly was too shakey to reload by herself, so I had to assist. The first time a hunter is confronted with the shear size of an adult elk can be quite overwhelming, hence the term "Elk Fever".
We tracked the elk just to make sure there was no hit. Followed them for a couple hundred yards. The tracks went through occasional patches of snow, which told us there wasn't the slightest sign of blood.
Later that night, Kimberly told me, "Dad, it just all happened so fast, and I couldn't get my breathing under control". She is still beating herself up for missing the easy shot, so I'm doing my best to explain that this is pretty normal for new hunters. I suspect she will re-live that moment for the next year, which is also pretty normal.
We saw lots of elk, and had some close calls during the rest of the hunt, but just couldn't make the shot. Got snowed out on Monday, as I only had a two-wheel drive truck that doesn't like the snow. But, this is going to be one of my favorite elk hunts, me and my youngest daughter sneaking through the frozen woods together, and seeing lots of elk. :thumbsup: Bill
