Every year I apply for an elk tag in Arkansas with hopes of being one of the lucky 25 or so to draw a public land tag. Back in 2013, I had the privilege of assisting a friend of mine who drew a youth tag. We had a blast, he harvested a unique bull with drop tines, and the AGFC made it a wonderful experience. Prior to that in 2001 my dad and I went on a non-guided public land elk hunt in Colorado. We also had a great time, harvested a nice 5x5, made some great once in a lifetime memories and learned that elk hunting can be some of the hardest work you can do. Up until this year, that was the extent of my elk hunting experience.
Winning the tag
While I was on vacation with my family, Jason Dodson, my best friend and one of the founding members of Save the Acorns, texted to inform me that he was one of the lucky ones that drew an elk tag this year. There’s a slim chance that I was more excited than he was. So naturally, I begged and pleaded to go with him.
The Details
Jason drew a cow elk tag for the early season the first week of October. He studied topography and satellite maps to preliminary locate some potential hunting spots and a place to camp. After the research, he decided to focus the hunt near the camp Erbie area.
The plans were set. My dad and I would tag along for any support Jason would need. We set up base camp at camp Erbie with a bumper pull RV.
The plan of attack
The plan was I would follow Jason around and try to video the hunt. We all know the first rule of hunting is hunting where the animals are, so our first step was to find where the elk are. We would cover a lot of ground trying to find fresh sign. Once we would find the sign, we would strategize a plan of attack.
Day 1 The perfect hunt
The time was finally here. We had done all of our research and preparation. Had all of our ducks in a row and ready to go. Well, so we thought. It took us a little longer than expected to get everything ready so we were just a little bit behind sunrise once we got started. Late or not we started our boots to the ground strategy looking for elk and elk sign. The temperature got into the upper 80’s. We hiked about 10 miles checking out different areas that he had marked on the map. We were starting to realize that this was going to require some effort. This was an effort we were willing to give since we were given this opportunity. We had time for the last hunt of the day and decided to go to a spot where we found some promising sign. We set up on a field edge where we had a good Vantage point with the wind in our favor. The wind was becoming a more important factor the more we hiked in the near 90-degree weather. Sure enough, just as if there was a script, we heard and then watched a young cow elk enter the field at about 40 yards in front of us. This was the first elk that Jason had ever seen in the wild and it happened to be on the first day of his first elk hunt. What were the odds? This was the perfect hunt. It could have ended right here. But then with my infinite wisdom, (I say that sarcastically) I suggested, “don’t shoot. It’s a little one and more will probably join it, and this is our first day.” We watched that elk dine by itself with the exception of a couple of deer until the day faded to night.
Day 2 back where we started
With the events of the previous day in our minds, we had more than enough motivation to go at it again. Since only one little elk came out at the spot we found the sign, we continued to cover about another 10 miles during the course of the day and it rained most of the time. We were starting to wonder if we made a mistake by not taking the elk the night before. Through miles of wet feet, we were not able to find more sign so we decided to go back to the same place as the evening before because we knew there is at least one elk in that area. This time we set up a blind for better concealment and protection from the weather. In the last 30 minutes of daylight, Jason spots an elk. As he glassed it to confirm if it was legal to be taken, he noticed that it was a spike bull. As much as we like to watch wildlife, we were just a little disappointed as he had only a cow tag. On the bright side, we had seen two different elk in the same location. At this point, we thought we were closing in on them and it was just a matter of time.
Day 3 making it happen
For the third day in a row, we were sticking to our boots on the ground game plan in hopes of finding the elk honey hole. However, it’s starting to wear on us and we are starting to wonder if we made the correct decision on day one. We were feeling the fatigue from two days of packing it up and down the beautifully rugged Buffalo River National Forest with wet feet. After another full day of hiking, it came time for the evening hunt. We decided to change things up in a way that would increase our odds. The plan was for us to split up and watch three different areas. Jason would watch an area where some hikers claimed to see some elk the day before, I would watch a field a ways to the north, and my dad would watch a field to the east. If my dad and I were to see something we would then radio Jason. We thought it was such a good plan that we wondered why we haven’t been doing this all week.
Jason was trying to cover as much of his area as he could by sneaking from opening to opening. He ended up back where he started which was the largest field near an old barn. From across the dirt road up the hill, he heard an elk bugle. He took that as his invitation to make something happen and headed straight to where he heard the elk. As he made his way through the thick brush he noticed the top of a small tree moving. It was so thick that he could only see about 40 yards. As luck would have it, he snuck his way to within about 40 yards of a nice bull elk rubbing a tree. The only problem with this situation is that Jason didn’t have a bull tag. He continued to watch this amazing display until he noticed something to the right move. It was a cow elk within about 30 yards. He glassed it to confirm its gender and shot it in a matter of seconds. The animal went straight down as the only thing he had to shot at was its neck.
Finally, after all the miles, he made it happen. We got to experience about everything that an elk hunt had to offer. We spent a lot of time in the woods, got to see some wildlife, spent some quality time with Jason and my dad, got excited, second-guessed some earlier decisions, powered through tired legs and wet feet, but at the end of it all, it was the perfect elk hunt. I feel like when an animal is harvested in a way like this, it makes you appreciate and respect it more. A lot of effort goes into making it so we can hunt, especially elk in Arkansas. It has taken years for them to bring elk back to this area and manage them to the point where the public can have the opportunity to hunt them. That is something to think about if given the privilege to take an elk in Arkansas. Taking three days to find the right elk to take is nothing compared to what it took to make that possible.
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