I started hunting with my stepdad before I could walk. Literally I've got pictures of me wearing an orange cap in deer camp before my first birthday. But elk hunting is what I'm really hooked on for life. My family hunted mostly deer when I was a kid but never elk. My uncle invited me on my first elk hunt when I was 16 and we didn't see any hair at all, at least not elk hair. The next few years went like that and I gave up on elk hunting, I actually thought it was pretty boring. After college I went on a limited entry hunt in a premier unit with a different uncle during the rut. I'm sure you all know what happened next.....

I figured out that my first uncle is one of the best mule deer hunters I've ever seen but didn't know squat about hunting elk. I read everything I could get my hands on. I bought videos, calls, and even a bow just so I could hunt elk during the rut. I went on numerous scouting trips by myself just to get familiar with how to find and get close to elk. Even if I don't have a tag I'll go to limited entry units during the rut once in a while just to practicing calling and locating elk. I've learned to be careful though because you can sometimes upset hunters that do have tags and sometimes the fish cops wonder what you're "really up to." I've got a lot to learn as I am pretty much 100% self taught but I just can't get enough of it. I've done it religiously for the last 7 years and hunting elk during the rut in the Rockies is just as good as it gets for me.