“Just take a deep breath, calm down and cherish every minute of this memory of a lifetime!”
These were the words I was telling myself after I just shot a bull elk with a bow at 9 yards while sitting over a waterhole with my dad beside me! The bull I had just shot piled up right away not too far from the ground blind that we were both sitting in. I was pumped to get my elk but was way more excited to get my dad in the “shooter’s spot and see if we could miraculously “double up” on colorado archery bull elk!!! On this special evening hunt, after I shot my bull, we still had a couple hrs left of daylight.
We sat there patiently for about an hour simply enjoying the sun setting, the cool crisp air, and knowing that we had fresh meat laying in sight.
As the evening temperatures were dropping quickly, the colorado canyons were coming alive. Then out of nowhere, some cow elk, calves, spike bulls and some yearlings were spotted working their way down the canyon heading towards our waterhole in the valley.
Guess what was following the small herd heading for a drink?! That’s correct! The herd bull was buglin’ his head off and making the hairs of all mammals, including my dad and I, stand straight up! This majestic beast was heading straight to the waterhole. This bull did exactly what most of them do when they get to the water. He smashed his giant antlers in the muddy water and kicking his hind legs just splashing up a storm. He’s showing off his dominance and putting on a show for the ladies! 🙂
After seeming like days had gone by, the elk finally turned at 30 yards at the right angle for my dad to get a shot at his bull of a lifetime! As all the elk were watching the main beast, dad was able to draw his bow without being seen. That’s the moment when my heart sank as I nervously began to be filled with doubts. Why you ask?…Well, I saw his arrow in the corner of my eye and it was moving rapidly in all directions! Let’s just say that “elk fever”kicked in like never before. I could feel dad’s nervousness and adrenaline bouncing off of him! All I could do was pray that the arrow somehow hit where it needed to!
It was like it in slow motion as I saw the arrow being released and saw it hit that giant bull right where in the perfect spot!! Praise God, the heart shot put that “heavy hoofed bad boy” down! And it pile up not too far from the bull I had just shot an hour prior!
Yes!!!… We had the hunt of a lifetime and doubled up on bull elk with our bows on our annual father / son archery hunt in the great state of Colorado!
The fresh meat, the hunt, the strategy, and everything else that goes into an experience like this is great, but the most important and memorable part is the time we had as father and son sitting in the blind!
We all have certain things in common…One of those things is we all have the choice everyday on how we make our memories. Some can be great, some can be bad! The bottom line is when we make great memories with our best friends and loved ones, we then have something nobody can take away from us. Nothing bad in life can take away the great memories that are made!
“Hunt Winner” was born as a result of creating, filming, and sharing these memories with others. It’s a club created for members who want to share the hunt and make memories of a lifetime together while learning more and becoming better hunters and outdoorsmen and women!
So, let’s work together to make memories and stand firm for what we are passionate about.
Let’s set an example for the youth of this nation and our younger generations to come!
Let’s help kids take some time away from the cell phones and social media and get them some fresh air and some time in the great outdoors!
Happy Hunting,
Landon Miller – A.K.A. “Lando Commando”
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