Wyoming Elk Hunt, 1963

Wyoming Elk Hunt, 1963

7 for 7 by 7:30

By Tom Dorigatti

I have mentioned in prior blogs that being born and raised in Wyoming; I grew up with a fishing pole in one hand and a rifle in the other.  Most of the time, whether it be small game or big game, my father and I hunted as a “party” in a spot and stalk fashion.  What you are going to read is a break in that mold that turned out to be quite an elk hunting adventure of a life-time. 

Over the years, the photos of this hunt have been lost, so, unfortunately, I don’t have those anywhere but in my mind.  So special was the nature of this hunt that it will always be with me. So sorry I cannot share those images with you, because the proud faces of us hunters were something to behold, let alone the nice elk that we took that one fine morning in November, 1963.

Elk Hunt Area by Drawing

We had most always hunted elk in the general areas that did not require us to submit an application for a special elk hunt area drawing.  In 1963, however, a relative, Norman Gillespie asked us to try for a special elk hunting license in the Killpecker Sand Dunes area of SW Wyoming.  We commonly call this area “The Sands.”  If I remember correctly, back then there were only about 150 permits issued for this elk hunting area, again by special drawing only.

Here is a link to allow you to read about this area without me having to give you the details and take up space:

http://www.tourwyoming.com/things-to-do/attractions/killpecker-sand-dunes/

After reading the above, you would never believe that the “Wapiti” or “Rocky Mountain Elk” would ever roam such an area, but trust me; they are out there in relative abundance.  The elk herd in this area is the only desert elk herd found in North America. Some experts think that the Killpecker Sand Dunes are only a part of the migratory route, but when I was younger, we could often see the elk out there pretty much year round.  The “Sands” is relatively close to my hometown, Rock Springs, Wyoming. It has always been a “hot” area for big and small game.  Boar’s Tusk is another familiar land mark right at the edge of the Killpecker Sand Dunes.  One of the highest points in the area is “Steamboat Mountain” and there is another “mountain” we’ve hunted before called “Table Mountain.”  This is often confused with “Table Rock” which is to the South East of Table Mountain, but not very far away at all.

The Wapiti or Rocky Mountain Elk:
I’m not going on a diatribe to tell you how beautiful these animals are.  Many of you may well have already been elk hunting.  Did  you know that the elk in Colorado were first “transplanted” there from Wyoming?  Thus, here are some links that will allow you to refresh your memories and/or allow you to learn something you may not know:  I will tell you that back in 1963, CWD or other diseases weren’t even heard of and that the numbers of elk were far higher than they are today! Years ago, brucellosis was also diagnosed in the Yellowstone elk herd and they had to put down several animals due to this disease.  Not so back in the early 1960’s.

To demonstrate the “sizes” of the different bulls, I’ve included photos that I dug up from open sources on the internet:  (Note:  The author did not take the photos of the elk above. They are here for demonstrative purposes to show the obvious changes from “decent bull” to Bull Royal (6x6) to Monarch (8x8)) A “decent” bull, then a “Bull Royal” (6x6), and finally a “Monarch” (8x8). Not only are the size of the antlers huge, but the animal under that “rack” is huge, too!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_elk

Luck of the Draw

Lo and behold, both my father and I were lucky enough to draw special elk permits for “The Sands” for the 1963 elk hunting season!  In addition our relative, Norman Gillespie, a noted professional hunter’s guide at the time, and 4 other acquaintances from Rock Springs were all lucky enough to draw permits as well.  What makes it better is that all of us drew Antlered Elk only permits.  Antlered only did not include “spike elk”, so we could not harvest elk with spikes for antlers, nor could we harvest cow elk or any other anterless elk.  So, we knew early on that we would be hunting in a party of 7 hunters, all seeking to harvest a decent bull elk with rifles.

Pre-Scouting

Norman was the primary pre-scouter for our hunting group and spent quite a bit of time figuring out the best locations for our planned week-long hunt for the wiley “Wapiti.”  In addition, he had told us to go ahead and snoop around too and let him know if we found any other hot spots.  By the time hunting season rolled around, Norman and the group had pretty much figured out what and where the best spot was for that important opening day of elk season.

Why the all important opening day?  Well, something is fishy about these animals.  For the first day or so, they aren’t so skittish, but once that shooting starts, they get really smart in a hurry and can pull a disappearing act of monumental proportions.  One minute they are there, and the next they are gone.  They can “hide” in those dunes like you wouldn’t believe, too.  Lucky for us, we weren’t going to be hunting in the dunes right away.  Another item of note is that unlike the pronghorn and the mule deer, once an elk decides to “take off” and he raises his head and tucks those antlers back, you won’t hear him and he won’t stop running until he gets to, as Norman put it, “the next county.”  They won’t stop out 100 yards or so, turn broadside, and look at you!  In addition to that, in this area, you aren’t likely to get a 300 or 400 yard shot anyways.  The terrain doesn’t lend itself to that.  Those dunes are NOT flat by any stretch of the imagination.  The sage brush is high, and up on Steamboat Mountain, the terrain is too uneven to give you long range “looks.”  Get a shot?  Better make it count; you won’t likely get another unless it is at a fast moving target that doesn’t always run in a straight line, ha.

What about School?

In my hometown, the opening of mule deer season “out South” and the opening of Elk season were/are a big deal.  The schools had certain rules for us students to abide by: First, to be excused from school for a week, both your parents had to write a note to the school telling the exact dates you are to be out of school to go hunting.  Secondly, and it was mandatory to have the absences be “excused” and not truant, was that all the school work for all the classes had to be made up in advance and each teacher sign off that the work was done and turned in.  Without the above being accomplished, the absences were unexcused and the results were zeroes for all missed days with no chance of making up missed work for credit.  They stuck to their guns on this issue, too!  Thus, all my school work was indeed made up and turned in before leaving school on the Friday before hunting season opened.

The Night before the Season Opener:

We left for Steamboat Mountain and ramparts nearby right after I got out of school on Friday.  The plan was to hunt from opening day through a week from Sunday; a total of 9 days.  It was pretty much standard back then to plan on a week or so for elk hunting.  The success rate for elk back then was running 95-98%, depending upon the area.  If I recall correctly for antlered elk in “The Sands” the rifle success rate back then was about 97%.  We knew we would get our elk, but didn’t know how long it would take or how “big” the elk was going to be.  The gang had set a limit of at least a 4x4 for the first 4 days and would renegotiate those terms on the 5^th day, depending upon what we were seeing/running across.

The “Perfume”

We got up part way on Steamboat Mountain before it got dark and set up camp.  Norman had a large tent that accommodated all 7 of us quite comfortably, and the tent was going to be nice and warm.  Of course we had a nice campfire we sat around and BS’ed until it was time for sleepy-byes.  Once we went to bed, there always is one among the group that perfumes the quarters and laughs about it.  That one person happened to be my father.  His perfume was so bad that we all abandoned the tent until the air cleared, my father roaring in laughter the entire time he sat and inhaled his own perfume! Haha.

The Ruckus

We are all sleeping soundly when much to our alarm and surprise, all hell is breaking loose outside our tent.  We were obviously all startled wondering what earthquake had just struck only to find out it was some elk going through our camp on their way down to water.  We knew they’d be back up again in the morning; either when the shooting started down below, or from their natural movement up the mountain around day break.  One way or the other, we knew we were going to at least encounter elk that very morning.

Off To Our Sitting Area

Well before light, we had breakfast at the campfire and some hot coffee and then Norman gathered up the group of us and took each of us to our “sitting spot” a bit farther up the mountain.  He clearly told us to sit tight and to simply wait until the shooting started down below us.  We knew that this would drive the elk up the mountain in our direction.  He also admonished us to stay put and if we downed an elk to stay put and not to go over and get that elk right away.  I don’t know how many times he told each of us about the stay put or you might get shot thing; but it was more than ample warning about what he wanted us to do.  He obviously had this all planned out and had us spaced properly so as not to be shooting at each other or at each other’s elk (Unless we missed our shot and the elk kept on moving out). 

7 for 7 by 7:30

Around 6:45 AM it was light enough to be “legal hunting time.”  Moments later, it almost sounded like a small war had started down below.  We all knew the elk would be moving up the mountain in our directions.  I closed the bolt on my trusty 30-06, cradled the sling onto my arm, and assumed the sitting position so as to allow me to adjust up and down or left to right, and waited.  I didn’t have to wait for long when a nice 4x5 bull made its presence known by walking quickly up towards me.  He was oblivious to my presence, and to this day, I must admit to some “buck fever” and heavy heart throbbing as this animal came up that draw.  Once he was into the draw, he slowed down as if he knew (or thought, ha) he was safe for now.  I let him slow even more and let him come on in closer and closer.  Somehow, as if on queue or something, about 50-75 yards out, he stopped in a great angle for a killing shot to the neck.  I took off the safety, raised the rifle, aimed a touch low on his neck and squeezed off the round.  The elk went down in a heap immediately, the 180 grain Sierra Semi-point bullet effectively killing him instantly.  My elk season was officially over. It wasn’t even 7AM on opening morning yet, and my elk season and big game season was done for. 
Within the next half-hour I heard 6 more shots close by.  There were no rapid repeats of any shots, so I knew full well that those shots had scored as well.  When I looked at my watch after hearing the last of the shots nearby, it was just shy of 7:30AM.  7 elk down for 7 hunters by 7:30!

What We Had Harvested:

Norman came around to each of us, told us to empty our guns and put us to work tagging and cleaning our kills. He had already taken care of his requirements for his elk, so he went down to camp to gather the horse so we could haul the elk back to camp. 

The largest of the elk taken was a fine Bull Royal (6x6) taken by Eddie Dolinar.  I sure wish I still had a photo of this magnificent bull elk!  The rest of us managed 4X4’s, my 4x5, and my dad’s 5x5 with a broken brow tine.  None of us had seen an “Imperial” (7x7) or heaven forbid a “Monarch” (8x8).  We pretty much were presented with what was above the minimum and took no chances.  Norman later said he had not seen anything bigger than a “Royal” during his scouting trips, and only a few of those.

Now the Work Begins

We spent the better part of the day quartering and hauling all 7 elk and managing to keep track of which elk was what, just in case we were to be checked by the Wyoming Game & Fish Commission to validate we had permits that matched up with the right number of “quarters” and right type (antlered elk only; we not only had to keep the antlers, but the animals’ private parts as well).  As it was, I don’t recall having to check in the elk as we got to the highway to go home.  After all, it was only like 40 miles or less from where we harvested the elk to Norman’s house in Rock Springs!

I Make Some Extra Money

In spite of being quartered, those elk did have to be hung properly to age in the cold garage.  They also had to be skinned, which is where the extra money comes in.  Norman knew I could use the extra money, so he hired me on as his “skinner” for the elk.  I had been skinning the pronghorns and mulies he and his out of state hunters had harvested during Norman’s guided hunts all fall long.  I was paid $2 each for pronghorn and mulies and $3 each for each elk.  I was not, however involved in “caping out” trophy animals; that was Norman’s ‘job;” besides, I had never been shown how to properly cape out a trophy animal.  Funny, but you know what?  To this very day, I don’t know how to cape out a trophy animal!  I got pretty good at skinning those big game animals and was always trying to skin ‘em out without putting a lot of slice marks in the fat or the meat as I skinned down the carcass.  Takes some learning and practice to do this efficiently, but it really helps if the animal is hanging by the rear quarters instead of the neck.

What about School?

Gotta save the best for last.  I told you that we got home before dark on Saturday, which was opening day.  Well, since I was too cheap to pay my sub on my paper route any longer than necessary, I was up early on Sunday and again on Monday running my paper route.  I got up especially early on Monday to get that job done and went back to bed.  About 7:30 AM, my father comes into my room and shakes me loose.  He tells me to get my butt out of bed and get ready for school.  I told him that I didn’t have to go to school the entire week because all my work was made up.  I lost that argument in a hurry and was told that I was going to school all week and that since my work was all done, I could learn better because I would see it twice.  He said he expected better results on the tests as a result and also to make sure I got some extra credit and not just sit in class!  Can you imagine that happening today?  So, off to school I went.  Yes!  I also did better on the tests, and when it came to Geometry class, being there to see this TWICE really helped on the unit on “Proofs.”  I got all kinds of extra credit in my other classes as well.

So, there you have it, the story of “7 for 7 by 7:30.”  7 men, 7 elk taken with 7 shots in less than 45 minutes.  Tommy sent back to school, work made up in advance or not.

I again drew a special elk license for “The Sands” in 1968, but that one is yet another story, and a fun and memorable story it is!

---Good Hunting

Tom Dorigatti