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When I think about an elk-mule deer combo hunt, I usually picture the glossy ads in the back of hunting magazines for somewhere in the northwest states. There is, however, a limited entry draw for bull or cow elk in Cypress Hills Provincial Park. I waited eight years to draw a tag for this hunt. I was drawn for the second hunt, November 11-14, as well as for mule deer buck just outside the park. I would be hunting with my son’s Levi (11) and Luke (14), and my wife Heidi came along to get caught up on her scrapbooking at the cabin. Luke had a youth partner licence on my elk tag and he had purchased an undersubscribed mule deer doe tag. Levi would go along as the official videographer.
We arrived in Elkwater on Monday (gotta like the name of that town) with just enough time to throw our gear into the rented cabin and head to the briefing by the conservation officer. The hunt is carefully monitored with each animal harvested recorded on GPS and marked on a map at the park office. Maps of hunts from previous years’ are posted around the meeting room, so we took careful note of the previous year’s harvests to help with our scouting.
We headed out scouting on our mountain bikes to get beyond the foot traffic on the trails that were closed to vehicles. Our enthusiasm was soon dampened as the warm weather caused muddy, slippery conditions that made riding a chore. We spotted two cow elk at last light and were optimistic about the next day.
On opening day, we headed out at first light and were able to ride the bikes on the frozen trails. Despite biking and hiking all morning, we were unable to locate a herd.
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| Lowell Grasse with his southeastern Alberta mule deer. |
We had lunch in our pickup overlooking a high plateau. The boys were tired from the morning hunt, so I walked a couple hundred yards to glass over the edge of the plateau. I just started glassing when I spotted several cows and at least one bull bedded 200 yards away at the base of the hill I was standing on! I retreated carefully and went to get the boys.
With the video camera rolling, we crawled to the edge of the hill. We weren’t exactly at the same spot as I was initially, and we could only see several cows feeding 200 yards below us. We had a quiet conference and decided that since I had waited eight years and we knew there was a bull in the herd, we should try for the bull. I offered Luke a chance to shoot, but he opted to let me shoot and was happy to try for a mule deer doe after the elk hunt.
There was a bench 60 yards below us and if we could get there, we would be able to see the entire herd. We backed off and crawled around and down to bench. We eased to the edge and saw the herd with a nice 6 x 6 herd bull bedded down. There must have been 60 in the herd.
With one shot from my 7mm, the bull never even got up. We can still picture the herd streaming away below us like African plains animals after the shot.
After many pictures, videos and high-fives, we called the conservation officer and field dressed the bull.
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| Levi (left) and Luke Grasse with Luke’s mule deer doe. |
He unlocked a gate to let us drive down a steep, muddy road to within 150 yards of the bull. It was still a tough drag to the truck, even with the officer helping. As we stood panting during a break, I asked him if they normally help hunters this much. “No,” he admitted, “but I felt obligated since you gave me a ride down the hill, and I can’t lock the gate with you still in here, so I may as well help.” It was very much appreciated, as my hunting companions aren’t fully grown yet.
We were very tired that night but ready for Luke’s mule deer doe hunt that opened the next day. I wasn’t planning to take a buck, as I wanted Luke to get a doe and I didn’t want to spoil his chances.
We had permission on several ranches south of the park, but struggled for two days through a comedy of errors; imperfect set ups, a half-day snowstorm and missed shots. After the second direct miss, we discovered that Luke’s scope had been bumped and he would have to use my rifle on Friday morning, the last day of our hunt.
We met with the rancher that morning and he guaranteed us that if we parked by the gate and walked south, we would have a doe in an hour.
Within the hour, as promised, we came upon a group of does and a respectable buck in a creek bottom.
I got Luke steadied on the shooting sticks and he took a nice big doe with one shot. As soon as it hit the ground, I forgot that I wasn’t going to take a buck and grabbed the rifle from Luke. It’s funny what extra points and kickers will do to your memory.
I sprinted 200 yards to the crest of the ridge that the herd had gone over and I caught the buck looking back on a ridge 200 yards distant. One shot and I anchored him.
After more high-fives, photos and videoing, the work began again. The rancher had offered to haul out any deer we shot, so we took him up on the offer. It was greatly appreciated.
As we drove home, I reflected on another great hunt. It was not just great because of our success, but also because of what we learned and experienced. We learned about hard work and persistence trying to ride bikes with mud balled up in the tires; we learned patience sitting in our pop-up blind with nature and our thoughts as our only entertainment. In our society where we are entertainment overloaded, we have to learn how to be quiet with ourselves.
It was great to share in the joy of success, but I have been on many worthwhile hunts that weren’t successful as measured by kills. Probably the greatest enjoyment for me is the comaraderie built through the sharing of all the things that we experienced together. That is what I had hoped for, and it happened, making it another successful hunt. ■
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