king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated April/May 2008 - Index

and it smelled like a barnyard. We
just knew it wouldn’t be long before
things started to happen.
As the evening drew on,
Rena started to get a little cold and
we decided to walk up the hill and
look into another canyon. We didn’t
fi nd anything in that canyon either,
so we decided to get back on the
horses and head back towards camp.
Maybe that last clearing was where
the elk were tonight. We rode up to
within thirty yards of the clearing,
tied the horses up just out of sight,
and slowly snuck over to the edge.
As I peeked over the ridge, I noticed
the blond-sided body of an elk and
instantly knew that it was a bull. I
threw up my binoculars and, sure
enough, it was a nice 5x5. I was a
little wiser now and had mellowed
out somewhat. I slowly nudged Rena
over so that she too could see the bull
and just shoot off-hand. The bull was
less than 100 yards away and was
ready to go into the woods and out of
sight. Well, that’s what they always
26 HUNTING ILLUSTRATED.com
A little lady luck was all that was needed
for Rena Jacobsen to put down this 5x5
elk in the thick woods. It took four well
placed shots to put this bull down for good.
do to me, but we are talking Rena here.
A little quartering away and the bull was
perfect for her to shoot. On this hunt,
Rena was shooting a 300 WSM and had
5ELK5
practiced enough to place them right
in there. The fi rst shot rang out. The
bull never moved. He calmly looked
around, as there were now several
cows running which we hadn’t seen
before. I calmly advised Rena to
put another one in him. The second
shot bellowed out as the bull moved
forward almost ten feet and presented
her with a perfect broadside shot. I
clued her in on just lying down on the
ground and taking a good steady shot
in the prone position. The third shot
rang out and this time the bull went
half-way down. No, not down the
canyon, but to his knees. Regaining
a little, he came back up and lunged
to the top of the ridge and stood
in the only fl at spot on the whole
hillside. If the bull went any further
down the canyon, he was going to be
a tough one to get out. The last shot
put him down and I was relieved of
anxiety that you can’t imagine. My
horses are good in rough country,
but I am getting older, and there just
aren’t that many fl at spots left in this
world.
As we prepared the elk for
the pack out, I was amazed to fi nd
that Rena had hit him with all four
shots. We got the elk out pretty easy
with the horses and back to camp.
The hunt ended up being a great
outing. I was very proud to have a
wife that would go out and enjoy the
same things I do, pitch in and get the
job done. Rena doesn’t worry about
how cold it is at night, sleeping on the
hard ground, or wish for the luxuries
of home. She just appreciates the
fact she can be in the wilderness
and enjoy what God has created for
us to live in and the great beauty of
the mountains and animals that live
with us. I have been blessed with
something that every man wishes for,
a great wife that will share with me
the outdoors and, more importantly,
when I do go by myself, I get no
slack about it. I wish all of you other
hunters were as lucky as I am - or is
it Rena’s luck again? We both wish
you the best of luck in your hunting
adventures.