Leaving My Comfort Zone
Story by Aaron McGaughey
Only two words can describe what I saw while hunting at the Silvertine Ranch owned by Steve Rahn HugeElk. If there was ever a trophy elk heaven on earth this must have been the place, because that is all I saw the entire time I was there. I knew after the first time I left the cabin to start hunting with Steve, Buddy Boyett and Raymond Oelrich that the phone call I made to my hunting partner Buddy Boyett back in November 2006 was one of the best phone calls I have made in my entire hunting career. You are probably wondering why. Well I ended up shooting the new pending world record Roosevelt Elk with a crossbow, that's why.
My hunting season runs pretty much all year. I manage a 2500 acre ranch near Kerrville, Texas. If I’m not booking hunts or guiding, I’m usually taking care of other responsibilities at the ranch. As anyone knows who operates a good hunting outfit, it takes a whole lot of time to care for each hunter prior to, and during, their actual hunt. Each client expects great results for their hard earned money, and I do my best for each one.
My main objectives from October until the end of January is putting my clients on big Texas Whitetails, and believe me we have our share of them. Usually about mid-November I have seen some pretty big bucks hit the ground, and I start getting really antsy to doing some hunting myself. One evening in November my client shot a nice 160 class buck. After taking the celebration pictures and cleaning the animal, I left the ranch. While driving home I decided to do something different for myself this year. I have been saying for years that I was going to go on an elk hunt, but I always put it off until the next year. It was then and there that I decided this is the year.
While still driving I contacted Buddy Boyett, a good friend of mine from Tallahassee, Florida. I knew Buddy had just returned from a Canadian elk hunt back in September and I wanted to see how his hunt went. Prior to calling Buddy I remembered he had sent me a picture of him and an unbelievably huge elk. In fact it was so big I passed it off as a silly photo workshop editing joke. Once I connected with Buddy he told me he had went to the Silvertine Ranch, owned by Steve Rahn, and took the new world record elk with a crossbow. It was then that Buddy said that picture was no joke and to look on the Cover of the new Big Game Hunting Adventures Magazine. Buddy also said that he was returning in December for another elk hunt with his crossbow and I was going. When Buddy said new world record, and he convinced me he was not joking, there was no arm twisting - I said, “I’m in.” We ended our conversation and a few days later Buddy called me back to tell me that our hunt was confirmed for the first week of December. When I got home and saw the magazine there was Buddy and that monster elk. Man it was huge!!!
Now I’m a southern Texas boy who rarely feels temperatures lower than thirty degrees, so I immediately logged onto the Cabela's website and ordered some subzero hunting gear. It seemed like I waited forever, but two weeks later I was standing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. When I walked out the doors of the airport that cold subzero wind hit this Texas boy in the face like a sledge hammer. I compared it to someone getting in the shower not knowing the hot water heater was broken on a cold February morning - I saw Mystery, Alaska, but now I was living it. I was so excited about the hunt that the cold just didn’t bother me much.
When we arrived at the Silvertine Ranch, Steve greeted us and we hooked up with another guiding buddy of mine, Ryan Hartling. Both Steve and Ryan helped us get comfortable and told us about what to expect for the next couple of days: cold weather and big elk. Prior to the hunt, Buddy and I decided that he should hunt first since his crossbow hunt would be more challenging. While we waited for Raymond Oelrich to arrive, Buddy and I made sure our weapons were still usable after the baggage handlers slung them around like bales of hay. I watched Buddy shoot his Excalibur Crossbow and was very impressed with the accuracy. He recommended that I give it a try, but I passed. I figured I came 1400 miles and I was going to get it done with my trusted and true 300 Win. Mag. If I could have only known what the future held for me, I would have left my big smoke pole back in Texas. That evening Steve told Buddy that he had a pretty good pattern of where the elk were traveling and thought he could get us close enough for the crossbow. I’ve been around a lot of hunters and to me, Steve was obviously a master woodsman - I figured we would all be very successful. That evening Buddy ended up taking a 360 class white elk and Raymond shot a 500 class bull with his muzzle loader.
The next morning it was my turn - still numb from the cold - I quickly warmed up with excitement. We started out by trying to use the fresh fallen snow to our advantage. I remember thinking that this is going to be easy tracking -- boy was I wrong!! We chased those elk up and down hills and through three to four feet of snow for hours and only got a couple of quick glimpses of the elk. I would have never thought you could sweat so much when it is -18 degrees (yes, I said below zero), but believe me I did. I was afraid that my clothes were going to freeze to my body, but I knew at that point I was up for a good challenge.
After hours of tracking, Steve told me it would probably be better if we backed off for a while and give the elk a break. We retreated from the elements to the comfort of the cabin and my new best friend, the wood-burning stove. As I thawed, we started to formulate a new plan. As any good hunter knows, if you push a trophy animal they can pull the disappearing act, which these elk did. We did get a brief glance at the herd just before last shooting light. It was obviously going to snow that night - because that’s what it does in Canada - and I knew we’d catch another shot at tracking the herd the next day.
The next morning Buddy encouraged me to try shooting his Excalibur Crossbow. I figured what the heck, I’ll give it a try. After a few practice shots, I was on the bullseye and I really wanted to try my luck with the crossbow. I looked at the five-foot drifts of snow around the cabin and grew weary contemplating the idea of carrying that big smoke pole over my shoulder all day. My mind was made up; I was now a crossbow hunter.
Early that morning, Steve took us to an area where he was confident the elk would be. No sooner had we settled in, when I heard tree branches snapping as the elk started running with their antlers crashing through the trees. I was briefly disappointed when Steve told me we might have spooked the elk out when we arrived in the area, but he assured me the wind was in our favor and there would be more elk passing through. I trust Steve and he knows what he’s talking about because a short time later we both heard the sound of antlers hitting the frozen trees as the elk were approaching us. I was grinning from ear-to-ear like a kid on Christmas.
We sat like statues for what seemed like an eternity, but we finally caught movement to our right. As the elk moved out in front of us, I was in awe; I just couldn’t believe the shear size of these magnificent animals. Like I said, I’m a Texas boy and I have only hunted Texas Whitetails. In South Texas, our mature bucks only have about a 200 lb. live on-the-hoof body weight. I clearly love Texas deer hunting, but imagine going from that to these 1200 lb. beasts. I couldn’t take my eyes off those huge antlers. There might as well been an elephant standing there - it was huge. I kept telling myself this can’t be real and kept expecting to wake up back in a deer blind back in South Texas.
I was slapped back into reality when Steve told me to get ready: there was a good bull coming in. Once I saw the bull, I couldn’t stop staring at those wonderful antlers - it was almost a distraction. Earlier that morning I’d told Steve that since I was new with the crossbow, I didn’t want to shoot past 30 yards. This bull must have read my mind because a few moments later the biggest bull elk was standing in front of me at thirty yards. I focused the crosshairs just behind his shoulders and let the arrow fly. I looked up and in a split second saw that arrow, loaded with a Wack’em Broadhead, zing through that 1200 lb. bull faster than a 200 grain Nosler Accubond. Steve assured me that the shot was perfect and that the bull wouldn’t go far. The hair was tingling on the back of my neck; I knew I’d made a good shot.
We both watched as the bull trotted off to about 80 yards and then just stood there. After several minutes the bull fell over and was done. While waiting to approach the bull, I wondered to myself why it had taken me so long to do something that I had always wanted to do. The only thing I could think of is that sometimes in life we get caught up in our own comfort zone and are afraid to leave. I now wish I could relive that wonderful morning over and over. It was definitely worth leaving my comfort zone and my only regret is not having done it sooner.
As Steve, Buddy, Raymond, and I approached the bull it seemed to get bigger and bigger. I have shot some big whitetails, but there is no way to describe walking up to one of these magnificent animals for the first time. The bull ended up sporting eight points on his left side and seven points on his right. I was also congratulated by Steve and Raymond for shooting what was probably the new world record Roosevelt Elk with a crossbow. When Steve put the tape to the antlers that evening, the bull ended up scoring 388 3/8. They laughed saying it wasn’t too bad for a South Texas boy on his first bull elk.
On the airplane back to Texas I really started thinking what I was going to do now that I‘d shot the elk of a lifetime. I can really see myself getting as addicted to elk hunting as I am to whitetail hunting. At the end of this wonderful trip I promised myself that it won’t take me so long to leave my comfort zone ever again. I’m itching to go back up north and see my good friends, sit by the wood-burning stove, and share my next northern Canadian elk hunt with my 5-year-old son, Hunter. Don’t worry, we’ll bring warm clothes.
Only two words can describe what I saw while hunting at the Silvertine Ranch owned by Steve Rahn HugeElk. If there was ever a trophy elk heaven on earth this must have been the place, because that is all I saw the entire time I was there. I knew after the first time I left the cabin to start hunting with Steve, Buddy Boyett and Raymond Oelrich that the phone call I made to my hunting partner Buddy Boyett back in November 2006 was one of the best phone calls I have made in my entire hunting career. You are probably wondering why. Well I ended up shooting the new pending world record Roosevelt Elk with a crossbow, that's why.
My hunting season runs pretty much all year. I manage a 2500 acre ranch near Kerrville, Texas. If I’m not booking hunts or guiding, I’m usually taking care of other responsibilities at the ranch. As anyone knows who operates a good hunting outfit, it takes a whole lot of time to care for each hunter prior to, and during, their actual hunt. Each client expects great results for their hard earned money, and I do my best for each one.
My main objectives from October until the end of January is putting my clients on big Texas Whitetails, and believe me we have our share of them. Usually about mid-November I have seen some pretty big bucks hit the ground, and I start getting really antsy to doing some hunting myself. One evening in November my client shot a nice 160 class buck. After taking the celebration pictures and cleaning the animal, I left the ranch. While driving home I decided to do something different for myself this year. I have been saying for years that I was going to go on an elk hunt, but I always put it off until the next year. It was then and there that I decided this is the year.
While still driving I contacted Buddy Boyett, a good friend of mine from Tallahassee, Florida. I knew Buddy had just returned from a Canadian elk hunt back in September and I wanted to see how his hunt went. Prior to calling Buddy I remembered he had sent me a picture of him and an unbelievably huge elk. In fact it was so big I passed it off as a silly photo workshop editing joke. Once I connected with Buddy he told me he had went to the Silvertine Ranch, owned by Steve Rahn, and took the new world record elk with a crossbow. It was then that Buddy said that picture was no joke and to look on the Cover of the new Big Game Hunting Adventures Magazine. Buddy also said that he was returning in December for another elk hunt with his crossbow and I was going. When Buddy said new world record, and he convinced me he was not joking, there was no arm twisting - I said, “I’m in.” We ended our conversation and a few days later Buddy called me back to tell me that our hunt was confirmed for the first week of December. When I got home and saw the magazine there was Buddy and that monster elk. Man it was huge!!!
Now I’m a southern Texas boy who rarely feels temperatures lower than thirty degrees, so I immediately logged onto the Cabela's website and ordered some subzero hunting gear. It seemed like I waited forever, but two weeks later I was standing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. When I walked out the doors of the airport that cold subzero wind hit this Texas boy in the face like a sledge hammer. I compared it to someone getting in the shower not knowing the hot water heater was broken on a cold February morning - I saw Mystery, Alaska, but now I was living it. I was so excited about the hunt that the cold just didn’t bother me much.
When we arrived at the Silvertine Ranch, Steve greeted us and we hooked up with another guiding buddy of mine, Ryan Hartling. Both Steve and Ryan helped us get comfortable and told us about what to expect for the next couple of days: cold weather and big elk. Prior to the hunt, Buddy and I decided that he should hunt first since his crossbow hunt would be more challenging. While we waited for Raymond Oelrich to arrive, Buddy and I made sure our weapons were still usable after the baggage handlers slung them around like bales of hay. I watched Buddy shoot his Excalibur Crossbow and was very impressed with the accuracy. He recommended that I give it a try, but I passed. I figured I came 1400 miles and I was going to get it done with my trusted and true 300 Win. Mag. If I could have only known what the future held for me, I would have left my big smoke pole back in Texas. That evening Steve told Buddy that he had a pretty good pattern of where the elk were traveling and thought he could get us close enough for the crossbow. I’ve been around a lot of hunters and to me, Steve was obviously a master woodsman - I figured we would all be very successful. That evening Buddy ended up taking a 360 class white elk and Raymond shot a 500 class bull with his muzzle loader.
The next morning it was my turn - still numb from the cold - I quickly warmed up with excitement. We started out by trying to use the fresh fallen snow to our advantage. I remember thinking that this is going to be easy tracking -- boy was I wrong!! We chased those elk up and down hills and through three to four feet of snow for hours and only got a couple of quick glimpses of the elk. I would have never thought you could sweat so much when it is -18 degrees (yes, I said below zero), but believe me I did. I was afraid that my clothes were going to freeze to my body, but I knew at that point I was up for a good challenge.
After hours of tracking, Steve told me it would probably be better if we backed off for a while and give the elk a break. We retreated from the elements to the comfort of the cabin and my new best friend, the wood-burning stove. As I thawed, we started to formulate a new plan. As any good hunter knows, if you push a trophy animal they can pull the disappearing act, which these elk did. We did get a brief glance at the herd just before last shooting light. It was obviously going to snow that night - because that’s what it does in Canada - and I knew we’d catch another shot at tracking the herd the next day.
The next morning Buddy encouraged me to try shooting his Excalibur Crossbow. I figured what the heck, I’ll give it a try. After a few practice shots, I was on the bullseye and I really wanted to try my luck with the crossbow. I looked at the five-foot drifts of snow around the cabin and grew weary contemplating the idea of carrying that big smoke pole over my shoulder all day. My mind was made up; I was now a crossbow hunter.
Early that morning, Steve took us to an area where he was confident the elk would be. No sooner had we settled in, when I heard tree branches snapping as the elk started running with their antlers crashing through the trees. I was briefly disappointed when Steve told me we might have spooked the elk out when we arrived in the area, but he assured me the wind was in our favor and there would be more elk passing through. I trust Steve and he knows what he’s talking about because a short time later we both heard the sound of antlers hitting the frozen trees as the elk were approaching us. I was grinning from ear-to-ear like a kid on Christmas.
We sat like statues for what seemed like an eternity, but we finally caught movement to our right. As the elk moved out in front of us, I was in awe; I just couldn’t believe the shear size of these magnificent animals. Like I said, I’m a Texas boy and I have only hunted Texas Whitetails. In South Texas, our mature bucks only have about a 200 lb. live on-the-hoof body weight. I clearly love Texas deer hunting, but imagine going from that to these 1200 lb. beasts. I couldn’t take my eyes off those huge antlers. There might as well been an elephant standing there - it was huge. I kept telling myself this can’t be real and kept expecting to wake up back in a deer blind back in South Texas.
I was slapped back into reality when Steve told me to get ready: there was a good bull coming in. Once I saw the bull, I couldn’t stop staring at those wonderful antlers - it was almost a distraction. Earlier that morning I’d told Steve that since I was new with the crossbow, I didn’t want to shoot past 30 yards. This bull must have read my mind because a few moments later the biggest bull elk was standing in front of me at thirty yards. I focused the crosshairs just behind his shoulders and let the arrow fly. I looked up and in a split second saw that arrow, loaded with a Wack’em Broadhead, zing through that 1200 lb. bull faster than a 200 grain Nosler Accubond. Steve assured me that the shot was perfect and that the bull wouldn’t go far. The hair was tingling on the back of my neck; I knew I’d made a good shot.
We both watched as the bull trotted off to about 80 yards and then just stood there. After several minutes the bull fell over and was done. While waiting to approach the bull, I wondered to myself why it had taken me so long to do something that I had always wanted to do. The only thing I could think of is that sometimes in life we get caught up in our own comfort zone and are afraid to leave. I now wish I could relive that wonderful morning over and over. It was definitely worth leaving my comfort zone and my only regret is not having done it sooner.
As Steve, Buddy, Raymond, and I approached the bull it seemed to get bigger and bigger. I have shot some big whitetails, but there is no way to describe walking up to one of these magnificent animals for the first time. The bull ended up sporting eight points on his left side and seven points on his right. I was also congratulated by Steve and Raymond for shooting what was probably the new world record Roosevelt Elk with a crossbow. When Steve put the tape to the antlers that evening, the bull ended up scoring 388 3/8. They laughed saying it wasn’t too bad for a South Texas boy on his first bull elk.
On the airplane back to Texas I really started thinking what I was going to do now that I‘d shot the elk of a lifetime. I can really see myself getting as addicted to elk hunting as I am to whitetail hunting. At the end of this wonderful trip I promised myself that it won’t take me so long to leave my comfort zone ever again. I’m itching to go back up north and see my good friends, sit by the wood-burning stove, and share my next northern Canadian elk hunt with my 5-year-old son, Hunter. Don’t worry, we’ll bring warm clothes.
