The BIG One! Elk.

[Zorro]

Damn Big Elk!

http://www.gmfsh.state.nm.us/PageMill_TExt/Hunting/lashelkhunt.html

All hunters who start chasing elk dream of "The Big One" hanging on the wall. He's 800 pounds of monster bull with antlers wide enough to plunk down a desk between them. He has enough points to fill a John Wayne 10-gallon hat.

Carrol "Lash" LaRue started out that way, too, but unlike most of us he made his dream come true. On Oct. 3, 2000 on the Double-H Ranch, private land in New Mexico's Game Management Unit 13, LaRue made a one-shot kill on a bull that scored 404 gross points (Safari Club International system).

 

[Dave R]

WOW!

 

[Art Eatman]

Indeed a dream come true, and a beautiful elk. It's always good when a guy can have that sort of achievement.

I'm not sure that I'd pay $35,000 for the permit, even if I won the Powerball lottery. I think I'd rather hunt with a camera. But I admit I'm sorta funny about money and hunting...

Art

 

[Jeff, CA]

I thought Jerry Garcia was dead.

 

[TC]

So October 3 is when Santa gets his Christmas!

$35K for a permit, how do I get to be a railroad conductor!?

 

[CD1]

That is big. JeffCA, im still laughing at the jerry garcia comment.

 

[BadMedicine]

Wow on the elk. Wow on 35k a pop. And Wow on santa being real!!! (santa looks like my grandpa in those old overalls)

 

[Jeff Thomas]

Can't help it ... too good to miss ...

Lash was guided by Ross Johnson of Ross Johnson Professional Outfitters of Magdalena, N.M. Ross met Lash at a RMEF banquet in Clovis and convinced him that there were some mighty big bulls available in Game Management Unit 13.

"We set up on a hillside and watched these elk walk through an opening maybe 20 feet across," LaRue said. "A bull would walk by and Ross would say, 'You don't want that one, that's just a 370.' Then another bull would walk by and he'd say, 'That's just a 380.' He wanted me to get one that would score 400.

"Then the big one walked out and ol' Ross said, 'That's him,' and I wondered 'How can these guys tell?' It was just amazing."

Ross used binoculars to take one last look at the bull's antlers, Lash says, then he just started saying 'SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT. Shoot! Shoot!'"

Great story, and a great photo. Zorro, thanks. I'm happy for Lash that he has had this fine experience in his life. And, it certainly looks like Mr. Ross knows his elk. Talk about priceless advertising.

Regards from AZ