Tis the season for hunters and hikers all around to go out deep into the woods searching high and low for the prized Elk Shed! Last week, the Hamilton Team went out looking for what Brant calls a "needle in a haystack"! Our two boys, Price and Pace, were on a mission to find their first Elk Shed.
We loaded up our Polaris Ranger and headed out into the National Forest in Cloudcroft, NM! Cloudcroft is about 40 miles from Ruidoso, NM, and 60 miles from Alto, NM. It's so fun to experience different parts of the forest from our cozy home in Ruidoso.
The first trek in the forest consisted of about a 3-mile round trip hike that ended up being a dry run! Thankfully our second attempt was more successful. We drove the Ranger deeper into the forest then parked in a nice sunny spot and we headed out! We had some friends who tagged along with us, and they had already found 2 sheds. Our 5-year-old Pace was pretty concerned that he had not found a shed yet and questioned if he ever would find one!
Brant and Price headed one direction and Pace and I were supposed to stay within range of Brant. However, the 5-year-old had a different plan in mind. He wanted to go close to the spot our friend had just found his second shed. He leads the way with mom close behind. The resilient Pace wanted to keep trekking down the steep side determined to find something. Mom mode kicked in and I talked Pace into taking a path less steep on the side. He agreed and off we went again.
We had a few pouts about not finding anything yet and about that time I turned around and looked up mountain and something caught my eye! I saw a few points sticking up and hollered at Pace to walk the path I was on. He quickly saw the same thing I had and ran up the steep side! Laying underneath a tree next to several branches was a beautiful Elk Shed.
Pace was so excited and grabbed the walkie talkie to call it in! "I found an Elk Shed! Claim Elk Shed!" he shouted in the walkie. The other hikers asked how big it was. "6 Points it's a big one!" Pace wanted to carry it out of the woods, but I talked him into letting me carry it to a flat spot. From the flat spot he carried it up to the Ranger and was smiling from ear to ear!
This boy was fired up and his brother Price was just as excited for him! We try to teach teamwork as much as we can to our two boys and that's the main reason we're the "Hamilton Team". We're family, we're a team and we're each other's biggest fans!
Successful hunt all around! Boys are ready to go back for more!
Elk Shed hunting tips: 1. Stay primarily on the South facing slopes. The South slope gets much more sun during the winter months and the elk prefer the warmth and better grazing. 2. Big bull elk are loners after the rut. They go deep into the forest and prefer steep slopes. You'll need to stay off the beaten path. 3. Middle of March - April is prime elk shed hunting season. 4. Get the onX Hunt App to track yourself safely through the forest. It's very easy to get turned around while on the hunt. Happy Hunting!
