I grew up in central Missouri, where whitetail hunting (at least for me) consisted of a 100-yard walk to a homemade box stand overlooking a field with a max range of 175 yards. So, when I was told I’d be headed to Ennis, Montana. to oversee a media elk hunt featuring the new Aero Precision Solus Lightweight Hunter topped with the EOTech Vudu X 2-12×40, I was excited for the opportunity to learn the ropes of Western hunting from a sideline perspective. It would be my first elk hunt.
Western hunting varies from what I grew up doing because the terrain usually requires you to spot-and-stalk the game up mountains, sometimes miles away from where you left behind civilization. Weather also factors into this different style of hunting, because instead of being able to cozy up with a buddy heater in the stand, you must be dressed to withstand freezing temperatures with possible rain, wind and snow for hours at a time. Thankfully, I had an entire kit from the Badlands women’s line to keep me warm – complete with base layers, pants, jacket and gloves.
Frankly, the largest difference I see, and the main reason I haven’t yet made it on a personal hunt now that I’ve lived in Wyoming for almost two years, is the drawing process required in most Western hunting states. Montana has a tag draw system for bucks and bulls to limit the number of animals harvested yearly. Hunters must “put in” for tags by June 1, so you must start planning your hunt months in advance and hope you get drawn. The draw process is established by the wildlife agency of each state to keep the populations of these animals healthy. Depending on the numbers, some areas also sell a certain number of over-the-counter (OTC) antlerless tags. Luckily for me, I found out when I arrived at camp that OTC tags were available in the unit we were hunting.
I had planned to use this experience as a chance to follow along with a guide and a hunter to learn some tips and tricks for when I put in for tags on my own. After all, I learn the best when I can follow along a time or two before attempting something alone. However, after encouragement from the folks at camp, I bought an OTC tag … and that’s where this story truly begins.
I flew into Bozeman, Montana, on Nov. 17, where I met up with a couple of other hunters and headed out to Jumping Horse Stock Ranch, our home for the week. We spent the afternoon settling and doing a final sight-in with our rifles. For this specific hunt, we ran the Lightweight Hunter in 7mm PRC with an Aero Precision Lahar-30K suppressor and EOTech Vudu X 2-12×40 scope. We used Hornady’s 7mm PRC 175 gr ELD‑X® Precision Hunter® and its app to calculate our D.O.P.E. (data on previous engagement), so we’d know what holds we should use at various distances. Around 3:30 p.m., we jumped in the trucks to head out to the flatlands at the base of the mountains to glass and try to get a sense of the movements of the elk. We finished the evening with a delicious dinner and an early bedtime because we’d be awake and hiking up the mountain before sunrise.
Monday morning call time was 5:30 a.m. to have breakfast and to get up the mountain to glass in time for the 7:31 a.m. sunrise. We wanted our media hunters to tag out with their bull tags before the rest of us would try to fill our cow tags, so I hopped in with one of the guides and bull hunter to capture content of his hunt. Turns out, I was going to get a full day-and-a-half of sideline learning time before I got to put what I learned to the test.
We headed out, around and up the mountain as far as we could in the truck before hiking by foot along the center of the mountain area the guide referred to as the “T-Ridge.” We followed a mountain road for a while, but were soon hiking off the beaten path around trees and through brush to find the best view of what may be above us or below us on the mountain. As soon as it was light enough, we would stop every couple hundred feet to glass everything in sight with hopes of spotting elk.
There were a couple of items that were imperative for this hunt that I’d never needed during my Midwestern hunts. The first was a good pair of hiking boots, and I was sporting the LaCrosse Lodestar 7” 400G. These boots were just what the doctor ordered for mountain hiking in below-freezing temperatures – 400G Thinsulate insulation, GORE-TEX 100% waterproof lining (this will be important later), a sole that provides superior traction, and a midsole designed to deliver cushioning for all-day comfort. A good pair of boots is a MUST for being on your feet in uneven terrain for hours at a time.
The second item that is a must-have while Western hunting is a good pair of range-finding binoculars. We were lucky enough to spot elk quickly on the mountain and easily ranged them at 500 -to-700 yards from where we stood. This was too far of a shot for us to be confident in taking at a live animal, but it was exciting seeing activity so early on. We attempted to hike farther up the mountain to get within a comfortable shooting range of the best-looking bull, but unfortunately, a downward draw and an impossibly steep incline on the other side prevented us from getting close enough to this group of elk. We hiked for about five hours until we lost sight of the bull and headed back down the mountain for lunch. We had similar luck when we headed out that afternoon and ended the evening with strategy discussions for the next day.
We gathered that the bulls tend to head down the mountain in the evenings and head back up each morning. Our goal became either beating them up the mountain in the morning or being in a good spot when they came back down. Mother Nature threw a new challenge at us for Tuesday, though – a few inches of snow had fallen overnight and continued to fall all morning (Remember when I said the waterproof part of the boots would be important?) This seemed to do the trick, because by the time we climbed off the mountain to head back for lunch, three of the bull hunters had successfully harvested beautiful bulls.
In that time, a herd of around 200 elk had moved into the flatlands at the base of the ranch. Since almost all the bulls had been harvested, our guide decided the herd provided the perfect opportunity for me to harvest my cow in a lower-stress situation. We high-tailed it up the county road to circle into the field they occupied and began our stalk. Now, elk have a great sense of smell and spook easily, so we still had to move in quickly … but carefully. We parked the truck just inside the gate and stalked about 300 yards up a hill until we could hide behind some farm machinery sitting in the field.
I had a beautiful view of the herd straight ahead of me, and the range finders told us they were at about 285 yards. I set up atop a tire on the machinery and got the herd in my sights. A good-sized female stood off on her own, and a glance at my D.O.P.E. card told me I should hold around 12 inches high, just behind her shoulder. Now, I’ve made shots on steel at 300 yards easily many times before, but there is just something about “buck fever” that gets you shaking and made the tire too unstable for me to make a clean shot. I quietly moved to a seated position with a tripod and was instantly more stable.
A deep breath and steady squeeze through the trigger pull, and bang, THWACK – we had impact! She took off, and we lost her for a second in the herd, but she quickly reappeared when she turned the other direction and did a nosedive into the ground. One final kick from her, and I felt assured I had successfully killed my first elk. We waited for the rest of the herd to clear out before we approached and found I had made a perfect heart shot.
The herd hovered nearby, which can be dangerous, so we made quick work field dressing the cow and waited for the other guides with the flatbeds to make it out to us and haul her back to camp. That was the other great part of catching the herd in the field; we didn’t have to quarter and carry her down the mountain. I’ll plan to tackle that step of Western Hunting on my next excursion.
The rest is pretty simple: we took the elk into town and dropped them off at Deemo’s Meat, a local processor who will handle cutting the meat into steaks, making burger, sausage, and jerky, and shipping it to us when it’s ready. One last thing that is unique about elk is their two top teeth are ivory. It’s a cool memento to keep for your hunt, and I found a local jeweler in Cheyenne, Wyoming. who turned them into matching necklace pendants for me – one for me, one for my mom – and with the ability to turn them into earrings later.
If you are interested in acquiring an Aero Precision Solus Long Action Lightweight Hunter in 7mm PRC, the cost will be around $2850.
Torrie Roodhouse grew up in Central Missouri, a state that supports firearm ownership and where hunting is a way of life. This had a significant impact on not just her upbringing but her future career path. Her strong connection to the outdoors has fueled the last five years of working in the firearms industry with top brands in optics, suppressors, and firearms.
Torrie has built a well-rounded skill set that combines hands-on experience with planning and communication. This has made her a master of event coordination – organizing impactful tradeshow booths, seamless product launches, and engaging media events. Leveraging strong relationship management skills, Torrie takes pride in building and maintaining media partnerships that amplify brand visibility and success.
As a woman in a male-dominated industry, Torrie is passionate about creating opportunities for other women. She believes that building pathways for others is essential to driving progress. By sharing her experiences and successes, she aims to inspire women to follow their dreams and break barriers in any industry, male-dominated or otherwise.
Currently serving as Marketing Manager for Aero Precision, Stag Arms, and Ballistic Advantage, Torrie is committed to advancing the firearms industry through innovative solutions, meaningful connections, and instilling self-confidence in the next generation of leaders.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
Start the Conversation