Run With the Will is born 2013

Before I get into the 2013 year, let me introduce to you the legend of the hunt.

William Harnisch!

The young Buck on his new 4-wheeler. I think the 4-wheeler is laying in a gorge some place in CO.

Luckily Will survived and was able to still get a bull

I think the story was, he was trying to get out in front of the bull and forgot to stop the 4-wheeler before he jumped off to give chase to the bull.  After he killed his bull he went to get his wheeler and couldn't find it till he looked over the edge of the mountainside.  Who can fault a guy who is trying to get a bull.  It is very easy to let the zings get the best of a guy when there are elk to be chased.

The summer of 2013 we coined the phrase "Run with the Will".  It has been all of our experiences that when you hunt with Will you literally have to jog to keep pace with him.   He organizes the hunt, he found the place, has the most experience hunting elk and is the camp boss.  So it seems fit that we show him our gratitude for letting us experience the awesome hunts we have with him.  Thank You Will!

This year it was it was Team CO vs Team MN.  Team Colorado was made up of Will and Dave.  Team MN was represented by Billy and Gene.  Now team MN was coming in as underdogs based solely on our ability to breath in the mountains.  Each team had one person with a muzzleloader tag and the other with an archery tag.  First day was a complete down pour in the morning.  I am not sure how many inches it rained but I was more than happy to wait it out in the cabin while Will and Dave took off on the wheelers.  Wow they are hardcore hunters I tell you to be out in that monsoon Billy stated.  I'm fine with letting the rain pass and go out after.  Well we did make it out but not much before lunch.  Billy and I were muddy but Will and Dave looked like drowned rats that just came out of a mud slide.  It was a very wet year in Colorado all kind of issues in Denver I remember seeing on the news. 

Gene/Buddy,Will/Prince,Major/Bill,Smokey/Dave

I think it was the 2nd or 3rd day Billy and I decided that we would get an early start on the afternoon hunt just to go out and mark some trails.  After this was done we wanted to try some calling early and see what would happen.  We setup and I proceed to call.  Within 10min kaboom!  I jumped I had no idea there was anything for Billy even to shoot at.  I  was immediately excited with hopes that Billy got a bull that I called in.  I practiced my calling a lot before the 2013 season so Billy and Will wouldn't make fun of me.  So I am not sure who was more excited me or Billy.  I mean the fact that I actually called a Bull in for Billy and that he shot it perfect picture.  The year before I called in three bulls one evening for Billy but he never got a shot.  I think he was on Facebook or something and missed them walk by.  Anyway back to Billy's shot.  Did you get him?  Was it a Bull ?  Where was he ? How far?  Speak dammit!  I went to out to play the Bull while Billy tried to guide me into location..  The problem with this is I was couldn't see Billy to know where to go so we traded place after he gave me the land mark.  I got Billy in the right location and we began the search.  We searched for a couple of hours and couldn't even find a drop of blood.  It was still early enough so we decided we would move a few hundred yards and setup again.  By the way I did ask Billy if he was shooting at the antlers again.

I began to call at the new setup and with in five minutes we had multiple Elk bugling back to me.  I could see them in the skyline on the ridge as a silhouette. All I had to do was to get one of them close enough for Billy to but down and find.  Five minutes later just on the other side of the bush was a hair raising bugle!  Where is he ?  Shoot him Billy he must be standing on you.  That Elk had to be less than five yards from the two of us but neither one of is saw it.  It never made another sound.  Oh well I kept calling I could see elk coming down the ridge and getting closer.  The closer they go the more excited I got.  Kaboom! what the heck they are way to far away to shoot.  I waited a few minutes then Billy gave me the all clear call.  I walked up to Billy and asked him what he was shooting at.  A nice bull about 100 yards out.  It was nearing dark a this time so we cam up with a head lamp signal communication to guide me to the correct location.  It was kind of like I was my lab waiting for Billy to give me hand signals to the right spot.  Once he had me in the right spot I looked down, yes fresh blood!  Gave Billy the come help look command and 10 yards away we found him.  We zeroed right in on the elk this time.  It was a nice 5x5.

Billy with his 5x5 

Gene with Billy's 5x5

Hours later we arrived back at camp.  No we didn't pack out the elk that night but we ended up climbing to the top of the mountain instead of just half way.  That's what happens when a gps has poor signal strength.  We had two option after we figured out where we were.  400 yards straight down through the thicket or a 1.5miles around on the trail.  How hard can 400 yards be?  So down we went alright.  A couple of times I know I was hanging upside down by my boot being stuck in a tree.  I am pretty sure we could have walked that 1.5miles in half the time it took us to fight our way down hill for 400 yards.  The reason we had to do this is to not leave the horses tied up to a scrub oak all night.  We really didn't care when we got back because we didn't plan on getting up to hunt just sleep in till dawn then go pack out Billy's 5x5.  After we told our story we found out that Dave had hit one as well but they were not able to find it as the blood trail dried up.  What a great evening for both teams.  The next morning I think Dave decided to sleep in and Will decided he would come help pack out Billy's bull.  This surprised both of us since the year before we were tied up with a movie and didn't help Will.  See what a great guy this Will is or is it the fact that we all love being at the kill sight and seeing a nice bull.

We decided that it would be easier to hike in and pack out with frame packs than to bring in the horses.  About three quarters of the way through the butchering process Billy blew out his knee.  Great not only did we hike in a mile and have to carry hundreds of pounds of meat out we have to carry a solid 230lb man out to boot.  We told Billy we would come back for him after we wen to town for dinner.  In other words we will be back tomorrow morning to help out, so don't drink your water too fast.  Wouldn't you know it after Will and I loaded our packs with the entire bull, Billy decided that he could limp his way out and carry his elk head with him.  A long trip back to the 4-wheelers with half an elk strapped to your back will tire a guy out in a hurry.  We couldn't slow down though because it was starting to get warm out and we needed to get the meat on ice.  I myself was kind of in a hurry so Billy could buy me dinner.

Notice how Billy's knee doesn't seem to be bothering him

Oh one hurt shot for the camera just to make his story sound good

That evening Billy and I went to town to drop the meat off and to get a nice dinner.  Will and Dave went out hunting and Will dropped a nice cow.  The plan for the morning was that Dave and I would go hunt in the am in the same area Will shot his cow.  We would hunt till nine then meet up with Will so we could pack out his cow.  Dave and hunted till 9 then went and found Wills cow.  There was no Will in sight so we decided we would just start cutting while we waited.  We tool two of the quarters off and put them in the cavity and covered them up with our jackets.  Dave said I will go down to to the trail and see what the hold up is.  I decided I would take a nap.  Thirty minutes later my nap was done and still no sight of Dave or Will.  What the hell are those guys doing? I thought to myself.  I guess I will debone these quarters while I am waiting.  Then I took once of the backstraps out.  If I had game bags I would have never stopped.  Will was suppose to bring the game bags and the frame pack with the horses.  After another nap it was going on noon I decided I would start going down myself to see what was going on.  Half way down I ran into Will and Dave on their way up.  What the hell have you guys been doing?  I am suppose to be watching a moving and eating some of Billy's greasy breakfast! I exclaimed.  Will replied with don't ask.  Ok then lets get this Elk out.  We bagged up the one side and I then debone the other two quarters while I took out the back strap and loins.  Again here I am with half an elk on  my back but luckily we didn't have far to go to the horses or so I thought.  When we got to the bottom there were no horses.  Will where are the horses at?  Ah I didn't bring them lets just carry them to the truck.  Yeah but that's like two miles away what the hell.  Oh well it is what it is.  Once we got back to camp I found Billy laughing in the doorway.  Whats so funny I asked.  You should have seen the circus Will had going on this morning horses running all around gates open horses going in and out of the coral.  It was hilarious he explained with tears in his.  What do you mean horses running around.  Wi Will was trying to tie the horses up to the four wheeler but forgot to close the gate.  When he went to close the gate the other one took off with all the gear.  He would catch one and another one would get a way.  Dave is this what happened?  Something like that.  When I got to the wheelers and didn't see Will,I started up to the cabin and when I go to close I saw Will all mad running after the horses.  I watched him for a while laughing but then I decided I would help him out.  

I have never really asked Will what happened that morning it seems to me a sore subject with him.  I have always wondered if he just let the horses go on purpose.  It would be a great cover up story for sleeping till 9am.  Maybe now the dust has settled I will ask.  Will what was the real story that day?