Hunting in Craig

Warning: Graphic images of animal harvest

Had an outstanding trip to Craig in January with my father in law to hunt on a Ranching for Wildlife tag at Deakin’s Ranch. Snow was shallow enough to drive through on a lot of the ranch roads, and the scenery was beautiful. Tons of wildlife: grouse, turkey, mule deer, pronghorns, and on the last day, of course, elk. I harvested a sturdy cow elk that fell behind the herd. I’d hiked to a good terrain cover and was ready when she passed with a small group. It was a very clean, cold, early-morning kill; around -7 degrees F when I bagged her. There was an arctic cold front coming in that day, so it was nearly -15 degrees when we left Craig for home.

Processing was a family affair and we filled the freezer. Since January we’ve made sausage and countless roasts, steaks, scrambles, etc. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to be involved in an ancient human endeavor, to feed my family and myself for the entirety of 2025, and to the animal, whose suffering was minimal.