Forty Feet Of Bone

Whether you have a working knowledge of the Boone & Crockett scoring system and appreciate what 18-inch G1s, 21-inch G4s and 140-inches of extras mean or you simply can't stop looking at the cover of this issue, there is no denying the "wow" factor of this bull elk. What may be just as fascinating, even more so than the story of this bull's death, is the story of his life and what has transpired since September 30, 2008.

When I was asked to write this article several months ago I was all set to offer such things as a perspective from records-book history and talk about the steps taken to certify this elk as the new World's Record. I planned to write about our great systems of conservation and game management, which produced such a tremendous animal. I thought we should acknowledge the work of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for their stalwart efforts to put elk on a mountain that was once full, empty and is now full again. I thought it would be fitting to tip our caps to the sportsmen of Utah for their cooperation and patience while others worked to create opportunity for them and out-of-state hunters. Of course, I planned on letting you get to know Denny Austad, whose passion for big game and generosity to elk management will fund elk projects in Utah for years to come, ensuring sustainability. However, that was then and this is now.

All anybody seems to care about now in e-world are the negatives spun, I suspect, out of misinformation and rumors, with a touch of sour grapes thrown in for good measure. I guess I'll have to save the feel-good celebration for another day.

Let me start by saying, What happened to "good for the other guy?" If you're new to this diatribe, I am sorry for raining on your parade. The good news is there is a lesson to be learned here and a positive outcome if we just recognize it when we see it. Let's begin with a few facts.

The Habitat
The Monroe Mountain Unit is located within the Fishlake National Forest in central Utah. Fishlake is under multiple use management with an emphasis on livestock grazing and timber production. Fishlake is broken into districts. Austad hunted the Richfield District WMU. Only recently has this area popped up on the radar screen as a producer of trophy bulls. According to the Elk Foundation and Kreig Rasmussen, wildlife biologist on the Richfield Ranger District, bulls in the 300- to 400-class just started showing up in the harvest in 2005.

In the 1920s there were no elk present, and the attempt to establish a herd from relocated Yellowstone elk in the 1930s showed little promise. By the 1970s, elk sightings on Monroe Mountain were still a rare occurrence. Population estimates then were a meager 15 animals. Utah wildlife managers transplanted more elk in the late 1980s into Monroe and surrounding areas. This time the elk took hold on the rich habitat, but this wasn't all about just dropping in more critters.