Great White Hunters

THE GREAT HUNTERS ARE HOME FROM THE HILLS.
DARVIL, HIS SON JASON, AND THEIR SPECIAL GUIDE, GRANDPA, TRAVELED TO ALPINE,ARIZONA TO TRY AND SLAY A DRAGON OF AN ELK.
WE LEFT ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND ARRIVED IN ALPINE THREE HOURS LATER.A GOOD FRIEND, DENNIS LUNT, LET US STAY AT HIS CABIN, [ JUST LIKE BEING AT HOME ]. FRIDAY MORNING THE ALARM WENT OFF AT 5:00 AM AND WE LITERALLY JUMPED OUT OF BED,[ YEAH RIGHT ]. WITH THE FOUR WHEELER IN THE BACK OF DARVILS PICKUP WE DROVE TO OUR FAVORITE SPOT, WALKED UP A HILL, AND WAITED............. WE THEN DECIDED TO TRY WALKING ALONG A RIDGE UNTIL WE SPOTTED THEM. NO LUCK. DARVIL AND JASON TRIED ANOTHER RIDGE AND GRANDPA DROVE THE TRUCK AROUND TO PICK THEM UP.NO LUCK. AFTER NOON WE JUST DROVE IN THE TRUCK, DRIVING SMALL ROADS SLOWLY AND LOOKING. NO LUCK. WHILE HEADING BACK IN THE DIRECTION OF HOME WE TOOK A ROAD THAT CIRCLED A BIG MEADOW. ABOUT HALF THE WAY AROUND WE SPOTTED TWO ELK STANDING IN A CLEARING. JASON STEPPED OUT AND FLUNG A BULLIT IN THEIR DIRECTION. THE ELK ACTED LIKE IT WAS HIT BUT IT RAN OFF INTO THE TREES AND DISAPEARED. IT GOT DARK SO WE COULD NOT FOLLOW IT. GETS DARK FAST IN THE MOUNTAINS YOU KNOW. NO LUCK, WENT TO ALPINE.
SATURDAY MORNING MORE OF THE SAME EXCEPT DARVIL AND JASON HAD GRITS FOR BREAKFAST. GRANDPA JUST HAD CERIAL. WE DROVE TO ANOTHER AREA AND WALKED AND DROVE UNTIL NOON BUT, NO LUCK. AFTER NOON WE DROVE QUITE A DISTANCE TO ANOTHER AREA, TOOK A LONG WALK, SAW A LOT OF SIGN BUT NO ELK, [ SIGN IS TRACKS AND POOP.] WE DID SOME MORE DRIVING ON SMALL ROADS UNTIL WE ENCOUNTERED A DEAD END. DO YOU KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING THAT CAN BE. WE TURNED AROUND AND SLOWLY DROVE BACK THE WAY WE CAME. OCCASIONALY WE WOULD STOP AND TURN OFF THE TRUCK AND LISTEN FOR A BULL ELKS BUGLE. FINALLY WE HEARD ONE SO WE DROVE AGAIN TO TRY AND GET CLOSER, STOPPING OCCASIONALY TO LISTEN. WE WERE GETTING CLOSER. WE DROVE AGAIN FOR A SHORT DISTANCE AND STOPPED AGAIN TO LISTEN. WE HEARD THE BUGLE AGAIN BUT THE ONLY WAY WAS TO WALK. WE STARTED WALKING WITH JASON IN THE LEAD, DARVIL BEHIND HIM, AND THEN CAME THE GUIDE. WE HAD NOT WALKED VERY FAR WHEN JASON SPOTTED AN ELK. DARVIL HAD HIM USE A TREE TO STEADY HIS AIM BUT THEY COULD NOT SEE THE ELKS HEAD. COULD NOT TELL IF IT WAS A BULL OR A COW. [ OH DID I MENTION HE HAD A COW TAG, HAD TO MAKE SURE IT WAS A COW.] DARVIL HAD JASON MOVE TO ANOTHER TREE AND FROM THERE THEY COULD SEE ANOTHER ELK AND THIS TIME IT WAS A COW FOR SURE. CAREFUL AIM, SQUEEZE THE TRIGER, KAPOW, AND THE ELK TURNED AND RAN. BUT IT ONLY RAN FOR ABOUT 100 FEET AND FELL OVER. LUCK,LUCK,LUCK, YIPPEE. THE SUN HAD SET SO WE QUICKLY CLEANED HER OUT, LOADED HER AND THE FOUR WHEELER INTO THE PICKUP AND DROVE TO ALPINE WITH SMILES ON OUR FACES. [OH DID I MENTION THAT WE DROVE THE PICKUP RIGHT TO WHERE SHE LAY. LUCK.] SKINNED HER OUT CLEANED HER OFF, WRAPPED HER UP AND HAD SUPPER. STILL COULD NOT KEEP FROM SMILING.
WE DROVE HOME SUNDAY AND AFTER WE GOT HOME WE QUARTERED HER UP AND PUT HER INTO A OLD SODA MACHING THAT I HAD PURCHASED YEARS AGO JUST FOR THIS PURPOSE. AFTER THE INTERNAL COMPONETS OF A SODA MACHING ARE REMOVED THERE IS A LOT OF ROOM INSIDE. IT KEEPS THINGS VERY COOL. CUTTING AND WRAPING IS TO COME BUT WHAT THE HECK, THE SMILES ARE STILL THERE.
MMM,MMM,GOOD.
GRANDPA THE HUNTERS GUIDE.