Crittenden County hunter brings down impressive elk

W hen we think of elk hunting, it usually evokes visions of high mountains out west in states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

But, don’t forget that Arkansas has some pretty high mountains. If you are lucky, the hunter can stay at home and take a trophy. AGFC offers elk hunting for the lucky hunters that are drawn for the 5 bull and 23 antlerless permits.

Better be lucky, though, because 5,200 entered into this year’s drawing in late June after applying in May. Enter Ben Vaughn. Ben lives in Marion with his mother Beverly and dad Bartt, who is also a hunter.

Ben is a senior at the University of Arkansas, majoring in civil engineering.

On his second try, his name was drawn for a bull elk permit. There are permits for public lands and private lands. Ben, his dad, and room mate Aaron hunted public lands near Jasper close to the Buffalo River.

They did not use a guide.

They had scouted the area previously and stayed in a cabin at nearby Jasper.

About 6:30 p.m. on the second day of the hunt, Ben took a massive 7X8 bull at 300 yards with his Remington 7mm mag.

Now the work began! They had 12 hours to get the elk checked in and they were a mile from their truck. It took 7 hours to quarter the elk and back-pack it to the truck. A bull elk is three to four times bigger than white tail deer. This was the only bull they saw, but another hunter _lled his cow tag in the same valley.

The elk must be mounted in the zone it was taken due chronic wasting disease.

The bull was taken to a taxidermist in Harrison but there was a serious problem. They had cut the cape too short and another cape will have to be purchased.

Because of the size of the horns, a much longer cape is required. There is about a year wait time to get the mount back. Ben and his dad usually hunt public lands and he has taken a 9-point and a 10-point buck in previous seasons.

Ben’s big bull is being considered as the largest taken in Arkansas this season. They ended up with 550 pounds of meat. The second elk season is set for Oct. 26-29 for permit hunters. Youth hunters have a chance to take an antlerless elk Oct. 24-25.

As far as Papa Duck can _nd out, Ben Vaughn is the only hunter from Crittenden County to harvest an Arkansas elk.

In other Outdoors News: Arkansas archery season opened on Sept. 26 and there are private clubs that have extra doe permits.

So far more than 12,000 deer have been taken and muzzle loading and modern gun season have not started. For the past 5 years, about 200,000 deer have been taken. Muzzleloader season opened this Saturday Oct. 17. Check the free AGFC Hunting Guidebook for exact days and zones.

Have a pen with you to _ll out the deer tag before you move it. Wynne Meat Processing has been busy with the early deer. They do a great job at a reasonable price. The summer sausage is outstanding. Call them at 870-208-8352.

The weather is wonderful and the _sh are starting to think about putting on some weight for the fall and winter. The _shing report is slightly better than last week. Take the kids and family and enjoy this time of year. The leaves are starting to change and the bugs are not as bad. Take plenty of pictures and send them to Papa Duck. Lakeside Taxidermy is ready to mount your trophies quickly and at a reasonable price. You will be pleased with the mount. It’s not to late to clean out the freezer of potential mounts. Lakeside puts the kids at the front of the line. Maybe Christmas.

The national elections are near and we should all vote to help determine our nation’s future. As outdoor lovers many of us hunt and _sh. Guns are part of our culture, be it for hunting or defense of our homes. The Democratic Party wishes to over ride the 2nd Amendment and take our guns.

VP candidate Harris makes con_scating our guns a priority. You can bet that criminals and those in power will have their weapons while the honest citizen is left to the mercy of these people. Think about the cities that have been burned and destroyed because of weak Democratic leaders not protecting them. Even if you do not like Trump, do not vote against him.

Most citizens do not want Crittenden County to become Chicago, Seattle, or L.A.

Papa Duck Lakeside Taxidermy 901-482-3430 jhcriner@hotmail.com

Ben Vaughn, a Marion resident and engineering student at the University of Arkansas, bagged this impressive beast during the recent Arkansas Elk Hunt. The elk was taken on public lands.

Submitted photos

Ten-year-old Peyton Shea was hunting near McCrory with his dad Martin Shea when he bagged his first deer. Peyton killed this nice spike buck with a crossbow.

John Criner

Outdoors Columnist