9/19/08
this is my first elk and yes i am 11 years old. in the past six months i have gone through 3 bows and have increased my draw weight to 55#. I was not trophy hunting, but did get lucky and harvested a awsome bull.
The Story
Cody, Age 11 harvested a 6X7 bull elk on September 19, 2008. Gross score, 347!
Just as Bruce (his Dad) spent his life growing up and enjoying the outdoors hunting and fishing, so the legacy has been passed onto his son Cody.. “I would rather spend time in the field with Cody than anyone else”
Cody was entered into the AZ Big game archery draw in January 08, Bruce and Cody’s agreement was that he could only apply for archery hunts when he was able to pull back the legal weight limit (40 lbs) on his bow At that point, Cody had already worked to the 40 lb limit on his current his bow.
He found out that he was drawn in February 08 – number 67 of the draw!
Since the maximum on Cody’s bow was 40 lbs and he could already do that, Dad got to buy him a new higher draw weight range bow for his big hunt.
Within 30 days, he practiced so much that he maxed out the new bow’s draw weight of 50 lbs. So once again, Dad had to get him a newer, bigger bow.
What’s amazing to many is that Cody is only 4’11” and 82 lbs and he is able to pull back a bow in the ranges most adult men do …However; among Bruce’s peers and other fellow hunters there was extreme doubtfulness of many as to whether such a small, young boy could harvest a monster bull elk. Tim , family friend and fellow hunter with the same elk tag that Cody had was present when Cody harvested the elk. Tim never doubted in Cody’s abilities and shared with those that questioned Cody’s ability - you don’t know Bruce like I do; he’ll have Cody ready for this hunt.
Over the course of the next several months, Cody wore out 3 practice targets and 5 dozen arrows getting ready for the big day. As a parent does, Bruce always believed in Cody’s ability and guided and encouraged him through the entire process. He knew that if they could find a bull elk, Cody could make the shot. He had plenty of support and coaching from Grandpa B., Grandpa G. and Uncle Beau and Brett too!
This was not just a lucky day. Recent changes made within Arizona’s Game and Fish Department allows hunters more time to prepare. In years past, Cody would have only had 2 months to prepare for his hunt. In 2007, AZGFD began publishing elk draw results by February. This allowed for several months of shooting practice and scouting trips to the area. Bruce and Cody started weekend trips to the area in July so they would have a sound strategy and be fully prepared.
That preparation paid off on September 19th at 6:23pm in Northern AZ. After spending, 5 previous days hunting all day long, Cody’s moment of truth came. An enormous bull elk with 6 cows let out a loud bugle to give them a general idea of where he was. Bruce’s words, “With the wind on our side, the elk started feeding in our direction, we were in the perfect location and our chances were only getting better as they moved closer to us. As the first cow grazed by at 30 yards, we knew the bull was soon to follow. When we could see the tips of the bull’s antlers, Cody came to full draw. He was calm, focused and instinctively knew what he needed to do. I couldn’t have been any prouder of my son at that very moment, whether hit or miss.”
“On the outside, I appeared calm but fear of missing filled my mind. Dad whispered, shoot – shoot – shoot now.” The arrow flew perfectly for 35 yards between 2 oak trees, 1 foot apart and hit its mark. The shot was lethal and an amazing shot for any man to make.
After 7 months of anticipation, preparation, and hope for success a father and son’s wishes came true. Hugs, high fives, tears of joy and a huge sigh of relief rang through the wilderness!
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In Cody’s words on the drive home, “It’s time to get back to being a kid again”.
