2 elk and a Kia forte, long read ahead...

[CatfishKev]

So it seems like I have bad vehicle luck half the time when heading to the mountains. Breaking exhaust on alpine, blew my intercooler on a bison hunt, destroyed a brake caliper on an elk hunt and so on...  This trip was the bad half.  We typically take 2 vehicles but right before the hunt a lifter went out on the suburban so it stayed home and 5 of us piled in the f250.  

Day 1 we got busted by a raghorn and took the cows with him, went down a brutal road for the evening and sat a beautiful tank all day until bugles started.  Myself and Caliche gave chase while we left my youngest boy at the tank with Bucky the Boston terrier.  Me and Kiki got on elk with at least 5 bulls yelling all around us.  We just ran out of light and headed back to get Enoch.  He had a cow come in for water but Bucky snorted and spooked her off 

Next am Enoch asked to sleep in so me and Kiki went out way early and started creeping in the dark. Kept following bugles to get close enough before they made the thick treeline. Got busted by one small group of cows but luckily the bull headed back to round up the rest of his gals. He came back in front of us and I blew a cow call and stopped the last girl in her tracks. Boom, cow down.  Had a good Samaritan out of globe help us load her into the back of his ranger and we then slid her into my truck and headed back to camp.  This is Kiki's 3rd elk.

Rolling back to camp my truck was making a sound similar to a power steering pump low on fluid, literally as we are rolling into camp she dies.  My fuel pump took a crap. Sunday am a dude from the ADA youth camp gives me a ride to Payson and we rented the only vehicle available in Payson.  A four door Kia forte.  The truck situation was not gonna change so I decided to go for an evening hunt on the Kia.  Let's talk about zero ground clearance!  Thank God this car had a nice steel plate underneath protecting the oil pan.  

So I set Kiki up on a knob overlooking 3 tanks, we came up with a orange hat wave to signal what he was seeing. We set up on the 3rd tank and I headed to the first one to see if anything would head in.  Almost dark I see a cow coming in and I haul arse to Enoch waving my orange hat.  We blow up the hill and I'm getting a side stich. We finally get to edge of hill and there is no cover.  We start crawling into position both breathing hard. The herd bull knows something is up but doesn't know for sure. All the elk are on edge just standing in place trying to to figure out what is going on. Last light is fading fast. What seemed like an eternity Enoch has the elk in his cross hairs, now we are just trying to let him calm down and catch his breath. Finally boom and second cow down. We run and get Caliche while she expires and come up on a huge cow! This is Enochs first elk and second animal. She ends up being a huge cow. Now the work starts.  The boys guided me in with lights so the Kia is shining right on her. 2.5 hours later we got an elk in the trunk of a Kia!

So we load this elk into coolers and a plastic lines trunk space.  Head back to camp to show momma our spoils then zip to jeber circle k for ice. Back to bed at one am.  

Next am I start changing the fuel pump, pump ends up being broken before installing. End up heading to snowflake to exchange for a new one that's not broken.  Finally get the truck running and take the Kia to Young to pick up our 2 cow elk.  So this is what 2 cows look like in a Kia trunk, lol.  

So now we are headed home. Get to the first fuel station and I'm leaking coolant like a siv.  Sweet! My coolant reservoir burst a seem, stop at O'Reilly for a new one and swap out at the McDonald's while the fam is eating and we made it home with no more issues. We thanked God for the safe trip home and we are now ready to sleep in our own beds safe and sound.  What a trip!

[Eli]

Congrats! That pic of the meat in the trunk is priceless

[bigorange]

Congrats! You definitely know how to keep it interesting!

[RJ75]

Congrats! Way to stick with it and get it done.

[NewlyMinted]

That is an epic trip! Congrats to the hunters! Great write up Kev 

[AzDiamondHeat]

I cant stop laughing!

PLEASE tell us you returned the kia with blood in the trunk......

[DUG]

Congrats on an epic hunt! Wonder if that goes on the Kia's Carfax? lol Your kids will be telling this hunt story for years to come.

[Crazymonkey]

Hopefully  you  got rental  insurance  for the kia!! Quite the adventure.  Way to make the best of it and score two elk. 

[bonecollector]

What an adventure! Congrats to all

[CatfishKev]

12 hours ago, AzDiamondHeat said:

I cant stop laughing!

PLEASE tell us you returned the kia with blood in the trunk......

Nah we cleaned it.  But enough blood found it's way off the plastic and under the spare mat.  We wiped it all down and I had my wife drive to Payson with the windows down trying to air it out. We even through in some new pine tree air fresheners.  People will definitely be wondering what the heck the smell is the next couple weeks.  

[CatfishKev]

We're all beat here gonna relax a bit today and shower.  I smell like a combination swampass, desiel fuel and engine coolant

Thanks to @zackcarp and @daryl_s too for being willing drive up there and offer help.  Good dudes on here.

[Non-Typical Solutions]

GREAT campfire story for the rest of you and your kids life..................love the shot of the trunk load of meat!!!

[Mocha1545]

Great hunt. You will be laughing about this for the rest of your lives! Never renting a car in Payson!

[PJM]

Fonda ain't got ELK in back of her KIA

[Flatlander]

On a hunt many years ago we killed two rutty bulls in 3 days. We used my truck to transport both to the cooler. It was early and hot and there were 5 sweaty dudes and two dead elk in and out of that truck over 4 days.

Every time that truck got hot you could still smell elk, as long as I owned it.