Oklahoma Elk Hunt with Alyssa Bowen

Artemis

Hunting elk in Oklahoma (yes, Oklahoma) is a relatively new opportunity for sportswomen and men there. Alyssa Bowen joins us to talk about finally drawing a tag in her home state, and she tells us what her elk hunt was like. Spoiler alert: Bowen's hunt was the kind most of us dream about. She spotted elk almost right away, and hunted in a party that included her husband and a close female friend.

1:00 Those three-figure temps... #eeep

3:00 Sand bass (pssst... Bass Tactics just finished! Keep an eye out for more tactics courses from Artemis)

6:00 "Mrs. Coach" - food support, emotional support, and ripping the occasional umpire

7:00 The return of elk to Oklahoma

8:00 Controlled elk hunts (and roadside service from management officials!)

11:00 Elk hunts are still very controlled in Oklahoma

12:00 Spoiler alert: Oklahoma has mountains!

15:00 The physical prep for an elk hunt where you're packing out an animal on foot

19:00 The play-by-play of a controlled elk hunt in a state where it's a non-typical quarry... it starts with a meeting

23:00 Oklahoma has bison, too!

24:00 Finding elk right away... the BEST start to a hunt

27:00 Taking a pass on the first shot opportunity (and the emotional aftermath)

29:00 You can hunt in totally different states and still completely understand another person's elk-hunting scenario

31:00 The physical nature of an elk hunt... hoofing it valley to valley #theycantravel

33:00 Elk upon elk! It's kind of a dream hunt... when you're aiming for one elk, and another one shows up even closer

36:00 If you're going to shoot again, make sure you know which one you've hit

39:00 Emotional waves... "It just really affected me in a way I was not expecting."

42:00 Knives to packout... about three hours; plus, it helps to have friends

47:00 Elk hide... decisions! (And heavy.)

49:00 Watching a friend's hunt from an opposing ridge, seeing elk all around them and wondering, "DO THEY EVEN KNOW!?"

53:00 Let's celebrate with an ibuprofen, ok?

56:00 E-scouting: validation for your topography skills

57:00 First fish on the fly! (Pssst... want some fly-fishing tips? Check out last week's episode, where we give you Fly Fishing Tactics for free!)

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