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Middlefield Post
By Christine Curtis
Feb. 04, 2015
Trust Your Weapon
M
y elk story begins with my husband, Monte, an avid deer and small game hunter as well as a fisherman. Monte grew up hunting and fishing every weekend on his father’s dream farm, Irish Acres. We met playing on a coed softball team and I swear his eyes lit up when I mentioned that our family hunted and fished. I tagged along with my dad and brother on pheasant, quail and rabbit hunts; however, I was never interested in shooting until I met Monte. I learned quickly that I’d better learn to hunt and fish if I wanted to spend more time with him! I was very impressed with Monte’s woodsmanship skills, and he ultimately fostered my love of the sport. I became fascinated with it and was eager to learn everything I could. Hunting and fishing actually came quite naturally to me as I had a deep passion for the outdoors and wildlife. Before children, we fished for walleye and perch all summer and hunted turkey in the spring and deer in the winter. I shot my first turkey when I was nine months pregnant with my daughter, my good luck charm, and we continued to make time to hunt despite juggling three kids and multiple pets. We passed down our love and respect for the outdoors and wildlife to our children and took them deer and turkey hunting on my father-in-law’s farm. Dad also designed and hand-built several heated box blinds, naming them after the girls in our family, so we would be comfortable and protected from the cold Ohio winters.
Christine Curtis with her prize elk in Utah. Dad is also an accomplished hunter and great storyteller. His impressive log cabin was decorated with numerous North American big and small game he had harvested over his 50 years of hunting, several of which included giant Whitetails he proudly harvested off the Irish Acres “Preserve.” In 2010, we decided to do some big game hunting out west and Monte thought I would enjoy glassing for elk. (Glassing is scouting for prey through high powered binoculars or a spotting scope from an area that offers a long and wide view.) We bagged two really nice bulls in
September of 2012. I harvested a 6x6, 338” bull at 290 yards using my father-in-law’s .270, while Monte harvested a 6x7, 336” bull with his dad’s 50 year-old custom 7 mag. Our hunt was extra special because “Dad” custom hand-loaded the bullets we used, so he was a part of our success, even from afar. A lot of love and pride went into reloading that ammunition, and I was proud to shoot my first elk with Dad’s bullet. We enjoyed our hunt so well that we decided to return in 2013 in the hopes of a bigger bull. However, I suggested that it was time for Monte to get his own custom gun and he ordered a custom 7 mag and turret. The first week of September 2013, we flew out to Utah to pick up and shoot Monte’s gun. We spent the afternoon at a long distance shooting range learning everything about the 7 mag. Monte sighted in his gun at 200 yards and worked his way up to the 1,000-yard target with the ease of his turret. The accuracy was unbelievable. I jumped at the chance to shoot and was taught a few shooting tips that ultimately helped me bag my bull. It was fun hitting the 600, 800 and 1,000 yard targets. We were so impressed with their workmanship and precision that we ordered a 6.5 x 284 on the spot for my 20th anniversary present. We got to our hunting camp on Sunday afternoon. We didn’t waste any time and headed out that afternoon for some glassing. I hunted with one guide, Brian, as he must have drawn the short straw. The poor guy had to put up with my curious nature and talkativeness, but at least he knew I was a good shot! Monte hunted with another, Shayne, and they called in a nice bull really close, but he held off shooting Continued on page 2