At 78 years of age, cancer has pretty much taken away my ability to climb mountains in search of elk.

Don’t feel sorry for me, I have killed plenty of elk, mostly cows for the good eating. The good Lord has allowed me more than a charmed life. I have a wonderful family with great kids, grandkids and great grandkids and I have fly fished (my main sport) all over the world, sometimes in places I never dreamed I would go. My youngest son, Stefan, and I decided to do something we had never done before. We planned to go on a guided elk hunt. I work for the International Sportsmen’s Expositions telling fly-fishing tales and doing fly tying demonstrations. In my spare time I began to canvas the floor, down in Denver, looking for a suitable elk-hunting outfit. QRS Outfitters out of Meeker, Colo., was particularly attractive, and they thought an early season muzzleloader hunt would fit the bill for what we were looking for, so we booked our hunt. Neither of us has owned a muzzleloader, nor had we ever fired one. Not to be deterred, we purchased our guns. On the appointed day, we arrived in Meeker and were directed to the lodge. The next morning we set out to hunt out of separate blinds for bull elk. While traveling to his blind, Stefan and his guide spotted a large 6-point bull, and with a little cow calling Stefan shot his bull barely an hour into his hunt. They had not even reached their blind! Like a lot of fathers, I get more excited about the success of my children than my own success. I couldn’t believe the size of Stefan’s bull, a great mossy-horned animal.