Steve Merlo: Bakersfield women hunts huge elk at Tejon Ranch
| Thursday, Oct 08 2009 08:15 PM
Last Updated Friday, Oct 09 2009 12:22 PM
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Liz Peters of Bakersfield shows off her 340-inch, 6x6 Rocky Mountain bull elk taken last week on Tejon Ranch. She is reported to be the first woman ever to take an elk on the ranch properties.
Bakersfield's Liz Peters made the most of a recent hunting opportunity by bagging a huge 6x6 Rocky Mountain Elk on Tejon Ranch. She reportedly is the first woman to kill an elk on the ranch properties since managed elk hunting began there nearly 20 years ago. The animal sported a width of nearly 50 inches and a height of of nearly 4 feet per antler, scoring close to 340-Boone and Crockett points -- a monster in anyone's book.
"My husband said that I didn't seem excited before I pulled the trigger, but believe me, it was more than anyone can imagine. The adrenaline rush was such a high that I can see why the guys all go nuts over hunting them," said Ms. Peters in a recent interview. "To me, part of the thrill was hearing the bullet hit and watching the animal go down, but the rest of the hunt really complemented the final seconds before the shot. You know, checking the bull out, seeing him within the herd, hearing him bugle and then waiting for him to position himself where I could brace myself on the shooting sticks and get steady for the shot.
"My Dad and my husband were along to offer their support during the stalk, and they were all very excited for me when the bull immediately piled up. The elk had quartered to me at about 140 yards and just collapsed after my bullet clipped his lungs."
Liz used a custom 7mm Remington Magnum rifle and a 160-grain bullet to dispatch the 950-pound animal that will shortly adorn the family's trophy room. She was steered to the bull's lair by Braun Sanders, one of Tejon's top guides.
Local taxidermist Matt Johnson, also along on the hunt, will do a head mount of the huge bull.
The Peters family is no stranger to big Tejon elk, which were initially planted near Tehachapi in the late 1960s and have thrived ever since. "Tejon now has some of the largest Rocky Mountain bull elk in the country," added Ms. Peters. "My husband killed one there several years ago that still stands as number 17 in the all-time Boone and Crockett Book of World Records."
When asked if she had any advice for other women thinking of going big- game hunting, Peters said: "You bet! This hunt was the experience of a lifetime and I highly recommend going if you can. But remember: hunting is a very personal sport, and it is not for everyone. Every time I go, though, and I will go every time the opportunity presents itself, I just get that more jazzed about going the next time."
California Waterfowl reminder
Don't forget next Thursday's California Waterfowl Association banquet and fundraiser.
Contact Jim Delmarter (661)327-1486 for more info on this great evening of good food, good friends and lots of prizes. See you there.
Duck season begins
Waterfowl season in the Southern San Joaquin Valley Zone begins Saturday, with open-water at a scarse premium due to the extended drought.
Hunters with pond access will find lots of concentrated birds and decent shooting when they take to the marshes.
Nick Stanley, Kern Wildlife Refuge manager, hopes to see a 45-50 hunter capacity for the waterfowl opener at the popular hunting Mecca. With an estimated 10-15,000 birds calling the refuge home at this time, the shooting should be good to excellent. Private club members are expecting to take their share of birds, too, especially when the stirred-up refuge birds begin to spread out over the valley floor.
Limits are very liberal again this year. Hunters can take seven ducks per day with only a few restrictions.
No more than two hen mallards, two pintails (sprig) or one canvasback may be included in the aggregate daily bag. Limited to three per day, scaup may not be taken until Nov.14, when the second half of the split season reopens.
Goose season does not begin until Oct. 24, but the limits have been raised. Hunters can take up to eight per day, with six white-geese and six dark-geese in the aggregate. In the six-dark-goose daily limit, no more than four white-fronted geese (specklebellies) are allowed. (Yes, the limit on honkers has been raised to six per day, in case you were wondering.)
The split-season on ducks runs until Nov. 1, closes for two weeks, then reopens on Nov. 14, running continuously through Jan. 31.
