SHANNON COUNTY, Mo (KMOX) - The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is celebrating the state's first successful hunting of an elk by archery in modern-hunting history.
It's a bit of a wild story, as the hunter didn't find his kill until the next day.
Chris Irick of Pleasant Hope, Missouri is credited with the "first elk by archery methods in Missouri’s modern elk hunting history." The royal bull elk – also known as a 6-by-6 elk – was shot late in the evening on Monday. But Irick wasn't the person to make the call to MDC.
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Another hunter found it Tuesday morning and called it in. Then when an agent responded, he heard shouts from someone up in a tree – it was Irick.
"As it turned out, Chris had climbed up about 16 feet in a tree over the elk, making his best effort for cell service to get the elk called in to Telecheck," MDC stated.
Good news for Irick is that the cold temperatures overnight kept the meat fresh.
Last year was first legal elk hunting season in Missouri. In December 2020, the five individuals who received hunting permits bagged an elk – but those were all killed by rifles.
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